Saying goodbye

There had been quite a few goodbyes lately. Just over this weekend, I attended two "farewells". There was a “farewell to politics” party for the previous Ryde Councillor Justin Li. The Chinese Australian Baptist Church in West Ryde (CABC-WR) and City Bible Forum said goodbye to the multitalented Grace Huang as she embarks her journey to become a student minister at another church. Both of these people are great role models: The community remembers Justin as a leader of high integrity who has been involved with helping the community most of his life. The church remembers Grace as a multitalented yet humble church leader who had a bright future in law at the Crown Solicitor’s Office and followed God’s calling to study at Moore Theological College, build up the youth ministry and worship team at the CABC-WR, and work in the City Bible Forum. On a personal level: Justin had helped me and some other members of the community on a community issue several years ago. Grace is an inspirational role model who helped me prepare for the task of playing the piano on Sunday service.

Today we looked at Acts 20:32-38 as we said goodbye to Grace. ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” “Giving Grace” to someone else: to another church/ministry; who is more blessed? The one who gave first. It’s natural to grieve as we say goodbye to someone. Reverend Fu couldn’t hold back her tears as she said goodbye to Grace on the pulpit today. While we grieve about saying goodbye, there is a time in eternity when we will all come together again.

As we look at the global situation these days, the coming of Jesus is getting closer and closer as the signs in Matthew 24 occur with increased intensity. More and more workers will be sent out to advance the kingdom of God’s, and there will be many more goodbyes still to come.

In “The Trellis and the Vine”, Marshall and Payne describe how we must accept people leaving our church to be sent out to other places to further the growth of the gospel. Another word, it is inevitable that many of the people whom we devoted our time to disciple/ build a relationship with will eventually leave our lives to be sent out to a place of need.

doctor+missions+holistic care: A critical self-reflection for the first half of 2017

ii. Seeking first the kingdom and God’s righteousness, boldly and fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel (Matt 6:33, 10:26-33)

CABC-WR held the Perspectives Course on Thursday evenings in March. The classes cover a simplified overview of church history and emphasise the importance missions. It includes practical tasks on spreading the gospel and ways we can support missionaries. It was easy to apply: I was already supporting two missionaries financially and shared some personal testimonies when I caught up with friends. I think it is a good course for planting seeds of the Gospel in people’s hearts, but inadequate for discipleship. Furthermore, as John Wesley puts it, “the world is my parish.” Most of our time is spent in our workplace.[1] Research in Australia shows that the two most inappropriate places to discuss spirituality and religion are in shopping centres and community events. To me, this suggests that the workplace is where the “gold” is. People tend to be put off by strangers in public spaces, but are more likely to be receptive to people whom they trust. The workplace is one possible place to build such relationships. Boldly and fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel in the workplace is where the challenge lies. Many ministers are theologically trained but could not relate to practical problems people face at work. The church tends to divide life and work into sacred and secular compartments, with work done outside the church being seen as secular work. Those of us who are not in fulltime ministry can feel like we are living a double life, where we are disintegrating instead of integrating faith of work.[2]

The clinic I work in is extremely busy, so my time with each patient is short and task-orientated. In this context, I feel tested in my patience and gentleness, and must constantly remind myself to seek first the kingdom of God’s righteousness. God is the source of love. The power to transforms lives comes from Him. By myself, I can do nothing. Over the years, I tried my best to practice what Martin coins as “Holy Working”.[3] I found that as I gradually became more patient and gentle, I am proclaiming the Gospel through my actions, which is much more convincing. Research also shows that people living out authentic faith is the greatest attraction to further investigation religion.[4] I try to stick to Christian values. When people try to tempt me to do what is wrong (eg. produce a report that is different from my observation), I am firm in rejecting these. My clinical workplace has been helpful in challenging me and helping me grow.

iii. Demonstrating the characteristics and qualities of a servant (Mk10:35-45)

Rev Fu organised a Valentine’s day dinner for five church couples. There were only four people involved with the organisation and preparation of this event: Rev Fu, her husband, me, and another brother. This is very different from previous church events I had been involved with which had large busy teams where tasks were more divided up and felt more mechanical. This time, I served in ways I never done before, such thinking about how to set up and decorate the tables, helping with food preparation, and waitressing the couples. This is a more personalised approach to serving, which helps build closer relationships. Just like how buying a cake to give someone as a present feels different from making a cake for someone. Closer relationships help teamwork. Gospel leaders cannot be “lone rangers.” Even Jesus needed a team, however flawed the team members happened to be.[5]

