The Kingdom and the Church

The foundation of our new book is that the kingdom of God was Jesus’ main message. Interestingly, he hardly mentions the church in the Gospels, but it is prominently discussed in the New Testament letters. So what is the relationship between the two?

Careful study of Jesus’ kingdom teaching shows, first, that the Kingdom of God is not the church, but that the church plays an indispensible role in God’s kingdom plan.

Second, it is really the kingdom as it is embodied in Jesus that creates the church. The church is brought into existence to serve and advance the Kingdom.

Third, it is the task of the church to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom in word and in deed. Jesus embodied the Kingdom. Now the church is called to be the body of Christ, follow in his steps and show the Kingdom life to the world and use words when we must.

Today’s church must be passionate about the Kingdom. It is not enough to be a slightly more biblical or improved version of evangelicalism. Serious disciples must be shaped by the Kingdom, with a conviction about obeying all that Jesus commanded.

We must understand that the church is not to just be religiously committed, but uniquely committed to the kingdom thinking that is not of this world. 

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Appendix 1

From THE KINGDOM OF GOD, VOLUME ONE

The Kingdom and the Church

The Issue of Chronology

The contention that the church that began on the Day of Pentecost is interchangeable with the idea of the Kingdom runs into severe problems when passages such as these found below are considered. They all show that the Kingdom was coming in the life and ministry of Jesus and that when Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom it was because people could respond and receive it through his ministry. The coming of the Spirit on Pentecost was a most significant event, but the Kingdom had ready been breaking in as we see in these verses where emphasis has been added.

  

Matthew 4:23

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

The good news of the kingdom was that God was breaking in to rescue his people as evidenced by the works of healing. This was good news right then and there. It was not just good news that they could become part of the church in two or three years.

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

In these “bookends” for the Beatitudes Jesus was giving people a message to put into practice and realize the fulfillment of the Kingdom in their day. With attitudes and action they experienced the reign of God. Notice “theirs is” the kingdom, not “theirs will be...”

Matthew 21:31b–32 

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

The prima facie meaning is that disreputables of society “are entering the kingdom of God” because they believed the preaching of John and responded in repentance (and, of course, in the baptism he always administered). Not only were people entering the Kingdom before Pentecost; they were entering it before Jesus even fully began his ministry or at least before John’s death.

Matthew 23:13

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

In Jesus’ own life before his death and resurrection and before the Spirit was sent on Pentecost, the Pharisees were not entering the kingdom, but by their lives they were shutting the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. They weren’t entering, though they could have entered then. So in Matthew 21 and Matthew 23, we have the starkest of contrasts: The prostitutes and tax collectors were entering the Kingdom during the life of Jesus, but the Pharisees were keeping themselves and others out. If we try substituting the word “church” for “Kingdom” in these texts, we end up with something that clearly does not work. At this point no one was entering the church.

Luke 11:19–20

“Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” (NASB— has “come upon you”) 

Though the Pharisees argued that Jesus drove out demons by Satan’s power, seemingly no one doubted that they were driven out. Jesus’ point is that this is evidence that the kingdom had come upon them right then and there.

Luke 17:20–21

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ’Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”   (NASB)

Whether this rendering is used or the more questionable “the kingdom of God is within you,” Jesus is still speaking in the present tense. The kingdom was there right then and there in the ministry of Jesus.

Matthew 11:12

 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” 

While Interpreters differ on the meaning of last part of this passage, there can be no question about the portion that says “From the days of John until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing…” As has been shown throughout this book, the Kingdom was coming in all kinds of ways and waves in Jesus’ ministry, and here even since the days of John, who was long dead before the events of Pentecost.