by Steve | Jul 23, 1999 | Archive - 1999
Archive: Easter People sparks renewal within British Methodism
July/August 1999
Good News
Easter People, a dynamic evangelical event in British Methodism, met for their yearly celebration during the week following Easter. The event has grown from 800 in 1988 to about 12,000 attending the “Hopin’ and Dreamin’“ 1999 event in Bournemouth, a city in southern England.
From 7 a.m. to midnight, programs included events for youth of all ages, as well as seminars equipping adults to return to their home churches with more resources for ministry and a deeper love for Christ. The week-long celebration featured many prominent British evangelical speakers, as well as the Rev. Perry Dalton, pastor of Pine Forest United Methodist Church in Pensacola, Florida, who spoke on the need for revival.
Participants selected from a wide variety of programs and even worship styles ranging from “all-age,” “reflective,” “mainstream renewal,” “alternative” or “church for the unchurched” which uses the arts to connect with chose unfamiliar with the church setting.
Dr. Rob Frost, prolific author and national evangelist for the Methodists in the United Kingdom, facilitates the week-long Easter People event that aims to provide as many entry points as possible for Christians to get involved in the work of the church.
This year, participants were given a special opportunity to participate in ministry while attending the conference. An independent evangelical church in Erseke, Albania, requested assistance in serving the needs of over 400 refugees that the church has taken in. In response to this call, the Easter People collected 14 tons of supplies and about £30,000 ($48,000 USD) for the refugees, including money for the Tearfund, which provides water and primary health care for Albanians.
In addition to the supplies, a prayer vigil in the central park was held from 9 p.m. until midnight one evening for Serbian and Albanian Christians. A cross constructed of thousands of candles lit up the night as the Easter People stood silently praying for their brothers and sisters in crisis.
Dr. Frost told the Methodist Recorder, “We needed to react to the situation while we are gathered here in Bournemouth. We would have otherwise faced the allegation of being blinkered Christians, having our eyes shut and our ears closed. Things are happening around the world and if we did not relate to them we could appear to be on our own in our own little enclave, having a happy-clappy time without any reference to what goes on in the world. So, we have made these responses, one practical in sending aid and one spiritual through prayer.”
Frost believes that the turn of the millennium provides one of the best opportunities for sharing the Gospel with others, since it marks the 2,000 anniversary of the birth of Christ. Throughout this year, Frost has toured Great Britain and facilitated a dramatic presentation in various communities based on The Lord’s Prayer. Church members recruit talented dancers, actors, and musicians from their communities to perform in the program, therefore drawing an audience of those who would not be as likely to visit a “church play.”
The “Hopes and Dreams” musical – which features drama, comedy, and dance – explores the hopes and dreams for the new millennium. The musical was held in 36 different venues throughout the United Kingdom with more than 50,000 in attendance. More than 4,000 local townspeople participated as choir members. “Hopes and Dreams” is now a resource that local churches can use within their own communities.
Because of the enthusiastic response to the presentations and conferences, Easter People will take a different shape next year. Bournemouth hotels cannot accommodate such a large number of people, and organizers are having difficulty finding venues for the daily sessions. As a result, the year 2001 conference will split into smaller groups, and several sessions will be held regionally. As the new regional conferences begin, Dr. Frost hopes to raise up new leaders from all generations and genders, as well as from all denominations.
Frost is also the founder of the Share Jesus Mission, a ministry that links teams of men and women up with host churches throughout Great Britain in order to participate in effective and diverse front-line evangelism activities within a community. More than 500 participate in this dynamic ministry in the U.K. each year.
JULY/AUGUST 1999
by Steve | Jan 23, 1999 | Archive - 1999
Archive: John Wesley’s View of the Kingdom
By Joel B. Green
January/February 1999
Good News
“Preaching in the evening at Spitalfields on “Prepare to meet thy God,” I largely showed the utter absurdity of the supposition that the world was to end that night. But notwithstanding all I could say, many were afraid to go to bed, and some wandered about in the fields, being persuaded that, if the world did not end, at least London would be swallowed up by an earthquake. I went to bed at my usual time, and was fast asleep by ten o’clock.”
-John Wesley
As illustrated by this journal entry above, Wesley was not one to predict dates for the end times. Yet that is not to say he was uninterested in the second coming of Christ or eternal life.
In fact, it is not an overexaggeration to say that for Wesley everything is oriented to the fulfillment of God’s rule in the coming kingdom. But the kingdom is no “pie-in-the-sky-in-the-sweet-by-and-by.” It is a reality that calls for present, radical commitment – a life of Christian holiness and service under the present reign of Christ.
The Old Testament depicts God’s kingdom as the ideal existence where all men and women live under the reign of their Lord. The prophets expressed their hope in a new world, where God’s rule would be extended universally – a time of peace and justice under God which would never end (Isaiah 2:4; Daniel 7:14; Zechariah 14:9).
