Disciples Global Network

The description of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost stresses the theme of fulfillment. On that day, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast began to receive its promised substance. The bestowal of the Spirit was an epochal event that marked the start of the Age of the Spirit, and the Gift of the Spirit fulfilled what the annual Levitical feast symbolized.

According to Jesus, the End will not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been proclaimed to all nations – Matthew 24:14. When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, the question of what “sign” or “signs” will precede it is asked. Invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are proposed as the harbingers of that day. Yet Jesus gave us the definitive answer to this question, namely, the completion of the mission of the Church to proclaim his Salvation and Lordship to all the nations of the Earth .

In Revelation , the men who have been redeemed by Jesus become a “ Kingdom of Priests ” sent to bear witness in a hostile world as to what the “ slain Lamb ” has done for them. For overcoming “ saints ,” persecution is not an aberration to be avoided, but an integral part of being a citizen of the Kingdom of God. To persevere in the “ Testimony of Jesus ” in affliction and even martyrdom is to follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .” All members of his Assembly are called to be his “ Witnesses .”

In the Second Psalm, the Messiah is identified as the Son of God and the ideal king who is anointed by Yahweh to rule over the nations, the one to whom the “ Kings of the Earth ” pay homage. In the four gospel accounts, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan River, equipping him for the proclamation of the “ Kingdom of God ” to the people of Israel. In turn, he grants the Spirit to his disciples, empowering them to announce His Good News and sovereignty to all nations.

Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth . The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about reforming society or governments. His message summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and political reality, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of the present world order. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing system will disappear from the planet.

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations without exception until Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his followers to announce the same message he preached. He summarized it as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this Kingdom on Earth in unexpected and paradoxical ways. His sovereignty over all nations would be established and his “ enemies ” would be subdued by the day of his return. Until then, his disciples were summoned to proclaim his message to the “ ends of the Earth .”

Disciples of Jesus are called to leave everything behind, if need be, and dedicate their entire lives to his mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom throughout the Earth. Though the story as recorded in the synoptic gospels is brief, we already begin to glimpse the true cost of discipleship. Jesus began to build his new covenant community in “ Galilee of the Nations ” by inviting four fishermen to leave their livelihoods and follow him “ on the way ” which would lead inevitably to his death in Jerusalem.

Jesus has reigned as Sovereign over the Earth since his Death and Resurrection, already he is seated on the Messianic Throne. Because of his obedience, he is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” Before his Ascension, he declared that God had bestowed all authority on him - “ In Heaven and on Earth .” Thus, his authority is without limits and a present reality.