In a previous post, I mentioned the dictum, “That where
the end-time Spirit is, there is the kingdom.”
James Dunn notes that Luke in his Gospel uses the terms "kingdom of God" and "Spirit" interchangeably.
For instance,
on one occasion he writes, “If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).
But a chapter later, Luke writes: “But seek
the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear,
little flock, for it is your Father’s
good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (12:31‒32).
Spirit and kingdom go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other.
The Spirit is a "foretaste" of the ultimate kingdom
to come. He is the first installment of the "not yet" kingdom,
which will arrive one day on Earth in its fullness (Eph 1:14).
Dunn puts it this way: The
Spirit “is the present-ness of the coming kingdom.”
This is an important observation since most churches have no awareness of the Spirit's presence. If the Spirit does not show up, the power of the kingdom is missing. Emotional and/or physical worship with its gyrations is a poor substitute for genuine Spirit-filled worship and ministry where God's presence is evident.
To minister in the power of the Spirit in these last days as Christ expects, we must have kingdom-focused and kingdom-driven churches.
[If you would like to know more about the Spirit and the kingdom, read "Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now," available in paperback and Kindle via Amazon]
No comments:
Post a Comment