Kingdom Disciples

The Gift of the Spirit is one of the covenant promises to bless the nations of the Earth through Abraham and his Seed . When Matthew’s Gospel declared that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham ,” it was linking the man from Nazareth to the Abrahamic Covenant. The New Testament is filled with scriptural citations, stories, and apostolic teachings demonstrating that Jesus came to fulfill the Covenant though in many unexpected ways. He is the expected “ Seed of Abraham ” and the heir of all the Covenant’s promises, including the promise to “ bless all the nations .”

The faith of uncircumcised Abraham provides an example for Jewish and Gentile believers who live from the faith of Jesus – Romans 4:11-17. God began to implement His plan to redeem humanity by establishing His Covenant with Abraham, starting with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland for the “ land I will show you .” Yahweh would produce a “ great nation ” from the Patriarch, and the Covenant would bless all the “ Tribes of the Earth .” The promise of territory was central to the Covenant.

Paul presents his gospel to the assemblies of Rome, a message for all men about God’s salvation and wrath . In his  Letter to the Romans , Paul describes the message of salvation that he proclaims among the nations. The “ Gospel of God ” is the “ power of God for salvation ” to all men who accept and believe it. Due to humanity’s sin, two forces are at work in the world -  righteousness  and  wrath . Through His son, God has provided the solution to humanity’s desperate plight, one that is available to all men through the “ faith of Jesus Christ .”

Paul introduces his ministry to the Church of Rome and begins explaining the Gospel by identifying Christ’s messianic qualifications . The  Letter to the Romans  begins with a lengthy introduction as the Apostle Paul identifies himself and describes his mission. His calling and God’s grace equipped him to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the Gentiles. Paul lists Christ’s qualifications to be the Messiah and links what God did through Jesus to the promises of the “ Holy Scriptures .”

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations without exception until Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his followers to announce the same message he preached. He summarized it as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this Kingdom on Earth in unexpected and paradoxical ways. His sovereignty over all nations would be established and his “ enemies ” would be subdued by the day of his return. Until then, his disciples were summoned to proclaim his message to the “ ends of the Earth .”

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or governments. His message summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of the present world order. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing system will disappear.

The Good News of Jesus Christ and his victory over death offers hope, life, and salvation to men and women of every nation . The covenant promises were never limited to the nation of Israel or the small territory of Canaan. Jesus declared that “ all authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to me, therefore, Go! Make disciples of all nations! ” He sent his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to the “ ends of the Earth ” - To every nation and people. The Promise of the Abrahamic Covenant to bless all nations through the Patriarch’s “ seed ” is coming to fruition through the Nazarene.

“ Life ” is found in the “ Word ” or ‘ Logos ’ of God, and this life is the “ Light of men .” It “ shines in the darkness ,” and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. This ‘ Logos ’ became the Living Word of God manifested in Jesus Christ. In him, the glory and life of God radiate for all men to behold - (John 1:1).

The Book of Revelation concludes with an image of the immense and glorious city of “ New Jerusalem ” populated by the “ innumerable multitude ” of men and women redeemed from every nation. It represents the fulfillment of the covenant promises to Abraham of descendants, “ land ” and “ blessings to all the nations .” All this has been accomplished by the shed “ blood of the Lamb .” The City of God will be populated!

Before his Ascension, Jesus claimed to have been given “ all authority in Heaven and on Earth ,” therefore he would send his disciples to announce his Lordship and salvation to the “ nations ,” to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth .” The Era of Salvation commenced with his Death and Resurrection, and his Life-Giving message must therefore be proclaimed to all men, women, and children. Did he not die for the entire world and not just Israel?

The Gospel of Mark opens with a declaration based on passages in the Hebrew Bible, providing the scriptural basis for the ministry of John the Baptist, and setting the stage for the mission of Jesus. In this way, Mark’s account begins on a note of fulfillment. This man from Nazareth was the Messiah and Savior promised by the God of Israel in the Scriptures.

Jesus declared, “ All authority in Heaven and on Earth is given to me, therefore - Go! Make disciples of all nations! ” He dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and Salvation to the “ uttermost parts of the earth ,” to every nation. The Era of Salvation commenced with his Death and Resurrection, and his life-giving message must be announced to all men. The Son of God achieved salvation for his people, and everlasting life is offered to one and all.

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his  Letter to the Romans  with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

In Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “Good News of God,” a message centered on His Son, Jesus Christ. He was dealing with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers in the Assembly of Rome and preparing the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. In the process of doing so, he addressed several related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, quite naturally, the question of what “sign” or “signs” will precede it is asked, and invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are proposed as harbingers of that day. Yet Jesus himself gave us the  definitive answer  to this question, namely, the  completion of the mission of the Church  to proclaim his salvation and lordship to all nations.

Jesus performed miracles, exorcised demons, and taught with great authority, often attracting large crowds. Nevertheless, his contemporaries failed to recognize who he was despite displays of supernatural power. In the end, only the Roman centurion on duty at Golgotha perceived him to be the “ Son of God ” when the Nazarene breathed his last.

Paul presents his Gospel in Romans from humanity's plight due to sin to the resurrection of the dead and the New Creation . The Apostle Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ” in his  Letter to the Romans . Paul was dealing with conflicts between Gentile and Jewish believers in the Assembly and preparing the ground for taking the Gospel to the western regions of the Roman Empire. In the process, he addressed related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

The death of Jesus inaugurated the messianic age with consequent changes in the status of God’s people .  In his epistle to the Assembly in Galatia, Paul declares that his apostleship originated from the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, the Messiah of Israel who gave his life to “ deliver us from this evil age .” His declaration anticipates his proposition in the body of the Letter that the arrival of Jesus changed the status of the Law for the people of God, the “ children of Abraham .”

Jesus commanded his followers to announce the same message he preached: He summarized it as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would establish this Kingdom in unexpected and paradoxical ways. By his return, his sovereignty over all nations will be established and his “ enemies ” will be subdued, including the last one, “ death .” Until then, his disciples must proclaim his message to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth .”

Is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God a message of hope for only some nations, or is it Good News for all countries and peoples ? The Gospel has often been twisted into  Good News  for some nations but bad news for others — or, at least, a less appealing message for the latter. This occurs whenever representatives of the Church of the same Jesus who  gave his life for the world  associate and even identify his name and message with certain nations, races, cultures, and political ideologies.  Or do we believe certain nations and races are more privileged before God than others ?