Kingdom Vision

Pastor Mike Leiter MA in Theological Studies, Fuller Seminary Words and phrases can change meanings over time. This is evidenced all over history and is seen in our own modern context. In today's world, if something is "sick" it can mean that they are actually ill or it can mean that it is extraordinary. If someone were to perform a difficult stunt on a skateboard, someone may say, "That move was sick". The spelling and pronunciation of the word remains the same, but the meaning has changed. This is what happened to the New Testament term, "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven." Shortly after the events of the first century, many Christians began to alter the meaning of Kingdom of God due to Greek and Roman philosophical influences and the anti-Jewish sentiments among Gentile Christians and leaders. By stripping away of the Jewish underpinnings behind Jesus' Kingdom teaching, the term was meant to signify something other than what Jesus ...

BEING EQUIPPED AND STAYING ON-MISSION Cessationism is the declining doctrine that mistakenly teaches that God 'ceased' to bless his Church with gifts of the Spirit such as tongues, prophecy, healing, etc. at some point early in Church history. While this doctrine has been thoroughly refuted (dunked on, as the kids say) by nearly every significant and reputable scholar from nearly every Christian tradition, the practical application of this teaching endures in many. One of my favorite seminary professors made this observation in regards to early views on the subject. "Congar [Roman Catholic Scholar] mentions Justin Martyr as an example: this late second-century Apologist claimed that prophecy and charismatic gifts still existed; in fact, it was believed that the charisms [gifts] should accompany the church until the end." (1) Some church leaders have had to invent with reasons why they were not experiencing the gifts during certain segments of Church history. For examp...