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TITLE PAGE
Biblical Foundations for Missions (BAH 936, MAH 936)
Rev. Julian Michael Zugg, LLB (Hons) Barrister, M. Div.
Belize Presbyterian Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 145, 12 St Matthew’s Street, Belize City, Belize
CONTACT DETAILS:
MissionBelize.org
Tel Belize 501 628 5404
Tel US 281 506 2833
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OUTLINE
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
LESSON ONE. Trinitarian View of Mission
LESSON TWO. The Fall, Abraham, Israel and the Plan of God
LESSON THREE. The Coming of Christ, the Presence of the Kingdom in
the World
LESSON FOUR. The Control of the Holy Spirit in Missions, The New
Creation
LESSON FIVE. Paul, the Missionary to the Gentiles
LESSON SIX. Paul’s First Mission Journey and the Jerusalem
Council
LESSON SEVEN. Paul’s Mission and the Church
LESSON EIGHT. The New Testament and Cross-Cultural Ministry
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL
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PREFACEThis work is dedicated to the students at Belize Presbyterian Theological
Seminary. I am grateful to God for His work in them and for the zeal and
commitment they show for His cause. I would also like to thank my God for the
opportunity to teach about mission while being on the mission field. Special
thanks must go to those who preceded me, whose works I have drawn from and
who I have interacted with in the process of Gospel mission. The work of Leslie
Newbigin and Roland Allen are the bedrock of this course, to God be the glory
for their labors.
INTRODUCTION
This course is written seeks to an expositional, biblical ground and theologicalbasis for mission in order to prepare students for the great task of spreading the
message of the Gospel throughout the world. It is my prayer that they might not
only be in a church founded by missionaries, but they might themselves go out
to found other churches in the this world.
COURSE CONTENTThe course is divided into eight lessons and has two major parts. Part 1
(Lessons 1-4) argues that Mission is a work of the Triune God with each
member taking specific roles. Part 2 (Lessons 5-8) stresses man's responsibility
in mission. We will focus particularly on the life of the apostle Paul, a Jewish
missionary to the Gentiles, and the relationship between the church and
mission.
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COURSE MATERIALSThe principle course materials are the lecture notes. Additional reading is from
Roland Allen’s work,Missionary Methods.
COURSE OBJECTIVESThe course is designed to encourage students to study together, to interact with
the professor and each other, to discuss and debate, and to gain a deeper
understanding of the material. It is also designed to give students a principle
scriptural and detailed understanding of the material and to encourage students
to read original material in the field of apologetics. It is hoped that the course will
help students develop the apologetic skills needed to defend the faith to
unbelievers. Finally, it is my prayer that they will communicate this informationand skill sets to their congregations.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSEThis course has been written in 8 consecutive lessons. The modules should be
studied in order. The lessons are of unequal length; therefore, students must
take care to allocate sufficient time for each. The principle content is found in the
lectures, and this should be supplemented with the required reading. The
readings are ordered to follow each part of the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTSStudents will attend 16 hours of class time.
Students will do 16 hours of extra reading outside of class.
Students will undertake a special project.
There will be a final exam covering lectures and readings.
COURSE EVALUATION
1. Student participation (15%): One point may be given for each class hour.2. Student homework (15%): Two points may be given for each completed
homework assignment. If all homework assignments are completed, an extra
point is awarded at the end of the course.
3. Student readings (20%): Students are required to read Rolland Allen,
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Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s or Ours. Master Reading will include Appendix 2.
4. Student Special Project (25%): See Appendix 3.
5. Student Exam (25%): The student will demonstrate his/her understanding of
the main concepts and content of the course materials
BENEFITS OF THIS COURSEThe course teaches students the basic principles of defending the faith and of
how to expose and exploit the deceptions that the unbeliever is laboring under. It
also helps define what our responsibility is in defending the Gospel.
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Lesson One. Introduction to the Mission of the Church -
Overview
1. Introduction
The Bible and the Gospel are mission focused. Since the Fall of man (by
sin and rebellion against God in the Garden), a gracious God has been working
to redeem man, to restore and recover him. The mission of God begins with the
great promise of Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman
and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall
bruise His heel.” This promise has been partially fulfilled in the coming of the
Son, in His death and victory over Satan; and it continues to be fulfilled in the
church’s mission. Paul encouraged the Roman church with these words:“And the
God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly”(Rom. 16:20). The mission
of the church and the ongoing warfare will continue until the final victory over
Satan is complete. These texts (as well as others) show that mission is principally
God’s work. It is God who made the promise; it is God who is fulfilling it. In this
great work, the church joins with God in His work of mission.
Lesson One lays a foundation for mission; one we will build on over the
remainder of the course. This course is divided into three sections. In lessons 2-4
we will argue that the basis of mission is the work of the Triune God. Mission is
the work of the Father who plans all things. Mission is the work of the Son, who
comes from heaven to earth to save. Mission is the presence of God in Christ
meeting the unbelieving world, calling it to repentance and faith. Mission is the
work of the Spirit who continues Christ’s work in the church upon earth in Christ’s
absence.
In section two we focus upon Paul. Paul was uniquely called and chosen
by God to be His missionary to the Gentiles. Paul saw himself as the servant of
Isaiah 42, part of the Father’s plan and promise that the Gospel would go to all
nations. We will look at Paul in three lessons. Lesson 5 stresses Paul’s unique
call and vision for mission. Lesson 6 traces Paul’s first mission journey until the
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Council of Jerusalem. Lesson 7 looks at Paul’s and the missionary’s relationship
to the church.
It is vitally important to see that Paul’s missionary methods reflected histheology. Paul’s belief that mission was God’s work was reflected in his mission
strategy–being sent by a church, relying upon preaching and teaching and the
Spirit to spread the word, the founding of churches, not just converting
individuals. Paul relied upon the Spirit to strengthen and establish the new church
as quickly as possible. Paul’s method flowed directly from his understanding that
mission is God’s work in the church. Paul understood this and tailored his
methods to be consistent with these principles. It is a great failing that many
missionaries do not see mission in this light. It is crucial that we study Paul’s
methods and apply them to the best of our ability.
The third section, lesson 8, focuses upon cultural ministry in the New
Testament. We will include the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10, the cultural
importance of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, the circumcision of Timothy, and
a final discussion of meat offered to idols.
2. Mission: A Work of the Trinity
As all of God’s works are Trinitarian, Mission is a work of the Trinity. Each
member of the Trinity–Father, Son and Spirit–is immediately and directly
involved in this work. Jesus’ baptism, the formal inauguration of his ministry,
demonstrates this principle.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and
saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was
spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ” Now John
himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his
food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region
around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan,
confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to
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flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do
not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you
that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even
now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does notbear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing
floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized
by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him,
“Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Thenhe allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from
the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit
of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice
came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased
(Matt. 3:1-17).