In our own time the nature of the kingdom of God, especially as presented in the New Testament, has been a matter of controversy. Some have insisted that, for Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, the kingdom is a present reality. And they are right – partially. Jesus did teach that in his person and work the kingdom had invaded history (Matthew 12:22-28). Likewise, early Christianity proclaimed the present reign, or lordship, of Jesus Christ.
Wesley, too, spoke of “that kingdom of God upon earth whereunto all true believers in Christ, all real Christians, belong” (sermon: “Christian Perfection”). Life with God is not merely something to which we may look forward.
“Eternal life commences, when it pleases the Father to reveal his Son in our hearts; when we first know Christ … then it is that heaven is opened in the soul, that the proper, heavenly state commences, while the love of God, as loving us, is shed abroad in the heart, instantly producing love to all mankind” (sermon: “Spiritual Worship”).
In an important sense, then, the kingdom of God is a present reality.
But others have urged, with equal justification, that God’s reign will be realized in the future. According to the Gospels, Jesus looked for the kingdom to be fulfilled in the future. (See, for example, Matthew 7:21-23 and the parables about the kingdom.) The early Christians anticipated the fulfillment of the kingdom at Jesus’ return (Revelation 11:15).
As strongly as Wesley emphasized the present experience of life with God, he was equally confident that the kingdom was “not yet.” In a sermon based on Revelation 21:5 – “Behold, I make all things new” – he underscored the future dimensions of God’s kingdom:
“Very many commentators entertain a strange opinion, that this relates only to the present state of things; and gravely tell us that the words are to be referred to the flourishing state of the Church which commenced after the heathen persecutions …. What a miserable way is this of making void the whole counsel of God, with regard to all that grand chain of events, in reference to his Church, yea, and to all mankind, from the time that John was in Patmos, unto the end of the world!” (sermon: “The New Creation”).
The kingdom may be present, but it is also future. Can both be right, we may ask. Can the rule of God be both “present” and “not yet”? Yes! We experience a foretaste of the kingdom now, and yet long for its fulfillment when Jesus returns.
In his time, Wesley recognized this dual nature of God’s reign, and in his Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament wrote: “The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are but two phrases for the same thing. They mean, not barely a future happy state in heaven, but a state to be enjoyed on earth…. In some places of Scripture the phrase more particularly denotes the state of it on earth; in others, it signifies only the state of glory; but it generally includes both” (Matthew 3:2).
The Last Day. What will happen at the end, when Christ returns to establish his kingdom? Wesley often spoke of “that day” – that is, the final day of the Lord. He thought of it in terms of three related events:
- the general resurrection,
- the final judgment, and
- the new creation.
When Wesley taught on the general resurrection, he encouraged believers to “maintain [the resurrection] hope in its full energy; longing for that glorious day, when, in the utmost extent of the expression, death shall be swallowed up forever, and millions of voices, after the long silence of the grave, shall burst out at once into that triumphant song, O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?” (Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament, on 1 Corinthians 15:55). At the resurrection we will be raised in glory, to receive new bodies – immortal and incorruptible.
Afterwards will come the judgment when the righteous will be separated from the unrighteous. At that time everything will be revealed – every appetite, inclination, affection, disposition: “So shall it be clearly and infallibly seen, who was righteous, and who was unrighteous; and in what degree every action or person or character was either good or evil” (sermon: “The Great Assize”). The end of this judgment is that the righteous will inherit eternal life and the unrighteous will be delivered into everlasting punishment.
What qualifies a person for eternal life? “[N]one shall live with God, but he that now lives to God; none shall enjoy the glory of God in heaven, but that he bears the image of God on earth; none that is not saved from sin here can be saved from hell hereafter; none can see the kingdom of God above, unless the kingdom of God be in him below. Whosoever will reign with God in heaven, must have Christ reigning in him on earth” (sermon: “A Blow at the Root; or Christ Stabbed in the House of His Friends”).
This view of judgment and eternal life is fully consistent with Wesley’s emphasis on personal holiness, on living but one’s salvation by growing in Christ-likeness. For Wesley, the end times must never be divorced from life in the here and now.
At last, however, all will be made new – and Wesley accentuates the “all.” Not only humanity, but “the whole brute creation will then, undoubtedly, be restored, not only to the vigour, strength, and swiftness which they had at their creation, but to a higher degree … [as high] as the understanding of an elephant is beyond that of a worm” (sermon: “The Great Deliverance”).
But the most glorious transformation will be that of men and women, as the effects of sin are nullified and God’s people are fully restored. Then there will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more death, and no more sin. “Hence will arise an unmixed state of holiness and happiness, far superior to that which Adam enjoyed in Paradise” (sermon: “The New Creation”).
