Missions and evangelism are not things that we add to our otherwise Christian lives. No, outreach grows naturally out of our being children of the King. We are to be prepared to engage with the world as the Lord leads us.
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Thy Kingdom Come
• Greg Boyd
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Jesus fights with Pharisees About casting out demons. Pharisees say Jesus cast out demons in the name of Beelzebub (Luke 11:15-20).
Kingdom means King’s domain or the King’s dome. When God casts out demons, He is commanding Satan’s Kingdom to leave because even in His fingertips, God wields significant power.
“When a strong man who is fully armed guards his castle, his property is safe (referring to Satan guarding the property of the World), but when one stronger than him attacks him and overpowers him he takes away his armor in which he trusted and he divides his spoils.” ? This is what Jesus does; he binds the strong man.
Matthew 13:31-32 (ISV)
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, …”
Even though the kingdom starts as a small seed, it becomes a large tree, which takes over in a positive way.
Problem with missions, evangelism ? You think about missions and evangelism as something that you do on top of being a Christian. Missions & Evangelism are not so much what we do, but what we are!
Anything of kingdom value that comes about because we understand who we are in Christ. Our “doing” comes out of our “being” and our “being” comes out of who Christ is.
Foundation: We need to understand what Jesus came to do in order to understand what we need to do.
? The Jews believed that when the Messiah came, all ills of the world would be made right. That is why they don’t believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah – because the world is still full of horror and warfare.
? Jesus came and did kingdom work (Acts 10:28), but was crucified so the Jews doubt Him as Savior. We need to remember that God grows a tree with a small seed (process).
Acts 10:28 (NIV)
He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.
Three stages to the coming of God’s Kingdom in the earthly world:
1) God enters the territory of the Enemy and binds the strong man. God is the mustard seed.
2) God works through us. God tied up the strong men and we plunder his house [We work with God to defeat the Enemy].
3) God will return, but He’s present now in us as the church body. He will come back to prune away everything that doesn’t agree with His mustard tree, the Kingdom. The means by which God is manifested is in the church body.
Problem ? The Kingdom of Darkness: still rules this earthly world. 1John5:19 ? Satan has control over the entire world. 2Cor 4:4 ? Satan is the God of this age. In the future ? God’s Kingdom will rule and the world will conform to Him. His love and peace shall reign. This future isn’t just in the future though; He’s present in the world as a mustard seed. Jesus came as the seed to destroy the devil by the cross. So, we are freed from the Kingdom of Darkness!
1 John 5:19 (ISV)
We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
? We are the church (the called out ones). We’ve been taken from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of light via Jesus. We are the mustard seed of Jesus – we are light to the darkness if we accept the gift.
? The Kingdom has come: we are the people of the future (the mustard seed). We need to mirror God’s love to one another and then people will know that we have something that is beyond the fleshly world.
Our identity is to live the Kingdom of God now. On earth as it is in heaven.
? The most important thing about missions and evangelism is to be a Kingdom person. We need to let the mustard seed grow inside us before we evangelize to others. Our lives are to be domes (domains) where God rules.
Let our minds, hearts, and lives be the domain of God! You need to let God into your life, and He will build the church through us.
1) Become the dome (domain) in which God reigns.
2) The reason for being is to be of the Kingdom. Let your resources and gifts be a mustard seed to grow the Kingdom.
3) Know that wherever you go, whatever you do, you are a missionary.
4) Be a missionary by walking in the spirit (walking with your life as the domain of God.) God will give opportunities to share the gospel. It will come naturally (not forced).
5) Know that while we have the awesome opportunity to be the mustard seed, it is Christ that builds the Church. The Kingdom of God will happen!
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Focus Scripture:
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Luke 11:15-20
15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
