My eyes were opened in 1995 when I went from a dispensational belief system to the kingdom message. As a result, the positive results in my life, message, and ministry cannot be overstated! Believing the Cultural Mandate in Genesis 1:28 has caused me and my wife to understand how to think generationally and practically, resulting in us having two more children, training our children to be world changers (for example, my son Jason is now the editor of Human Events and has already written a New York Times bestseller), reshaping the way we view youth and children’s ministry, and moving the people in our church from a poverty mindset to a mindset of biblical prosperity.

I will attempt to summarize all of my reasons for preaching the kingdom, both for my own benefit and the benefit of those who read my writings.

1. The kingdom message connects the whole Bible and all its covenants to the original Cultural Mandate found in Genesis 1:28 (be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over the created order). Without this passage as our starting point, we cannot properly interpret all other subsequent biblical covenants, including the New Covenant, since the Cultural Mandate is the original covenant of creation which shows all of humanity our purpose.

2. The kingdom message connects Jesus in His dual role as both Creator and Redeemer (John 1:3, 11, 14; 3:16). Those who preach that the cross is only for individual redemption miss the truth that the cross of Christ was also for the purpose of reconciling all things in the created order back to God (read Colossians 1:20).

3. The kingdom message brings the church back to the overarching narrative (instead of only focusing on various subplots of scripture) which reveals the ultimate purpose of God for the cross and the church: the gathering together in one all things under the Lordship of Christ (read Ephesians 1:9-11).

4. The kingdom message is a generational message connecting the dots between the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) and the seed of Abraham who would become the church (Galatians 3:29) who, as children of God, are called to bless all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3), rule as kings in the earth (Genesis 17:5-7), and possess the gates of our enemies (Genesis 22:17). By implication, this means the gospel message is holistic and applicable for our children’s children to engage in politics, public policy, economics, and all the practical affairs of this life that are under kingdom influence and blessing.

5. The kingdom message alone gives Jesus His proper place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords because every king must have a kingdom to qualify as a king! To separate the gospel from the kingdom is an attempt to give good news that only applies to the next life. Hence, it does away with the power of the messianic prophecies that speak of Jesus’ call as ruler over the nations (read Genesis 49:10; Psalm 2:9-11; Psalm 110:1-3; Isaiah 9:6.7; Daniel chapters 2, 4, 7).

6. Preaching the kingdom motivates and releases all the saints in the church to serve as ministers of the Lord in His kingdom. (Only 2-3% of all Christians are called to serve in full-time church ministry.) Every kingdom has need for architects, lawyers, judges, educators, sociologists, politicians, economists, social workers, writers, etc. Understanding this is exciting for every person in church because of their various callings to serve God in the marketplace.

7. Preaching the kingdom releases Holy Spirit inspired creativity! The first move of the Holy Spirit was not on the Day of Pentecost but when the Spirit hovered over the newly made creation of planet earth (Genesis 1:1-3)! Hence, the Holy Spirit is still excited and hovers over the creativity found in God’s image-bearers as we walk out our vocations in the marketplace!

The greatest composers, musicians, athletes, writers, poets, playwrights, and filmmakers should come out of our churches! The greatest universities (such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton, founded when the church preached the kingdom in the 17th and 18th centuries) should be founded by Christians! Hospitals and the greatest charities should be founded by Christians and churches! Future mayors, governors and presidents should come out of the Body of Christ because we are called to possess the gates of our enemies and have kingship and rulership in our spiritual DNA (read Genesis 17:5-7)!

8. The kingdom is what Jesus, John the Baptist and Paul preached and is the primary theme of the New Testament (read Matthew 3:2, 4:17; Mark 1:15; Acts 28:31).

9. The kingdom message causes the church to be holistic in its approach to ministry because, even by its very name, it pressures us to think of how we as believers can collectively steward the created order and manage the earth.

10. The kingdom message, if received and preached again by the majority of true believers, would most definitely result in us redeeming cultures, transforming cities, and bringing biblical reformation to whole nations. Thos would spare nations from either judgment or extinction for not following the pattern laid out in the Ten Commandments for structuring nations.

Hence, the only hope for the United States is the preaching and application of the kingdom message! As in other words, Haiti doesn’t need another healing crusade. What Haiti needs is an apostle of government to become president who will bring kingdom order and root out corruption!

11. The kingdom message announces Jesus’ inheritance as found in Psalm 2:9-11.

Where does it say in the Bible that Jesus would have died on the cross if there was only one person on the earth and/or one sinner to redeem? I hear preachers say this all the time! Show me chapter and verse for this!

Jesus died to redeem whole nations and people groups. This goes along with our inheritance as saints as found in Ephesians 1:10-11 and is part of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19, when Jesus commanded believers to disciple all of the nations, not just individual people but whole people groups!

The discipling of nations was very common in early church history. For example, when the heads of Gothic Germanic tribes would convert then all of their people converted as well. Whole nations would be baptized!

12. The kingdom message pressures pastors to become theologians who have a biblical worldview instead of only preaching the same feel-good, therapeutic messages Sunday after Sunday.

13. The kingdom message brings back to the fore true discipleship as it pressures every believer to study the scriptures pertaining to their particular marketplace calling as they learn to think biblically but speak secularly.

14. The kingdom message makes sense to everyone, especially world changers who come into our churches and feel bored when they are told that the highest calling they can have in life is to serve as an usher or minister for two hours every Sunday.

Because we have preached a truncated gospel we have lost the greatest world changers–politicians and statesmen with callings like Churchill and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates–because they come into our churches and only hear messages dealing with life after death. Thus, they leave and go into the world where their gifts are truly appreciated!

The current church mindset only appreciates and ordains Sunday preachers instead of nurturing and commissioning people called into secular culture as ministers and prophets. It is a sad thing but, given the kind of preaching we hear every Sunday, many churches currently have no place for believers called like Joseph (the prophet economist who saved Egypt and Israel in Genesis 37-50), Daniel (who, as a prime minister prophet brought transformation to Babylon and Persia), or Nehemiah (a politician who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem)!

15. The kingdom message allows parents to recognize the marketplace callings upon their children and to disciple them in the scriptures accordingly! Not all of our children are called to be full-time church ministers but all of our children are called to serve as ministers in the kingdom!

16. Those who preach the kingdom message view the entire Old Testament as relevant today to apply both the moral law (Ten Commandments) as the foundation of judicial law, and its extrapolated 613 civic laws that apply the moral law to specific judicial situations for the purpose of structuring society. Thus, the kingdom message causes believers to take seriously the Old Covenant and study it as much as the New Covenant. (The Old Covenant civic laws have been modified, especially laws regarding sexual sin and capital punishment, because of the revelation of grace in the New Testament.)

17. The kingdom message causes us to reinterpret many salvation passages from an individualistic application to a systemic and corporate application. For example, Luke 4:18 connects Jesus as King announcing that in His new kingdom He will release the oppressed, empower the poor, and release the captive. This concerns systemic justice, not just casting a devil out of an individual. Compare this to Isaiah 61:1-4 to get the true meaning and context. Communities and cities are redeemed and lifted by the kingdom message.

In Conclusion: Ten Implications of the Kingdom Message

1. We understand that being born again is not about going to heaven but having our eyes opened so that we finally see the Lordship of Christ over all the earth as King of Kings (read John 3:3-6).

2. We understand John 3:16 as not just God loving individual sinners but sending His Son to redeem the created order. (The word “world” in the Greek is “cosmos” which is the systems of the created order.) Thus, God wants us as His kingdom people to apply the Bible to economics and public policy, not just to prayer and the fruit of the Spirit.

