Before we can have community we need to know who we are and what were to do. Below is a summary from Derek Morphew's book 'KINGDOM BREAKTHROUGH'.
The Kingdom and the Church
The Old Testament expectation was that the arrival of the “Age to Come” would terminate that present age. The mystery Jesus proclaimed was that the end of the world could break through before this world actually ended. The breakthrough of this “age to come” occurred with Christ’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These last two events of the breakthrough set up the nature of this period of waiting and tension between this age and the age to come.
In Acts 1:6 the disciples asked Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
They were expecting an over throw of the Roman Empire. The disciples /Jews believed the kingdom of this world would be destroyed and replaced by God’s kingdom. The messiah would rule and Israel would be the capitol.
Jesus answer to the disciples announces there will be a delay, eluding what we are to do while were waiting;
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8This provisional period is therefore a time of the Holy Spirit for the church. We as believers are to be faithful until the end, proclaiming, announcing the kingdom until the close of the age.
So which is the Kingdom and which is the Church?
The traditional Roman’s and the Protestant’s views of the past identified the kingdom with the church. A more recent view is dispensational separating the kingdom and the church. This view assumes a Davidic type kingdom related to the nation of Israel and the body of Christ being the church with a different destiny.
Next up;
The Church is not the Kingdom
The Kingdom creates the Church
The Church is a structure of human relationships
