I have a memory of the day my epiphany happened. It is probably more of an emotional memory than it is specific, however I have at least associated specific memories to the experience. I was sitting in 7th Grade Algebra, staring out the window, as was often the case.

I was actually sitting away from the windows, toward the right side of the room in the front row of desks, which meant I could gaze toward the center of the room where Mrs. Johnson stood and gaze past her to the row of windows. I could see Highway 75 from where I sat and the handful of cars that passed by. I don't remember what was going on in class, probably a lecture on solving for multiple variables or something equally captivating.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was a global citizen. I was a member of a class that was much larger than the 20 or so students in the room and much larger than the 3000 or so people in my rural community. In fact, it really didn't matter where I was in the world - I belonged wherever I happened to be standing at the moment. I would be ok anywhere, because God was not dependent upon geography.

As I continued to experience this epiphany, I recall that I had a sense of transcendence - of being lifted out of my little space, and I saw the world laid out before me. What a freedom! I was no longer trapped in my little closed-in community. I was not bound to the land in order to have relationship with God, or even with myself. I didn't have to carry my little piece of hometown soil around with me, for God is no respecter of soil. Furthermore, there was just something much bigger going on than small town life, and I was a part of it.

Now, 30-some years later, I have never lost this sense that life is about more than my little town, or my big country. It is also about something bigger than my church or my home group. It is even about something bigger than me.

If anything, I am even more aware of this now. All around us are people - Christians included - intent on building their own little kingdoms, whether countries, businesses, or even churches and ministries. Looking at the Western church, you'd think that the Kingdom of God was a feudal system. However, nothing is further from the truth.

As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, I have pledged my loyalty to the Big Picture. The place I live is not "my town." It is not "my country." It is, rather, my world and God's world, a place that extends beyond the boundaries of Earth into the realm of Heaven. Likewise, the church I attend is not "my church," something that exists apart from the universal Church. My fellowship group is my point of connection to The Church. I cannot reasonably be committed to where I choose to "plug in" and not be committed to the whole church.

If we are truly committed to the Kingdom of God, we are committed to it all. We cannot say, "my loyalty is to my church" to the exclusion of other churches. We cannot say, "my loyalty is to my country" to the exclusion of the Kingdom of God as it intersects every other country. That is not to say that we are not to act as custodians of that particular sphere to which we have been assigned. However, in doing so we cannot afford to lose the Big Picture. To use a household analogy, we can't just keep our rooms clean and ignore the rest of the house.

Jesus talked about neighbors, and tried to explain to us what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves. However, we still can't seem to grasp the concept that our neighbors include those outside of our normal social circles, or grasp that our world is much bigger than our little kingdoms. Christians still fight other Christians (figuratively and spiritually as well as physically), in attempts to build up "our" kingdoms, with little thought for the impact on The Kingdom.

If we are to truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves, that means that we would just as soon buy our neighbors a new car as buy one for us. No, I'm, not at the place where I could do that, either. But I know in my heart that this is what Jesus meant. And guess what - the whole world is our neighbor, but that's a concept that's way too big to grasp. That's probably why Jesus used the Samaritan as an example. For us today, He might have used a Muslim, or perhaps a Humanist. (Can you imagine - The Parable of the Good Humanist?)

I think the neighbor principle works for groups, as well as for individuals. The new church down the road is our neighbor. Do we really hope the new church succeeds, when perhaps our own is struggling? But does it really matter? Isn't the Kingdom built up either way? It really doesn't matter if our own little sub-kingdom grows or shrinks; that's not even the point. We are merely to be faithful to what God has set before us, and to rejoice with all whom God sees fit to bless.

When one church sacrifices to build up another church, the Kingdom is advanced. When churches no longer covet and compete for "members" but commit to blessing all who come near, the Kingdom is built up. When we stand with Christians around the world in disregard of theological differences, denominational affiliations and political boundaries, the Kingdom is strengthened. Our commitment must be to the whole church - to the whole Kingdom of God.