God's gospel will be brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of this age.
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels when He will bring His kingdom to fulfillment and exercise His role as Judge of all. This coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Today we get to look at one of my favorite passages in the Bible: Acts 1:6-11:So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”This passage hits all the big points in our 9th article: kingdom, mission, return. Jesus is coming back, when he does he will bring his kingdom to fulfillment, and until he does we get busy on mission. Simple right?
Yet this is often the point at which churches split. Joke: God, Christian, Born-again, Return, Pre-millenial, Dispensational, Tribulation, Pre-trib – post-trib. This is also a point at which some Christians have been very publically embarrassed by speculations – the most recent being this Harold Camping non-sense.
One of the most encouraging core values of the EFCC is that its desire for unity around essentials. There are three ways to achieve this sort of unity. The first is to become relativistic and contend that because we don’t know what view is right it doesn’t matter what you believe. The second way is “to agree to disagree”, holding strong convictions with charity toward the others whom you believe to be wrong. I prefer a third way – constructive theology in which the parties dialogue, attempting to uncover as much common ground as possible. I have found this approach may be helpful in bridging the gap in the camps. Furthermore, as modern evangelicalism has trended toward the construction of Biblical rather than Systematic theology, there is growing dialogue and consensus around the following points. That is why the EFCC took the bold step in removing labels from this article.1) We Proclaim a Kingdom: Jesus (in his first coming) was not interested in setting up an earthly kingdom, but to announce the spiritual character and requirements of the kingdom. Each of the gospels portrays Jesus as “proclaiming the kingdom” and charging people to pursue the kingdom through repentance and faith. You can almost see the exasperation in the disciples’ question: Now are you going to do it Jesus? Yet again he points them to their spiritual mission.2) Not of This Earth: John 18:36. The church is not to pursue a theo-political kingdom on this earth until Christ returns to set up the kingdom himself. The instructions given to the church in Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, and 1 Peter 2:13-17 all presuppose a relationship in which members of the church carry out their duties as citizens of heaven in respect and submission to the state in which they reside. a. “We are in the awkward position of being called ambassadors of a disputed king, whose sovereignty itself is in question, leaving us vulnerable and without worldly legitimization.” “The temptation is one of relieving the awkwardness of our position by accepting a lesser authority from another kingdom. In other words we are tempted to use some power of this age – the power of money or of academic reputation or of political clout - to make the other members of the world court listen to us, rather than faithfully relying on the validation of Christ as our Lord and King.” Tim Tebow.b. Canadian Context: we are given the freedom to vote, to have a say in out government, to assemble, to voice our opposition.i. Be careful of those who would manipulate the Christian votersii. Choose our battles wisely: there is a time to speak out, and even a time for civil disobedience. In America the church is too political. In Canada, perhaps not enough.3) Intent on Mission: The mission and essence of the church is not to bring in the kingdom, but to embrace, embody, and bear witness to the kingdom. When the apostles ask Jesus in Acts 1:6-8 about whether he was going to set up the kingdom right then, he pointed them toward their mission to be witnesses until his return. As members of the church, we are to focus our efforts primarily on the ministry of proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. Christian Reconstructionism, Zionism, Salvific Judaism and over-zealous eschatological speculations are diversions that keep us from our primary task of preaching the gospel while living sincere and quiet lives before unbelievers.a. Seek the Welfare of the City: Jeremiah 29:17-These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon … It said: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.b. Tried By Fire: The church will be continually be hated and persecuted by the kingdoms of this world until the Messiah’s return. Jesus said in John 15:18 that we should not be surprised at this, for the world hated him first. i. Prepare for persecution: ii. Spontaneous expansion of the church in Southern Hemisphere.4) Until Kingdom Come: There will be an ultimate physical expression of the rule of God at the end of the age, in which the Lord himself will rule over the earth from Zion/New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:3 locates the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of worshipful servants.a. Jesus returns personally, bodily, and gloriously. Acts 1:9-10b. At a time no one knowsc. This is the kingdom we long for. That is the real world – video game illustration.d. We labor for that kingdom.5) The present spiritual occupation of the church and the future eschatological dominion are understood as the “now/not yet” character of the kingdom. That Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10 that God’s kingdom be realized now, both suggests that it is not yet fully realized even as believers pray for and experience some aspects of it.
God's gospel will be brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of this age.