John was the last and greatest of the prophets to Israel (Matt.11:11). He
preached a Gospel of repentance as the kingdom of God was coming, a
message fulfilled in Christ (Matt. 1:22, 23). In His baptism, Jesus identifiedHimself with His people. He formally became the mediator of the New Covenant,
the true Servant of God, the true Israel (Isa. 41:8, 9). His water baptism must be
read in the light of the whole of His public ministry: it points to the whole of His
life and work. His “baptism” was completed upon the cross in His death, burial
and resurrection for sin (Luke 12:50; Col. 2:11, 12). By being baptized, Jesus
identified Himself as His people’s representative. They are joined to the whole of
His life.
In Christ’s baptism we see the Father as Creator, Head, Innovator, andPlanner. It is He who elected His own Son to be the firstborn amongst creation,
the focus of the Gospel and mission. We see the Son, fully God and fully man,
able to secure the forgiveness of sin. In the Son, God entered into human
suffering, humbling Himself in order to establish His kingdom in the world and in
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the church. Mission is the presence of God in Christ in the world, reconciling
men to God. The Spirit played a crucial role, descending upon Christ and
anointing Him for His task. The Spirit is the Lord Jesus’ source of action and
power (Isa. 61:1, Luke 4:16). It was the Spirit who led Christ and equipped Himfor ministry. It was the same Spirit who was poured out upon the church at
Pentecost, equipping them to continue Christ’s work until He comes. Paul
summarized the work of each Person of the Trinity in Ephesians 1:1-14. In
Christ’s baptism, the mission of God was manifest.
3. Mission and the New Creation
The mission of God, the Gospel, is closely linked to the coming of the
New Covenant.
Christ’s coming introduced the New Covenant, which brought in a
completely new order in creation. Paul said:If any man be in Christ he is a new
creation, old things have passed away (2 Cor. 5:17).
Christ came in the fullness of time (Gal 4:4). In His coming a new
creation, a new order (indicated by the vertical line), was revealed. The new
creation brought the old creation and the role of Israel to an end. The copies,
shadows, and types of Israel were ended (Col. 2:16, 17). In Galatians 6:15, Paul
said “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything,
but a new creation.” The coming of the New Covenant and creation opened the
way for missions to break out of Judaism/Israel and go into all the world in a new
way. In the New Covenant the Last Days have arrived.
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Some implications of the New Covenant are:1
First, the New Covenant brings a sense of urgency. We are now in the
Last Days. The second coming of Christ and the judgment of the world isimmanent.
Second, in the New Covenant the old cultural forms of Israel are replaced
by the new key concept of the Spirit, Sonship, the New Creation, and the rule of
Christ. As Colossians 2:16, 17 and Galatians 6:15 (above) state, the cultural
forms, circumcision, and other specific laws to Israel no longer hold. The real
issue is, is someone part of the new creation? Are they a son, indwelt by the
Spirit and under Christ’s rule? Israel’s Old Testament culture and cultural forms
have been superseded, something new has occurred. This was recognized bythe elders at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:18-21). The freeing of the Gospel
from Israel’s Old Testament forms was crucially important for the spreading of
the Gospel into the Gentile world.
Third, the New Covenant brings in the period of the Spirit who helps Christ
rule the nations and enables the church to fulfill its mission.
Fourth, the church is already part of the new creation. While she still
exists in the old creation, she experiences the power and the foretaste of the
glory that will be revealed. She is already experiencing the age to come. This
power and foretaste of glory is an essential part of her witness to the world. The
church in the world is calling the old creation to repentance and faith.
1 The New Covenant, as the final covenant, brings all the blessing of Christ to theworld. Due to
space we have only dealt with a few of these above due to space.
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4. Paul as Missionary
Paul is the great New Testament missionary. God called Paul to be an
apostle, to take the Gospel from Israel to the nations. In the history of God’s
revelation, Paul was a unique figure, the aide to the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah
42). Paul’s unique position means that we cannot simply use his methods but
we are to learn from him. One important aspect of this course will be to identify
his mission principles so that we might use them today. As an aid, I have
collected all of the principles and placed them in Appendix 2. Due to Paul’s
unique status, no missionary is called to follow these principles exactly, but the
closer we can model our missionary methods upon these principles, the morescripturally effective our position will be. It is a question of degree.
One of the principles we will consider is that Paul’s mission is church
based, not para-church based. Paul focused upon preaching and teaching. His
aim was to establish churches and to encourage them to operate independently
of him while depending upon Christ’s lordship and the work of the Spirit. To this
end, Paul appointed elders, equipped the church with its officers and then
committed the church to the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul did not try micromanaging the church or keeping control over it once he had left. Paul
understood that the church was founded by the work of the Spirit and that the
ongoing work of the Spirit would keep and sustain it.
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5. Mission Texts and Cross-Cultural Ministry
In the final section (Lesson 8) we will look at a number of important texts
for cross-cultural mission in the New Testament. The call to mission, the
implication of the call, was not immediately understood by the early church. As
she began to engage in mission, she was challenged on both a theological and
a social/cultural level. We will consider this in lesson 8.
Conclusion
Since Genesis 3:15, God has been at work in mission. Mission is the work of
the Triune God with each member playing a particular role. Paul is the great example of
mission in the New Testament and we are to follow his example as closely as possible.
Summary
In Matthew 3:1-17 the Father, Son and the Spirit are involved in the
incarnation–the mission of God to save a people. The Father plans salvation, the
Son brings the plan into effect and the Spirit applies salvation to us. Mission is
the presence of Christ in the word, drawing men to the Father, through the power
of the Spirit. This understanding controlled Paul’s missionary method. Paul
sought to establish churches and make them grow through the power of the
Spirit. Paul did not take ownership of the church; it was Christ’s church boughtwith His own blood (Acts 20:28). Paul founded churches and then committed
them to Christ.
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Lesson One Questions1. When does mission begin in the Scriptures?
2. What are the implications of the verse above?
3. Explain what we mean by the statement, God’s missionary work is
Trinitarian.
4. What verse is a good illustration of the Trinitarian mission?
5. Briefly describe the role of each person of the Trinity in mission.
6. Explain the importance of the new creation in mission?
7. Describe Paul’s attitude to this circumcision and this creation.
8. What is the significance of the Spirit being poured out in the nations?
9. Explain why Paul is unique and yet still an example to us.
10. Explain one of Paul’s missionary principles from the text above.
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Lesson Two. The Fall, Abraham, Israel and the Father’s Plan
1.Introduction
The Old Testament lays the foundation of New Testament mission. We
begin our discussion of mission by looking at this foundation. We will look at the
Fall of Man, the Flood and the Tower of Babel. These events set the scene for
the election and call of Abraham, and from his election, the election of Israel and
the coming of Abraham’s seed–the Christ.
In the Old Testament, one great theme is that God the Father is
working out His divine plan. The Old Testament illustrates the Father’s plan.Initially, God narrowed the Gospel message, limiting it to Israel but in the fullness
of time God reversed this, sending His Son, the true Israel of God (Isa. 41:8). In
the Messiah, Israel’s calling to be a witness to the nations is finally fulfilled. He is
the Obedient Messenger, bringing salvation to Israel and from Israel He takes
this salvation to the ends of the earth.
2. Sin, Universal Fall, the Flood and the Tower of Babel
This section offers a brief look at God’s response to the Fall in the Old
Testament.
