Ministry in a Multi-Cultural and Unchurched Society

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Mi n i s t r y i n a Mu l t i -Cu l tura l and Unchur ched Soc i et y

F. We taste the powers of the Age to Come : Satan is bound in our midst, the Curse has been broken here, deliverance is experienced in Jesus’ name, Gal. 3.10-14.

G. We experience the shalom of God’s eternal kingdom : the freedom, wholeness, and justice of the new order are present here, Rom. 5.1.

H. We herald the Good News of God’s reign ( evangelion ): we invite all to join us as we journey to the full manifestation of the Age to Come, Mark 1.14-15.

I. Here we cry Maranatha !: our lives are structured by the living hope of God's future and the consummation, Rev. 22.17-21.

VI. The Kingdom as “Already and Not Yet”: Jesus's Defeat over the Devil and the Meaning of the "Binding"

When Christ took his seat in the heavens, He proved conclusively that Satan’s devastation was complete, that he was utterly undone. Hell was thrown into total bankruptcy. Satan was not only stripped of his legal authority and dominion, but by an infinitely superior force he was stripped of his weapons also. But this is not all. When Jesus burst forth from that dark prison and “ascended up on high,” all believers were raised and seated together with Him “But God . . . brought us to life with Christ. . . . And in union with Christ Jesus he raised us up and enthroned us with him in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 2.4-6 NEB). ~ Billheimer, Destined for the Throne , p. 87

A. Through the Incarnation and the Passion of Christ, Satan was bound.

1. Jesus has triumphed over the devil, 1 John 3.8.

2. Jesus is crowned as Lord of all, Heb. 1.4; Phil. 2.5-11.