Much of the condemnations of the Old Testament prophets revolve around a misuse of work, eg. Ezekiel34 condemned Israel’s leaders for their brutal treatment of the “sheep”. Leadership is about service, about shepherds who care for the sheep.[6] “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark9:35). Greenleaf believes “the great leader is seen as servant first.”[7] Leadership is about leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk to engage those around you.[8] For Greenleaf, serving does not mean one is a martyr or a slave, but one who consciously nurtures the mature growth of self, other people, institutions, and communities, the objective being to building a better, more caring society.[9] The servant-leader is committed to the growth of every individual within his or her institution.[10] It is the power to influence rather than the power to control.[11] Whilst I have assisted with ministry tasks, I do not have much experience in leadership. One of Rev Fu’s goals is for me to be able to lead a small group later on. I have to further develop skills to engage and express care for others, perhaps through pastoral visitations. For example, the skill of “attending”, which means relating to others with openness, attentiveness, and prayerfulness, bringing about the presence of the Holy Spirit.[12]

vi. Offering one’s body as a living sacrifice, being transformed by the renewing of the mind, using one’s gifts enthusiastically, never lacking in zeal, keeping one’s spiritual fervour, serving the Lord (Rom12:1-13)

Ultimately, self-sacrifice is the highest act of servanthood. “…unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John12:24). Jesus himself sets the best example, by creating around him a community of the marginalised such as the tax collectors, the poor, and social outcasts, then giving his life as a ransom for many on the cross.[13] I am still a far way from Jesus. After all, only Christ himself can live the Christian life, and he does this in us and through us (John 15:1-8; cf. 2Corinthians 2:14).[14] The first sacrifices I made were career related, becoming a GP so I do not have to do shift-work and can attend and serve in church every Sunday. Then I obeyed God’s calling to work in a place that do not seem to be too attractive financially. I further sacrificed my time and finance to study MDiv. I am leaving my comfort zone to try out a wider range of tasks so growth is happening and more spiritual gifts can be discovered. There is a human paradox: the more a person reaches out beyond herself, the more she is enriched and deepened, and the more she grows in likeness to God.[15]

For example, expanding my relational capacity by trying to speak to different people, as God has commanded us to “make disciples of all nations” and “love your neighbours as yourselves”. However, the thought of getting close to the homeless and drug addicts is still quite uncomfortable for me. I am still far from Jesus, who loves every single person. I do not like public speaking but am trying out the task of MC for Sunday service, so God can use me on the pulpit one day. Ultimately, being a living sacrifice is to live our whole life in God’s presence. So I am trying to develop the “spirituality of the presence”[16], beginning with daily Scriptural readings, spiritual reflection and continuous prayer, especially in my clinical workplace.[17] Yancy believes it is important to offer God your heart from time to time, even in the midst of chores, so it becomes a habit.[18] The parable of the talents (Luke19:12-27) illustrate the eschatological danger of not using our time and talents wisely.[19] I need a close fellowship with the Holy Spirit, which directs me and provides me with the power to cooperate with God so I can do God’s work.[20] Hopefully if I am obedient enough, my capacity to do God’s work will be increased so one day I will be willing to go to unreached people.

viii. Setting forth the truth plainly, preaching the Lord Jesus Christ, persevering under trials, fixing one’s eyes on what is unseen and eternal (2Cor4:1-18)

The notion that “bigger is better” makes it tempting for us to distort the Word of God to benefit ourselves or suit our audience[21], so we see an expansion in the size of our ministry. There is a temptation to perceive the pastor as an enterprising entrepreneur who only needs to adopt the latest marketing advice from the business schools.[22] However, we can see that Ezekiel’s calling is not to success but to faithfulness. Every aspect of the call remains under the sovereign control of God, especially the results, and apparent effectiveness is no proof of calling.^[23] This challenges the notion that “bigger is better.” The primary goal of one’s ministry is to bring glory to God by preaching and modelling the message he has been given^[24], no matter the consequences.^[25]

