“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and
confirming the word through the accompanying signs.” (Mark 16:20)
Introduction
What message did Jesus preach as He went about His earthly ministry? He preached “the gospel of the kingdom”; in accordance, He healed “all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). The Greek word translated “gospel” is euaggelion, which means “a good message” (STRONG, G2098), or “good tidings” (NASC, G2098). It is the good news! Jesus brought the good news, but it was specific news. It was the good news of the kingdom. If we leave out the kingdom, we are not proclaiming the same gospel that Jesus announced. The kingdom gospel we proclaim must be aligned with what God is revealing today, not just with what He has revealed in the past. The gospel of the kingdom is what Jesus is doing through individual believers, and through churches and ministries, in the now.
We cannot proclaim the gospel of the “here and now” without present revelation from God. Some revelation is given for the manifestation of a healing or deliverance. Other revelation enables us to have a deeper encounter with God. What we must realize is that spiritual revelation from our heavenly Father cannot manifest in the physical world without the assistance of human beings, because that is how God designed it to work.
Study Questions
Part I: The True Gospel of the Kingdom Is One of Power and Revelation
- What power does the gospel have? (Romans 1:16b)
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- (a) What did the apostle Paul marvel over regarding the Galatians’ faith? Complete the following:
Galatians 1:6: “I marvel ___________ _______ _________ _________________ __________ ______ _____________ from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, ______ ______ _____________________ _________________.”
(b) What is the essence of the true gospel of the kingdom, through which God’s power is activated? Complete the following:
Galatians 2:16a: “…a man is not justified by the works of the law but by ____________ ______ ________________ __________________.”
The power of God does not rest in a personality but in the Truth, which is the Word of God.
REFLECTIONS ON SUBSTITUTE GOSPELS
In today’s church, there are various kinds of “gospels” with which the gospel of the kingdom has been replaced, resulting in diluted or abridged human versions devoid of power. Let us review the most common substitute gospels.
- The historical gospel: A belief in a God of history but not in a God who is with us today and will act powerfully on our behalf.
- The “future” gospel: A “gospel” that proclaims forgiveness of sin so a person can go to heaven when he dies but says nothing of reigning with Christ on earth now with dominion authority and power.
- The social gospel: An emphasis on relieving societal problems, such as hunger, poverty, and injustice, but without seeking or relying on God’s supernatural power, through which people can be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally, and through which they have access to God’s abundant provision, power, and strength.
- The gospel of conformity: A “gospel” that does not address the root of human rebellion against God nor challenge people to change, so that they are left in sickness, scarcity, and oppression and in a spiritually stagnant condition, unable to move forward, retaining their sin and never regaining their dominion.
- The motivational gospel: A “self-help” message in which God’s Word is spoken without power, the cross and the resurrection of Jesus are not proclaimed, and the supernatural is absent. It is a gospel adapted to what people want to hear, and it fails to confront them with the destructiveness of their sin, in an effort to avoid offending them. Churches and ministries that don’t preach the gospel of the kingdom produce a complacent Christianity. This is precisely why we don’t often see the manifestations of God’s power in the church.
The main feature distinguishing the gospel of the kingdom from false and incomplete “gospels” is supernatural evidence of God’s presence and power.
- (a) In the days of Samuel the prophet, the Israelites were being led astray by the sons of Eli the high priest. (See 1 Samuel 2:22–24.) What was a sign of the spiritual drought in Israel? (1 Samuel 3:1b)
______________________________________________________________________________________(b) Where there is no revelation from God, what occurs? (Proverbs 29:18a)
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KEY DEFINITION: In the New Testament, the word “revelation” is translated from the Greek word apokalupsis. It means “disclosure” and has connotations of “appearing,” “coming,” “lighten,” “manifestation,” “be revealed,” and “revelation” (STRONG, G602); it also means “an uncovering” (NASC, G602). The verb form, apokalupto, signifies “to disclose,” “to reveal” (STRONG, G601), or “to uncover” (NASC, G601). A revelation from God is something that was previously unknown to the person receiving it. It always brings new knowledge or insight to light or manifests something fresh.
Revelation is a fragment of the knowledge of God that comes into our spirit in an instant, without the need for prior research or investigation, according to God’s will and timing.
- Among the five “ministry gifts” given to the church by Christ, which gifts are particularly able to bring fresh revelation from God to His people? Complete the following:
Ephesians 4:11: “And [Christ] Himself gave some to be ____________________, some _________________, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers….”
Every move of God begins with a divine revelation.
Part II: Revelation Must Be Acted Upon
- (a) What revelation did the woman who suffered from the continual flow of blood express regarding her healing? (Mark 5:28)
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(b) What action did the woman take based on this revelation? (Verse 27)
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(c) What happened next, and what did Jesus tell her? (Verses 29, 34)
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- (a) What revelation of Jesus’ authority and power did the centurion explain as the reason Jesus did not have to go to his servant in order to heal him of his paralysis? (Matthew 8:8b–9)
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(b) What statement did Jesus make about the centurion’s faith? (Matthew 8:10)
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(c) Due to the centurion’s revelation knowledge and faith, what happened to the centurion’s servant? (Verse 13b)
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Each time God reveals a truth, we are activated to obey it and “own” it.
Part III: Stewards of God’s Revelation
- (a) How did Paul receive the gospel that he preached? (Galatians 1:11–12)
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(b) The revelation of the mystery of Christ—His coming to earth to die for our sins and be resurrected—had been kept secret by God since the world began. What did Paul say had occurred concerning this mystery? Complete the following:
Romans 16:25b–26a: “…kept secret since the world began but _________ _________ __________ ____________ ____________________.”
(c) How did Paul refer to the message of the gospel that he proclaimed? Complete the following:
Romans 16:25a: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to ______ ________________ and the preaching of Jesus Christ….”
“Our” gospel of the kingdom is our personal experience of what God has done and is doing in our lives.
(d) In addition to direct revelation from God, on what should the establishment of our faith be based? Complete the following:
Romans 16:26: “…by _________ ____________________ ______________________ has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith.”
- Whenever we receive a revelation or a manifestation of God’s power, we become its caretaker, or steward. What is required of a steward? (1 Corinthians 4:2)
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To preach is to proclaim the truth of God’s Word. To testify is to share personal knowledge as a result of experiencing His Word and power.
… Continued Next Week