2.1. Genesis 3: The Universal Fall and First Promise
The fall of man in Genesis 3 set the scene for Abraham’s call. Adam
fell and sin entered the human race (Rom. 5:12-14; Gen. 3:11). Adam’s position
as federal representative meant that his sin had universal scope and so all men
are now alienated, hostile to God and cast out of His presence. Sin and death
now reign (Gen. 5:5, 8, 11ff; Rom. 5:12-14). God’s answer to sin's entrance isfound in Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and
her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.
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This is the first promise of the Gospel and it lays down a paradigm for
God’s mission in the world. Notice the following:
1. In the Fall, men have swapped sides, leaving God’s blessing for Satan'skingdom. Men are alienated from God and God is alienated from them.
2. Mission is the initiative of God. It is God who intervenes and promises Satan
that that He will place enmity between Satan and the woman. Mission is the
battle between God and Satan. God, through His own initiative, promises to
separate the woman from the serpent and her seed from his seed. Without this
work of God, Eve and her seed will still be on Satan’s side.
3. Out of the destruction of the Fall, God lays down a promise, a program ofdeliverance in which He now attacks Satan’s kingdom, electing and separating a
line to Himself, a line culminating in the Messiah who at great cost will destroy
Satan.
4. The promise sets up a conflict between Eve and her seed and Satan and his
seed. In this promise, God divides the world into two lines. The promise creates
a threefold structure. Initially the contrast is between the woman and Satan, then
it is between the two seeds, and finally it will crystallize in the “HE (first person
singular) will crush your head. YOU (singular) will bruise his heel”.
5. The fulfillment of these two lines is found in the singular seed (He) of the
woman and Satan (singular). In this battle, the Seed of the woman crushed
Satan’s head, a death blow, while Satan still strikes on the heel, a deadly but
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lesser attack.
6. Although the ultimate battle is found in the two seeds, the fact that each seed
is part of a line (the Christ comes from the seed of the woman and all those whofollow the Christ are the seed of the woman) means that the whole line joins the
battle, both in being bruised and bruising. Paul eluded to both points 4 and 5 in
Romans 16:20: And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.
2.2. The Flood, Tower of Babel
Genesis 4-11 traces the two lines. Cain’s line threatened to bring
disaster upon the whole earth and threatened the line of the seed (Gen. 6:1, 5,
11). In answer, God brought the flood, destroying the seed of the serpent whilekeeping Noah and his family alive.
The flood offered a new start but it didn’t deal with the root of man's
sin, his corrupted heart. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually (Gen. 6:5). Man's heart before the flood is the same as man's heart
after the flood.'And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said
in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the
imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth”(Gen. 8:21).
God slowed sin’s progress a second time by the confusion of
languages at the Tower of Babel. The nations of the world, who were to go out
subduing the world for God (Gen. 1:26, 27), gathered together to build a tower to
reflect their own glory. Rather than seeking the glory of His name, they desired
to displace God from heaven, to make a name for themselves. God responded
by coming down in judgment. He confused their language and so slowed their
progress, forcing them to abandon Babel and scatter over the earth. Babel was
eventually reversed at Pentecost (Acts 2).2
2 The pouring out of the Spirit and the mandate to reach the whole earth means that the
languages barrier must be overcome. The gift of the spirit begins the process of uniting
mankind.
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It is in this context that God called Abraham out from amongst the
nations. God used Abraham to bring forth the seed.
3. The Election and Call of Abraham
God called Abraham out of the 70 nations. The Fall, the Flood, and
the Tower of Babel showed the total corruption of man. At Babel, God divided up
the nations, but in Abraham He separated a family from them that He called and
blessed; A family that He will make into a nation that will continue the work of
bringing the seed. The promise to Eve now found its focus in one man,
Abraham, and from this man, the nation of Israel, the seed was born. God
separated Israel from the nations to protect her from their wickedness.
3.1. The Election and Call of Abraham
Genesis 11:26-12:3: Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot
Abram, Nahor, and Haran. This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram,
Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in
his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the
name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the
daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. But Sarai was
barren; she had no child. And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot,the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they
went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and
they came to Haran and dwelt there. So the days of Terah were two hundred and
five years, and Terah died in Haran. Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out
of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I
will show you. I will make you a great nation I will bless you and make your
name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I
will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.” So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot wentwith him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Genesis 12 teaches us that Abraham was called by grace. No merit or
special reason is given for his call. It was God who chose Abraham out of the
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mass of the nations, not Abraham who chose God. The call of God is powerful
and effectual, following the promises of Genesis 3:15. Abraham was called out
of the land of Haran into the land of Canaan, thus separating and protecting the
line of Abraham from the nations. Satan's grip over Abraham was broken;Abraham the idolater was now the friend of God–he followed Him by faith. The
promised seed comes through Abraham: “in you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed” (Gen. 12: 3). Through Abraham’s seed, God will bless all
nations. The blessings of God do not come directly but through His servant, then
through Israel, and finally though Abraham's final seed, Christ. It is in Christ that
all the nations will be blessed.
The election and calling of Abraham was for two ends. He was called
to be blessed and to be a blessing (Gen. 12:2,3). The election of God is not justa privilege, it is also a call to bring that blessing to others. Grace and privilege is
not just to be kept, rather it is to be received and given. Initially that promise was
to Abraham’s seed, identified by the covenant sign of circumcision and faith
(Gen. 17:1-14), with the eventual purpose that in the fullness of time, it would go
forth to all the nations. Paul developed this idea in Galatians 3:8:“And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
Gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” By calling
Abraham in history, God entered into a plan in which all the nations of the worldwill be blessed.
3.2. Election of One for the Blessing of Many
In the calling of Abraham, God now mediates His blessing to all nations.
In the Old Testament the nations came to Israel to learn of God and to receive
His blessing. An example was the coming of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon’s
court (1 Kings 10:4). The principle came to its greatest fulfillment in Christ, the
Messiah, the true Servant of the Lord, the true Israel. In His coming, Israel is
blessed and through the Gospel the Holy Spirit is poured out upon all nations
(Acts 2,10,19). In Christ the electing stream finds it ultimate fulfillment and it is
from that all nations are blessed (Eph. 1:4.). The steam is narrowed in order that
it might later be broadened.
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That the election of Abraham was never for his own blessing alone, but
was part of God's plan to send the Gospel into all the earth can be seen from
the location of Canaan (the center of all commercial routes) and by therelationship between Abraham and Melchizedek. In Genesis 14 we are
introduced to Melchizedek, one who was outside of the line of Israel and the line
of promise to Abraham. Abraham came to Melchizedek to offer sacrifices to
God. This act of worship through Melchizedek’s priesthood showed that he was
greater than Abraham and that although the stream of redemptive history in
Abraham had narrowed; God’s purposes were wider than merely Israel. The
importance of Melchizedek increases for we are told in Psalm 110:4 that the
Messiah will be of his order; “The LORD has sworn, and will not relent ‘You are a
priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’”
Here we are told that the Messiah will be of Melchizedek’s line, one who
was not a priest for the Jews only but who was priest for the Jews (Abraham)
and the Gentile nations. The relationship of Christ and Melchizedek is developed
at length in Psalm 110 and Hebrews 7.