3. The ministry gifts found in Ephesians 4:11 are seen as equipping the saints for the work of the ministry in the marketplace to fill up all things, not just for church ministry (read Ephesians 4:10-12 for the context).

4. We shift from a platonic/dualistic approach to life, in which we erroneously believe that God only values spiritual things, to a holistic approach in which we value the material world as well. (John 1:14: The Word became flesh, thus flesh is not evil.)

5. There is a movement toward incarnation in which we not only “march for Jesus” but we “move in” for Jesus and immerse ourselves in our communities, not just our churches. We should serve our cities with our marketplace callings as ministers of the kingdom, not just serve God on Sundays in church buildings.

6. The church is to nurture apostles of government, law, economics, and education, not just ecclesial elders involved in church government, church by-laws, tithes and offerings, and nurturing Sunday school teachers.

7. We understand and view Jesus as the King of the earth, not just as the Head of the Body of Christ.

8. We understand that the church is not the totality of the kingdom but is the primary agent of the kingdom as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).

9. We are to labor not only for revival but societal reformation because revival brings people into the church and reformation places believers in societal leadership.

10. We now understand that the Bible is not really a book about heaven (it says very little about heaven!) but a book about God’s people stewarding the earth.

Both the Old and New Covenants serve as blueprints for local faith communities to branch out and structure societies with a biblical worldview as salt and light.

Although we believe in the separation of church and state because they are two separate spheres of authority in the created order, we do not believe in the separation of God and state because all of life is about religious and moral choices.

There is no such thing as moral neutrality. Either society will be under the rule of an atheistic, humanistic religious order or under a biblical religious order.

by Joseph Mattera posted on  Converging Zone Network

By Derek Brown

For many Christians the highlight of their week is the Sunday service. Sadly many believe this is where the Kingdom of God is primarily expressed. Ministry is confined to that which is done within the church. This is demonstrated in the true story of a young lawyer who was asked what her ministry was. She replied “I teach Sunday school at my church” What a travesty!! Nothing she did during the week in bringing justice, compassion and resolution to the world in which she worked counted, in her mind, as having any spiritual value. How can we change people’s thinking to break free of this Sunday/Monday dichotomy?

Simply put we need to disavow the concept that divides the world into secular vs sacred, private vs public, faith vs work and charity vs justice.  When we understand the Kingdom of God it is evident that everything is sacred because God is the creator of all things and nothing exists outside of His love and compassion. Our faith makes us responsible to bring the Kingdom into every area of life. In the words of Justine, a Burundian living in Rwanda, “I see what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. I see that it’s about changing this world, not just escaping it and retreating into our churches. If Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is true, then everything must change. Everything must change.”

What a profound insight – when the Kingdom is expressed – everything must change. The change begins in us and then it finds its expression in the world in which we live and work. It is about bringing God’s mercy, compassion, justice and righteousness into every sphere of His creation. So our lawyer friend has the opportunity and responsibility to bring about change in her chosen field of endeavour by using her gifts, training and experience to be an agent for change – an agent for the Kingdom.

One of the reasons many people switch off from Christianity is that we represent a faith that has no relevance to them. Henry Drummond, writing to his own generation many years ago put it powerfully. “It is because to large masses of people Christianity has become synonymous with a Temple service that other large masses of people decline to touch it…..what they cannot follow, and must evermore live outside of, is a worship which ends with the worshipper, a religion expressed only in ceremony, and a faith unrelated to life.”  What a challenge – our faith has become self-centered and irrelevant to the real world.

What we are looking at is a rediscovery of Kingdom theology. This has many aspects but one of the starting points is the doctrine of the Trinity. In a recent Lausanne paper on ‘Market Place Ministry’ the following conclusion was presented. ”To bridge the gap in our partial perceptions of God’s work we need to be more thoroughly trinitarian instead of having in practice a unitarian (one person) theology playing favourites with the Trinity. We need to develop a three mandate/commission theology (see diagram)”

In these three commissions we see that the breadth of the Kingdom. “We are called to be part of God’s new creation, called to be agents of that new creation here and now. We are called to model and display that new creation in symphonies and family life, in restorative justice and poetry, in holiness and service to the poor, in politics and painting.” (Wright) The Kingdom is expressed in a wide variety of passions. Once we see the vastness of the Kingdom it helps understand how other people can be equally passionate about a range of issues that may not stir our hearts. This passion is an expression of the heart of God for His creation. We are to pursue the passion God has given us but equally to validate and appreciate the passion He has put in others.

When it comes to the church we can think of Sunday as the church ‘gathered’ and Monday as the church ‘scattered’. Sunday then becomes a time to strengthen, encourage and equip Christians to take the Kingdom into their world. As church growth expert, Eddie Gibbs says, churches should shift from an invitational, ‘Come’, seeker service strategy (which works in largely churched suburbs) to a ‘Go’ strategy of dispersal, with a sustained commitment to infiltrating each segment of this fragmenting world. The work place becomes a focal point for producing the Kingdom. As Kevin Costa, a London-based investment banker, states: “If the Christian faith is not relevant in the work place, it is not relevant at all.”

So from a Kingdom perspective there is no difference between Sunday and Monday. It can be argued in fact that what happens on Monday is more important.

by Ric Benson

The fundamental purpose of the Christian church, and therefore every local Christian congregation, is to work with God in the realization of His kingdom. It is the kingdom of God that powerfully and predominantly lies at the heart of the teaching, life and action of the Lord Jesus and it is this kingdom that pervades His parables, His miracles and His passion. Sadly the significance of this teaching has been sadly ignored and neglected by the modern church.

The concept of the “kingdom of God” (or interchangeably the “kingdom of heaven”) is found more than 100 times in the first three Gospels, twice only in John’s Gospel (although eternal life and the kingdom of God are interchangeable concepts), is the centre of John the Baptist’s proclamation concerning Jesus, is directly associated with Jesus’ presence – particularly in healing the sick, casting out demons, and as an explanation of Jesus’ ministry and teaching – and it underpinned Jesus’ public inauguration of His ministry recorded in Luke 4:18-19 ( taken from Isaiah 61)

It is impossible to understand the purpose and mission of the local church without understanding the purpose and characteristics of the kingdom of God. It is also impossible to fulfil the Great Commission – to make disciples where we are by living under God’s rule and reign (Matthew 28 and Mark 16), the Great Commandment – to impart God’s unconditional love through our lives (John 13), the Cultural Mandate – to be engaged in and with the world but not conformed to its lifestyle (John 17), the Creation Mandate – to exercise responsible dominion over the physical world (Genesis 2), or to outwork the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray which included the phrase “God’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”, without understanding what the kingdom of God really means.

Fundamentally, the kingdom of God is the rule and authority of God Himself being worked out on earth. In this rule and authority, God intervenes to rescue, preserve and save His people, put right the wrongs of this world and manifestly establish justice and righteousness, not through redemptive domination which is based on the use of superior counter force, but through the redemptive power of compassionate, loving servanthood as modelled by Jesus. Jesus’ kingdom, although manifesting itself visibly through the lives of those in it, is not in the present essentially a physical earthly reign of the Messiah as the Jewish people longed for, but an inner reign of God that had powerful effect in consequently transforming society. Ultimately of course the kingdom of god will result in a new earth with Jesus physically reigning.

In Jesus’ healing and exorcism ministries, in His miracles, in His forgiveness of sins, in his ministry amongst the poor and marginalized and in inclusive openness to people from all levels of society, Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom rule had begun in Him, but in His teaching, demonstrated that although the kingdom had been inaugurated in Him, it would not be fully established until His return. So in Jesus’ teaching and example of the kingdom there is an important tension between the “here and now” and the “yet to come”. Ultimate justice and righteousness will only be established by His return.

