Page 141 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

Global Mission and the Kingdom

The Purpose of the Church

The kingdom of God exists to fulfill the mission of God. In this age, the
church is the agent of God and instrument of the Kingdom in the earth.
The church, therefore, exists for the same purpose as the Kingdom—to
fulfill the missio Dei. York states:

God will bless all nations through Jesus Christ, the long promised
seed and heir to the throne of David. His kingdom will include
those from every nation, tribe, language, and people, and it will last
forever. The Church in all ages has been mandated to announce
the good news of Christ’s kingdom to the whole world. (2000, 215)

The church fulfills the mission of God by doing “missions.” Missions
is all that the church does to take the gospel to the lost in all the world
in the power of the Spirit.

The Gospel of the Kingdom and the Great Commission

Jesus has commanded His church to proclaim the gospel to all nations.
This command is called the Great Commission. The Great Commission
is found five times in the New Testament, once in each gospel and once
in Acts (Matthew 28:18–20; Mark 16:15–18; Luke 24:49; John 20:21–22;
Acts 1:8). It is also implied in Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:14 (compare
Mark 13:10).

The Sign of His Coming

Jesus’ disciples once asked Him, “What will be the sign of your coming
and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). Jesus answered their question
by first listing the conditions that would characterize the entire age:
false messiahs, wars, rumors of wars, international conflicts, famines,
earthquakes, persecution, apostasy, false prophets, wickedness, and
spiritual callousness. He then said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will
be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then
the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). He identified the definitive sign of
His coming—the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the
world as a witness to every nation.

Certainly, we must study prophecy, and we must be aware of the signs
of the times. However, it is not enough that we simply study end-time

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