Victory Groups

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Introduction

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘖𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟵:𝟲–𝟳 God’s government or kingdom is a central theme throughout Scripture. It is usually defined as the realm wherein God rules as King. This is not just limited to heaven; it also includes God’s rule on earth, where Jesus, God’s anointed King, reigns. God’s kingdom is not limited to a particular geographic area or people group. It encompasses His rule in heaven and earth, visible and invisible realms (Colossians 1:16–17). It can be experienced by anyone and in any sphere of society. God’s kingdom is very good (Genesis 1:31), and He appointed mankind to rule the earth as His representatives. However, man sinned and gave over the rule of the world to Satan (Luke 4:5–6; John 12:31–33; 14:30; 16:11), and a curse came upon the created order. Sin produced death, disease, poverty, discord, injustice, and a host of other evils entered the world. That is why Jesus, who is God, became man: to establish God’s government on earth. When King Jesus first came, He inaugurated the kingdom of God, which is characterized by peace, justice, righteousness (Isaiah 9:7), and joy (Romans 14:17). It started small, but will continue to increase until it permeates every sphere of society and transforms all of creation. He restored the original design of man ruling over all the world, while being under God’s rule. Jesus defeated the enemy by His death and resurrection. When He ascended, He received all authority in heaven and on earth: “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮𝟴:𝟭𝟴–𝟮𝟬 When Jesus commanded His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, He wasn’t just talking about discipleship on a Sunday afternoon at the local coffee shop. He was talking about discipling the nations. He also didn’t just mean random people who happen to be everywhere. He was talking about specific nations and people groups that will one day gather around the throne and worship Him in a thousand tongues. The calling of the people of God has always been like that: global and expansive, touching every sphere of life and society. The calling didn’t start with the Great Commission in Matthew 28; it started right after God created Adam and Eve in Genesis. Throughout the biblical record, it has always been clear that humanity was called to declare the glory of God in the world. When Jesus comes again, His kingdom will be fully consummated and all of creation will be transformed and placed under His benevolent rule forevermore. As His people, we have a role to play in the meantime. We are to disciple individuals, families, and nations so they would be redeemed and transformed according to God’s design under His kingdom. This is the heart of the Victory group material in your hands. Christ has been given authority over all of creation, in every sphere of society. There is no space in the created order that is not answerable to His Lordship. His government and kingdom are ever-increasing and everlasting. As His people, we are called to bring this kingdom to every sphere of society. The Scriptures reveal three divinely ordained human authorities, which God has instituted to govern the affairs of earth: family, church, and civil government. Government provides direction, regulation, control, and restraint. It is like the steering wheel, gear shift, and gas and brake pedals of a car that enables the driver to arrive at a destination. Government—saying this word alone can lead to a thousand reactions and statements, especially in our national context. No matter what your opinion is about this, government plays a role in everyone’s lives. It refers not only to civil government, but to divine or human authority exercising the right and power to rule. But the good news is, when we submit to God’s government, that is when we will experience His benevolent and caring, righteous and just rulership. The material is therefore divided into four sections to cover the major spheres of government that should be brought into obedience to Christ’s rule: 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱: 𝗛𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 Self-government under God is foundational to the three other spheres of government God instituted: family, church, and civil government. Without self-government, all these will break down and fail. This section covers how we, under God’s rule and power, will be able to govern key aspects of our lives: our hearts, tongues, bodies, time, and money. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 & 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 The family is known as the basic unit of society. God gave His mandate to be fruitful, multiply, and take dominion over all the earth to the first family He created. Society and all nations began through this family. Even today, families are the building blocks of a nation and play an essential role in it. The erosion of the family leads to the erosion of society. If we are to disciple a nation, we need to disciple families and teach them about God’s purpose. In this section, we will study His purpose for the family and the structures He ordained to govern the relationships within it. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 & 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and the chief instrument to glorify God and advance His kingdom in the nations. When the Church is governed according to Christ’s ways, it will be healthy and equipped to carry out its mandate to make disciples of all nations. In this section, we will examine God’s purpose for the Church in the world, the governmental order He established in the Church, and the roles of church leaders and members, both within the Church and the world. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 & 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 The Bible boldly declares that 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 belongs to Jesus (Matthew 28:19) and that 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘎𝘰𝘥 (Romans 13:1). Rulers and governments only derive their authority from God’s authority over the nations. In this section, we will examine God’s intention and purpose for civil government by looking at the biblical narrative. We will also look at how believers in the Bible and throughout history have responded to civil government. When we truly understand God’s design for civil government and our role as a Church and individual believers, we will be better equipped to advance God’s kingdom and disciple the nation. The all-encompassing power and authority of Jesus over every sphere of society and created order serve as the basis and scope of the Church’s discipleship mandate. We are obviously not there yet. So many people still don’t know Jesus. Families are still broken. Societies still deny the name of Christ. Governments still stand in opposition to the rule of God. But the mandate of the Church to go and proclaim Jesus is as clear as ever. We are called to make disciples of all nations. The task is global, and yet we must start where we are—in our homes, in our communities, in our nation.