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ with His holy angels when He will bring His kingdom to fulfillment and exercise His role as Judge of all. This coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Today we get to look at one of my favorite passages in the Bible: Acts 1:6-11:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
This passage hits all the big points in our 9th article: kingdom, mission, return. Jesus is coming back, when he does he will bring his kingdom to fulfillment, and until he does we get busy on mission. Simple right?
Yet this is often the point at which churches split. Joke: God, Christian, Born-again, Return, Pre-millenial, Dispensational, Tribulation, Pre-trib – post-trib.
This is also a point at which some Christians have been very publically embarrassed by speculations – the most recent being this Harold Camping non-sense.
One of the most encouraging core values of the EFCC is that its desire for unity around essentials. There are three ways to achieve this sort of unity. The first is to become relativistic and contend that because we don’t know what view is right it doesn’t matter what you believe. The second way is “to agree to disagree”, holding strong convictions with charity toward the others whom you believe to be wrong. I prefer a third way – constructive theology in which the parties dialogue, attempting to uncover as much common ground as possible. I have found this approach may be helpful in bridging the gap in the camps. Furthermore, as modern evangelicalism has trended toward the construction of Biblical rather than Systematic theology, there is growing dialogue and consensus around the following points. That is why the EFCC took the bold step in removing labels from this article.
1) We Proclaim a Kingdom: Jesus (in his first coming) was not interested in setting up an earthly kingdom, but to announce the spiritual character and requirements of the kingdom. Each of the gospels portrays Jesus as “proclaiming the kingdom” and charging people to pursue the kingdom through repentance and faith. You can almost see the exasperation in the disciples’ question: Now are you going to do it Jesus? Yet again he points them to their spiritual mission.
2) Not of This Earth: John 18:36. The church is not to pursue a theo-political kingdom on this earth until Christ returns to set up the kingdom himself. The instructions given to the church in Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, and 1 Peter 2:13-17 all presuppose a relationship in which members of the church carry out their duties as citizens of heaven in respect and submission to the state in which they reside.
a. “We are in the awkward position of being called ambassadors of a disputed king, whose sovereignty itself is in question, leaving us vulnerable and without worldly legitimization.” “The temptation is one of relieving the awkwardness of our position by accepting a lesser authority from another kingdom. In other words we are tempted to use some power of this age – the power of money or of academic reputation or of political clout - to make the other members of the world court listen to us, rather than faithfully relying on the validation of Christ as our Lord and King.” Tim Tebow.
b. Canadian Context: we are given the freedom to vote, to have a say in out government, to assemble, to voice our opposition.
i. Be careful of those who would manipulate the Christian voters
ii. Choose our battles wisely: there is a time to speak out, and even a time for civil disobedience. In America the church is too political. In Canada, perhaps not enough.
3) Intent on Mission: The mission and essence of the church is not to bring in the kingdom, but to embrace, embody, and bear witness to the kingdom. When the apostles ask Jesus in Acts 1:6-8 about whether he was going to set up the kingdom right then, he pointed them toward their mission to be witnesses until his return. As members of the church, we are to focus our efforts primarily on the ministry of proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. Christian Reconstructionism, Zionism, Salvific Judaism and over-zealous eschatological speculations are diversions that keep us from our primary task of preaching the gospel while living sincere and quiet lives before unbelievers.
a. Seek the Welfare of the City: Jeremiah 29:17-These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon … It said: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
b. Tried By Fire: The church will be continually be hated and persecuted by the kingdoms of this world until the Messiah’s return. Jesus said in John 15:18 that we should not be surprised at this, for the world hated him first.
i. Prepare for persecution:
ii. Spontaneous expansion of the church in Southern Hemisphere.
4) Until Kingdom Come: There will be an ultimate physical expression of the rule of God at the end of the age, in which the Lord himself will rule over the earth from Zion/New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:3 locates the throne of God and of the Lamb in the midst of worshipful servants.
a. Jesus returns personally, bodily, and gloriously. Acts 1:9-10
b. At a time no one knows
c. This is the kingdom we long for. That is the real world – video game illustration.
d. We labor for that kingdom.
5) The present spiritual occupation of the church and the future eschatological dominion are understood as the “now/not yet” character of the kingdom. That Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10 that God’s kingdom be realized now, both suggests that it is not yet fully realized even as believers pray for and experience some aspects of it.