New Testament scholar James D. G. Dunn wrote that the
kingdom of God is found wherever the end-time Spirit dwells. God anointed Jesus
with the Spirit at his baptism; thus the kingdom was located in and through Jesus.
He said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you” (Matt 12:28).
After his ascension, Jesus poured out the Spirit upon the
church. Hence, the church has now become the locus of the kingdom. Since the
church is located throughout the world, the kingdom reaches far beyond bounds
of Palestine.
The eschatological Spirit empowers the church to preach the
gospel of the kingdom and call upon all hearers to pledge their allegiance to
King Jesus, who reigns from on high. The Spirit also endows the church with
kingdom ministry gifts to meet people’s physical, emotional, economic, and
spiritual needs. The kingdom-focused church operates according to kingdom ethics and serves as an alternative society in contrast to the world.
Whereas the kingdom of God was manifested only in and through
Jesus, the first man possessed by the eschatological Spirit, so now, it is found wherever the church is located. Every time another person
comes under the rule of Christ, God’s kingdom expands and Satan’s diminishes.
[To learn more about the kingdom of God, read “Heaven on
Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now.” You won’t be
disappointed! Available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com}
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