3.3. Abraham Is a Paradigm
God’s call to Abraham presents a paradigm for missions.
1. The foundation of mission is based upon God’s gracious election (Gen. 3:15,
12:1-3). In the battle between Satan and God, God reversed Abraham’s side,
taking him from serving the devil to serving God.
2. The election of God is for blessing and to be a blessing. God chooses some
in order for them to receive His blessing and to be a blessing for others.
3. Election works through a people, Israel in the Old Covenant and the church in
the New Covenant. God chooses to mediate His blessings through His elect. In
the election and call of Abraham, the blessings of God were narrowed to a single
person. Those outside this line can be blessed, but only if they enter into contact
with Abraham. Abraham was the ordinary channel through which God sent His
Gospel. Through election, the blessings of God are mediated to others. Election
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and mission and the spread of the Gospel are through men and are relational.
4. The election and blessing of Christ (Isa. 42:1, Eph. 1:4). He is the high point
of Israel’s history. Christ is the only true mediator of grace to Israel and to thenations.
5. In the Old Testament Abraham and the nation of Israel were the people of
God. God set them aside for blessing. Others could receive those blessing by
coming to them. They were to be blessed and to be a blessing. The relationship
of the call and election of Israel and Israel’s relationship to the Gentiles is dealt
with in Galatians 3 and Romans 9-11.
4. The Role of Israel in the World
4.1. Election, the Basis of Israel’s Blessing
Our discussion of Abraham leads us into a discussion of Israel, as we see
God’s plan and promises to him unfold in his life. First, the relationship between
God and Israel was based upon God's grace to Abraham. God delivered Israel
from Egypt because of the promises made to Abraham, not because of any
good in her.
Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your
feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the
God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 'And the
LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows”
(Ex. 3:5-7).
This same point is made in Deuteronomy 7:6-9. “For you are a holy
people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a
people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the
earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were
more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but
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because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He
swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and
redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of
Egypt. Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful Godwho keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love
Him and keep His commandments,”
The great lesson that Israel was to know was that she had been set
aside, chosen and blessed, not because of any merit in her but solely based
upon the grace and mercy of God. She should have been humble and thankful
before God. The election of Israel, even as Abraham's, was one of grace. This
should have led Israel to thankful and humble obedience.
4.2. Election, Role and Function of Israel in History
What was God’s purpose in choosing Israel from amongst the nations?
What was God’s witness in Israel to the nations? What are the nations to learn
from her? The role and function of Israel can be summarized in two words,
privilege and paradox.
4.2.1. Privilege
God set Israel aside and exalted her as the one through whom His
salvation would come. This was the nation through whom He revealed Himself
to the world. It was through Israel that the seed of the woman, the seed of
Abraham, came. It was through Israel that God revealed Himself to the world. It
was only in Israel that the true knowledge of God was known in the world.
Through direct prophecy, typology, priesthood, and the temple, God revealed
Himself to Israel and so to the nations. The great revelation of God to Israel was
that in the future He would send the Messiah to deliver them from their sin and
bondage. Moses and the salvation of God in Israel was the great Old Testament
salvation that looked forward to the greater salvation of God which was
accomplished through Christ. Deuteronomy 18:15:“The LORD your God will
raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you
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shall hear.”
4.2.2. Paradox
God’s revelation to Israel was also one of paradox. Since she was the
shadow that came before the reality, she did not yet posses the reality (Col.
2:17, Heb. 8:5,Heb. 10:1-4).
Since the Messiah had not yet come; the Spirit had not yet been poured
out on Israel. This lack of the Spirit meant that although privileged by the
revelation of God, Israel had no means of obedience. Because she did not yet
posses the means to obey, the life of Israel was one of failure. God revealedHimself mightily to Israel, yet this just exposed Israel’s sin in a greater manner.
This principle can be illustrated from a number of key events in Israel’s
life. At Sinai, the revelation of the holiness of God meant that sinful Israel
couldn't come near the mountain, “Lest they die.” No sooner had God revealed
Himself to Israel than God had to threaten them with destruction in the incident
with the golden calf. The greater revelation of God only led to a greater sense of
sin.
The Babylonian exile is another example. God had set Israel aside and
covenanted with her to be her God and yet she sinned and disobeyed God. In
justice, God threw her out of the Promised Land and sent her to Babylon as a
judgment.
The supreme illustration of this principle is Israel’s rejection of Christ, the
Messiah. He came to Israel and Israel rejected Him. In Christ, God gave His
greatest revelation and this was met with the greatest sin on Israel's part, the
crucifixion of the Messiah.
These illustrations could be multiplied; each one illustrates the principle
that Israel's privilege in being chosen and set aside by God led to her judgment.
When Israel looked to God, she was forced to see her sin and so wait for the
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coming Messiah who would take away sin. The law is the tutor to drive us to
Christ. “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24).
It is noteworthy that although Israel was God’s son, yet she was a son
without the power of the truth. Israel was without the Spirit, in the flesh, under
law, and in the old creation. With Moses, as mediator between God and Israel,
there was only a limited outpouring of the Spirit–on the 70 elders, the rest of
Israel does not receive the blessing (Num. 11:26-29).
5. Jonah/Israel Amongst the Nations
Israel was called by God to be His witness to the nations. Thissection takes a broad look at Israel as witness and then focuses specifically at
Jonah as a paradigm for Israel's true responsibility amongst men.
5.1. The Witness of Israel to the Nations
The nations were to see God’s revelation to Israel (particularly His
signs and wonders in the Exodus from Egypt) and to see the sinfulness of men,
as reflected in Israel’s failures and sinfulness. They were to see the Babylonian
exile as the reality that they are all exiled from God due to their sin. They were to
see that Israel’s history is a replay of man being cast out of the Garden, being
denied access to God, and being under the judgment of God. Israel was to wait
for the salvation of God that He had promised, to wait for the true Israelite who
would obey God and merit His blessing and privilege in the land. In summary,
the Law was given to Israel to show them their sin, to be a schoolmaster to bring
them to Christ.
5.2. The Challenge of the Gentiles to Jonah/Israel
We turn now to Jonah. Jonah was a prophet sent by God to the
nations, specifically Nineveh. In disobedience he fled, taking a ship to the
opposite side of the world. In judgment, God sent a storm. Jonah was cast out,
and his casting out led to the salvation of the pagan sailors. Jonah was then
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cast out of the presence of God; he was drowning in the depths of the sea.
Jonah then called upon God who sent the great fish. It swallowed him, saving
him. Jonah was in the fish for three days. After the fish spit Jonah out, he went
to Nineveh and preached to the city. The people are converted through thepreaching. In the last chapter, Jonah persisted in disobedience, complaining to
God that God showed mercy upon the Gentiles. The book ends with God's
challenge to Jonah as to why Jonah did not have more compassion for men.