The two greatest dangers to Christian teaching and practice lie in the two extremes of teaching on the kingdom of God. One is that it will come at the end of time when Christ returns (catastrophism/future focus), and the other is that it is entirely about the here and now (gradualism/present focus).  The former teaching fails to address the current pain and needs of the world, whilst the latter projects a reliance on social action and change, or a spiritual triumphalism promising more than it delivers. These two extremes need to be held in tension for a true “kingdom” balance. In the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church in Acts 2, the reclaiming of the earth and everything in it back to God’s original plans and purposes has been inaugurated. In the return of Christ to rule in power, the consummation of the kingdom will take place, never again to be undone.

Biblical teachings present us with six fundamental tension points or polarities that are central to the mystery of God’s reign. Understanding the kingdom biblically requires recognizing these polarities and preserving a balance in them.

1. 1. Present versus future.
      Jesus said “The kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1 :15), but also that we should pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matt. 6:10).
   2. Individual versus social.
      Jesus said the kingdom is like hidden treasure an individual person might find (Matt. 13:44), but he also said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). He talked about being born again in order to see the kingdom (John 3:3) but also described it as a feast to be shared (Luke 13:29).
   3. Spirit versus matter.
      Paul said, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 15:50), and Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). But Jesus associated himself with the healing and liberation of the Jubilee (Luke 4: 18-21) and Revelation speaks of a kingdom in which God’s people “will reign on the earth” (Rev. 5: 10).
   4. Gradual versus climactic.
      Jesus said the kingdom is like grain that grows gradually in a field (Mark 4:26-28). But he also said its coming would be like the midnight cry of the arriving bridegroom (Matt. 25: 1-6). [17]
   5. Divine action versus human action. The kingdom of God is like a returning king who settles accounts (Luke 19:11-27). It is God who rules and reigns (Ps. 99: 1-2). Yet, the kingdom is also something we must seek (Matt. 6:33), and Christians can be “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Col. 4:11).
   6. The Church’s relation to the kingdom; the tension between seeing the church and the kingdom as essentially the same or as clearly different. Jesus said to the Apostle Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16: 19). But he also spoke of the kingdom as future and said that not all those who worshiped him, but only those who did God’s will, would enter the kingdom (Matt. 7:21).
      . . . Any biblical theology of the kingdom will need to wrestle with these polarities.

Jesus’ teaching and ministry demonstrate that the extent and nature of the kingdom and the rule of God is all-encompassing – affecting every level and arena of human life and existence. His inaugural reading of Isaiah 61 (recorded in Luke 4:18-19), is so powerful because it announces the integral and holistic nature of the coming kingdom, which will only be fully established when the whole of the created order, so deeply affected by the fall, is healed by God’s renewal and re-creation, and “shalom” – God’s peace on a personal, interpersonal, physical and cosmic level is restored. Shalom is the ultimate goal of the kingdom. So this kingdom of which Jesus speaks and the related Gospel of the kingdom is holistic…it is good news to the economically disinherited (Luke 6:20), as well as to the spiritually poor (Matthew 5:30, good news to the socially and politically disinherited, good news to the physically disinherited, and good news to the spiritually and physically bruised and oppressed. The year of the Lord’s favour, Jubilee, isn’t just a heavenly hope, but an embodied hope on a recreated earth, of which we are the first fruits and should be about the Father’s business.

The work of the kingdom, although embracing the giving of “a reason for the hope that lies within us with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15), is not only about proselytising but about standing with God in relation to a fallen and hurting world because it is required by God and is right to do so. Such a stand then gives a powerful apologetic for evangelism and mission. The work of the kingdom emanates from living under God’s rule with integrity. This removes hidden agenda, impure motives, self-aggrandisement and self-promotion, showcasing our ideology, and the use and abuse of others for our purposes. We are not charged with “bringing the kingdom of God to earth”, for only Jesus Christ can do that, but by being an agent of the kingdom in joining God in what He is already doing through His Holy Spirit by encountering people and transforming lives.

The Gospel of the kingdom of God needs to be understood so that evangelism can be recalibrated. “Gospel”(euangelion) was not a technical religious phrase, but a secular phrase in wide use, co-opted by Christians to express what god was doing in and through Christ. The specific meaning was that it pointed to a messenger who would run (or ride a horse) ahead of the king across the hills, coming from a place of battle, entering and declaring to the city victory over enemies. It was a public announcement about a public event intended for the public realm of life…because of the victory, and announcement off the victory, the city would now have a new beginning and a different reality. The messenger would appear, raise their right hand and yell out “rejoice, we have won the victory.” So in the case of Jesus, He comes from a place of battle (in the wilderness with Satan), and enters Galilee preaching the euangelion of God…with the good news of victory…public news that has public implications for the public realm. In our case, we need to let people know that Jesus has battled the powers and principalities, has won the battle, thus providing for all who live in Christ freedom, liberty, hope and purpose, and the lifestyle of the kingdom lived by those who proclaim this message give proof of their claims thus pointing others to Christ. Anything less than this is reductionist doing a disservice to Jesus and his kingdom.

Kingdom people, kingdom communities, and kingdom mission all are engaged in announcing and demonstrating the “good news” of God’s redemption in relation to a fallen and hurting world. Such announcement and demonstration is much more than evangelism and social involvement. It is a total engagement of all we are and all we believe in with the needy world around us. It embraces what we say, what we believe, how we act, how we care, and how we relate – all of which should be firmly based on the full counsel of the Word of God and an integration of the two great commandments of loving God with all our heart, soul and mind, and loving our neighbour as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).

Living as kingdom people and kingdom communities requires us to intentionally define and continually action kingdom principles throughout the church community and on into the world at large. Being a kingdom community calls us to engage in a balanced way in all of the following principles and implications as a way of life;

1. Submission to Christ – Lordship, obedience, faithfulness, discipleship, sacrifice
2. Worshipful living – praise, worship, celebration, thanksgiving, faith
3. Intentional stewardship – stewardship, giving, kingdom investment
4. Passionate pursuit of God – prayer, Bible reading, worship, surrender
5. Growth in Christlikeness – incarnation, fruit of the Spirit, Christ’s character and teaching
6. Biblical focus – Word-centred, teaching, theologizing, authority
7. Relationally Connect – Outreach, community, incorporation, embracing all, recognition of human dignity, neighbourliness,
8. Full Participation – commitment, sacrifice, focus, involvement, service
9. Compassionate Caring – justice, mercy, grace, love, care for poor and marginalized, active participation in causes, employment of time, talents treasure and testimony
10. Spirit Empowerment – healing, deliverance, boldness, spiritual gifts, spiritual warfare against powers and principalities
11. Evangelistic Outreach – audio-visual presentation of the Gospel of the kingdom with an apologetic of the hope that lies within given in gentleness and with respect, especially to the church’s local community
12. Missions Engagement – promotion of the kingdom of God particularly to places that have not heard

Discussion starters
The following statements are provided to provoke discussion.

1. For too long the evangelical church has reduced the Gospel of the kingdom which Jesus preached, to the Gospel of salvation. Whilst the Gospel of salvation is of fundamental importance, such a limited emphasis has left many either still-born as Christians, or totally ignorant as to what life in Christ should be about and what participation in the kingdom of God requires of them.

