What Is the Kingdom of God?
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“Vineyard is committed to the theology and practice of the kingdom of God, rooted in the vision of the Hebrew prophets and fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. We have been commissioned to proclaim the good news of the kingdom bearing witness to the already and not yet of the kingdom in words and deeds. Vineyard is a movement distinctively centered in a renewed understanding of the centrality of the kingdom of God in biblical thought. We view the kingdom of God as the overarching and integrating theme of the Bible.” Vineyard USA, Core Values And Beliefs, p. 4 WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Introduction ................................................................................. 5 The Kingdom Jesus Preached ................................................ 7 The Now Of The Kingdom ......................................................11 The Not Yet Of The Kingdom .................................................14 How Do We Become Kingdom People? ............................18 Visit This Link For Free Song Downloads From Vineyard Worship www.VineyardWorship.com/Distinctives Contributing Authors To The Series Brian & Thora Anderson | Christena Cleveland | Christian Dunn | Mark & Karen Fields Homero Garcia | Brenda Gatlin | Jeff Heidkamp | Bill Jackson | Dianne Leman Caleb Maskell | Derek Morphew | John & Eleanor Mumford | Rich Nathan Steve & Cindy Nicholson | Rick & Becky Olmstead | Jay Pathak | Lance & Cheryl Pittluck Jim Pool | David Ruis | Adam Russell | Jamie Stilson | Rose Swetman | Phil & Janet Strout Mike Turrigiano | Jamie & Michelle Wilson | Dan Wilt © 2014 Vineyard USA. All rights reserved. All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ 3 AFTER JOHN was PUT IN PRISON, JESUS WENT into GALILEE, proclaiming THE GOOD news OF GOD. “THE TIME HAS come,” HE SAID. “THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS come NEAR. REPENT AND believe THE GOOD news!” Mark 1:14-15 NIV INTRODUCTION: DOES THEOLOGY MATTER? For thousands of years Christians have Learning to know Jesus, and to become studied the Bible to discover more like him, is the goal of the Christian life. about the God who is the central figure And if we truly want to be like Jesus, we in its magnificent plot. What we think must understand his most important, about God, and what we believe he is overarching, and integrating message doing in the world, affects our everyday about the world – his message of the lives. In fact, what we understand to kingdom of God. be God’s plan for the world, and his In Mark 1:14-15, we read these powerful plan for each one of us, is a matter of words: ultimate importance to every human being who has ever lived. “… Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has Knowing about God, and his purposes come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God for the world, is what theology is really has come near. Repent and believe the all about. Theology is the “study of God,” good news!’” or as one writer said, “Faith seeking understanding.” We want to know who From the moment Jesus shows up God is, but we also want to know God in on the scene in Israel, he begins to a vital relationship. proclaim the reality of what he called the “kingdom of God.” Through stories In the Vineyard, we look to the and metaphors, miracles and healings, Scriptures – the Old and New Jesus sends out one important Testaments – to guide our theology, declaration to anyone who will listen: and to teach us about the nature and purposes of God. We believe that God The kingdom of God is breaking into this has self-revealed his character in the world – and it changes everything. Scriptures, and nowhere more do we see him self-revealed than in the life and teaching of Jesus (Heb. 1:3). 5 THE KINGDOM JESUS PREACHED What Is A Kingdom? Jesus Inaugurates The Kingdom To understand what Jesus meant by the Jesus, a simple carpenter’s son and a Jew, is phrase, “the kingdom of God,” we must first born in 1st century Palestine. One day, as a understand what a kingdom is. When we in young man, he steps forward in a synagogue the Western world hear the word, we may to read the Old Testament. He chooses a think of kings and queens ruling in empires revered text that speaks of the anointed like England. A regent over a kingdom is King to come. It is from the revered prophet someone who has authority in that kingdom. Isaiah, chapter 61. That kingdom is a place where they actively rule and reign. Here is the account: So, what did it mean when Jesus said that “He stood up to read, and the scroll of the God has a kingdom, and that it has come prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, near? he found the place where it is written:‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed What Is The Kingdom Of God? me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners The kingdom of God, as Jesus spoke about and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the it, was not limited to a physical city, country, oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the or land mass – even to the borders of ancient Lord’s favor.’Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it Israel. Rather, the kingdom of God was the back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes dynamic reign of God over heaven and earth; of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on all things visible and invisible. him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this For the ancient Jews, the idea of the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” “kingdom of God” was an accepted (Luke 4:17-20). theological reality. Taught by prophets like Jesus was declaring himself to be the Isaiah, the people of Israel believed that anointed King for whom they had been God is the one true King and Creator of the waiting! He would proclaim, in word and world. As King, he rules the cosmos (Ps. 24:8- deed, that God’s kingdom was truly among 10), and will one day express that rule fully them. He would demonstrate that kingdom on earth through his selected regent – an in signs, wonders, and the transformation of anointed one (Is. 61:1). every life he touched. Then, by death on a On that day, God’s people, Israel, will be cross, he would offer himself as a sacrificial delivered from their oppressors and brought lamb, the “suffering servant,” for the sins of home from their long exile. The world humanity (Is. 53). By his resurrection from will be set to rights, brought under God’s the dead (Luke 24:1-6), God would verify that shalom (peace) again as it had been in the Jesus was indeed the true King of the world. beginning. God’s anointed, appointed King Jesus was inaugurating the rule and reign will rule the people of the world with justice, of God on the earth, and God’s purposes for mercy, and love. This was the day for which the world from creation would begin to be they hoped, prayed, and persevered. realized. 7 WHEN CHRIST returns creation IS GOING to RUN ON A monorail. OUR WORLD IS GOING to RUN ON THE WILL OF GOD. REFLECTION kingdom of God the church? Is Jesus saying the church has come near? Not at all. Is the “One of the most challenging questions kingdom of God heaven? Not really. confronting Christian faith is simply this: If Jesus really was who he said he was, if he What are we Christians praying when we really was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, pray in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy kingdom come, then why is the world still in such bad shape? thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?’ Why do so many people still die of hunger Very simply, the kingdom of God is what and cancer? Why are there still so many wars things would be like if Jesus ran everything and suicide bombings? Why is there still so and if his will was done everywhere. The much slaughter taking place in Syria, in Iraq kingdom of God is what things would be like and in Afghanistan? Why is rape used as a if Jesus was in charge. When we pray “your common tactic of war across the African kingdom come,” we are saying that we want continent? this situation to be like what it would be like, if you, Lord, were in charge, if your will Let me make this really simple. If Jesus is was done. We say the kingdom has come Lord and he has all power and we have when the Lord totally has his way, when he is the Holy Spirit, and we have this powerful running the show. message called the Gospel, then why aren’t we more successful than we are? Why are so There is a secret that God has kept for all many marriages, even among church-going, eternity, but has now disclosed. Everyone supposedly Bible-believing Christians, in who listens to Jesus hears the secret that such bad shape? And why do some Christian God’s kingdom is going to come in two marriages end in divorce? Why do so many stages. In the first stage the kingdom is kids raised in Christian families end up barely going to be hidden.