Jonah played a unique role in the Old Testament. Israel was to
bear the light of the Gospel to the nations; the nations were to come to her to
receive instruction and knowledge. Rather than Israel going out to the nations,
the nations came to her. There are a number of examples of this, Rahab heard
of God’s work in delivering Israel from Egypt and came to believe (Joshua 2-6).The Queen of Sheba came to see the glory of Solomon’s court, a prefiguring of
the Gentiles coming to Christ (1 Kings 10:4). It is said that Israel’s witness in the
Old Testament was centripetal, inward focused, in contrast to the centrifugal,
outwards focus of the New Testament. Jonah was unique in that God sent him
out from sinful Israel to bear the gracious Gospel tidings to the pagan nation of
Nineveh.
The key to Jonah is found in Jonah4:1-3: “But it displeased Jonah
exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the LORD, and said,‘ Ah,LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled
previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow
to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die
than to live!”'
Jonah was not worried that God would not bless the Ninevites, nor
was he worried that his preaching would fail; instead Jonah was worried that
God’s grace, grace that had been withheld from Israel, would be given to the
Ninevites. Jonah struggled with the question: Why should the pagans be blessed
when my own nation is perishing? Jonah longed for Israel to be saved, but he
was not sent to them, rather he was sent to Nineveh and the nations. Jonah
struggled with the grace of God and his own nationalism.
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Jonah was challenged as to his and Israel's role in the world.
Jonah and Israel were forced to consider how they thought about the
surrounding nations--Did they see them as Gentile dogs or did they see them asthose in need of the same grace that had been given to Israel. The Jewish
paradigm and mindset were challenged, exposing Israel’s sin and challenging
her to her responsibility to the nations. This reaffirms the principle that Israel was
elected, not only to be blessed, but to be a blessing to others. In the book of
Jonah, God worked with Jonah to teach him and Israel that lesson. Graciously,
God did not abandon Jonah to his fate. God worked with Jonah to challenge him
concerning His grace. The book ends with the following question: Will Israel be
like God, full of grace to those outside, or will Israel be like Jonah, desiring to
keep the grace of God to himself?
5.3. The Sign of Jonah
The sign of Jonah is likewise important. Jesus refers to this sign in
Matthew 12:39 and Luke 11:39. Jonah was not merely an Old Testament
prophet; Jonah was a type, one whose life pointed to Jesus.
“But He answered and said to them,‘ An evil and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign ofthe prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of
the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a
greater than Jonah is here’” (Matt. 12:39ff).
In this text, Jesus made reference to the sign of Jonah, relating it to
the three days and the three nights in the belly of the great fish. While this is the
principle use of the sign, the whole of the life of Jonah was a sign. Chapter one
of Jonah is repeated in Mark 4. Mark used the events of Jonah–the sailors are in
a storm, Jonah was asleep, they called upon Jonah, Jonah awoke and calmed
the storm, the pagans were left in fear of God and in His power–to show that
Jonah’s God is Christ. In Mark we see Jesus asleep in the boat, the
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sailors/disciples/fishermen call upon Him, Jesus calm the storm, and the
disciples left in fear of Christ and His works. The point made by Mark is that
Christ is Jonah's God.
Chapter two deals with the separation of Jonah from God. When
Jonah was thrown overboard, he experienced what he desired in chapter 1– to
flee from the presence of the Lord. Jonah sought to flee from God's presence
and he then experienced the reality of it. He stated in Jonah 2:4:Then I said, “I
have been cast out of Your sight, Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.”
Chapters two and three, in which Jonah was cast out into
judgment, then buried in the fish for three days, and finally resurrected, clearly
points to the judgment and death of Christ, His burial for three days, and Hissubsequent resurrection. This is the sign most immediately associated with
Christ.
Chapter four adds another important element to the sign of Jonah.
The resurrected Jonah preached to Nineveh, a Gentile nation. Likewise, Christ
once raised now preaches the Gospel to the nations. In Christ, the blessing of
the Jews was not limited to them; rather they flow out to the entire world.
Jesus fulfilled all the signs of Jonah. Jesus, the true God of Israel,through His death, burial, and resurrection, preaches the Gospel to the Gentiles
and many hear. In Jesus, Israel's mission is now also to the Gentiles–the
Gospel’s center is no longer just in Israel. In Christ, the Gospel is now to go out
into the entire world.
Finally we are to see that the sign of Jonah was a sign of judgment
upon the Jews. When the Jews asked Jesus for a sign, Jesus said that the only
sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah. It is ironic that Jesus pointed to
His own death as a sign to the Jews as they themselves would bring it to pass.
The sign was the reality that they would put to death the Messiah; they would
reject Him, but God will raise Him up on the third day. Their own act of putting
Christ to death, and God’s subsequent act of raising Him from the dead, thus
vindicating Him, was the sign of their own judgment before God. The Ninevites
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who believed God’s message and messenger will stand and judge them on that
day.
6. The Sin of Israel
Israel never fulfilled her potential because she sinned. Israel’s two
main sins were idolatry and self-righteousness. From the time of the Exodus to
the Babylonian Exile, Israel’s principle sin was idolatry. This changed at the time
of the Babylonian Exile. The exile seemed to cure Israel of her idolatry.
Thereafter, Israel’s principle sin changed to one of works righteousness. Instead
of remembering that she was not elected because she was great or good, but by
God’s grace, she started to rely upon herself, rather than looking to the grace of
God. Because Israel assumed she was righteous, she sought a savoir whowould vindicate her, a mighty judge, who would deliver her and judge the
unrighteous Gentile nations. She was exclusive and proud; instead of having
compassion upon the nations, she looked down upon them in judgment.
7. The Fulfillment of Israel in the Christ
As we close this section on Israel, we are to note that “Israel” is not just
the nation, but Israel the Son, the Servant of God, a type, finding her full
manifestation (the antitype) in the Messiah. The nation is represented and
fulfilled in one person, its King and Messiah. Just as the promise of Genesis
3:15 finds its fulfillment in one person, even so God's dealing with Israel finds its
fulfillment in the one root of Jesse, the true Israel of God, the Christ. It is only in
Jesus Christ that Israel reached her promised potential. In His coming, Israel’s
failure becomes success in the representative action of the Messiah (Isa 41:8).
He brings and mediates the blessing of Abraham/Israel to all the nations. Jesus
Christ from the Jews, from Israel, obeys the Father's laws, merits life and by His
obedience brings life and righteousness to many, both Jew and Gentile.
8. The Father's Election Seen in the New Testament
Both the importance of election and the Father’s particular role continue
into the New Testament. In Ephesians 1 Paul states that the Son Himself is
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elect, and that the church is chosen in Him (Eph. 1:4). The church is predestined
according to God’s own will (Eph. 1:11). Paul bases his own call upon the
electing hand of God (Gal. 1:15,16; Eph. 3:1-13).
The New Testament church is elected to be blessed and to be a blessing
and the New Covenant church is to remember the same lessons as Israel under
the Old Covenant.
Conclusion
God brings salvation through the person and work of His Messiah.
He chooses Abraham and Israel from amongst the nations to bring Him forth.
Israel is both elect and chosen and yet still waiting for the coming of the trueIsrael of God, the seed, the Messiah, who will crush the head of the serpent.
Israel is told that His coming will bring blessings, not only to her, but also to all
the nations.