2. In recent days, the evangelical church seems to have discovered or rediscovered the notion of the kingdom of God, and has made significant moves to realign with the broader kingdomimplications ie. Rick Warrens PEACE Plan. The P E A C E Plan is an initiative begun by Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Senior Pastor Rick Warren’s stated intention in launching the P. E. A. C. E. (or PEACE) Plan is to involve every Christian and every church in every nation in the task of serving people in the areas of the greatest global needs. The tag-line is ‘Ordinary people empowered by God making a difference together wherever they are’. P E A C E is an acronym for the stated methodology for achieving the plan: “Promote reconciliation – Equip servant leaders – Assist the poor – Care for the sick – Educate the next generation.”

3. In a so-called “post-modern era” (a reaction to the failings of the modernist era) which exhibits to a greater or lesser degree some or all of the following tenets:

(1) Self is rejected as the Centre
(2) Reason and logic is not enough
(3) Enlightenment is rejected
(4) There is no objective world
(5) There is no metanarrative
(6) Science is not the full answer
(7) The physical world is not enough
(8) Authority is not to be trusted
(9) Life is a journey
(10) Truth is relative

only an authentic “kingdom “ emphasis by the Christian church will make significant impact in our fallen and needy world. Such a proclamation will assist in removing the accusation of hypocrisy so often levelled at the church and excite people to the real cause of Christ of reconciliation, redemption and restoration of our world.

4. Jesus’ first recorded teaching is the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). This teaching is timeless, radical and profound and provides the basis of living in the kingdom of God under God’s rule. Such teaching is diametrically opposed to the way the majority of Christians live and is seen by many pastors as too demanding or outdated for their congregations to entertain. Sadly, however, the Christian life as it was meant to be lived cannot be experienced until such teaching is seriously embraced. We have a responsibility as Christians to personally and corporately align with and live out Jesus’ kingdom teaching and by so doing proclaim with integrity the full message of the Gospel which will again excite people to convert and participate.

Application Questions

1. If the above statement is an accurate descrption of the Kingdom of God and associated implications and responsibilities, what needs to be done in and thru churches to more realistically advance the Kingdom?
2. Where and why has the church lost its kingdom identity and emphasis, and what can be done to realistically restore it?
3. Today’s churches seem to gravitate to a particular emphasis of the kingdom at the expense of other expressions. Is it reasonable to expect that any church could embrace, much less balance the six priorities expressed in the material?
4. When evaluating your church against the description of the Kingdom given above, how do you rate (on a 1 - poor to 10 outstanding basis) and what would be the most significant thing you as a pastor could do to improve your rating?

REFERENCE MATERIAL
Important theological reflections and frameworks concerning the kingdom, sin, shalom, the mission of the church, vocation, and the story we’re in.

Beasley-Murray, G. R. Jesus and the Kingdom of God: Eerdman’s Publishing /Patternoster Press 1986
Brueggemann, Walter. Living Toward a Vision: Biblical Reflections on Shalom. Shalom resource. New York: United Church Press, 1982.
Duncan, Malcolm Kingdom Come – The local church as a catalyst for social change: Monarch Books 2007
Jones, E. Stanley. The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1972.
Mouw, Richard J. When the Kings Come Marching in: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1983.
Munroe., Myles. Rediscovering The Kingdom – ancient hope for our 21st Century world: Destiny Image Publishers 2004
Munroe, Myles. Kingdom Principles – Preparing for kingdom experience and expansion: Destiny Image Publishers 2006
Munroe, Myles. Applying the Kingdom – rediscovering the priority of God for mankind: Destiny Image Publishers 2007
Plantinga, Cornelius. Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 1995.
Schuurman, Douglas James. Vocation: Discerning Our Callings in Life. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2004.
Snyder, Howard A. Models of the Kingdom. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.
Stackhouse, John G. Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Wink, Walter. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
Wink, Walter. Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.
Wink, Walter. The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
Wink, Walter. Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Until Justice and Peace Embrace: The Kuyper Lectures for 1981 Delivered at the Free University of Amsterdam. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1983.
Wright, Christopher J. H. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Academic, 2006.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. New York: HarperOne, 2008.
Wright, N. T., and N. T. Wright. The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.

by Richard Brown

“Please Consider…”

For your own sake please reconsider the Kingdom

Hebrews 12:25-28
What are you holding on to?
What are your foundations?

7 Parables in Matthew 13

Sower (4 soils)
Wheat & Weeds
Mustard Seed
Yeast
Hidden Treasure
Pearl
The Net

No other subject gets this sort of coverage!

Scriptures
Matthew 4:17:
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 5-7

Sermon on the Mount

Jesus brought a whole new concept to His disciples

The Kingdom of God was a Brand New Thought for the Jews
Messiah?
Prophet?
Redeemer?
King on David’s throne?
What was the appeal in this message for the Jews?
Power, Wealth, Freedom, Identity, ‘the good old days’
On the Cross
John 19:19
The King was Proclaimed
For all the world to see

We are in the Kingdom now!

Col 1:13
“He has delivered us from the dominion of Satan and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son”
Jesus is the King, we are His subjects!

What does it mean to be in the Kingdom now?

To live a life according to the ways and culture of the Kingdom
To challenge the way we live in our culture in light of the Kingdom’s culture

To pay homage to the King – to live in worship and for our lives to be worship
To live in obedience to the King and His edicts for His Kingdom
To seek the Kingdom (Matt 6:33)
To see His Kingdom come (Matt 6:10)

Key points
We are all ambassadors for the Kingdom
We have been assigned tasks by the King
Each task has significance because of who assigned it, not worth in itself
There is no sacred/secular or church/laity divisions in the Kingdom

Key verses: Daniel 2:42-44

42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Key verses: Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Key verse: Matt 1:1

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”

Key verse: Rev 11:15

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever”
Key verse: Mat 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached as a witness unto all nations and then the end will come”

How does this affect us?

We are each on the King’s business
My lifestyle should be compared to the ways of the Kingdom
We should feel validated in whatever the King has asked us to do
My thinking should not have a Sacred/Secular divide
The Kingdom will stand against every foe. Victory!!

Sadly it would be true to say the church has lost this message. Most Christians think the Kingdom of God is something which will happen one day. We have reduced the Kingdom to a personal experience now and a collective experience in the future. E Stanley Jones put it well when he said. “If Jesus made the kingdom of God the centre of his message and the centre of his endeavour, the greatest need of man, as I see it, is to rediscover the kingdom of God.”

So to help us in the process let’s put forward 8 statements that encapsulate some key aspects of the Kingdom.

1. Kingdom is the sovereign rule of God

When Jesus introduced the Kingdom to his disciples he spoke about the rule of God that exists in heaven. He went on to say that this rule is now to be expressed in the earth.

“Our father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words Christianity is about heaven invading earth not about us escaping here to go to heaven. ’All the major events that followed Jesus’ inauguration of the Kingdom – the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit are “not designed to take us away from this earth, but to make us agents of the transformation of this earth” (Wright)

What are the implications for us of God’s sovereignty? Jesus said after the resurrection “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18). This means every part of creation is subject to Christ. Abraham Kuyper put it well when he said “”There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!’” This means all of life is sacred. To divide the world into sacred and secular domains is to deny the sovereignty of God.

God is over all of his creation. There are many spheres within creation. Each of these spheres can be influenced by the redemptive, compassionate and loving servanthood of people of the Kingdom. All of life relates to God. What happens in each of these spheres is equally important. To serve in the market place is a calling just like it is to be in church ministry.

2. Kingdom is a present reality

When Jesus began his ministry he said “The Kingdom of God is at hand”. Later on he talked about things that were to happen in the future concerning the Kingdom.

