Page 144 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

The Kingdom of God

Jesus went through the cities and villages ‘teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
sickness’ (Matthew 9:35)” (1991, 51).

The Proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom

Jesus himself proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom (Mark 1:15). At
the beginning of His ministry, He announced:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to
preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18–19)

In his Gospel, Luke connects this proclamation of the “year of the
Lord’s favor” with the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom, for in
the same chapter Jesus announces, “I must preach the good news of
the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was
sent” (Luke 4:43). Note how in both
passages Jesus explains why He was
sent: to “proclaim the year of the
Our proclamation Lord’s favor” and to “preach the good
of the gospel of the news of the kingdom.”

Kingdom should The proclamation of the gospel of

mirror that of Jesus. the Kingdom involves being anointed
by the Holy Spirit. It further involves
preaching good news to the poor,
announcing freedom to captive and
recovery of sight to the blind, and proclaiming liberty to those who are
oppressed by the devil (vv. 33–36). To preach the gospel of the Kingdom
is “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (v. 19). Jesus’ proclamation
of the Kingdom included gracious words (v. 22), authoritative teaching
(v. 32), powerful deliverances (vv. 33–36, 41), and miraculous healings
(vv. 38–40). Our proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom should mirror
that of Jesus.

In the New Testament, the gospel is called by various names (see
Appendix B); however, we must remember that there is only one gospel.
It is the same gospel preached by Jesus and the apostles. It is described by

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