Summary
In the Fall, all men fell under the judgment of God in Adam. God
promises to reverse this in Genesis 3:15 creating the line of the woman and the
line of the serpent. In order to slow the effect of sin, God calls and separates to
Himself Abraham from amongst the nations. His election is by grace alone, he is
called to be blessed and to be a blessing to many. It is now only through Israel
and this line that grace is mediated to the nations. The promises to Abraham
come true in Israel and finally in the Messiah, the true seed of the woman. In
Him the Gospel is brought first to Israel but also through Him to all the nations.
Lesson Two Questions
1. Describe the promise of Genesis 3:15.
2. What two acts of judgment did God bring upon the old world and why?
3. What were God's promises to Abraham?
4. Why was Israel called by God?
5. In what way does the election of one nation, Israel, mediate blessing to
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the nations?
6. Describe the privilege of Israel and paradox of Israel.
7. What lesson does Jonah teach Israel?
8. What is the sign of Jonah?9. What are Israel’s two principle sins?
10. How does Christ relate to Israel?
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Lesson Three. The Coming of Christ, the Paradoxical Presence of
the Kingdom
1.Introduction
We will now focus upon the role of Christ in mission. Jesus’ coming to earth
brought God’s kingdom. In Jesus Christ, the mission of God and the Kingdom
are actually present, they are a reality in this world. After His death and
resurrection, the presence of Christ and the kingdom continues in the world but
now through the church by the power of His Holy Spirit in her. This means today
that mission is still the presence of Christ in the midst of the church, now
mediated through the Spirit. The Gospel/mission is that the kingdom has come
in Christ and since He dwells in His church, the King and kingdom are still upon
the earth. Since the church is indwelt by Christ’s Spirit, she takes the nature He
had when He was upon the earth.
We will also look at the nature of the kingdom, namely that the kingdom
comes in an unexpected manner. The kingdom of God did not come in the way
that the Jews demanded or the Gentiles expected. It did not come in worldly
power and wisdom; rather the kingdom came in weakness, in hiddenness, in
brokenness, and in the power of forgiving grace, not in the power of judgment.
The strange nature of the kingdom makes it difficult for both the world and the
church to recognize. To the world, the revelation of the kingdom’s call for
repentance, not glory, made it an offence to self-righteous men who sought the
kingdom to be one that vindicated them and came in power. As we will see, even
Christ and the church wrestled with the nature of the kingdom. The present
nature of the kingdom means that it must be seen and understood through faith.
The fullness, the glory, and the power of the kingdom will only be revealed in His
Second Coming,
In our analysis of Christ’s work in mission I will be drawing heavily upon the
Old Testament. The prophets in general and the “Servant Songs of Isaiah” in
particular are helpful in explaining the principles of the Son's mission. The Old
Testament through prophecy explains the Son’s work. In the Gospels in the New
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Testament we see the fulfillment of those prophecies.
2.The Kingdom Is Present in Christ
In chapter 2 we saw how the Old Testament prepared for the coming of
the kingdom. It was a copy, a shadow, of things to come. Christ is the fulfillment
and the reality. Christ's coming did away with the shadows and brought in the
kingdom–Jesus not only preached about the kingdom, but in Him the kingdom
was present. The distinction between preaching about Christ and the kingdom
and the actual coming, the presence of the kingdom in Christ, is important. In
Christ, the kingdom of God currently exists in our midst. It is a kingdom that can
be seen, felt and touched, its power being manifest in the church through the
Spirit. In Christ, the mission and the kingdom of God are actually present in thisworld. As John said:“the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”(John 1:14).
Mark linked the presence of Christ with the kingdom. Mark stated,“Now after
John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the
kingdom of God, and saying,‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel’” (Mark 1:14).
Jesus also pointed to the presence of the Spirit in His ministry as evidence of
the kingdom;“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom
of God has come upon you” (Matt.12: 28).
Initially, the presence and mission of the kingdom was found in Christ’s work
in Israel. But in the death, resurrection, and the ascension of Christ and the
outpouring of His Spirit, His presence is now found in the church throughout the
world. The church is sealed and indwelt by the Spirit. Berkhoff in speaking about
the role of the church and the kingdom states: “As a church they are called to be
God’s instrument in preparing the way for and introducing the ideal order of
things: as a kingdom they represent the realization of the initial order amongst
themselves” (569). The church is the manifestation of the kingdom of God and
the church is to bring in the kingdom. The church continues Christ’s role as
being the presence and mission of God in Christ. Just as Christ was the mission
and the kingdom of God in the midst of this world, the church through the
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ongoing communion with the risen Christ through the power of the Spirit
continues His life, mission, and kingdom on the earth.
3. The Two Stages of the Kingdom
The Old Testament looked forward to the Day of the Lord, but was not
specific in dividing it into the First and Second Coming. Due to the split in the
manifestation of the kingdom, the way the kingdom came was different from that
which many expected. The two stages of the kingdom and its surprising nature
are seen in Luke 4 and Matthew 11.
Jesus began His public ministry in Luke 4:16ff by quoting Isaiah 61:1,2.
Jesus used Isaiah to define the purpose and nature of His kingdom. The key tounderstanding the nature of the kingdom is to note what Jesus quoted from
Isaiah and what he omitted. Isaiah 61:1ff deals with the Day of the Lord. Jesus
read from this section, stressing the gracious coming of the kingdom, but leaving
off the part about the coming judgment and vengeance of God.
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach
the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captive and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who
are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
In Isaiah the next verse is “ And the day of vengeance of our God.”Jesus did
not quote this section of the verse. By dividing the text in this manner, Jesus split
His first coming from His second coming. He stressed the kingdom had already
come and yet it had not yet come fully. The first coming was one of grace and
mercy, one of meekness, lowliness, and grace with the full power and public
judgment of God being delayed until the Day of the Lord has fully come. The
greater demonstration of the coming of the kingdom in power–judgment and
wrath–will occur at His second coming.
The dual nature of Christ’s coming frames the nature of Mission and the
kingdom. As Christ’s mission was one of grace, mercy and humility–a powerful
and yet hidden kingdom–even so the Gospel mission of the church has the
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same nature. The church’s mission is to bring the grace, mercy and hope of the
Gospel to men.
The same point was made in Jesus’ conversation with John the Baptist. Johnwas surprised at the nature of the kingdom and for a time he does not
understand it.“Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His
twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their
cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent
two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for
another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which
you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and
the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel preached to
them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me’” (Matt.11:1-6).
John recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He baptized Him. In Christ the
mission and kingdom of God was present and yet John was confused, he
struggled. He expected God’s judgment to fall upon the wicked, but it did not. To
help John understand, Jesus told him that the kingdom had come but in mercy
grace and kindness, not in judgment and power.
4.The Nature of the Kingdom
The kingdom came in two stages, something that Israel was not expecting,
and in an unusual and unexpected manner. The unexpected nature is illustrated
in the ”Servant Songs” of Isaiah, particularly Isaiah 52:14 and Isaiah 53:1-3, in
which the servant is told that his ministry will be one of suffering and pain, not of
victory and blessing.
“Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than
any man, And His form more than the sons of men” (Isa. 52:14).
“Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of
the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like
a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him
and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by
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men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men
hide their faces; he was despised, and we esteemed him not”(Isa. 53:1-3).
