Kingdom Disciples

The ideologies of the modern world belong to Babylon. God is summoning us to come out of her before judgment arrives . The Bible teaches us to live our lives as a holy community that is separated from the world, not physically, but morally and spiritually. We are “ in the world but not of it .” Our mission is to call others to “ save themselves from this crooked generation ” before Jesus arrives to judge the world .

Les idéologies du monde moderne appartiennent à “Babylone”. Dieu nous appelle à sortir d'elle avant que le jugement n'arrive . La Bible nous enseigne à vivre notre vie en tant que communauté sainte séparée du monde, non pas physiquement, mais moralement et spirituellement. Nous sommes “ dans le monde mais pas de celui-ci .” Notre mission est d'appeler les autres à “ se sauver de cette génération tordue ” avant que Jésus n'arrive pour juger le monde.

The Thessalonians received the Gospel of Christ in tribulation yet remained faithful while eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus – 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7. In the first chapter of  First Thessalonians , Paul anticipates the Letter’s main subjects - the tribulation of believers, Christian hope, and “ the arrival ” of Jesus, when he will rescue his people from wrath, resurrect the righteous dead, and “ meet ” his assembled saints as he descends from Heaven. On that day, we will “ obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ .”

The New Testament applies Tabernacle language and imagery from the Hebrew Bible to the Body of Christ, the Habitation of God’s Holy Spirit . Terms from the Tabernacle and the worship rituals of  Leviticus  are applied in the New Testament to the New Covenant community inaugurated by Jesus Christ. What the Tabernacle prefigured has become reality in the Church, which is “ the habitation of God in Spirit .”

The promises, types, and shadows of the Hebrew Bible are fulfilled in the Son of God and Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth . An accusation heard in popular preaching is  “Replacement Theology,”  a barely disguised charge of Antisemitism. This dreaded label is hurled against those who claim that a promise from the Hebrew Bible made to Ancient Israel is fulfilled in Jesus and his Church. This term misses the point – The New Testament focus is on  fulfillment , not  separation  or  replacement .

Since his Death and Resurrection, Jesus has been forming one new covenant community - One New Man - based on faith in him  – Ephesians 2:11-22. Paul is clear and uncompromising. Considering what Jesus accomplished on the Cross, no longer can there be divisions between Jews and Gentiles, “ for you all are one in Christ Jesus .” Through his sacrificial death, he “ dismantled  the middle wall of separation ” that divided Jews from Gentiles so “ he   might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross .”

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations until the moment Jesus arrives  – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his true followers to announce the same message that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this message  to all nations without exception  and in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Christ’s sovereignty over humanity must be established! Until his return, we are commanded to proclaim his Gospel to the “ ends of the Earth .”

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom and Salvation to all Nations until the moment Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14. Jesus charged his followers with announcing his message to all nations. He summarized it as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” Through him and his Assembly, the rule of God will be established but in unexpected and paradoxical ways. He will establish his sovereignty over the Earth and subdue the “ Last Enemy, Death ,” by the time of his appearance. His disciples must proclaim his Gospel to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth ” until the last moment!

Returning to the custodianship of the Law would mean rebuilding the wall between Jews and Gentiles, but “you are all one in Christ.” The Apostle Paul compared the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

The New Testament applies Temple language and imagery from the Hebrew Bible to the Body of Christ, the true Sanctuary of God . Apart from the contacts between Jesus and the early church with the priestly authorities, the New Testament shows minimal interest in the Temple complex in Jerusalem. More frequent are the applications of temple language to the community of believers inaugurated by Jesus and built by his Apostles. What the Temple and the Tabernacle foreshowed is coming to fruition in the “ Body of Christ .”

The term “assembly” or ‘ekklésia’ in the New Testament is derived from the Assembly of Yahweh gathered for worship recorded in the Hebrew Bible . New Testament references to the “ assembly ” or “church” in English are based on the language of Israel when the nation was assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle. The Greek noun translated this way is ‘ ekklésia ’, meaning “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek, it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek Bible .

Paul presents principles of conduct when dealing with the State in his Letter to the Romans . Believers must “ subordinate themselves to governing powers, for there is no authority except by God. ” He wrote this when the infamous emperor, Nero, ruled the Empire. Despite the despotic nature of his regime, he instructed the Church to honor and respect Caesar and his officers.

Returning to the jurisdiction of the Torah means the restoration of the old social barriers between Jews and Gentiles . The third chapter of  Galatians  is pivotal to Paul’s argument for the oneness of God’s people. The old social divisions under the Mosaic Legislation are inappropriate in God’s  One Covenant Community  since the promised “ Seed of Abraham ”  has arrived, namely, Jesus of Nazareth. In Christ’s Assembly, “ No longer can there be Jew or Greek ! ”

In the Book of Revelation , the men redeemed by Jesus form a new priestly company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries, and they persevere in the “ Testimony of Jesus ” before the world through every affliction and persecution. This is how they follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .”

Was the Apostle Paul kidding when he wrote that church elders must be above reproach? The public exposure of gross sin among church leaders is all too common, and often church members discover too late that their more egregious faults began even before they entered the ministry. Even worse are the committees that select men for the ministry despite knowing of their proclivities, and the apologists who strive mightily to restore errant pastors and preachers to the ministry as quickly as possible.

The description of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost stresses the theme of fulfillment. On that day, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast began to receive its promised substance. The bestowal of the Spirit was an epochal event that marked the start of the Age of the Spirit, and the Gift of the Spirit fulfilled what the annual Levitical feast symbolized.

‘Christendom’ is an idolatrous term used often to invoke Divine support of national and political institutions, agendas, and ideologies . In popular usage, the English term ‘Christendom’ refers to “that part of the world in which Christianity prevails,” either because the majority of a nation’s citizens claim to be Christian, or because a specific sect or denomination is recognized by the State as the country’s official religion.

Jesus will not “ arrive ” to gather his “ elect ” until two events occur - The “ Apostasy ” and the “ Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ,” and they are inextricably linked. It is not just the presence of this figure but his unveiling in the Assembly that will signal the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord .” Not only will he cause many to apostatize, but his identity will be unveiled when he “ sits down ” in the “ Sanctuary of God .”

In Revelation, overcoming saints persevere in their testimony for Jesus whatever the cost, even if it means a martyr’s death . Two repeated themes in  Revelation  are closely related - “ Witness ” and “ Overcome .” Beginning with Jesus and his martyrdom, we as his Priestly Kingdom are called to persevere in his “ Testimony .” In this way, we “ overcome ” and emerge victorious in the city of “ New Jerusalem .” Furthermore, we must “ overcome, even as I overcame .”

From start to finish, the Book of Revelation is addressed to the “ seven churches of Asia ,” and they do not fade from the picture after its third chapter. While the Book may include a larger target audience, Revelation is first of all a message intended for those seven first-century assemblies, and the significance of its visions cannot be understood apart from them. And it begins by describing itself as an unveiling of information for the “ servants ” of God.