When will all this take place, and what will be the sign of its coming? On this matter Wesley differed sharply from those who major on end-time speculation, in his day as in our own. In outlining his understanding of Christian perfection, he noted that Christians are never perfect in knowledge, and that our ignorance extends to the time of the Last Day.
We can be certain of the return of Christ and the consummation of the kingdom. But our certainty should not be the basis for speculation. Whatever the Bible does reveal about the end times, this knowledge is not given to tickle our ears or satisfy our curiosity, but to call us to a right response now. “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to [a new heaven and a new earth], make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14).
Wesley recognized that, in view of the coming kingdom and kingdom come, Scriptural Christianity calls for radical commitment – now!
The demands of the kingdom. This present obedience, Wesley believed, should include two elements. First, he emphasized present commitment and devotion. In his sermon on “The Signs of the Times,” Wesley taught that, if we want to be ready for the day of the Lord, we must “begin at the root …. Now repent, and believe the Gospel!” Then, “Stir up the gift of God that is within you. Walk in the light, as he is in the light.” Having become Christians through repentance and faith, we must grow in grace and holiness.
“The righteousness of Christ is doubtless necessary for any soul that enters into glory: But so is personal holiness too, for every child of man” (sermon: “On the Wedding Garment”).
But personal commitment and devotion are only part of a right response to the future God has designed. For Wesley, Christianity was “inward religion,” but much more. He goes on to give this counsel: “it behooves you, in the next place, to help your neighbors.”
Scripture is never optimistic that human efforts will build the kingdom. After all, the kingdom is God’s, and so he alone can usher it in. Nevertheless, we must prepare for the coming kingdom as we serve the Lord Jesus now.
This service is accomplished on the one hand as we, in Wesley’s words, “proclaim the glad tidings of salvation ready to be revealed.” On the other hand, “helping your neighbors” means working for social renewal. In Wesley’s own ministry this concern was obvious in his efforts on behalf of the poor and imprisoned, and in his spirited denunciation of American slavery.
Living between the times. For now, we live between the first coming of Jesus and his future return, between the institution of the kingdom of God and its consummation. While we long for our future eternal life with God, the completion of our salvation, we can experience a foretaste of that life now as we serve the risen Lord.
Joel B. Green is a noted New Testament scholar, professor, and author of many books. This article originally appeared in the January/February 1999 issue of Good News.
by Steve | Jan 13, 1999 | Archive - 1999
Archive: Thoughts on the Kingdom
January/February 1999
Good News
God’s reign
“The kingdom of God is basically the rule of God. It is God’s reign, the divine sovereignty in action. God’s reign, however, is manifested in several realms, and the gospels speak of entering into the kingdom of God both today and tomorrow. God’s reign manifests itself both in the future and in the present and thereby creates both a future realm and a present realm in which man may experience the blessings of his reign.”
-George E. Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom
Already and not yet
“Paul makes much of the fact that Christ is seated ‘at his [the Father’s] right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come’ (Ephesians 1:20, 21). Christ is now in a place of absolute authority over all other authorities; he is ‘the only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords’ (1 Timothy 6:15). Yet – and this is the tension all Christians feel – evil has not been eradicated in this world.
“For a time, until the day of the Lord is completed at the second coming, we must live under two kingdoms: the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. Oscar Cullmann, in Christ and Time, compares our situation to that of the Allies in World War II after D-Day. The decisive battle of the war was fought and won by the Allies on D-day, June 6, 1944. But the war continued and was not over until V-E Day, May 8, 1945 – eleven months later! More American lives were lost between D-Day and V-E Day than at any other time during the war. So it is with Jesus; our D-day is Easter Sunday, and our V-E Day is the second coming. Between the two, the war wages on.
“There are many battles in our war, and – like the Allies in World War II – we will win most of them. The kingdom of God comes intermittently, according to the Father’s will. Our job is to know the will of the Father and cooperate with his work here on earth. He has a strategy, though we may not always (if ever) discern it. Our part is to pray, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Then trust and obey. If we die trusting him, then our death contributes to fulfilling his purposes.
“The kingdom is both future and present, it has been fulfilled in Christ’s first coming and will be consummated in his second coming.
-John Wimber, Kingdom Come
Growing power
“Our religion must renew itself by contact with Paul’s kingdom of heaven religion …. Steeled by it, our religion becomes independent of welcome from the spirit of the age, or of seeing outward success …. Our belief in the kingdom of God must remain primitive Christian, in the sense that we expect its realization not from deliberate organized measures, but from a growing power of the Spirit of God.”
-Albert Schweitzer, The Mysticism of St. Paul
Keep praying
“Jesus’ first followers didn’t think, for a moment, that the kingdom meant simply some new religious advice – an improved spirituality, a better code of morals, or a freshly crafted theology. They held to a stronger, more dangerous claim. They believed that in the unique life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the whole cosmos had turned the corner from darkness to light. The kingdom was indeed here, though it differed radically from what they bad imagined.