The early manifestation of the kingdom seemed to be one of weakness andeven failure. There was nothing spectacular or successful about the kingdom.
The king would be rejected and his own life and mission would be filled with
sorrow and suffering. It is not what Israel expected. The extreme weakens of the
kingdom represented a test for the servant himself. In Isaiah 42 the servant
states“I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity,
yet surely my right is with the LORD and my recompense with my God.” This
prophecy was fulfilled in the Gospels. At the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, only
a few women accompanied Him, even His disciples abandoned Him. By any
earthly account, His ministry was a failure. He Himself, the King, lived by faith,looking to His Father who vindicated Him in the resurrection. Since Jesus
struggled with the nature of the kingdom, it is to be expected that the church and
the world will also struggle with the nature of the kingdom.
The weakness of the kingdom hides divine power. Instead of the power of
God being manifest in glory and success, God has chosen to manifest his power
in our weakness, humility, frustration and failure. Isaiah says:“Behold! My
Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My
Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. He will not cry out, norraise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street”(Isa. 42:1,1,2).
God placed His Spirit and power upon the Servant, not to do obvious works
of power, but in order that His servant would not be crushed in His suffering, so
He would not cry out. As the servant struggled to obey His Father, the power of
God though the Spirit upheld Him, strengthened Him and sustained Him in the
work. He was to rest in faith that God will put forth His power and vindicate Him
after His death. He was crucified in weakness, but raised by the power of God.
After His resurrection, He now reigns in hidden power. The Father promised
Christ that He would reap the fruit of His victory after the resurrection. Isaiah
53:11 states: “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His
knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their
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iniquities.” In Matthew 28:19, 20 we are told that all power in heaven and earth
has been given Him. Just has Christ had to rest upon a future victory by faith
while upon the earth, even so the church must also wrestle with that victory.
Such ministry is not attractive or understood by the world. Thehiddeness
of the kingdom explains the Jews seeking after a sign and the Greeks seeking
after wisdom. God in His wisdom provided neither; rather He demands that His
people, like their King, live by faith. We will look at the Jews and Greeks in turn.
4.1. To the Jews - a Gospel of Weakness
The Gospels tell us that the Jews expected a powerful sign. Due to Israel's
self-righteous blindness, she was waiting for a Messiah who would come inpower and through signs and wonders to deliver her and judge her enemies.
In contrast, the Gospel/mission/kingdom came to offer them deliverance from
sin and salvation. It was offered to Israel and to her Gentile oppressors. Christ
came in weakness and meekness–a suffering, humble, bleeding, dying Messiah.
The humble nature of the Messiah led the Jews to reject Him. This can be seen
in the whole of Jesus’ ministry and specifically in John 6.
In John 6, Christ fed the 5000 in power and glory. The Jews responded to
this manifestation of the kingdom by wanting to take Him by force to make Him
king. The earthly logic was that if one could feed that many, surely He could
deliver Israel from the Romans. Jesus rejected and challenged them. He stated
that to be a part of His kingdom they are to eat His flesh and drink His blood.
Faced with a kingdom that they found repulsive and did not understand, the
Jews turned away. In contrast, the disciples, called and faithful to God,
remained. As Peter says, “Where else shall we go, you have the word of eternal
life.” Peter and the church continued to follow the words of Christ even though
they were confused and did understand.
When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said
to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man
ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
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nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are
some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they
were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I
have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to himby My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with
Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you,
the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of
Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve (John 6:61-
71).
Paul summarized the Jewish position on righteousness, the law and the
kingdom in Romans 9:32, 33. Paul stated: “Why? Because they did not seek it
by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that
stumbling stone. As it is written‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock
of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’”
4.2. The Gentiles– the Folly of the Gospel
The nature of the kingdom was also a stumbling block to the Greeks. Whilethe Jews sought a sign of power from God, the Greeks sought after knowledge.
To the Greeks, the idea that one man could die for the sins of many and would
rise to return and judge the dead was the height of foolishness, not wisdom. In
contrast, the cross, the kingdom and the church offered no worldly knowledge
other than the knowledge that is received by simple childlike faith and trust. As
Paul said in 1Corinthians 2:1-5, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not
come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of
God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and
Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. Andmy speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in
the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
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4.3. Mission, the Kingdom and the Church
It is important that we understand the nature of Christ’s mission, since
Christ’s coming is a model for His church and Christ continues to dwell in His
church upon earth. As such, the church is called to preach and to manifest the
kingdom. Just as Israel was a paradox and paradigm, so Christ and the church
are also a paradigm and a paradox The mission and presence of the kingdom in
the church reflect the ongoing presence and kingdom of Christ in this world, not
in its fullness nor in imposing judgment upon men, but in meekness, humility
and lowliness. While the power of the resurrected Christ dwells in this church,
the full measure of that power, as well as its full nature, has not yet been seen.
As such, the kingdom exists within a fallen world, and is itself still affected by
weakness, corruption and folly. The church continues to exist in both grace and
corruption, in the power of the Spirit, and in the fallenness of sin and the
weakness of the flesh. She remains a group of forgiven sinners, joined together
in weakness– not in power and judgment– around their Lord, having fellowship,
the fellowship of the cross, of sin and forgiveness. The kingdom is one of
patience and tribulation in this world.
The nature of the present kingdom is seen most clearly upon the cross. In it
the king is present upon the earth in a work of suffering, humiliation and death.
The very high point of the kingdom is also the lowest point, the point of Christ's
great humiliation. This paradoxical nature of the King and the kingdom is also
the paradox of the present position of the church.
The church must understand this if it is to understand her call to mission. To
those outside, the mission and kingdom of God is not attractive: it has nothing to
commend itself, it offers no world position of success, power or privilege. It only
offers a placed of humiliation and brokenness. The visible representation of
Jesus upon the earth is not one of power and glory; rather, it is one of
humiliation and suffering. This is the great stumbling block for the mission of the
church. To the Jews, it was not the sign they were looking for, to the Gentiles, it
was foolishness. As Christ’s position changed at the resurrection, from one of
humility to glory, even so the position of the church will also change from
humility to one of glory.
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4.4. Sin, the Church and the Kingdom
We see the weakness and foolishness of the church being manifested within
her own life in the area of sin. We can see this from God’s inclusion of Judas
within the church and the confession and rebuke of Peter. In John 6 we saw that
only the 12 disciples continued to follow Jesus. In God’s wisdom this included
Judas, the one who eventually betrayed Jesus. Judas’ inclusion shows that God
ordained that sin would be in the midst of His church from the outset.
Peter is the second illustration of sin and weakness in the Church. In
Matthew 16: 15-28, Peter stated:“He said to them,‘But who do you say that I
am?’ Simon Peter answered and said,‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.’ Jesus answered and said to him,‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jonah, for
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then He
commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the
Christ. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to
Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began
to rebuke Him, saying,‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’
But He turned and said to Peter,‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to
Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ Then
Jesus said to His disciples,‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is
it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a
man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of
His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death
till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.’”