It is getting increasingly difficult to set forth the truth plainly these days. For instance, the legalisation of same sex marriage is raging in Taiwan. When I was on an educational exchange in Taiwan last year, most of the younger doctors were highly supportive of same sex marriage, and criticise Christian values on their social media. Although some people inquisitive about Christianity told me they cannot accept that a loving God makes people go to hell, I cannot sugar-coat on the essentials of faith.[26] Furthermore, people can be preaching the truth, but be unbalanced in their selection of topics, eg. Focusing on success and grace. I will try keeping a balance in my future preaching. In reality, people get stuck at points in their lives even though they know God had called them, ie. not in a position of influence and have no ability to change their environment, the movie “Silence” is an extreme example. Luckily I am not persecuted for my faith! Spiritually, we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are called not to success but to follow Christ, and that everything in this world will pass, but there is also an everlasting home to return to.

ix. Living by faith not by sight, making it one’s goal to please the Lord in view of his return (2Cor5:1-10)

We live in a fallen world and the impact of sin infiltrates all places, including the church. There is no such thing as a perfect church. Rather than seek to find or build a “perfect” church, we go where God is calling us. Adams observes that “you must love the congregation as it actually is now, not… five years from now. You must get to know the people and love them each and all as they actually are, not as the people you want them to become... Only after you have lived together in love can you move forward together in hope.”[27] This is a challenge because I am new to the CABC-WR. I put this in my prayers and God seem to be opening the doors as I become more familiarised with the people. I think the greatest challenge is to love those who you do not get on with. There was an interpersonal conflict this year which I put in the hands of God, and God is opening the doors for reconciliation currently.

Christian spirituality is often described as a journey rather than a destination. Brueggemann suggests that life of faith is a journey with God characterised by three basic movements: being oriented, being disoriented, and being surprisingly reoriented.[28] Our journey and growth as disciples means we need to expand the overlap between belief, attitude and action so that they align.^[29] Colossians3:23 reminds us that it is God we work for, and our work is the gift he prepared for us[30] so that we can learn to be a disciple. “Work is about stewardship, productivity, fruitfulness, relationships, for the good of the world, and for the glory of God.”[31]

xii. Demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal5:22-23)

In addition to my patients being the cultivators for my fruits of the Spirit, my family and friends are also my teachers. In the small group, the parents of teenagers started discussing the challenges of raising children. Their children drive them “angry as a devil”. We have to remember that children are our inheritance from God, and also part of the process in shaping us to be more like Christ. We have to accept that our children can be quite different from us, and affirm them rather than discourage them. However, there are times where we have to put a stop to destructive behaviours, and we can only pray to God that our children can see the love behind this. The elders in our lives can be teachers of our patience too. I have been encountering elders with early dementia in our family, the work setting and the church setting. Sometimes when you have just answered their question, they ask the same question again. Other times they have dangerous habits eg. not locking the door properly at night, but gets angry when you try to tell them about safer methods. In those circumstances, we can only offer our presence and prayers and assist them physically, which requires patience, kindness, and gentleness.

We are human beings, not human doings. God is more concerned with who we become than what we accomplish.[32] As branches of the true vine, we do not create life, but we receive it through our connection with the vine. Good works are not attained by dependence on our own fleshly efforts; instead, they flow from the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us (Galatians5:16-25).[33] Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us.[34] Paul wrote, “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” 1Corinthians11-1. Paul’s use of the word imitators is important. Modelling, observing and copying is vital to discipleship because of the biblical view of the way disciples must learn.[35] In addition to imitating Christ, it is also important to find good mentors. We learn to do ministry by imitating those who do it well.[36]

Interestingly, as I reflect on my calling from last Friday until this week, on the 12July there was a bombardment of doctor+missions+holistic care related messages (which was what I have been thinking about for the last week): When I first opened my eyes a pastor from Melbourne posted about his “five star” Christian GP who did a three week short mission in Cambodia. Then I received an email from RACGP about the new government incentive for GPs to provide psychotherapies so as to provide more holistic care for patients. Then a pastor from Gold Coast posted something about searching for a GP to provide holistic care for a community. I have never encountered this many doctor+mission+holistic care messages in one day! This does not seem to be some random coincidence. So I don't know what doors will open up in the future, but it seems to be something along this direction.

Bibliography:

Adams, Joanna M. “What I Would Like to Tell My Colleagues in Ministry.” In Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, edited by William J. Carl, 1-6. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.

Agosto, Efrain. Servant leadership: Jesus & Paul. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2005.

Barnes, Craig. “Three Temptations of the Pastor.” In Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, edited by William J. Carl, 14-20. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.

Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24. Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

Boa, Kenneth. Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001

Buchanan, John. “Why Stay in the Church?” In Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, edited by William J. Carl, 14-20. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.

Calhoun, Adele Ahlberg. Spiritual Disciplines Handbook. Downer’s Grove: IVP Books, 2015.