A Vision for God's Government

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • What comes to your mind when you hear the word “government”? • What’s one thing about your family you are grateful for? Why? • What’s one thing about your nation that you would like to change? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘖𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟵:𝟲–𝟳 If you were to create a government, what would it be like? Would it be characterized by peace, joy, justice, and righteousness? Would it consider the welfare and prosperity of its citizens above all else? Would crime, corruption, and poverty be eradicated? Can such a government exist? Yes! It’s the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God—also known as God’s government, rule, and reign—is a central theme throughout Scripture. It is usually defined as the realm wherein God rules as King. This is not just limited to heaven; it also includes God’s rule on earth, where Jesus, God’s anointed King, reigns. God’s kingdom is not limited to a particular geographic area or people group. It encompasses His rule in heaven and earth, visible and invisible realms (Colossians 1:16–17). It can be experienced by anyone and in any sphere of society. Today we’ll get to know the kingdom of God better to have a vision of its goodness, desire to seek it, and be willing to advance it in all spheres of life. Here are three key characteristics of His kingdom. 𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” 𝘚𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮; 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘉𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” . . . 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗦 𝟭:𝟮𝟲–𝟮𝟴, 𝟯𝟭 God created everything 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. There was peace and abundance. Humanity lived in harmony with God and nature. God created humankind in His image and likeness to serve as His vice-regents. They were to fill the earth, take dominion, and govern, while they themselves were under God’s rule. So everything—all the world, every sphere of society, and each human government structure—was to be governed under God’s kingdom. Everything was meant to reflect His goodness. Would you want to live under such a benevolent ruler? Why? 𝟮. 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮𝟴:𝟭𝟴 “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘖𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.” 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟵:𝟲–𝟳 God’s kingdom is very good (Genesis 1:31), and He appointed mankind to rule the earth as His representatives. However, man sinned and gave over the rule of the world to Satan (Luke 4:5–6; John 12:31–33; 14:30; 16:11) and a curse came upon the created order. Sin produced death, disease, poverty, discord, injustice, and a host of other evils in the world. That is why Jesus, who is God, became man: to establish God’s government, restoring the original design of man ruling over all the world while being under God’s rule. Jesus defeated the enemy by His death and resurrection. When He ascended, He received 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 (Matthew 28:18). His kingdom is characterized by peace, justice, righteousness (Isaiah 9:7), and also joy (Romans 14:17). Why do you think people are looking for this kind of kingdom? 𝟯. 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳, 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘖𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘻𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟵:𝟲–𝟳 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦.” 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗪 𝟮𝟴:𝟭𝟴–𝟮𝟬 When King Jesus first came, He inaugurated the kingdom of God. It started small, but will continue to increase until it permeates every sphere of society and transforms all of creation. God designed how we, as individuals, are to be governed. He also had an original design for families and civil society. Though the world system remains fallen and society isn’t functioning according to God’s design, He is zealously at work to transform and align these to His kingdom. When Jesus comes again, His kingdom will be fully consummated and all of creation will be transformed and placed under His benevolent rule forevermore. As His people, we have a role to play in the meantime. We are to disciple individuals, families, and nations. As a result, they will be redeemed and transformed according to God’s design under His kingdom. How do Revelation 11:15 and 21:1–4 paint a picture of the kingdom of God? Why should we make disciples and advance His kingdom where we are today? In the succeeding lessons, we will look at God’s intended design for different spheres of government: self-government under God, family, church, and civil government. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • What did you learn from this lesson about God’s kingdom and government? How do you think this applies to your life today? • How do you think God’s design for government should affect you individually, your family, your church, and your nation? • How do you think you should live in light of God’s ever-increasing and everlasting kingdom? What is your role in it? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His design and intent for His kingdom. Pray that you would have a growing understanding of this as each day passes. • Pray that you would fulfill your role in God’s kingdom through discipleship. Pray for your family and friends to know God and take part in advancing His kingdom. • Pray for a vision of God’s government that would be increasingly evident in your life, your family, and society. Ask God to transform different spheres of society for His glory.