So we see here an important principle about the Kingdom. It is both ‘now’ and ‘not yet’. There is a tension here that needs to be recognized. If we focus solely on the ‘now’ of the Kingdom we can reduce the Kingdom to social action focused on changing the world. Alternatively if we focus on the ‘not yet’ emphasis we fail to address the current pains and needs of the world.

Jesus saw the ministry of the Kingdom was fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 61. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus outlines the integral and holistic nature of the Kingdom. It is good news to those who are disinherited either physically, socially, politically or spiritually. The Kingdom relates to every level and arena of human life and existence. The Hebrew word ‘shalom’ aptly describes the result of the Kingdom coming to a person or a community. It means the establishment of peace between man and God and the well-being, welfare or safety of an individual or a community.

Our challenge as Christians is to know what the will of God is and to work with God by the power of the Holy Spirit to see it happen in earth. Commenting on Matt 6:10 NT Wright, one of the leading theologians of our time, makes this observation. “It’s a prayer about God’s kingdom coming on earth –which, as we have seen, pretty much sums up what Christianity is all about.”

So simply put – Christianity can be summarized as seeing God’s kingdom come on earth.

3. The Church is not the Kingdom

The question must then be asked. If the Kingdom is the central message of the gospels and really summarises the essential heart of Christianity – why do we hear so little about the Kingdom of God from the pulpit or in the books we read and the DVDs we watch.

The answer is quite simple. We have substituted the church for the Kingdom. In other words many Christians believe what God is doing in the earth is predominantly expressed thru the church. Accompanied with this has been the reduction of the gospel to the gospel of salvation not the gospel of the Kingdom. As a result much of Christian thinking has been focused on individual salvation and the building up of the church.

Amongst other things such thinking shows a lack of understanding of the nature of God’s sovereignty. God exercises His sovereignty in two ways – saving grace and common grace. As agents of saving grace Christians are to evangelize and bring people to Christ. “As agents of God’s common grace, we are called to help sustain and renew his creation, to uphold the created institutions of family and society, to pursue science and scholarship, to create works of art and beauty, and to heal and help those suffering from the results of the Fall.” (Colson)

We see this principle in the commissions given by Jesus. In what is called the “Great Commission ‘– there is the call to evangelism and discipleship: While in the “Great Commandment’ – we are called to love our neighbour which includes social action.

4. Kingdom is within every person

When Jesus was talking to the Pharisees in Luke 17:21 he made another important observation about the Kingdom. He said to them “the Kingdom is in your midst” – referring to himself but this can also be translated the Kingdom of God is within you. This concept is reiterated by Paul in Romans when he says “that which is known about God is evident within them” (Rom 1:17) Kant wrote “Two things strike me with awe, the starry heavens above and the moral law within”

We are made to obey the laws of the Kingdom. Like the law of gravity these laws operate whether we acknowledge them or not. Why for example does it feel good when we do good? Dr Adler, a Jewish psychiatrist, states “I suppose all the ills of human personality can be traced back to one thing – not understanding the meaning of the phrase ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’”

This is how the Kingdom operates. Similarly when we make choices that hurt others we experience inner disquiet because we are working against the truth of God that is within us. Living against the laws of the Kingdom affects our health. Psychiatrist William Sadler put it this way “If we lived in a truly Christian way, half the diseases of the people of America would drop off tomorrow morning and we would stand up a new healthy people.”

Because we are made in the image of God each of us has within us what Wright calls ‘the echoes of the Spirit’. He identifies four characteristics:

• Longing for justice
• Quest for spirituality
• Hunger for relationships
• Delight in beauty

5. Kingdom happens outside the church

Most Kingdom activity will take place outside of church. Let me go further – the activity of the Holy Spirit is not restricted to those places where Christians are active. The Holy Spirit can and does speak and work within the lives of those who have not yet met the King of the Kingdom.

Take some clear examples from the book of Acts. Phillip is in the midst of a revival when the Holy Spirit directs him to leave this move of God to go into the dessert. There Phillip is led to meet a leader from Ethiopia who just happens to be reading Isaiah 53 and is wondering who this prophecy is talking about. Clearly the Holy Spirit was at work long before Phillip came onto the scene. What made it a significant moment from a Kingdom perspective was Phillip’s obedience to be at the right place at the right time to work with the Holy Spirit.

A similar theme emerges in the story of Cornelius. A God-fearing Roman centurion who is visited by an angel and directed to send men to Jerusalem to get Peter to come to his house. Peter struggles with this situation because the work of the Kingdom – initiated by the Holy Spirit – is happening in a realm outside his frame of reference. This is an important principle of the Kingdom – to be able to recognize and work with the activity of the Holy Spirit as He moves into new spheres.

If we reduce the Kingdom by limiting the scope within which the Holy Spirit can work then we limit the effectiveness of the gospel. Rather we should be asking God to show us where the Holy Spirit is already at work within our communities and then looking for ways to work with Him for the expansion of the Kingdom.

When it comes to the church we can think of Sunday as the church ‘gathered’ and Monday as the church ‘scattered’. Sunday then becomes a time to strengthen, encourage and equip Christians to take the Kingdom into their world.

As church growth expert, Eddie Gibbs says, churches should shift from an invitational, ‘Come’, seeker service strategy (which works in largely churched suburbs) to a ‘Go’ strategy of dispersal, with a sustained commitment to infiltrating each segment of this fragmenting world.

6. Kingdom is expressed in a variety of passions

As we have established the Kingdom is all about the will of God being done on the earth. For this to happen “God’s passion must become our passion” (Wright) When we consider the nature and character of God we recognize that His passions are broad and diverse. The means the Kingdom will be expressed in a wide variety of passions.

This table highlights some of the different passions we find within the different members of the Godhead.

Just a bit of theology to explain this table. In the unfolding of creation each member of the Godhead has taken the lead in the various phases. So for example we see the Father took the lead in Creation, the Son in salvation and the Holy Spirit in completing the work begun thru the Incarnation. So we can link the three great commissions to each member of the trinity.

It follows from this each of these mandates reflect different aspects of the Kingdom. Creation mandate – has a strong emphasis on social justice, dominion, arts and politics. The evangelistic mandate focuses on evangelism and discipleship. While the relational mandate focuses more on spiritual power and signs and wonders.

So here we have explained three different streams within the Christian tradition – the liberals, evangelical and the pentecostials. Each stream validly represents different godly passions.

Once we see the vastness of the Kingdom it helps understand how other people can be equally passionate about a range of issues that may not stir our hearts. This passion is an expression of the heart of God for His creation. We are to pursue the passion God has given us but equally to validate and appreciate the passion He has put in others.

7. Kingdom fruit is more than evangelism

Recently I had the opportunity to preach on the Kingdom in my local church. As part of this message I referred to the warning from Jesus that if we don’t produce the fruit of the Kingdom then God will take the Kingdom from us and give it to someone else who is being productive for the Kingdom (Matt 21:43).

It follows that for us to be effective for the Kingdom we need to know what is Kingdom fruit and how can we produce it. In response to this message I had an interesting talk with my friend Mark Darling.

Mark is a psychologist who specializes in neurofeedback therapy for Autism Spectrum conditions. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, painless and fun therapy for children on the Spectrum that is based on complex scientific processes. Mark’s dedication to this field of study was initiated by the journey he and Kym have walked with their son Nathan.

He has seen amazing results with families that have been torn apart by trying to cope with children suffering from these conditions. But despite these great results Mark made this comment: “And yet the little voice says what’s the point of all this if they don’t actually get saved and become Christians …”

So here’s the rub – what is Kingdom fruit? Is what Mark does producing the Kingdom or does it only become Kingdom if someone makes a personal commitment to Jesus?