Crossan, John Dominic. Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994.

Dawson, Gerrit Scott. “The Christian Life as a Journey.” In Companions in Christ. Participant's Book: A Small-Group Experience in Spiritual Formation, edited by Willard, Dallas, and Don Simpson, 17-24. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2001.

Duguid, Iain M. Ezekiel: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.

Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999.

Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1991.

Greenleaf, Robert K. The Power of Servant Leadership. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1998.

Guinness, Os. The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Nashville: Word, 1998.

Lore, John S. “Servant-Leadership in a Christian Organization: The Sisters of St. Joseph Health System.” In Insights on Leadership, edited by Larry C. Spears, 297-307. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1998.

Malphurs, Aubrey. A New Kind of Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007.

Martin, Kara. Workship: How To Use Your Work To Worship God. Singapore: Graceworks Private Limited, 2017.

McCrindle, Mark. Faith and Belief in Australia: A national study on religion, spirituality and worldview trends. Australia: McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, 2017.

https://mccrindle.worldsecuresystems.com/blog/2017/05/Faith%20and%20Belief%20in%20Australia%20Report_McCrindle_2017.pdf

Osmer, Richard R. Practical Theology: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008.

Sipe, James W., and Frick, Don M. Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving. New York: Paulist Press, 2009.

“Transformational Discipleship Program Foundation Module 1”, Morling College, 2017.

Wang, Ying-fan Yvonne. Dr Yvonne Wang’s Blabberings. Last modified July 8, 2017. http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com.au

Wright, Walter C. Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Influence and Service. Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2009.

Yancey, Philip. Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find? Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.

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[1] Mark McCrindle, Faith and Belief in Australia: A national study on religion, spirituality and worldview trends (Australia: McCrindle Research Pty Ltd, 2017), 27.

[2] Kara Martin, Workship: How To Use Your Work To Worship God (Singapore: Graceworks Private Limited, 2017), xix.

[3] Martin, Workship, 69. Holy Working is virtuous, where you set high standards for yourself in the workplace, with a focus on personal moral transformation and training in godliness.

[4] McCrindle, Faith and Belief in Australia, 26.

[5] Efrain Agosto, Servant leadership: Jesus & Paul (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2005), 96.

[6] Walter C. Wright, Relational Leadership: A Biblical Model for Influence and Service (Colorado Springs: Biblical, 2009), 38.

[7] Robert K. Greenleaf, Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness(Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1991), 7.

[8] Wright, Relational Leadership, 41.

[9] James W. Sipe, and Don M. Frick, Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership: Practicing the Wisdom of Leading by Serving (New York: Paulist Press 2009), 38.

[10] Robert K Greenleaf, The Power of Servant Leadership, (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1998), 7.

[11] John S. Lore, “Servant-Leadership in a Christian Organization: The Sisters of St. Joseph Health System,” in Insights on Leadership, ed. Larry C. Spears (New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1998), 307.

[12] Richard R.Osmer, Practical Theology: An Introduction(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 34.

[13] John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1994), 75-91.

[14] Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 102-04.

[15] Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God: What Can We Expect to Find? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 239.

[16] Osmer, Practical Theology, 34.

[17] Martin, Workship, 85-86.

[18] Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, 204-205.

[19] Agosto, Servant leadership, 84.

[20] Martin, Workship, 104.

[21] Martin, Workship, 78.

[22] Craig Barnes, “Three Temptations of the Pastor,” in Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, ed. William J. Carl. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 19.

[23] Daniel I.Block, The Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1-24(Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), 131.

[24] Iain M. Duguid, Ezekiel: The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 74.

[25] Duguid, Ezekiel, 75.

[26] Aubry Malphurs, A New Kind of Church(Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007), 136. The inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God. The existence of only one true God as three coequal and coeternal persons (the Trinity). The deity and substitutionary atonement of Christ. The bodily resurrection of Christ. The physical return of Christ.

[27] Joanna M. Adams, “What I Would Like to Tell My Colleagues in Ministry,” in Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, ed. William J. Carl. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 4.

[28] Gerrit Scott Dawson, “The Christian Life as a Journey,” in Companions in Christ. Participant's Book: A Small-Group Experience in Spiritual Formation, ed. by Willard, Dallas, and Don Simpson (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2001), 18.

[29] “Transformational Discipleship Program Foundation Module 1”, (Morling College, 2017), 7.

[30] Martin, Workship, 13.

[31] Martin, Workship, 23.

