John 3:3In reply Jesus declared,

“I tell you the truth, no one can

see the Kingdom of God unless he is

born again.”

Matthew 10: 7-87 “As you go, preach this message: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those

who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received,

freely give.”

Acts 1:3“After his suffering,

[Jesus] showed himself to these men and

gave many convincing proofs that he was

alive. He appeared to them over a period

of forty days and spoke about the Kingdom of

God.”

Keys to The Kingdom:1.) Kingdom-Centered Prayer2.) Proclaiming The Gospel of Jesus3.) Celebrating Communion4.) Baptism into a New Humanity5.) Peacemaking & Reconciliation6.) Being With “The Least of These”7.) Welcoming Children in Jesus’ Name8.) Identifying & Using our Spiritual Gifts

If these practices were so

important to the growth of

the early church, how did we get

off track and drift away from

them?

“ConstantinianShift”

took place in the Church

--------------------------

The Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. allowed

the open practice of all religions.

Despite claiming to be a Christian, Constantine still embraced pagan

imagery & values.----------------------------Coin of Constantine with Sol Invictus

“the Unconquerable Sun

god”

EmperorTheodosius

MadeChristianityThe Official

Religion of the Roman Empire

in 380 A.D.

Once the Church aligned itself with

governmental power and

influence, the urgency to see God’s Kingdom grow on Earth slowly faded.

These “Kingdom Practices”

slowly turned into maintenance functions…

A form of spiritual ‘life support’

that kept the church members functional from week-to-week.

“Lost Keys”1.) Kingdom-Centered Prayer2.) Proclaiming The Gospel of Jesus3.) Celebrating Communion4.) Baptism into a New Humanity5.) Peacemaking & Reconciliation6.) Being With “The Least of These”7.) Welcoming Children in Jesus’ Name8.) Identifying & Using our Spiritual Gifts

After leaning on the power and influence of “Christendom” to

help keep Christianity relevant in our world, what do we do now?

Can we re-learn how to grow the Kingdom and impact the world again as “outsiders?”

Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to me,

‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the

Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

“A New Worldis yet

to Come”

Thoughts fromHenri Nouwen