Preaching and teaching are the nerve-centre of ministry in a local church. Explaining the word of God to people who want to hear it is a huge privilege. If you are seeking to shift a congregation onto God’s agenda in the world, then the topic of the kingdom of God is the place to start. God’s agenda is his kingdom, its purpose and values.
Jesus preached and taught the kingdom, nothing but the kingdom. He focused on communicating kingdom of God purpose and values, especially with his disciples. Living in God’s kingdom is our purpose in life; it gives us our reason to live and a relationship with Jesus that richly sustains us. Jesus focused on living by kingdom values – he explained them in Matt 5-7 and in various instances as he had opportunity. His values are the inverse of earthly values, and if we live them our lives will honour God.
Here are some things to include in a series on the kingdom of God. The goal is to have people catch a kingdom perspective on all of life and a kingdom heart …
• It is THE theme of the Bible - from Genesis to Revelation. God’s invisible but systematic order of power over all things is exerted. The KoG is eternal, is exercised from the heavens, and can be compared to my kingdom, which is what I want and try to make happen.
• It is central to the mission of Jesus. Most clearly in the Synoptics, Jesus preaches the kingdom, announces its availability to all mankind, and calls people to follow him, the king. He also demonstrates the kingdom, bringing healing and salvation.
• Jesus’ mission was to inaugurate the kingdom on earth; to start a new order. It included his reconciliation of "all things", including creation, not just the salvation of individuals or a community. I live in the kingdom by trusting Jesus.
• Following the ascension of Christ, preaching and demonstrating the kingdom of God was entrusted to his disciples. Those who trust Jesus are part of his mission, his purpose and his way of living. The end goal is for his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth, as it is in the heavens. That can happen through us!
• His Church was birthed and empowered by the Spirit to embody and witness to Christ and be a tangible expression of the kingdom of God. His Church is to be a sign and foretaste of his eternal kingdom.
Majoring on this theme gives our people a kingdom of God perspective on all of life. We are children of the king, called and empowered to live as kingdom representatives. We live the same purpose as Jesus; we live the same values as Jesus. We bring the kingdom of God to others when we act like Jesus towards others; loving them by serving them in any small way we can. This is not confined to church; KoG is much bigger than church.
The things that Jesus valued matter to us. With a kingdom heart and perspective on all of life, we have a view of family, work, friendships, church, and those in our self-destructing society that brings hope. We are agents of hope, instruments of change by bringing the goodness of God to others, one person at a time. The whole of life of the whole body of Christ’s disciples is fundamental to the impact of the whole church.
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