DOWNLOAD PDF THE TEACHING OF JESUS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE CHURCH

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1 Chapter 1 : The Kingdom of God in the Teaching and Ministry of Jesus The Teaching of Jesus Concerning Kingdom of God and the Church is no exception to that statement. Vos' purpose in the book was to demonstrate that a biblical concept. It speaks of the Kingdom of God. The word kingdom can also be translated "reign" of God. In Jesus Christ the Reign of God has already come, and is coming. The first two verses are where I draw our attention: The effects are within us and around us. That separation is the result of sin. It can only be healed through a Savior. He has inaugurated the Kingdom. It is among us right now. Yet, what we witness around us - and experience within us - often does not reflect Gods loving plan. We know that and we long for more. We long for the fullness of His Kingdom. With His response to the Pharisees the Lord opens a deeper understanding of the Kingdom as a present reality. He also instructs us concerning our vocation as disciples to continue its spread - its increase - its realization - within us, among us, and in the whole world. We do this by living in the heart of the Church for the sake of the world. There we continue His redemptive mission. Our membership in the Church is a participation in the life of God; what the Apostle Peter referred to as a participation in the Divine nature. In one of its numerous and rich expositions of the mystery of the kingdom, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: Its accomplishment was the reason for his being sent. The Church "is the Reign of Christ already present in mystery. Luke records one of many parables which teach us of the kingdom: Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches. It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened. The Living Word has been sown within us. We must cultivate the ground of our hearts so that we can be transformed in the Lord and more fully and completely reflect His Image and Likeness, allowing the Kingdom of God to grow within us. That enables us to become the seed of the kingdom for others. We are kingdom seed, held in His Blood stained Hands, being spread into the world He still loves. That world which was created through Him is now being re-created through Him. We are living seeds of the Kingdom of God in the garden of the world and we are called to bear the fruits of the Kingdom. Jose Maria Escriva once wrote: May Our Lord be able to use us so that, placed as we are at all the cross-roads of the world - and at the same time placed in God - we become salt, leaven and light. Yes, you are to be in God, to enlighten, to give flavor, to produce growth and new life. Jose Maria Escriva, Friends of God, Through our Baptism the Church becomes our home, our mother, the place in which we now live our lives in Christ. We are sons and daughters of the Church. In living our lives in her we carry forward in time the continuing redemptive mission of Jesus Christ who is the Head of His Body and make the Kingdom present now. In its treatment of this mystery of the Church, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled. We are on a mission to bring the whole world, through Christ, into the New World of His Church, the seed and sign of the coming kingdom. Again, the Catechism expresses it wonderfully in passages such as these: To carry out the will of the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth. He does this by gathering men around his Son Jesus Christ. This gathering is the Church, "on earth the seed and beginning of that kingdom. Christ stands at the heart of this gathering of men into the "family of God". By his word, through signs that manifest the reign of God, and by sending out his disciples, Jesus calls all people to come together around him. But above all in the great Paschal mystery - his death on the cross and his Resurrection - he would accomplish the coming of his kingdom. CCC b, The kingdom of heaven was inaugurated on earth by Christ. The Church is the seed and beginning of this kingdom. Its keys are entrusted to Peter. CCC Everyone is called to enter the kingdom. First announced to the children of Israel, this messianic kingdom is intended to accept men of all nations. The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the kingdom. Then, by its own power, the Page 1

2 seed sprouts and grows until the harvest. Upon his return it will be made complete and fully manifested in a new heaven and a new earth. We are members of the Body of Christ which makes it present here and now - as seed and sign for a world which is in labor. Our mission now is to bring men and women into the Body of the Savior, the Church, which is the seed of His Kingdom. As with all seeds, it has the entire genetic composition of what it will be within it. The Kingdom will be manifested in its fullness when Jesus returns as King to "make all things new". The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. That priests, who experience fatigue and loneliness in their pastoral work, may find help and comfort in their intimacy with the Lord and in their friendship with their brother priests. Page 2

