The “Kingdom of God” is a phrase that Jesus employed to communicate what God was doing in the world. It occurs 84 times in the gospels (if we include the synonymous phrase “kingdom of heaven” which is found in Matthew’s gospel). That means that Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God more than “faith”, “hope”, or “love”. Is your interest piqued yet?

Few people dispute that Jesus was a master communicator, and for whatever reason this was the phrase that he allowed to permeate and define his teaching. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming “the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15), and moments before his death he admitted that God’s kingdom was real, that he is the king, and that this was the reason he was born (John 18:36-37). The cross itself even bears witness to this truth (John 19:19-22). From beginning to end, from birth to death, Jesus was consumed with God’s kingdom.

Try reading the NT with the kingdom motif in mind. It should make for an interesting study.