Many Christians would claim the latter. The only thing that really counts they believe from God’s view point is personal salvation. But is this what the Scripture teaches. When asked to explain how we should fulfill the great commandment to love our neighbor Jesus used the illustration of the good Samaritan. Nowhere in this story is there the suggestion that seeing the wounded man saved is the measure by which fulfilment of the commandment will be measured. The ministry of Jesus is summarized in Acts in that he went about doing good and healing those who were oppressed (Acts 10:38).

While it’s always possible to swing towards social action and to neglect an emphasis on evangelism – it is wrong I believe to say that those who promote justice, healing, compassion and mercy from a Christian perspective are not reflecting the heart of God and thus producing the fruit of the Kingdom. As they do this they are sowing seeds of hope and salvation that will in many cases turn people’s hearts towards encountering for themselves the reality of a personal relationship with the King of the Kingdom.

8. Every Christian is an agent for the Kingdom

Last year I was presenting a seminar called “Rediscovering the Kingdom of God’. After listening to my seminar a guy called Matt came up to me, thanked me for my teaching and then made a comment that has stuck with me ever since. He said “I go to church every Sunday and I watch all that is going on and I think there’s got to be more to my Christian faith than this”

Be clear Matt wasn’t bagging church but he had a desire to see his faith expressed in a meaningful way in the world in which he lived.

For many Christians the highlight of their week is the Sunday service. Sadly many believe this is where the Kingdom of God is primarily expressed. Ministry is confined to that which is done within the church. This is demonstrated in the true story of a young lawyer who was asked what her ministry was. She replied “I teach Sunday school at my church” What a travesty!! Nothing she did during the week in bringing justice, compassion and resolution to the world in which she worked counted, in her mind, as having any spiritual value. How can we change people’s thinking to break free of this Sunday/Monday dichotomy?

Our faith makes us responsible to bring the Kingdom into every area of life. In the words of Justine, a Burundian living in Rwanda, “I see what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. I see that it’s about changing this world, not just escaping it and retreating into our churches. If Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is true, then everything must change. Everything must change.”

What a profound insight – when the Kingdom is expressed – everything must change. The change begins in us and then it finds its expression in the world in which we live and work. It is about bringing God’s mercy, compassion, justice and righteousness into every sphere of His creation. So our lawyer friend has the opportunity and responsibility to bring about change in her chosen field of endeavour by using her gifts, training and experience to be an agent for change – an agent for the Kingdom.

To illustrate how this happens Jesus used a parable of the wheat and the tares. (Matt 13:36-43) The field is the world and it belongs to Jesus. He sows people of the Kingdom into the field to produce the Kingdom. While there is opposition it is in this context that the will of God is done on the earth.

What does all this mean for me?

 What is the passion God has given you?
 How has He equipped you in terms of personality, gifting, experience?
 Where has He planted you or where does He want to plant you?
 What does it mean to produce the Kingdom in that sphere?
 What is the vision God is giving you for producing the Kingdom?

by Colin Stoodley

Have you ever heard people speak of the Kingdom of God? This is not the time to explain it in full, but Jesus spoke about it all the time. He was always telling stories to try and explain what it looked like? I’ve been wondering what He’d say now if He was trying to explain it in practical terms. What would He say? When He did share the earth with us, He spoke of the Kingdom in parables – stories with a meaning. He used stories about treasures, and fields and crops and trees and seeds. But I’ve been wondering what stories He might use now? What does God’s character and nature in action look like?

I have a modern story that explains what the Kingdom is like. It’s a modern example by someone who is not a committed follower of Christ. The reason I have chosen this is that the Kingdom of God can be expressed by anyone because it is founded on clear and transferable principles that work for anyone who applies them. This is so because God really loves everyone and not just those who believe and do right! The Scriptures include people who made no affirmation of faith in God – but they were still described as doing God’s will. A good example of this would by a King of Persia from centuries ago – the king who helped the people of God (Israel) go home after their exile, to their own land.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson.

Here’s an example of what the Kingdom of God is like explained in relational terms. Recently, most people in Australia were saddened to hear of the death of the actress and singer Belinda Emmett who was married to Rove McManus. She had battled cancer for some time and eventually succumbed to it. In the face of her illness and ongoing struggle with it, Rove and Belinda married after living together for some time. It was a story that captured the imagination of the nation and not just because of their profile, but because of what bound them together. We all hope for something like this – something amazing that goes beyond life and death.

In the expression of their relationship both before and after his wife’s death, Rove showed the Kingdom as it relates to relationships. He owned no Christian agenda and did not marry because he had to but because it reflected the fidelity he felt and owned for one woman. His behaviour was shaped by a deep commitment to her and even in the face of her illness and even death, he maintained it. He did so, not because he had to but because something within him was directing him – faithfulness – a Kingdom principle expressed in human relationships.

What we saw in their relationship was the covenant of faithfulness not made with human hands but with two human hearts that were actually expressing the Kingdom of God. Rove acted in line with anything Scripture has to say about relationships – that we commit ourselves to people and behave according to that commitment and nothing is ever allowed to change it.

Do you see what I mean? Christian divorce rates are almost as high as every other segment of the community. Why? Do we have marriage or the covenant of marriage? Can you have a covenant like this without faith in Christ?

Let me answer the last question first. Yes! We can and Rove is the proof of it.

You see the God we love is the God of all the nations and peoples. He is not only at work in people who believe and who go to church! What kind of arrogance is it that makes us think such things? He is at work in Rove and I know this because Rove kept the commitment to his wife through illness and death. He put aside what was convenient for something that was lasting. That is the Kingdom at work. That’s what it is like? That’s what it looks like in real life!

Marriage is only a technical fact. What must accompany a marriage is a covenant that holds us through changing circumstances. The Kingdom in relational terms expresses itself by deep fidelity and requires of anyone (not just believing and church going people) to live by the higher ideal of faithfulness rather than the more convenient self-centered moment. That’s what the Kingdom looks like relationally and it took a high-profile man in media to show us. I wonder whether anyone really noticed? Is it possible that people might have missed this? I think so. The Kingdom of God after all, is to be compared with a mustard seed which is the smallest of all seeds, but which grows and grows until the birds of the air come to rest in the branches of the tree that results.

Someone should tell Rove! Either way, we see in this matter through him, the seed of the Kingdom. God bless him for the Kingdom is near!

by Graham Buxton

1. Celebrating Life – my new book – has everything to do with affirming the goodness of God’s creation and of human life, including the myriad different ways in which human beings express that life in contemporary society, whether in poetry and politics, in movies and management, or in sculpture and science … these are spheres where the Kingdom of God may be present on earth.

2. My focus will be on two out of these spheres: literature and the creative arts. Both have to do with what we read, what we view and what we listen to. Science, politics and business (other spheres covered in Celebrating Life) will have to await another occasion.

3. If we really want to understand what it means to live in the Kingdom of God on earth, then we need to do some thinking about the Trinity. Entry into the life of the Trinity means entry into the life of a God who is involved in every part of creation, a God who invites us to celebrate the joy of life and seek renewal in all the areas of brokenness around us.

4. The gospel is not so much about God giving us a new life, but of us being caught up into the very life of God himself, so that humanity and Trinity – and creation – are bound together forever. The Kingdom brooks no dualistic separation between sacred and secular.

5. God has created us to live in the fullness of his ‘spilled-over’ life in the creation that is bound up within his life as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And this ‘spilled-over’ life is full of the goodness of God, though of course it has been corrupted because we are sinful people.