3 Chapter 2 : The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church - Geerhardus Vos - Go Overview. Taking a biblical-theological perspective on the Kingdom of Godâ specifically through the teachings of Jesusâ Vos begins a long discussion on the relationship between Jesus' Kingdom and the church. Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. However, so often, followers of Jesus chose to blatantly ignore some of the clearest instruction of our Rabbi and obscure it with vague theology so that we can get off the hook. Other times, followers of Jesus are taught something explicitly contradictory to the plain words of Jesus and then spend their lives obeying the instruction they received instead of the commands of Jesus. However we end up at the place of disobedience, all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus struggle to obey the commands of our Lord. As I studied the words of Jesus, I discovered that so much of what he asks of us as his disciples is incredibly clear and yet so much of it was new to me. I had never heard it in church or Sunday school or actually heard someone teach the exact opposite of the words of Christ. It was during that season of my life where I took inventory of how I lived and what I believed and aligned to the person and teachings of Christ that my faith was radically transformed for the better. Below I have compiled a short list of 4 clear teachings of Jesus that most of us who exist within Evangelicalism have either never heard, refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. Get ready and buckle up, because most of what Jesus says is pretty bold and potent. You study the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life. He interacts with us on a day to day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and are able to comprehend. However, for many Evangelicals, we rely more on the Bible than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. We fear that following the Spirit could lead to confusion and subjectivity and so we root our faith in the Bible. The problem is that a faith that is rooted in the Scripture alone is not sustainable. It will dry up and wither on the vine. And if we truly believe that he is alive, we should also have faith that communing with him will produce spiritual life within us. He is the living Word that we can ask anything to and expect, in faith, to receive and answer. Sometimes he will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make the Bible our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. Studying Scripture is valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as cultivating a day to day relationship with the God incarnate. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. The doctrine of sola fide faith alone was developed by the Reformers in response to the Roman Catholic Churches corrupted teachings that emerged in the 16th Century teaching that one could gain favor with God and shave off years in Hell and Purgatory by giving money to the church or doing acts of penance. One of the clearest teachings throughout all four Gospel accounts is that the way to enter the Kingdom of God is through living in obedience to the Law of Christ. Time and time again, Jesus makes very clear statements that condemn those who think that they will be saved because they believe the right things or do the right religious rituals. Jesus responds to people who believe they are religious and deserve heaven by saying that their outward religiosity is detestable to God and the only thing God desires is that they would exercise their faith by obeying the command of God- to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. No matter what they proclaim with their lips. No matter how religious they may appear. He makes very clear that the way to "inherit eternal life" is through loving God and loving our neighbor. And even more to his little brother James who says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Go and sin no more. They spend time talking about how to transition from a position of condemnation before God to a position of Grace through believing the right things about Jesus. They often talk about those who disagree or live contrary to their understanding of what is "righteous" as those who are under condemnation from God. Instead, it seems Christ is in the Page 3

4 business of restoring humanity to the most broken and wicked of people. It seems that his passion is to see the weak, sick, and broken become strong, healthy, and whole in his Kingdom. Maybe we Evangelicals, who are known for our condemnation of entire people groups with whom we disagree, could learn something from Jesus on this point. Most of the time, the situation revolves around one group of Christians disagreeing with another and then taking to the internet to write slanderous posts about the other. But that response is absolutely contrary to the way of Jesus. Jesus calls his followers to love the people they disagree with most and to speak blessings over them when all we really want to do is curse them out. No matter what the situation is or what kind of enemy we have, Christians are called to bless the people who hurt us the most. This includes in theological battles, political disagreements, national wars, and personal conflicts. Christians are called to a radical position of nonviolence and forgiveness, grace, and even blessing of our enemies. There is no way around it. And when Christians chose to ignore these clear teachings, our hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to the watching world. It is so easy to get so caught up in the flow that we fail to recognize just how far away from shore we have been carried. The words of Jesus are pretty darn clear, but oftentimes in our zealousness for our faith, we often get pulled away from the basics and eventually end up living in a way that we believe is honoring to God, but is actually contradictory to everything he has taught us. In this post, I have offered just four examples. There and hundreds of teachings contained in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, teachings that, if we obeyed, would absolutely flip our lives and world upside-down for the glory of God and the good of all people. What the Church as a whole and Evangelicals in particular desperately need in this age is a return to the plain teachings of Jesus. We need to be willing to set aside out theological debates and meanderings for a season and focus on simply reading, conforming, and obeying the will of Christ, both as revealed in Scripture and as we are led by his Spirit. The world is desperately longing to encounter Jesus through us and for far too long we have been giving them a cheap knock off that we have exported under his name. My prayer is that we would all turn our faces towards our risen Savior and seek to selflessly follow his commands. I am convinced that the whole earth is groaning as it waits for men and women to take of their crosses and follow in the way of redemption. I am convinced that when those of us who call ourselves "Christian" re-orient ourselves in Jesus, the power of God will flow through us in an unprecedented and miraculous way that will bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Oh how I long for that day. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it. The views expressed in this piece are exclusively those of the author and not of any of the organizations that he represents. Page 4

