The Kingdom of God, Mentor Guide, MG02

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T H E K I N G D O M O F G O D

covenant (Jer. 31.31ff.; Ezek. 36.14ff.; 26). Through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus, believers now partake of God’s Spirit (2 Cor. 3.6ff.), who is the pledge or down payment of our inheritance (2 Cor. 1.22; 5.5; Eph. 1.14), the “firstfruits” and the seal of God (2 Cor. 1.22; Eph. 1.13; 4.30). Because of these lofty and gratitude-producing truths, we can now expect the Holy Spirit to demonstrate in the midst of the Church acts of power, miracle, blessing, transformation, and healing which correspond to the fact that the new age has already dawned in Jesus Christ. The Spirit of the Messianic age has been poured out, and the enemies of God are being defeated through the active warfare of the Church of God. Jesus will confirm his divine Word in the midst of his people with signs following, both that his own people might know of the truth of the Gospel, as well as be given tangible, objective evidence that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. In leading the students through the remainder of this lesson, it will be important for you to remain clear as to the objective of it in the overall sense of the Kingdom module itself. Given the low view of the Church by many in ministry, it is necessary for us to rebuild a better, more biblical view of the Church. For the purposes of our kingdom study, we are looking at the dual role of the Church both as locus and as agent of the Kingdom of God in the world today. As mentioned before, the role of the Church as locus is intimately connected to its role as agent. In these segue questions, strive to enable your students to discover new connections between the two. Do not hesitate to explore their questions over specific items related to the teaching, but if at all possible, underscore this fundamental relationship of the Church in its role as the Kingdom’s life and witness. As the locus, the Church experiences firsthand the wonders of the Kingdom it testifies to, and as agent the Church actively demonstrates in its witness, compassion, works of miracles and healings, and its testimony and love the truth that the Messianic age has come in Jesus. Highlight these truths as you review the material from the last segment.

13 Page 86 Student Questions and Response