Peter's great profession and Christ’s blessing upon him was followed
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immediately by his rebuke. Even as Peter reached a high point in confessing his
Master, he then immediately fell into sin. He failed to understand Christ’s mission
and he confused the things of God and the things of men. He sought Christ’s
and his own earthly good, rather than the Father’s will. Peter did not understandthe nature of Christ’s mission and His kingdom. The enormity of the sin was
seen in Jesus' rebuke, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you
are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men”. Peter illustrated that
even believers are weak, fallen, sinful and lacking in understanding as to the
nature of Christ’s mission.
Jesus then went on to explain that if anyone would follow Him, he must walk
in the same way. They too must deny themselves and be prepared to lose their
lives. According to the power and wisdom of the Father’s plan, the church is notto be perfect in this world. She is His church, on His mission, and yet she is
sinful, fallen, and broken, with sin in her midst. This is the way that God has
ordained that His presence in history, in the world, and in the church is
manifested. In all these things, the Gospel is open to His church and yet hidden
to the world.
When the church goes forth, she must look like her Master. Far too often, the
church’s mission has been done in worldly power–a way that stresses its worldly
success, power and privilege–in order to make herself more attractive to the
world. Health, wealth and prosperity are not the way of the church upon the
earth, and they should not be offered in the kingdom.
4.5. Is This a Complete Representation of the Kingdom?
It might be asked if this is a complete or fair representation of the kingdom.
Was not Jesus raised in power, so giving the sign to the Jews and confounding
the wisdom of the Greeks? In the light of Christ’s resurrection is it right to talk
only of the kingdom of God coming in humility, lowliness and weakness? Should
we not also speak of the kingdom of God coming in power in the resurrection?
Although Jesus was crucified in weakness, He was raised by the power of God
in the Spirit and declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection of
the dead.
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The basis of mission is not just the death of Christ; it is the death,
resurrection and session of Christ. It is in the resurrection, ascension and
session of Christ that that the power of God is manifested (Rom. 1:4, Eph. 1:19-21). The great demonstration of power is already here. And yet, even here we
see that the power of God is still muted and concealed. Christ’s public death was
only witnessed by a few and His rule is not open but it is currently hidden in
heaven (Col. 3:1-5). These facts mean that Christ’s current resurrection power
also takes on a hidden aspect. He has chosen that it is the disciples, the
apostles and the church who take the news of the resurrected Christ to the
world. It is still a kingdom to be received by faith. Christ kingdom is still a hidden
kingdom. As long as the church is in this world, she will reflect the pattern of her
Master when He was in this world.
5.The Ongoing Presence of Christ in the Church
We have already alluded to the ongoing presence of Christ in His church,
and that mission is the presence of Christ in His church coming into contact with
the world. The church is a spiritual unity; it is united in Christ, her Divine
Husband and Head through His Spirit. The very Spirit of Christ gives her life,
maintains her, keeps her and equips her for the hidden life of the present
kingdom in this world. In and through the Spirit, the lordship is effective in the
church. The closeness of the identification is seen from a number of passages.
Acts 9:4:Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Ephesians 1:19-22:and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us
who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in
Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in
the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that
which is to come.And He put allthings under His feet, and gave Himto be head
over allthings to the church
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2 Cor. 4:10:always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
We must stress that Christ, through His spirit is still in His church through theSpirit. In the church, the presence and the kingdom of God are manifested in the
world.
5.1. Communion, a Visible Expression of Unity
Leslie Newbigin, arguing from John 14-16, makes the point that communion
is a particular place in which we see the ongoing life of Christ in the church. He
writes: “The bread they break will be His body given for them. The cup they
share will be His blood shed for them. The repeated sharing of this commonmeal will be a continually renewed participation of His dying, and therefore of
His victorious life. – the Gospel of His life and death will be lived by them. In this
way as they keep fellowship in worship with Him, they will always be carrying in
their body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifest in our
bodies.”
“This is an exposition of the meaning of the supper, and it is upon the
institution of the supper itself that we can most surely ground our certainty about
Jesus’ intention for the future of His cause. Put briefly, it shows clearly that He
entrusted the future of His cause to the group of disciples, gave Himself
completely to them, admitted them into the intimacy of His union with the Father,
bound them to Himself in the sharing of a meal that, having been part of His
shared life, they would continue after His death, and sent them out, not only to
be teachers of His truth but bearers of the glory that He had from the Father. In
them, the reign of God would not only be proclaimed, it would be present” (47).
God first reveled Himself to Israel, then in Christ, and now through Christ to
the church. In Christ the church, as the mission of God, moves out into the
world. In communion with Christ, she bears the sufferings of Christ to the world.
In Christ's coming, the kingdom of God arrived. In the church, the very life of the
King and the kingdom continues to be manifest to the world. Due to the intimacy
of union, in her life the ongoing presence of Christ is continued in the world. The
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King and kingdom are an ever-present reality. Mission is the present reality of
the kingdom witnessing to the world.
The Lord’s Supper is a powerful illustration of the church in fellowship withher risen Lord. She sits in communion with Him and draws heavenly life from
Him. This is a witness to the world that she is His bride. She is a community
based upon Him and His work, and drawing life from Him alone.
6. The Kingdom: To the Jews First, then to the Gentiles
Jesus’ ministry was to Israel. From the beginning He preached to the Jews and
sent the disciples to them. His focus upon Israel was put expressly in Matthew
10:5, “These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ‘Do not go
into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go
rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’” (Matt.10:5,6). At the beginning of
His ministry, Jesus’ clear focus was to Israel.
To be balanced, we need to understand that this focus was never absolute. Early
in His ministry there were instances in which the Gentiles responded to the
Gospel message and came to Him. Over the course of the Gospels it is clear
that Israel was beginning to reject His ministry and so He prophesied that theunbelief of Israel was so great that the blessing and privileges that they had
would be taken from them and given to the Gentiles. “The centurion answered
and said,‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only
speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under
authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go” and he goes;
and to another, “Come” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this”, and he
does it.’ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed,
‘ Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And
I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be
cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Then
Jesus said to the centurion,‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be
done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (Matt. 8:8-10).
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The story of the wicked vinedressers is of the same nature.“Hear another
parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge
around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers
and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent hisservants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the
vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again
he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then
last of all he sent his son to them, saying,‘They will respect my son.’ But when
the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves,‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him
out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? They said to Him,‘He will destroy
those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers whowill render to him the fruits in their seasons.’ Jesus said to them,‘Have you never
read in the Scriptures: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the
chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes?”
‘Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a
nation bearing the fruits of it’”(Matt.23: 33-43).
In Christ’s death the nation of Israel rejected her King. In Christ’s resurrection He
is raised not only as the King of the Jews, but also as the King over the nations.
Since He is King over the nations, the power of His kingdom is extended (Matt.28:18-20). Bavink in dealing with this theme in Matthew’s Gospel states: “the
Gospel of Matthew bases the command of mission strongly upon the power and
authority given to Jesus because of His finished mediatorial work. The
redemptive power must be proclaimed and people must bow before it:“go ye
therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” The Gospel contains something
of the glory of the King’s commission. It must therefore end with a summons to
proclaim the kingship of Christ over the whole world” (35).
7. The Timing and Delay of the Kingdom
Our final point
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