Joseph Matters writes:

One of the most serious theological crises in the contemporary church is the growing separation between the message of the kingdom and the way of the cross. Whenever these two are divorced, the kingdom becomes distorted, and the church loses its prophetic witness. Scripture reveals that the kingdom Jesus preached is inseparable from the cruciform life He modeled. The cross is not only the entry point into salvation—it is the shape of Christian leadership, influence, and spiritual authority. When we remove the cross, we remove the very character of Christ from the mission of the church. What follows are twelve negative consequences that arise when believers pursue the kingdom without embracing the cross.

1. The Kingdom Becomes a Human Empire

When the cross is removed from kingdom theology, the kingdom becomes a tool for building personal brands, expanding organizations, and consolidating influence. Leaders begin constructing towers instead of washing feet. The movement of Jesus becomes an enterprise run by human strategy rather than a spiritual family shaped by sacrifice. Empire-building replaces servant leadership, and ministry becomes more about the greatness of the leader than the greatness of Christ.

2. Ego and Ambition Replace Humility and Brokenness

A kingdom taught without the cross inflates human ego. Calling becomes confused with status; influence becomes a competition; ministry becomes a platform for gifted but unbroken leaders. Instead of dying to self, people pursue the kingdom as a path to personal fulfillment, visibility, and significance. The cross confronts ambition, but without it, ambition runs wild under the disguise of “taking mountains” and “walking in destiny.”

3. Leadership Defaults to Top-Down Control

Jesus explicitly rejected the power structures of the Gentiles, yet when kingdom teaching loses its cruciform core, leaders unconsciously imitate worldly models of control. Authority becomes positional instead of relational. Leaders command from above rather than serve from below. Hierarchy replaces humility, and people become managed instead of discipled. Without the cross, leadership becomes about exerting power rather than empowering people.

4. The Spirit of Narcissism Rises in the Church

When the cross is absent, leaders become image-driven, platform-centered, and hypersensitive to criticism. Ministry becomes a stage upon which leaders perform rather than an altar upon which they die. Narcissism masquerades as vision, and spiritual language is used to project ego and reputation. The cruciform life forms “decreasing” leaders; a crossless kingdom forms entitled leaders who must constantly “increase” and be the center of attention. 

5. Ministry Takes on Colonial Tendencies

A kingdom divorced from the cross often becomes coercive, imposing culture, preferences, and systems onto others. Instead of practicing incarnational mission in the way of Christ-leaders solely adopt conquest mentalities—seeking to “take over” rather than influencing through serving.” The cross breaks superiority and produces servants; a crossless kingdom produces conquerors who mistake domination for discipleship.

6. The Church Sends Ambitious People Into Civic Leadership

The kingdom does speak to culture and government, but when the cross is removed, believers pursue civic roles without cruciform formation. Ambitious personalities, lacking spiritual depth, enter arenas of power and are quickly discipled by the systems they hoped to influence. They may speak kingdom language but operate in worldly spirit. Without the cross, we raise influencers instead of Daniels.

7. Immature Leaders Rise Too Quickly

A crossless kingdom elevates gifting over character and charisma over spiritual depth. People who have never endured the refining fire of the cross ascend into leadership prematurely. This results in emotional instability, shallow discipleship, and wounded congregations. Without the cross, leadership formation becomes about speed, not depth; visibility, not maturity.

8. Promotion Becomes Human-Driven, Not God-Given

Jesus taught that only the humble will be exalted. The cross is God’s means of preparing leaders for sustainable influence. When the cross is removed, leaders grasp for roles, titles, and opportunities instead of waiting for God’s timing. Ministry becomes a competition of self-promotion, and influence becomes disconnected from intimacy with God. Without the cross, crowns are seized by men rather than bestowed by Jesus. 

9. The Kingdom Collapses Into Moralism

Remove the cross, and Christianity becomes a program of moral improvement rather than spiritual regeneration. Sermons focus on ethical principles without resurrection power. People are taught how to behave but not how to die and rise with Christ. The kingdom becomes a list of virtues rather than a transformed life empowered by grace. The cross alone enables the Spirit’s work of new creation.

10. Ministry Is Powered by Human Strength Instead of the Spirit

A crossless kingdom leads to churches built on talent, marketing, systems, and strategy—yet lacking the anointing. Leaders become exhausted because they are trying to accomplish spiritually impossible tasks through human effort. Prayer becomes optional. The gifts of the Spirit go dormant. Without the cross, there is no Pentecost; without surrender, there is no power.

11. Spiritual Authority Is Misunderstood and Abused

When the cross is absent, authority becomes confused with control, intimidation, and positional dominance. Leaders wield authority instead of embodying it. Biblical authority is cruciform—it flows through brokenness, sacrifice, and love. A crossless leader may hold a hierarchical title but lacks spiritual traction. Without the cross, authority becomes a weapon rather than a stewardship.

12. The Church Loses the Revelation of the Lamb

Perhaps the greatest consequence of divorcing the cross from the kingdom is that the church loses sight of Jesus as the Lamb at the center of the throne (Rev. 5:6). The Lamb reveals the nature of kingdom power—self-giving love, sacrifice, humility, and forgiveness. When the Lamb is eclipsed, the church becomes political, anxious, aggressive, and triumphalist. Without the cross, we imitate worldly kings instead of the Crucified King.

The kingdom without the cross produces gifted people without godliness, influence without integrity, and movements without the presence of God. But the kingdom shaped by the cross produces leaders who look like Jesus—humble, sacrificial, Spirit-filled, and faithful.

The future belongs to the cruciform church.

The Lamb still reigns.

And His kingdom still advances through the cross.