Where the Kingdom of God Breaks Through the American Dream

Stan Moody:

We, of the great evangelical American experiment, have lost our way. In seeing the cross through the lens of the American Dream, we've been sold a middle-class con - a narrative that links job security, prosperity, and national pride to God's blessing. It's a deeply embedded belief that paints the successful as God’s favorites, leaving those struggling in survival mode seemingly outside His favor.

That’s not the Kingdom Jesus came to establish.

Security Without Sacrifice:

This delusion hasn’t just skewed our values; it has lulled us into a false sense of spiritual pride. We confuse financial comfort with divine approval and wage culture wars under the illusion that we’re defending an otherwise sovereign God. But what if it’s all a deception? What if we’ve traded the real Kingdom of God for a counterfeit that offers future security without present sacrifice?

I speak from experience. Decades of wrestling with how to live faithfully in a secular world have taught me that distinguishing what belongs to Caesar from what belongs to God isn’t a casual or intermittent exercise. It requires a splitting of loyalties. We Kingdom kids may live under Caesar’s rule, but we live and die for God. As His ambassadors, we don’t conquer the world for Christ; we reflect Him within it.

God’s Kingdom is not something we build through strategy, power, or politics. It’s not of this world or even of this or that church. The more we attempt to force its arrival on our terms - through legislation, power grabs, or moral crusades, the more we resemble first-century Israel demanding a Messiah who would fit their mold.

Jesus came in weakness. So, indeed, does His Kingdom.

Living in the Kingdom Already:

There are many who believe Jesus is “away”- waiting, watching, and perhaps returning when we finally get our act together. Some see Him as a distant King, pacing Heaven’s throne room until we trigger the end times with just the right prayer or political alliance. That’s vertical, calendar-bound thinking. It shrinks the sovereignty of God to a cosmic chess match of our own making.

The truth is, if Jesus is present in any real sense, so is the Kingdom. And if the Kingdom is here - even partially - then the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) isn’t just aspirational poetry; it’s our marching orders. That present, dynamic Kingdom is already conquering the nations, including our own, through love of enemies, meekness of spirit, and sacrifice of self.

Despite our shallow faith and muddled attempts at service, God displays His strength in our weakness. We are not the heroes of this story. We are the loved, the redeemed, the work-in-progress agents of a greater plan. That plan is propelled not by dominance but by transformation. Into what? Into the image of Christ. From that image flows love—especially for the neighbor who happens to be an enemy.

The End of Hit-and-Run Evangelism:

So here I am—just a guy trying to follow Jesus in a world that rewards leverage over love; ambition over humility. If eternity feels like looking through the bottom of a Coke bottle, I invite you to take a closer look. There’s more to see than hit-and-run evangelism and spiritual busywork.

The way back to God’s Kingdom won’t be easy. It will test us believers. It will require deprogramming from ideas we didn’t even realize were false. It will be slow, painful, and frustrating. But God isn’t asking us to make the journey alone. Help can be found in the most unexpected places - in the saints who’ve gone before us; in His Word, and in the quiet strength of His people walking beside us.

He’s waiting—not at the end of a cosmic countdown, but in the now - waiting to pour out His love on those who dare to abandon success for surrender; security for faith.

The Kingdom of God invites God’s people now. It demands that we be IN this world but not OF this world; it enables us to stand IN God’s presence as ambassadors OF His power and grace. It's breaking through in places the world barely notices. It’s calling you and me - not just to believe, but to belong; not just to survive, but to live.