5 Chapter 3 : The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Chur The teaching of Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church Item Preview The teaching of Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church. by Vos. Why, it is none other than the Gospel of the Kingdom of God! This Gospel or good news was first preached by John the Baptist, who cried out in the wilderness of Judaea in order to prepare the way of the Lord: Soon afterwards, Jesus Christ the Messiah came on the scene: Then, following His resurrection, Jesus spoke to His disciples for forty days of things pertaining to the Kingdom Acts 1: Finally, Jesus commissioned His followers to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth, saying, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" Matthew The book of Acts records how the followers of Jesus began to carry out that mission. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they preached the Kingdom of God with boldness and spread the good news wherever they went. Later, the apostle Paul wrote about the Kingdom of God in his letters to the early churches, and also "expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening" Acts Without a doubt, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the central, underlying theme of the New Testament. The Bible says, "The law and the prophets were until John: These men lived and died for the Kingdom; they were fully committed to its advance and passionate about its reality. After the apostles were martyred, the torch of the Great Commission Matthew Their sermons have nothing in common with "repent: Remember what Jesus said to the religious teachers of His day: For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: According to Jesus, those "esteemed" self-righteous religious leaders faced the judgment of God. Because they were blocking the entrance to the strait gate! The fact is, there are people even now in churches who call themselves Christian ministers but are actually apostles of Satan, "deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" II Corinthians It is no secret that Satan is familiar with the words of God Genesis 3: However, because the devil is a liar and the father of lies John 8: Paul warned the early church: For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [endure] him" II Corinthians The apostle John calls such a person antichrist. The prefix "anti" means against or in opposition to; thus, an antichrist is anyone who comes in place of Jesus Christ and is therefore in opposition to the exclusive Lordship of Jesus Christ. Although there are "many antichrists" in these last times, they may not be so easy to recognize as one might suppose. Remember that the devil aims to deceive â and he usually accomplishes this not by blatantly contrasting the true Christ but by subtly counterfeiting Him! Therefore, "another Jesus" will most likely appear so close to the true Jesus that one who is not grounded in the Word of God will not know the difference. Jesus warned His followers: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" Matthew Those who preach a "Jesus who brings you money, wealth, and prosperity" or a "Jesus who accepts your lifestyle" are preaching another Jesus. Such sermons can certainly sound convincing, especially when some Bible verses are thrown in! However, Paul said that there is "another spirit" which may be received instead of the Holy Spirit, and that is the spirit of antichrist, or the spirit of this world, which is of the devil. The antichrist spirit aims to deceitfully draw people away from the true Spirit of God. You see, not every one who does good works or claims to come in the name of Christ has the Holy Spirit within him. Many, in fact, have "another spirit. But this is the villainous spirit of antichrist, for no man may substitute the place of Jesus! Well, it is any alleged way of salvation which differs from the Gospel Jesus preached. The Pharisees, for example, believed and taught that a person could be justified in the sight of God by keeping the Law. But Jesus set the matter straight when He said that "except your Page 5

6 righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5: This is the simple yet powerful message of the true Gospel! Paul described such wolves as ones who would seek to destroy the flock of God Acts But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" Galatians 1: Paul confirmed here that there is no "other Gospel" because there is no "other way" of salvation. But he warned that there are perversions of the one and only Gospel. Instead, they promote their own agendas and preach whatever their listeners want to hear see II Timothy 4: Truly, a harsh judgment awaits these blind guides see Matthew 23; James 3: This may be a difficult word for some to receive, but here is the plain truth: Catholicism is not the Kingdom of God. Denominations, churches, cults, and religions are not the Kingdom of God. If we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness Matthew 6: Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8: Chapter 4 : 63 Bible verses about Kingdom Of God, Coming Of Product Description. Fewer works on the kingdom of God have been so helpful and yet so overlooked. Originally published in, this work by Geerhardus Vos (), Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, surveys the teaching of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God. Chapter 5 : The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God, and the Church This survey of the teaching of Jesus concerning the kingdom of God works its way through the key themes and ideas that are present in Jesus' teaching of the kingdom. Chapter 6 : The Kingdom of God is Among You. What Did Jesus Mean? - Year of Faith - Homily - Catholic The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church Geerhardus Vos The Princeton Theological Review [] This little book is the second published in a series of volumes being issued on the Teachings of Jesus. Chapter 7 : 4 Teachings of Jesus That His Followers (Almost) Never Take Seriously HuffPost The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church by Geerhardus Vos Fewer works on the kingdom of God have been so helpful and yet so overlooked. Originally published in, this work by Geerhardus Vos (), Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, surveys the teaching of Jesus concerning the. Chapter 8 : Kingdom of God - Bible Study and Christian Teaching on God's Kingdom on Earth - Biblical Tea In the body of our Lord's teaching as recorded in the Gospels the references to the kingdom of God occupy a prominent place. According to the common testimony of the Synoptical Gospels Jesus opened his public ministry in Galilee with the announcement, that the kingdom was at hand, Matt. iv. 17; Mk. Chapter 9 : Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church by Geerhardus Vos Some view the Kingdom of God as an alternative term for 'heaven', but Jesus taught that it could be in our midst on earth, and come to us now through His ministry - for example - the ministry of casting out demons by the Spirit of God (Matthew ). Page 6

What Does the Kingdom of God or of Heaven Refer To?

The Scripture What Does the Kingdom of God or of Heaven Refer To? By going through all of Matthew s uses of kingdom of heaven and the use of this term in Acts, we can learn much about what this phrase