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Brussels Statement Commentary A long history of reaching, planting, training, and touching people.
Touching
is what we do. Kingdom of God is key term to formulate biblical principles of church missions that seeks to obey all Christ's commands Signs of the Kingdom are seen clearly in Jesus’ ministry Jesus’ exemplary ministry and sacrifice on the cross is a summons to service for all His followers. Though the Kingdom of God plants signposts of the future in the present: There remains an eschatological fulfillment when the messianic salvation will be perfectly accomplished in the age to come. To enter the Kingdom requires a radical transformation in one’s life through repentance and faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The blessings of life in the Kingdom come by God’s gift of grace alone. The Pentecostal narrative in Acts connects the Kingdom of God and mission of Jesus. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and the eschatological hope in the return of Jesus energized the early church. The Spirit empowered disciples to do all that Jesus began to do and teach. Acts demonstrates the rule of God pushes followers to: Continue miracles, signs, wonders To continue compassionate responses to human need To break down humanly constructed social barriers Continue to proclaim the Gospel to all nations To enter the Kingdom is to come under God’s rule and be incorporated into the new order of life where love is normative. Moral imperatives such as love, mercy, peace, justice, respect of person are not prescriptions of law, but what life looks like under God’s rule. The local church is called to be God’s visible and corporate entity bearing witness to his Kingdom in mission and reconciliation between people. The ministry of the church is to all people because all people have been made in the image of God. Jesus’ earthly ministry demonstrated a deep concern for every aspect of human existence. To follow Jesus’ example, the church must do the same. The church models Jesus’ lead: Ministry to children provides dignity To the marginalized, it provides self-worth and justice To the sick, it provides healing The hope of the return of the Lord makes demands on our life and service in the present. We long for Jesus’ return, but we are not passive. The promise of Christ’s return compels us to continue to proclaim the good news, engage powers of darkness and show compassion of Jesus to suffering people. This is the gospel preached and demonstrated to all nations until the end. Note: The above is a powerpoint presentation by Byron Klaus. Klaus, D.Min. (Fuller Theological Seminary), has served as president of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary since 1999, following 20 years on the faculty and administration at Vanguard University of Southern California. Return to Homepage |
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