Jesus' first public words are recorded in Mark 1:15 [The Message]: "The kingdom of God is here, repent!" The Jews refused to repent of their ethnocentrism and oppression and then do justice. Therefore in forty years, judgment fell. The Romans destroyed the sacred Temple, the heart of Judaism, in 70AD.
The kingdom of God was central to Jesus' ministry. It also should be central in the church's ministry today.
1. Jesus began with the kingdom in Mark 1:15, in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 4:18-19.
2. Jesus teaching during his three years of ministry on earth was saturated with references to the kingdom of God.
3. The book of Acts begins and ends with a strong kingdom emphasis. Acts 1:3 and Acts 28:23 & 31.
4. Acts 8:12 provides a summary statement of the two-pronged gospel being preached. They were preaching both the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ.
God wants his church in 2018 to incarnate his kingdom. God wants human partners in the creation of his kingdom. God wants the church doing justice that releases the oppressed.
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