What would the kingdom of God look like if Christ were physically here? What should it be like since he is spiritually here?

This is the first blog in a short series I am working out as I try to merge my understanding of how to live in two kingdoms. I am not interested in re-hashing Augustine’s City of God and City of Man dichotomy. Instead how do I and you that profess to be Christian, Christ-followers, sojourners with Jesus, or whatever term you roll with work out the tension of the kingdom of God that is here and simultaneously not yet here. Phrasing it another way how do we bring the Kingdom of God into the City of Man while living as ambassadors in a our native or adopted cultures? The Apostles and the early Church assumed that we all see ourselves primarily as citizen of heaven who are currently sojourning as residents and citizens of our earthly cultures. See 2 Corinthians 5:20, Psalm 39:12, Psalm 119:19, Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:11.

Jesus is the one that gives us the idea of paradoxical kingdom of God that exists here on Earth but not fully here on Earth yet. His words are in bold italics.

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Mark 1:15 // It is here {partially but}.
So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:31 // It is not here {fully} yet.

It seems clearly that Jesus intentionally left us with a here/not yet fully here tension in the gospels. Every time someone truly experiences salvation they are entering the kingdom of God. Yet they have not fully entered the kingdom of God because they are not completely with their King Jesus or fully wholly in his kingdom yet.

How do we live out this tension? Face it our churches don’t look like embassies for the Kingdom of God to most people. How do we change that? How are you changing that?