Self-Government under God

Weeks 2 to 7

Family Government

Weeks 8 to 13

Church Government

Weeks 14 to 19

Civil Government

Weeks 20 to 25

The Kingdom of Christ

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠-𝗨𝗣 • In the last twelve months, tell us about one of the hardest things you did. • Recall a movie or story that had an unexpected ending. • What did you think of history classes in school? Was there a specific era or aspect that intrigued you? 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.” 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟭𝟭:𝟭𝟱 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝗣𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗠 𝟭𝟰𝟱:𝟭𝟯 Everybody loves a happy ending. We like stories where the hero defeats the bad guys and triumphs in the end. It’s not just satisfying to watch. Deep within us, we have an inkling of hope that all things that have gone wrong will be made right. That hope is not misplaced. We’re wired to expect victory because that is how our story ends. The book of Revelation shows us what it will look like: All the kingdoms of the world will fall under the kingdom of our Lord and He shall reign without end. That is to say, Paul’s claim that every knee will bow to Christ and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10–11) will be the future reality of the world. Isaiah saw the same thing and prophesied that the increase of His government and the peace that He brings will never end (Isaiah 9:7). Even the pagan sorcerer Balaam from long ago saw the rising of the King from Jacob’s bloodline and His ultimate victory and dominion over other kingdoms (Numbers 24:17–19). What’s different about the kingdom of Christ is not just that it will outlast all other kingdoms, but that it will be characterized by the ideals that we have all been looking for in our governments: righteousness, peace, and justice (Isaiah 9:6–7; 11:1–16; Romans 14:17). King Jesus will prove to be the leader we have all been longing for, and His kingdom will be the fulfillment of our collective ideals, hopes, and dreams for government. But today, we see that the kingdom of God is still far from the picture the Bible paints. So what do we do? Do we try to solve it socially, politically, economically, or intellectually? If we look at history, we see that the kingdom of God will not be fulfilled in these ways. People, politics, economics, and education cannot save the world. The gospel of Christ tells a different story. When people put their faith in Jesus, transformation happens first in their hearts before eventually trickling into society. The world is not changed by a wholesale, top-down approach. It will happen when people put their faith in Christ, grow in a loving community, and go into the world to help others encounter Jesus. As this continues and more people are transformed by the gospel of Christ, like the mustard seed and yeast in the parables (Luke 13:18–21), it can bring lasting change to every nation. This is why the Church is central to the kingdom of God and the transformation of the world. The Church is how people hear the gospel and experience transformation. It is the center of God’s activity in the world and how He accomplishes His kingdom purpose. Do you want to be part of this? We can change the world and usher people into God’s glorious kingdom by being involved in what our church is doing. 𝟭. 𝗕𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭. 𝗝𝗨𝗗𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝟮:𝟭𝟬 Our church and Every Nation—the global family of churches we are part of—has a mandate to reach the next generation. The future leaders of our society are on campus today. That’s why we are committed to go where they are and proclaim the gospel to them. If we do not, another generation will arise that does not know God. How does a changed life on campus change a family and a community? 𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝟮 𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝟭𝟬:𝟭𝟱–𝟭𝟲 The apostle Paul was always on the lookout for opportunities to bring the gospel to new places and plant churches (Acts 16:9, 12; Titus 1:5). Once a church had been successfully planted, he moved on to the next place. Like Paul, church planting is important for us. With one foot in the campus and another in the community, we desire for more people to come to Christ. In this passage, what was Paul’s hope? Why do you think he never stopped planting new churches and preaching the gospel? 𝟯. 𝗕𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩.” 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝟭:𝟴 We don’t just plant churches and advance God’s kingdom in our nation. We are called to go and make disciples in every nation. This is in obedience to Jesus’ command to take the gospel 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. Because the world needs the transforming power of His gospel, Jesus calls us to look beyond ourselves, our communities, and even our nation. How have you been involved in world missions? How is Acts 1:8 true in your life? Campus ministry, church planting, and world missions are not the only ways God’s kingdom will be fulfilled on earth. His kingdom is vast and all of His people have a part to play. Our global family of churches is just one part of the body of Christ that seeks to reach the world with the gospel. The truth is, God is doing much more than we know and understand, even in places and regions we may not have heard about. Our church is committed to participating in God’s work today through campus ministry, church planting, and world missions. Together, let us honor God and make disciples. We will do this by establishing Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, and socially responsible churches and campus ministries in every nation. 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 • What is your role in Christ’s kingdom? How will you advance His kingdom where you are? • As a church, why do we believe in campus ministry, church planting, and world missions? How can you be involved in this? • When the situation around you does not reflect what God designed, what will you do? Whose responsibility is it to advance God’s kingdom and make Him known? Why? 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 • Thank God for His kingdom that will outlast all earthly kingdoms. Declare your trust and hope in Him today. • Ask God for how you can be involved in campus ministry, church planting, and world missions. Pray that more people would know God through your life and ministry. • Pray for a community or nation that needs to hear the gospel. Pray for them to experience the transformation that can only come through Christ.