Literature and poetry

6. As we explore through literature the worlds in which others live out their lives, as we enter their feelings, their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears, we ourselves are enriched as human beings. Indeed, it may well be that the primary goal of literature is to make us more human. So our humanity is enhanced as we read.

7. A warning – given the vast range of literature to which we are exposed today, great discernment is needed regarding our reading habits. ‘To read or not to read’ – even in today’s ‘aliteral’ age – is not nearly as important as the question: ‘what are you reading?’

Creative arts

8. Engagement with art is important not only because our beings are enlarged, but also because art speaks to us in moral terms: it influences (not always obviously) how we think and behave. As Kingdom people, Christians should bring to their engagement with the creative arts a distinctly Christian perspective. Paul writes in Philippians 4:8: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
9. Intimations of God’s truth can penetrate us – even transform us – as we open ourselves to the creative endeavours of painters and poets, musicians and moviemakers.

10. Christians need the wisdom to discern where the Spirit is at work, often in the unlikeliest places and in the most improbable ways. It is the Spirit’s privilege to unveil the Kingdom of God, and he will accomplish this in ways that resonate with the culture of the day, immersing himself in whatever cultural ‘texts’ offer the best vehicles for communication.

11. We have been created by God as unique human beings, shaped by our own background, environment and genetic makeup, and the very diversity of our humanity is a rich expression not only of God’s creative genius but also of the cultural fabric in which we live and move and have our being.

12. “We are called to be part of God’s new creation, called to be agents of that new creation here and now. We are called to model and display that new creation in symphonies and family life, in restorative justice and poetry, in holiness and service to the poor, in politics and painting.” (Tom Wright).

Summary

13. The church is not only called to be relevant, learning to speak the language of the culture: it is also called to be prophetic in its redemptive presence in the world.

Editors note: During this session Graham encouraged delegates to broaden their understanding by reading more widely. Below are some books he recommends as a starting point.

George Eliot – Silas Marner
J D Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye
George Orwell – Animal Farm
Ian McEwan – Enduring Love
C S Lewis – The Cosmic Trilogy
Morris West – The Devil’s Advocate and The Shoes of the Fisherman
Chaim Potok – My Name is Asher Lev
Jostein Gaarder – Sophie’s World
Victor Hugo – short stories
Shakespeare – King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet
Charles Dickens – David Copperfield
Ben Okri – The Famished Road
J M Coetzee – Disgrace
Richard Flanagan – The Sound of One Hand Clapping
Poems of Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, John Donne, Seamus Heaney, George Herbert, William Wordsworth, John Keats

These are the notes from Session 4 of the recent Rediscovering the Kingdom of God Conference. CDs of this session are available for $9.95 plus postage. To order your copy please get in touch.

by Graham Buxton

1. Open with a brief biblical understanding of the Kingdom of God – Jewish ideas.

2. Three great truths about the Kingdom of God that are disclosed in Jesus Christ:

• The coming of the Kingdom in advance of its full and final manifestation – the Kingdom is both now and not-yet.
• The coming of the Kingdom in the person of Jesus himself.
• The hidden and secret nature of the growth of the Kingdom – so Jesus taught about the Kingdom in various parables … the mustard seed, and leaven in the dough.

3. The Kingdom of God is not just some future spiritual reality to look forward to, but also has to do with the present reality of Jesus in our midst, and what we do with this Jesus who is deeply involved in the structures and very fabric of this world.

4. To become a person in the fullest sense is to cultivate a spirituality that gets in touch with physicality – our own physicality, and the physicality of the world around us – the Kingdom of God has to do not only with the God of creation, but also with the creation of God.

5. As Christians rightly insist, there is a distinction to be made between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Making a difference in our world – Kingdom living – implies that there is a duality to be acknowledged. But this has been misinterpreted throughout church history, leading to dualistic thinking.

6. Historically, the contours of the Kingdom have been narrowed down to spiritual realities at the expense of a more holistic and more generous understanding. Dualism has robbed many people – and many Christians – of the joy of life in God’s good creation. The purpose of life on earth is not to prepare us for heaven, but to give glory to God by living as humanly as possible.

7. Our ultimate destination is not heaven – it is the new earth that will represent the final act in God’s great redemptive purposes.

8. To live as full human beings in the Kingdom of God means to live as Jesus lived – in fulfilling relationship with God, with others, and with creation … for each represents what it means to be at home. For the Kingdom is here and now, not just that which is to come.

These are the notes from Session 2 of the recent Rediscovering the Kingdom of God Conference. CDs of this session are available for $9.95 plus postage. To order your copy please get in touch.

Let’s go to Matthew chapter 13 which contains some of the key kingdom parables that Jesus taught. Let me reiterate – Jesus was living and demonstrating the Kingdom in the way He lived his life. He used the parables to explain why he did what he did – one of the key ways to understand the Kingdom is to study the principles Jesus taught through these parables. He wanted us to understand what he was doing. He didn’t want it to be a mystery. He didn’t want his disciples to think only Jesus and God can do that. He said, look, if you put these principles into place they will work for you as well.

Let’s focus on the parable of the wheat and the tares – Matt 13:24-43. It is an interesting parable – where a man had a field and he went and sowed some seed in the field and looked for a harvest to come. But the thing that’s interesting to me is the interpretation of that parable. If you look at verse 36 it says that Jesus left the multitudes and went into the house and his disciples came to him asking him to explain the parable of the wheat and tares.

Jesus answered and said the one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man – himself. This is simple stuff. This is the sort of thing my 9 year old daughter can understand. The one that sows the seed is Jesus. The field is what? What does it say in the bible? It is the world. It is not the church. Can I let that sink in?

What is the field that God is concerned about? It’s the world. If you go back to verse 24 – you know what’s amazing about that field? Look at verse 24. Whose field is it? It belongs to Jesus. The world belongs to Jesus – but you say I thought Satan was in control. Look what it says – there is an enemy who is trying to stop what Jesus is wanting to do but all he can do is try and frustrate Jesus from producing fruit because the field is not his. The field – the world – belongs to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the one who then chooses to sow the seed. Here is the challenging part. What is the seed? The good seed are what? The children of the kingdom. That’s you and I. So let’s put the parable together. Jesus owns the field. He’s the one that wants to sow the seed and he chooses to sow the seed where? In the world. Where does God want to sow you? Not in the church. I’m not saying you can’t be a member of the church and make a contribution there.

But God wants to sow you in the world because that’s the only way the kingdom is going to come to the world. It’s not going to come by preaching, by singing, by us declaring things within the confines of the church walls – while they have their place – these things on their own will not produce the kingdom in the field. There’s a important place for prayer and worship but God is going to bring the kingdom by sowing seed in the world. It’s his world – he owns the seed, he owns the world. He has every angle covered.

He says I want to sow you there. He puts you in the dirt. How many like being buried in the dirt? It’s dark, dirty. I don’t like it here God! I want to go back where it’s comfortable. What am I doing out here in the dirt? There are nasty people out here. It’s dark. There are lots of people out here that don’t like you. What am I doing here?

God’s heart is the field. God knows the only way that he can reproduce who He is in the field is to sow people who know Him and who will be willing to let death work in them so that life will be released to others. Because he is the Lord and master of the field and Lord and master of the seed He can choose where he places you.

You might protest all you like. “God I don’t want to be here”. God’s response – who is in charge here? God sows the seed when he wants to, where he wants to. Our responsibility is to produce the kingdom where he has planted us. God is sovereign but we are responsible. One of the most challenging features of the kingdom is that God expects fruit.

