|
Proclaiming the Gospel of
the Kingdom of God Today
Geoffrey Bingham
Proclaiming
the Gospel of the Kingdom Today 
What is our part in the proclamation of the
gospel of Christ-the gospel of the Kingdom-today? 'The
gospel of Christ' or 'the gospel of God' in the New Testament
are the same as 'the gospel of the Kingdom'. This was revealed
at Pentecost. Just the apostles could not establish what
was-and is-the gospel but by the Holy Spirit, so we cannot
understand the mystery of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11-12) and
communicate it apart from the Holy Spirit. To be in the
Kingdom is to know it, and to know it is to preach it.
Such preaching is really a witness. We must, then, keep
in mind the following:
(i) The Kingdom of God is Christ's
Kingdom. If we do not believe in heart and mind
that Christ rules as King over all the Kingdom in its
widest dimensions as creation, and in its intimate nature
as the Kingdom of the redeemed, then we will not proclaim
the gospel of the Kingdom with power and assurance. We
need to see and believe that it is Christ's own Kingdom,
however that may relate to the Father also being King.
The following Scriptures bear out his unique Kingship:-
The Son of man will send his angels, and
they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and
all evildoers (Matthew 13:41). Truly, I say to you, there
are some standing here who will not taste death before
they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom (Matthew
16:28). Jesus said to them, 'Truly, I say to you, in the
new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious
throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).
And he said to her, 'What do you want?' She said to him,
'Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your
right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom' (Matthew
20:21). When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all
the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne
(Matthew 25:31). And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when
you come into your kingdom' (Luke 23:42). Jesus answered,
'My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were
of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not
be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from
the world' (John 18:36). And he said, 'Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom' (Luke 23:42).
It is apparent from these quotes that the
early church went out with great gladness, great assurance
that Christ was on the throne of God and reigning. Authority
had been given unto him so that he could send His people
into all the world proclaiming the gospel. It would do
well for us to continually ponder Christ's active Kingship
and so proclaim it. (ii)
The Kingdom of God is the Father's KingdomThe
Kingdom is the Kingdom of God. There is no such entity
as 'the Kingdom', a power situation which is dynamic within
itself. It is God Who is powerful, and the power of the
Kingdom is the power of God Himself. In our last paragraph
we saw that Christ is the power and authority of the Kingdom,
but whereas it is 'the Kingdom of the Son of man', it is
first the Kingdom of the Father and the Kingship is delegated
to the Son. Thus in Luke 22:28-29 Jesus speaks of the Father
appointing to him a Kingdom, 'You are those who have continued
with me in my trials; and I assign to you, as my Father
assigned to me, a kingdom'. In Ephesians 5:5 Paul speaks
of 'the kingdom of Christ and of God', and in Revelation
11:15 we read, 'Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet,
and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom
of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of
his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever"'. The
Sermon on the Mount is filled with references to the Father
and His Kingdom. I Corinthians 15:24-28 is the key to Christ's
present reigning, his defeat of the enemies under the ennoblement
of the Father, and finally Christ's delivering the Kingdom
to the Father 'that God may be everything to every one'
or, 'that God may be all in all'.
This is immensely encouraging to those who
proclaim the Kingdom. The kingdom of the world cannot maintain
itself. It is taken up into the Kingdom of God, its evil
dissolved, and all is made to be subject to God.
(iii) Entrance into the Kingdom Determines
the Manner of Mode of (a) Living in It
and (b) Proclaiming It
Those who proclaim the Kingdom cannot properly
do so unless they are living in the Kingdom in accordance
with its Kingdom principles. These principles are well
set out in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. chs 5-11). We
say 'principles' and not 'prescriptions'. To be under the
King is a great act of grace on the part of God, both in
giving us entrance into the Kingdom, and then so relating
to us that we live the life that He has given us in Christ
and His Spirit. In Matthew 18:1-4 Jesus makes it clear
that unless one humbles himself as a little child he cannot
enter the Kingdom of God. A child in society is no 'great
one'. In the Kingdom of heaven greatness is seen in serving.
He who does not strive to be master but is glad to serve
has greatness. Christ comes into the world not to be served
but to serve. Humility is the hall mark of the Kingdom.
Christ shows the humility of the Kingdom in the passage
of Philippians 2:1-11. Paul enjoins his readers to (i)
'in humility consider others better than yourselves', and
(ii) 'look not to your own interests but the interests
of others'. Christ showed that the way of himself-and thus
of the Kingdom-is humility. It is true that 'God raised
him up to be both Lord and Christ' (Acts 2:36), and in
this Philippian chapter to be Lord over all, but the Christ
who was made King was the Christ who inherently was humble.
Humility was his hallmark. In Revelation chapter 5 Christ
is the Lamb that had been slain, but at the same time the
powerful Lion of Judah.
From all this we deduce that Christ's defeat
of evil by the Cross was his demeanour before God and Man,
namely that of humility and serving. Thus to live in the
Kingdom is to be humble. 'The Kingdom of God is not [matters
of] eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit'. Thus it can be called 'The Kingdom
of the Son of his love' (Col. 1:13), and it is right to
say that the criteria of the Kingdom are the fruit of the
Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
To proclaim the Kingdom, then, we must let
go all matters of pride, of seeking to build our own kingdom,
of being Nimrods and Lamechs and proud Nebuchadnezzars,
becoming like Christ in his death (Phil. 3:10) as did Stephen
the first witness to be killed. He showed his Master in
the forgiveness of those who were killing him and said,
'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'. As we live in the Kingdom,
in the Spirit, our ministry will be authentic, a true proclamation
of the gospel of the Kingdom. What an immense privilege
and responsibility for all who have been entered into the
Kingdom, by grace!
G. Bingham, Kingswood, 21/1/99.
This article which is an attachment to
the Executive Director's Jan 1999 Letter, abstracted from
The Monday Pastors Study Group Paper for 1/2/99.
|
