Mission of the church

• Mission of the church begins with Jesus and is outlined in the gospels
• Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom – Matt 4:1
• The coming of the Kingdom isn’t a message it is an event
  “When Jesus spoke about the Kingdom he wasn’t talking about heaven for which he was preparing his followers but about something that was happening in and on this earth, through his work, then through his death and resurrection, and then through the Spirit led work to which they would be called” (Wright)
• Resurrection completes the inauguration of the Kingdom – Dan 7:13-14
• Resurrection leads to mission to the world based on Jesus’ Lordship over the world – Matt 28:18-20,
• Mission of the church – is to see the Kingdom come to earth – Acts 1:3; Matt 6:10;

Areas we need to rethink

 

Doctrine	Accepted View	Kingdom View
Salvation	My relationship with God in the present and going to heaven in the future	The work of salvation is about whole human beings not just ‘souls’; about present not just the future; what God does thru us not just what he does in us and for us
Gospel	Individual salvation, home in heaven	Kingdom has come to the earth – God’s salvation, redemption, wholeness, healing – can change individuals, communities, nations
Resurrection	Guarantee of eternal life	Inauguration of the Kingdom, happened within our world so its implications and effects are to be felt within our world, what you do with your body in the present matters
Ministry of the Holy Spirit	Exercised in church meetings	Equips us to be agents for transformation of this earth
Kingdom of God	Heaven, our future hope	God’s rule which is to be put into practice in the world

 

• Entering the Kingdom – John 3: 1-7
• Practicing the Kingdom – Matt 13:52 “Every student well-trained in the Kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”

• Every act of love, gratitude and kindness
• Every work of art and music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation
• Every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or walk
• Every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support for one’s fellow beings – for the poor, the sick, the lonely and depressed, the slaves, the refugees, the hungry and homeless, the abused, the paranoid, the downtrodden and despairing
• Every prayer, all Sprit-led teaching, every deed which spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world (Wright)