[32] Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook (Downer’s Grove: IVP Books, 2015), 21.

[33] Kenneth Boa, Conformed to His Image: Biblical and Practical Approaches to Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 102-04. 

[34] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999), 42. 

[35] Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Nashville: Word, 1998), 85.

[36] John Buchanan, “Why Stay in the Church?” in Best Advice: Wisdom on Ministry from 30 Leading Pastors and Preachers, ed. William J. Carl. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 29.

The vocation and mission of Jesus

Why did Jesus came on earth? What did he came to do?

To proclaim the Kingdom of God[1]

l   The biblical evidence is clear:

n   …proclaiming the good news… “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15). Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1:38-39)

n   …to proclaim good news… (Luke 4:18-19). “But He [Jesus] said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43). 

n   “And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people” (Matt. 4:23).

l   Most scholars would agree that a central feature of Jesus’ ministry was the kingdom of God.[2],[3] But there is little if any agreement about what the Kingdom is or how it should be defined.[4]

l   There are ways in which Jesus sees the kingdom of God as already present: ‘the time is fulfilled’ (Mark 1:15).

l   Jesus tells parables which stress the hidden, yet present, dynamic growth of the kingdom (Matthew 13:1-46).[5]

l   The kingdom of God is described in terms which put it in the future: ‘Your kingdom come’ (Matthew 6:10).[6]

l   Overthrowing the enemy:

n   Jesus relates the overthrow of demonic powers, seen in the exorcisms he performed, to the presence of the kingdom (Matthew 12:28).[7]

n   It appears Jesus understood the kingdom of God as a powerful demonstration of the rule of God, in line with the Old Testament expectation of his coming to deliver the people.[8] His experience as an infant bears striking resemblance to that of Moses; he is a greater Moses leading his people to deliverance.[9]

n   Jesus has a definite way of overthrowing the enemy in the fulfilment of time: His refusal to defend himself, on the cross, his death. God’s Kingdom rule was established at creation; It was attacked by Satan at the fall; now it is being restored on earth through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ who defeats Satan, death, and sin![10]

l   Preaching good news to the poor:

n   ‘…the poor (in spirit)… shall inherit the kingdom of God’.

n   Latin American liberation theology claim that there is preferential love by God for the poor. So the beatitudes are popular with liberation theologians. On the other hand, traditional theology has been seen to bolster social injustice because of its refusal to address critically social and economic problems. Therefore, the positive attraction of Marxist theory to combat these problems is obvious.[11]

n   The inauguration of social structures that promote the prophetic vision of justice and restore the shalom of God's people fundamentally expresses God's kingship.^[12]

n   However, if the signs of God’s rule/kingdom only primarily lie only in feeding the poor, eliminating the wrong systems etc., then the cross was not necessary and we only need the socialists. Building orphanages, etc. are important. But most important is the reality of the cross and resurrection. Wherever Christians are is God’s rule. Wherever Christians are suffering and kept in faith, God’s rule is there.

l   Miracles: Jesus gave radically new meaning to the ‘language’ of the miracles: they are signs of the kingdom, signs of what God wants to do and is already doing in humankind in Jesus.^[13] The miracles include exorcisms, healings, raising the dead and nature miracles, which are intended to reveal the presence and power of the kingdom.^[14]

n   The miracles of healing and deliverance which Jesus did, and which the apostles performed in his name, were the apex of the biblical pattern of witnessing to the salvation of God.[15]

n   There is sovereignty in healing: He did not heal everyone. He delivered only one of many at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1).

n   There exists a frequent connection between healings and faith, but this is not uniform. There is also a connection between healing and forgiveness, but this is not uniform.

n   The miracles are primarily signs, which point us not to themselves but to something else: the signs of the kingdom of God, Jesus’ own messianic credentials, and the fulfilment of the age of preparation.[16]  

n   Miracles did not of themselves bring about a great surge of faith. Jesus taught that if people did not believe the OT Scriptures, the greatest of all miracles would not persuade them to change (Luke 16:31 The Rich Man and Lazarus).[17]

l   The kingdom of God is the reign of God, inaugurated with the coming of Christ, but not fully consummated until his return at the end of the world.[18] The Kingdom of God involves two great moments: fulfilment within history [already], and consummation at the end of history [not yet].[19]

To seek and to save the lost

l   The lost sheep of the house of Israel:

n   “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10).

