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Kingdom of God Resourcestm Embrace the Kingdom KINGDOM OF GOD RESOURCESTM EMBRACE THE KINGDOM. ENGAGE THE WORLD. What does it mean for us to be 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. What would it mean for the Church to be distinctively centered in a renewed understanding of the centrality of the Kingdom of God in biblical thought? What if we viewed the Kingdom of God as the overarching and integrating theme of the Bible? 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 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 Resources. All rights reserved. Photography – Cover: Daniel Whisnant | Unsplash: Steve Halma, Ryoji Iwata, Avion, Edwin Andrade 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 good news!’” God,” or as one writer said, “Faith seeking understanding.” We want to From the moment Jesus shows up know who God is, but we also want to on the scene in Israel, he begins to know God in 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, phrase, “the kingdom of God,” we must first is 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 near? it, he found the place where it is written:‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has What Is The Kingdom Of God? anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom The kingdom of God, as Jesus spoke about for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the it, was not limited to a physical city, country, blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim or land mass – even to the borders of ancient the year of the Lord’s favor.’Then he rolled Israel. Rather, the kingdom of God was the up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant dynamic reign of God over heaven and earth; and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the all things visible and invisible. synagogue were fastened on him. He began For the ancient Jews, the idea of the by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is “kingdom of God” was an accepted fulfilled in your hearing.’” theological reality. Taught by prophets like (Luke 4:17-20). Isaiah, the people of Israel believed that Jesus was declaring himself to be the God is the one true King and Creator of the anointed King for whom they had been world. As King, he rules the cosmos (Ps. 24:8- waiting! He would proclaim, in word and 10), and will one day express that rule fully deed, that God’s kingdom was truly among on earth through his selected regent – an them. He would demonstrate that kingdom anointed one (Is. 61:1). in signs, wonders, and the transformation On that day, God’s people, Israel, will be of every life he touched. Then, by death on a delivered from their oppressors and brought cross, he would offer himself as a sacrificial home from their long exile. The world lamb, the “suffering servant,” for the sins of will be set to rights, brought under God’s humanity (Is. 53). By his resurrection from shalom (peace) again as it had been in the the dead (Luke 24:1-6), God would verify that beginning. God’s anointed, appointed King Jesus was indeed the true King of the world. will rule the people of the world with justice, Jesus was inaugurating the rule and reign mercy, and love. This was the day for which of God on the earth, and God’s purposes for they hoped, prayed, and persevered. the world from creation would begin to be 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 the kingdom of God the Christian religion? No. Is the kingdom of God the church? Is “One of the most challenging questions Jesus saying the church has come near? Not confronting Christian faith is simply this: If at all. Is the kingdom of God heaven? Not Jesus really was who he said he was, if he really. really was the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, then why is the world still in such bad shape? What are we Christians praying when we Why do so many people still die of hunger pray in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy kingdom and cancer? Why are there still so many wars come, thy will be done on earth as it is and suicide bombings? Why is there still so in heaven?’ Very simply, the kingdom of much slaughter taking place in Syria, in Iraq God is what things would be like if Jesus and in Afghanistan? Why is rape used as a ran everything and if his will was done common tactic of war across the African everywhere. The kingdom of God is what continent? things would be like if Jesus was in charge. When we pray “your kingdom come,” we Let me make this really simple. If Jesus is are saying that we want this situation to be Lord and he has all power and we have like what it would be like, if you, Lord, were the Holy Spirit, and we have this powerful in charge, if your will was done. We say the message called the Gospel, then why aren’t kingdom has come when the Lord totally has we more successful than we are? Why are so his way, when he is running the show. many marriages, even among church-going, supposedly Bible-believing Christians, in There is a secret that God has kept for all such bad shape? And why do some Christian eternity, but has now disclosed. Everyone marriages end in divorce? Why do so many who listens to Jesus hears the secret that kids raised in Christian families end up God’s kingdom is going to come in two barely connected to church? Why are so stages.
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