The Kingdom of God & The Kingdom of God & MissionsMissions

Viewing missions with Kingdom lenses

The Vineyard missions mandate

Theology

Context

Praxis

Spiritual

Socio-Politica

l

PaulineJustificati

on

Reformation

Individual

Protestant

Evangelical

Decisions

Cuius regio, eius religio

KingdomTheology

Post-modern

communalism

?

Every movement/era has a hermeneutical key

Jesus’ Kingdom messageJesus’ Kingdom message

The Kingdom Will come in the future

Has come – is now present

Is ‘near’ or ‘at hand’

Has been delayed

This age The End

Age to Come

PP

TheThe

ChristianChristian

communitcommunityy

The roots/context of our The roots/context of our theologytheology

Jesus rediscovered in Jesus quests – 19th and 20th C

Initially mediated through Wimber/Ladd but

continually renewed through dialogue with Jesus

scholars of the 3rd Quest

Gospels prioritized over epistles: Jesus over Paul

Big Picture Kingdom theology: resisting reductionism

Originally Jesus People-California-Baby Boomers, but

now engaging with international, multi-cultural,

multi-lingual, pre-modern, modern and post-modern

contexts (what songs to sing?)

Grappling with contextual issues: US centrism or

globalism; G8 versus developing nations;

colonial/post-colonial

Kingdom theology in larger NT Kingdom theology in larger NT contextcontext

Synoptics:KingdomTheology

PaulineTheology:

Grace

John &Paul:Anti-

Gnostic

Kingdom theologyKingdom theology

Begins with the Gospels

Particularly Synoptics

Luke-Acts as primary missions theology (bible)

Different from Conservative Evangelical missiology

Different from Pentecostal missiology

Luke’s theologyLuke’s theology

The new or messianic age has dawned, fulfilling OT expectations and inaugurating the relentless and determined will of God. Its focus is the messianic King, Jesus who, by the power of the Spirit, brings healing and salvation to all nations. This salvation includes previously excluded groups: sinners, the sick, Gentiles, Samaritans, the poor, women and children. It spreads through the proclamation of the word, healing and phenomena of power and revelation. Those who receive this salvation experience forgiveness of sins and respond with song, praise, prayer and wonder. The message has financial and social implications.

Luke’s theologyLuke’s theology

1. The new or messianic age has dawned, fulfilling Old Testament expectations and inaugurating the relentless and determined will of God.

2. Its focus is the messianic King, Jesus.

3. It comes through the power of the Holy Spirit.

4. Jesus the messiah brings healing and salvation.

5. It spreads to all nations.

6. This salvation includes previously excluded groups: sinners, the sick, Gentiles, Samaritans, the poor, women and children.

Luke’s theologyLuke’s theology

7. It spreads through the proclamation of the word (discipleship and witness).

8. It spreads through healing and phenomena of power and revelation.

9. Those who receive this salvation experience forgiveness of sins and respond with song, praise, prayer and wonder.

10.The message has financial and social implications.

Luke-Acts CourseLuke-Acts Course

Luke-Acts CourseLuke-Acts Course

Luke-Acts CourseLuke-Acts Course

Luke-Acts CourseLuke-Acts Course

A sample: Pentecost as A sample: Pentecost as mandatemandate

He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. …

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about … in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

So … they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Acts 1:1-9

PentecostPentecostHe appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. …

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about … in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

So … they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Acts 1:1-9

PentecostPentecostSuddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting … tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language ... Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” … they asked one another, "What does this mean?” (2:1-12)

What does this mean?What does this mean? Kingdom – Holy Spirit – kingdom – Holy

Spirit

Power of the Holy Spirit – a new international community

So: the Kingdom will now come through the power of the Holy Spirit to create and empower a new international community

Kingdom – Holy Spirit power – New Humanity

What is the “sign” or “signature” of Pentecost? Signs and wonders or the new humanity?

What does this mean?What does this mean? Pentecost: the feast commemorating

the giving of the law – so law abiding will now be accomplished through the Holy Spirit!

Pentecost: reversal of Babel

Pentecost: the prophetic becomes the signature of the new community

The kingdom mystery: hear, near, delayed and future becomes power to do mission: Jerusalem and Judea = M1 Samaria = M2 Gentiles = M3 (people groups)

What does this mean?What does this mean? The kingdom has come

Through the power of the Holy Spirit

Spreading liberating grace

Creating a new reconciled humanity

Bearing the signature of the prophetic

Spreading through all people groups in a relentless strategy of mission

Until the kingdom comes

Three key kingdom Three key kingdom characteristicscharacteristics

1. Sign 1:Power – signs and wonders – prophetic phenomena – “rent a crowd”

2. Sign 2:Community – reconciled across all previous barriers – the “risen body” of the new humanity – a sign and a wonder

3. Sign 3:Mission – geographical/demographic growth and number counting – fearful to worldly powers

CommunityCommunity

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility …

His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility …

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household …

The mystery made known to me by revelation … which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit …

This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus …

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2-3

Community: The new humanityCommunity: The new humanity You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:26-28

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Colossians 3:9-11The eschatological community

CommunityCommunity

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

Revelation 7:9-10

The presence of the future

The calling of the kingdom The calling of the kingdom communitycommunity

Make disciples of all nations

Through the words and works (signs) of Jesus

Through a mission strategy (Acts 1:8 - M1, M2,

M3)

Reconciled to God and each other: transcending

the divisions of humanity - Babel reversed by

Pentecost

Beyond Jew/Gentile, slave/free, male/female,

Greek/barbarian-Scythian

Confronting the ‘powers’ through our unity

Inaugurating the new humanity (2nd Adam)

Some conclusionsSome conclusions

Vineyard international relations: more than pragmatism

Big Picture Gospel: resisting reductionism

The Catholic, CE and Pentecostal substratum

Knowing-articulating-confessing & doing kingdom missiology

Going boldly where no man has ever gone before!