n   …sheep without a shepherd. (Matt 9:36 Workers are Few) …lost sheep of Israel. (Matthew 10:6 Jesus sends out the 12)

l   ‘I will build my church’ (Matthew 16:18 Peter’s confession of Christ)

n   The church is, in one sense, Christ’s storm troopers, spearheading the progress of the kingdom.

n   It is important to note that although the kingdom of God includes the church as a central component, the kingdom is extensive over the entire cosmos.[20]

l   God’s rule has broken into human history to deliver men and women from the power of sin, death, and Satan. From start to finish, Jesus’ entire life and ministry was the expression of God’s mighty rule that had broken into history to deliver the creation and its human inhabitants from the curse of sin and death.[21]

To bring about God’s judgement on sin

l   …baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16-17 John the Baptist Prepares the Way)

l   Division (Luke12:49-51 No Peace but Division): The Gospel, which is as fire, that gives both light and heat, warms the hearts of God's people, and causes them to burn within them; though very distressing and torturing to wicked men; so the word of God is compared to fire. Or else zeal for it, and which would be opposed with sharp contentions by others; or rather persecution for the sake of the Gospel, called sometimes the fiery trial; which tries men, as gold is tried in the fire.[22]

l   Jesus weeps for the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44 The Triumphal Entry).

To give his life

l   Jesus tells his disciples privately about his forthcoming death and resurrection, but they fail to grasp its significance, because the meaning was hidden from them (Mark 8:33; Luke 18:31-34). It was not something intended for public consumption.[23]

l   Jesus affirmed the eternal validity of the law, stating that not even the smallest letter would disappear from it (Matthew 5:18-20). Jesus emphasized the true essence and purpose of the law, and his role as the fulfilment of the law.^[24]

l   Christ died for our sins. Buried, raised, appeared. (1 Cor 15:1-8 The Resurrection of Christ).

l   “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 The Request of James and John). By becoming “a ransom for many” through his sacrificial death, Christians are under the new covenant, God’s righteous standards are now written on their hearts, not on tablets of stone.[25]

l   On the cross, God in Christ conquered sin, defeated death, and triumphed over Satan. Jesus is Christus Victor! By means of this victory, we are restored to God and our true purposes as human beings. It is the mystery of the Kingdom that makes us new creatures in Christ.[26]

l   Augustine explains the goal of the “sendings” of the Son and Spirit is to restore fallen humans into a relationship of communion with God.

References:

Chouinard, Larry. “The kingdom of God and the pursuit of justice in Matthew”, Restoration Quarterly, 45 (2003): 229-242

Chung, Miyon. “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ (Part 1).” Lecture Notes, Morling College, September 6, 2016.

Bible study tools. “John Gill's Exposition of the Bible”, Accessed November 3, 2016. http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/

Hendrickx, Herman. The miracle stories of the synoptic gospels. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1987.

Letham, Robert. The Work of Christ. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 1993.

Naugle, David. “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.” Christian Worldview Journal. Accessed November 3, 2016. http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/indepth/15062-jesus-christ-and-the-kingdom-of-god

Strauss, Mark. Four Portraits, One Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.

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[1] Chung, “The Incarnation and Mission of Christ”

[2] Letham, The Work of Christ, 57.

[3] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”

[4] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”

[5] Letham, The Work of Christ, 59.

[6] Letham, The Work of Christ, 60.

[7] Letham, The Work of Christ, 59.

[8] Letham, The Work of Christ, 60.

[9] Letham, The Work of Christ, 61.

[10] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”

[11] Letham, The Work of Christ, 62-63.

[12]Chouinard, “The kingdom of God,” 236.

[13]Herman Hendrickx, The miracle stories of the synoptic gospels (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1987), 11. Nowadays people speak of miracles in terms of a ‘violation of the laws of nature’. The more important this ‘violation’, the greater the miracle. But Jesus and his contemporaries would not have understood this way of thinking and speaking. They were not familiar with our concept of ‘laws of nature’. In a biblical perspective, therefore, one cannot speak of a miracle as a ‘violation of nature’.

[14]Strauss, Four Portraits, 461-465. 

[15] Letham, The Work of Christ, 68.

[16] Letham, The Work of Christ, 69.

[17] Letham, The Work of Christ, 70.

[18] Letham, The Work of Christ, 62.

[19] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”

[20] Letham, The Work of Christ, 74.

[21] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”

[22] “John Gill's Exposition of the Bible”

[23] Letham, The Work of Christ, 71.

[24]Strauss, Four Portraits, 441. 

[25]Strauss, Four Portraits, 444. 

[26] “Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.”