You and I will have to give an account of what fruit we produced where He planted us. If God was to come to you now and say, listen, I planted you in this part of the field, how is it going? You might be tempted to say “It’s terrible. I can’t wait for Sunday to get out of here. What on earth am I doing over here Lord? I’m a lovely Christian. I want to be back with my friends on Sunday.” God says you don’t understand the kingdom do you? What’s that Lord? He says I want to bring who I am, my heart, my mercy, my compassion, my justice, my sense of right and wrong, I want to bring that into the world into which I have placed you and I want you to produce some fruit.

You remember what Jesus did when he came along to the fig tree and didn’t find fruit? Not very nice, is it? God wouldn’t do that to us. You know what it says in Matthew 21? I have taken the kingdom away from the nation that won’t produce the fruit of the kingdom and I’m giving the kingdom to a nation that will produce kingdom fruit.

God is serious about the kingdom. He will take it away from us and give it to somebody else who will produce the fruit because the main game is to see the kingdom being established on the earth. If he finds that those who should be producing aren’t then he will look for others who will produce.

So let’s go back to the parable. You have a field that belongs to Jesus, seed belongs to Jesus, plants us where he wants to, it’s not easy, it’s going to be a difficult road – but there’s a bottom line and that is can we produce fruit.

So what is the fruit? In simple terms what God is looking for is what’s in Matthew 6. God wants to see His will done on the earth. That’s what fruit is. Wherever God’s will is being done on the earth. That is the fruit of the kingdom.

Fruit would be things like this: reconciliation, mercy, forgiveness, righteousness, hope, justice, peace, joy, faith, salvation, healing. How many think the world would be better if some of those things were practised? But the challenge is who is going to produce them?

How can we do this?

• Accept God’s right to plant us where he chooses
• Embrace the message of the Kingdom
• Rely on the Holy Spirit
• Take action

by Derek Brown

 
To reduce the Kingdom means to replace it with something less than what it is. It doesn’t mean we reject the Kingdom but rather that we replace it with something we feel more comfortable with. Lets consider some examples.

1. Making the Kingdom of God an individual experience now and a collective future experience in heaven

The result of this type of thinking is that Christianity becomes privatised and marginalised. It is only relevant in areas of personal morality – it has nothing to say to wider issues. We see this in our society today when the Church is criticised for speaking out on social and political issues. To many people including many Christians this is not the province of the church. When we see the Kingdom of God we realise that it embraces all of life. The bible says we as Christians have the responsibility to bring the message of God to all of life, to every sphere of society. It is not limited to personal life, to the family, it has relevance to all of life.

2. Making the church and the Kingdom synonymous.

Without perhaps realising it many Christians see the Kingdom of God and the church as synonymous. If you were to ask them where God was at work many Christians would point to the growth in churches. Therefore what happens in the church is the beginning and end of their focus. As a result you can hear a lot of teaching on the church but no mention of the Kingdom. It is much less challenging for Christians to focus on building churches than producing the fruit of the Kingdom in society.

The church should be the most visible manifestation of the kingdom but it is not identical with it. If you remember back to the diagram we had in session 3 you can see that dividing the world into the good guys and the bad guys leads to the conclusion that the Kingdom is on the good side and the other side belongs to Satan.

This leads to a narrow view of the church’s mandate which is – prepare for Jesus’ return through prayer, Bible study, worship and witnessing. Charles Colson – “If we focus exclusively on these disciplines – and in the process we ignore our responsibility to redeem our surrounding culture – our Christianity will remain privatized and marginalised. Turning our backs on our culture is a betrayal of our biblical mandate and our own heritage because it denies God’s sovereignty over all of life… If the church turns inward now, if we focus only on our own needs, we will miss the opportunity to provide answers at a time when people are sensing a deep longing for meaning and order.”

The answer for the church to become relevant is to rediscover the kingdom. The Kingdom of God brings to the equation a sense of who God is – reflected in our attitudes, our compassion, our acts of mercy, our desire for justice and our example of righteousness.

3. Believing the coming of the Kingdom relates only to the Second Coming.

If you look again at Acts 1:6 when the disciples asked about God restoring the Kingdom to Israel – Jesus answered by saying “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7). What is about human nature that is so fixated with knowing the timing of things that lie in the future? What is about human nature that reduces the Kingdom of God to issues that represent our personal priorities? Israel is not the kingdom of God – nor is the second coming – nor indeed is the church.

You might say that a person’s belief about the Second Coming won’t affect your view of the role of the church – but it can. One of the catch-cries of some end time teaching goes like this “Don’t polish the brass on a sinking ship” In other words the world is doomed to imminent destruction so don’t waste your time trying to redeem it. Just focus on saving as many souls as you can from the sinking ship.

Jesus said it is not for you to know the end of time – rather you need to be about my Father’s business – preaching, practicing and producing the Kingdom in the earth. This is the main game. (Matt 24:14)

4. Confusing the Kingdom of God with right wing political philosophy

Some reduce the Kingdom by equating it with right wing political philosophy. Let me share a scary thing I saw on TV recently. Here was a well-known US Christian right-wing leader looking down the camera and telling his audience that America would be well suited to assassinate a dictator from South America because this would be much cheaper than a long term campaign to overthrow him. This is a Christian leader who preaches the ‘gospel’ regularly through his television network. How could he reduce the Kingdom to this type of thinking? Can you imagine Jesus saying the same thing?

The kingdom of God is not right wing. I don’t care who you vote for, the kingdom of God is not right ring nor left wing. It is much bigger than that. Some aspects of the Kingdom might be championed by those from the right but equally those on the left are passionate about other Kingdom principles. So to say a Christian could not support the Labor Party in Australia shows a lack of seeing what the Kingdom really is.

Take an example from history – the fight against slavery in England. This was led by an evangelical Christian named William Wilberforce who for decades campaigned to rid his country and the world of this evil practice. Do you know where most of his opposition came from? The establishment and the church. It was common both in the US and in England for the Bible to be used as an authority to support slavery – talk about twisting the nature of God and His kingdom.

Wilberforce was considered an unpatriotic radical because he dared to challenge what was an established part of his culture. Wilberforce understood the good news of the gospel of the kingdom – he knew God had made all men and women equal and that to treat anyone as a slave was a violation of the nature of God. It was those who didn’t understand the kingdom of God or had reduced it to something convenient who opposed him. Wilberforce with his left-wing concern for social justice was an offence to his right wing political opponents – but on this issue who represented the Kingdom?

What about today – there are people fighting for a reduction of debt for the third world countries. Does this reflect the principles of the kingdom of God? In the Old Testament they had the year of jubilee in which they forgave all the debts and said we are going to give you a chance to start again, you can start free. It’s a guy like Bono from U2 who is a leading protagonist for debt reduction. He comes from a Christian perspective and is someone who has seen the kingdom in the wider perspective. Maybe its because he is a bit out there and more radical in his thinking that he is prepared to address areas that many Christians wouldn’t go near.

Charles Colson who went to prison for his Watergate involvement – turned this around by establishing the Prison Fellowship and now one of his major causes is to work on reform within the judicial and penal systems. That is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is not limited to that which is easy and comfortable and makes us feel good about ourselves. It touches the real world with the real God in a way that makes a real difference.

One final example – we have a young man in our church who is working in Uganda to help the children who have been traumatised by being drafted as children to fight in what they called “Lord’s Resistance Army”. Rob is a child psychologist so he is using his professional skills to develop programs that can help rehabilitate these kids and given them a future hope for their lives. This is the Kingdom of God in action.