Week of January 12, 2025
The Gospel of the Kingdom
From the time of the Reformation, there has been a tendency to limit our proclamation of the Good News to the truth that Jesus died on the cross so that we can be forgiven. Beyond forgiveness, the teaching of God’s kingdom mainly focused on a future hope and not on the transforming presence of God’s kingdom now. However, the entire Gospel is of both a present and a future kingdom, and the present reality is not only that we are forgiven but that through the power of God, we can live lives of greater goodness and beauty. Join us this week for the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Monday | Matthew 4:17-25
What does it mean that Jesus preached the “good news of the kingdom”? (v.23) What does it mean that this kingdom is “near” or “at hand”? (v.17) Author Dallas Willard states that “God’s kingdom is the range of his effective will, where what he wants done is done.” What does Jesus’ ministry indicate is part of God’s desire for humanity? (vs.19, 23-24)
Tuesday | Matthew 10:5-8
What was the message that the disciples were to bring to Jewish communities around them? As from yesterday, what was the evidence that Jesus was bringing God’s kingdom into a sin-broken world? You might wonder why the kingdom had to come, given that God has always had power and authority over all things. But clearly, the evil in this world indicates there are other forces at work so that too often earth has not been a place where what God wants to get done is getting done. Rather, it has been come under the influence of the powers of darkness led by Satan, as Jesus identifies him, the prince of this world. So, through Jesus, God’s kingdom needed to come as an invading force of liberation and hope. Why does that remain necessary today? How are we part of God’s invasion force?
Wednesday | Luke 17:20-21
Different translations of these verses give somewhat difference senses as to what Jesus meant. What comes to your mind when you think of the kingdom being “within” you? What are the realities of Jesus’ kingdom in your personal life? What comes to your mind when you think of the kingdom being “among” you or “in your midst”? How do the church and Christian community serve as channels of the kingdom?
Thursday | Acts 28:21-31
Critics of Christianity have accused the Apostle Paul of preaching a different Gospel than Jesus. How does the Gospel writer Luke show that this was not the case? (v.23) What was Paul’s strategy to convince his fellow Jews about Jesus? (v.23) How does the response indicate that God does not force his kingdom onto people (even his chosen people!)? How might Paul’s turn toward the Gentiles direct us in our own witnessing efforts?
Friday | Colossians 1:9-14
Here, we find Paul speaking of God’s kingdom through Jesus. (v.13) From what kingdom had his readers been rescued? How would you describe the struggle between light and darkness in our world? What are the various benefits that we receive as a result of being in Jesus’ kingdom? (entire section) Which you will pray for today that you might receive in greater measure?