“Of course they faced the question: If the kingdom is here, why is there still injustice? Why is there still hunger? Why is there still guilt? Why is there still evil? They didn’t dodge this question. They didn’t escape into saying: Oh, we didn’t mean that; we’re talking about a new individual spiritual experience, leading to our sharing God’s kingdom in heaven, not on earth. No. They went on praying and living the Lord’s Prayer. And they would tell us to do the same.”
-N. T. Wright, The Lord and His Prayer
Satan’s doom
“If we see the work of Jesus as the defeat of Satan and the destruction of Satan’s grip on this world, then suddenly the life, work, death, resurrection of Jesus assumes an impressive unity. He begins the fight with Satan in the exorcisms and healings, attacks Satan where he is strongest … in the realm of death by bringing them back to life … and then himself shatters death as the ultimate weapon of Satan, thus completely destroying the power of Satan. The life of Jesus thus seen is a cohesive, closely knit ascending battle which reaches its climax in the resurrection.”
– James Kallas, The Significance of the Synoptic Gospels
Victorious conclusion
“[Jesus’] miracles are ‘mighty works’ … of the kingdom of God, which in them advertise its presence; they are a taste of ‘the powers of the age to come’ (Hebrews 6:5). In them the grip of the Adversary – who has enthralled men in bonds of disease, madness, death, and sin – begins to be loosened …. The kingdom of God, then, is a power already released in the world. True, its beginnings are tiny, and it might seem incredible that the humble ministry of this obscure Galilean could be the dawning of a new age of God. Yet it is! What has begun here will surely go on to its conclusion; nothing can stop it. And the conclusion is victory.
-John Bright, The Kingdom of God
Demonstrating power
“Jesus did not promise the forgiveness of sins; he bestowed it. He did not simply assure men of the future fellowship of the kingdom; he invited men into fellowship with himself as the bearer of the kingdom. He did not merely promise them vindication in the day of judgment; he bestowed upon them a present righteousness. He not only taught an eschatological deliverance from physical evil; he went about demonstrating the redeeming power of the kingdom, delivering men from sickness and even death.”
-George E. Ladd, The Presence of the Future
Glorious contradictions
“The mystery of the kingdom is the key to understanding the New Testament and the Christian life. It is the only perspective from which one can understand why healing occurs sometimes but not at other times. It is the basis of the experience of the Christian in this world. We are simultaneously ‘new creatures’ in Christ, with new natures, and those who have to struggle with the ‘old man’ and its continual reasserting of its influence in our lives. We are glorious contradictions, at the same time victorious in Christ and beset with weaknesses. This is also true of the church. The church is militant and frail. There is the continual struggle between the city of God and the city of man. Yet at every point the powers of the age to come are overcoming the powers of this present age. The new man in us is taking over the old man. The church militant will rise above the church divided. Jerusalem will defeat Babylon.”
–Derek J. Morphew, Breakthrough: Discovering the Kingdom
Status quo rupture
“The appearing of the kingdom of God in Jesus ruptures the status quo, just as new wine bursts old wineskins. Illusions of stability and authority – both the authority of Roman rule (Mark 12: 13-17) and the authority of the Jewish religious establishment (Mark 11:27-12: 12) – are stripped away. History cannot be seen as a closed system of immanent causes and effects; God’s abrupt intervention fractures apparent historical continuities, and human life is laid bare before God. The cries of the demons are the sure sign of a cataclysmic disturbance in the cosmic order: ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?’ (1:24). The answer is yes: in the coming of Jesus, God has mounted a decisive campaign against the powers of evil that oppress humanity. But the campaign is waged in a mysterious way that no one could have expected, culminating in the cross.”
-Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament
Upside down
“These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also …. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.”
-Acts 17:6-7
Miraculous normalcy
“Are there miracles in the kingdom? No. Only normal events such as people being saved and obeying God who then are involved in other normal events such as healings, deliverances, control of weather, angelic protection, leading and revelation via words of knowledge and wisdom, salvation, loving the unlovable, ‘important’ people serving ‘unimportant’ people, forgiving the guilty, refusing to worry or be bitter or to take revenge or to seek worldly prestige and honor. Such things are only miracles to those whose definition of normalcy is tied to the earth.
“In God’s reality, the universe cannot be split up as Western worldviews do. Nor can the spiritual aspect be disposed of. Jesus came to earth in part to show us how to behave in relation to the universe as God understands it. The concept of miracle as we ordinarily understand it is not helpful to us as we strive to see and relate to things as Jesus taught us. May we learn to judge normalcy by Jesus’ standards.”
-Charles Kraft, quoted in Christianity with Power
