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WORD OF GOD ACTIVE

Christ and the Kingdom

Key Facts and Ideas

The Word of God has always been active, is always active ... creating, saving, judging, healing, restoring. With Christ however, the Word of God made flesh, God's activity has been seen on earth directly. Our Lord Jesus Christ came not just to announce the Kingdom of God but to show it breaking through into this world by his doing of the Father's work in forgiveness, healing and the rolling back of evil and death.

In this he both taught in parables and acted through miracles. He showed the Love of God, powerfully active, in His own Person. He laid down His life for all as the Good Shepherd, sacrificing His life for the sheep.

Then ...

Those who encountered Him in faith discovered that here was the Messiah, the Son of God, even God Himself. These received Him and followed Him, reproducing the Kingdom life through their own obedient and powerful works of witness, healing and forgiveness, a continuing work that He indeed had commanded and empowered them to do.

The greatest work of all that Christ did was to surrender himself voluntarily as a sacrifice for sin on the cross of our evil. He did this in great love for all humankind and for all creation. Taking upon Himself the blows of sin and death, He returned only love and invincible life. This was the consummation of a great battle which bore fruit in his resurrection from the dead, whereby He defeated death itself, the final enemy. Of this we shall speak more in the next session.

Today ...

The Word of God, Christ, remains active today by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord promised to his Church the performance of even greater works in his Name if his People responded with obedience and faith. These promises have never failed, nor were they ever cancelled in the history of the Church, (no matter what some say!).

¹² “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. [John 14:12]

As a continuing provision for this work and our sanctification (making holy) in the life of the Church and until He comes again, Christ has given us the Mysteries or Sacraments of His abundant Life and Presence. He has prayed the Father who has sent forth the Holy Spirit upon all His People. He has promised to be with us unto the End of the age.

At the End ...

When he comes again, Our Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead and usher in the Kingdom of God in full power, literally bringing forth a New Creation, a New Cosmos where God's rule, creative power and love will be unhindered and complete. For this final action of the Word of God we pray:-

"Maranatha!" (O Lord, come!) [1 Corinthians 16:22]

Key Principle