As the businessman spoke of his own testimony, he said, "Years ago I heard the gospel of salvation, but only in recent years did I discover the gospel of the kingdom." We know that there aren’t two gospels in the Bible, but this distinction seems to be real in the minds of many. "Gospel" frequently means there is forgiveness of personal sins and there is a ticket to heaven…and oh yes, Jesus will help you become better. It is easy to see how such a truncated gospel can become Christian-centered rather than Christ-centered. This can be cleared up when we look at the description of the gospel in the account of Mark.

"The gospel of God…"

It is prudent to know what God thinks the gospel is. We can all discuss it and spin it for our own presuppositions, but his opinion rules over all. Sure, it encompasses lots of territory. It deals with sin, self, Satan, time, the earth, life after death, and the final return of Christ. In fact, it addresses everything that was affected by the fall of mankind. The gospel is the true restoration process with the final product better than the original. But we tend to focus on one aspect of it and make that "our gospel". We will be better if we listen to God’s declaration of the gospel.

The gospel is an announcement of an event that changes history. After this event nothing will ever be the same again. After hearing this announcement, the hearer will never be the same again. If he or she believes, there is a new life introduced. If he or she does not believe, there is new accountability added to the guilt of sin. But the announcement is not some general offer of heaven and help. It is the bold proclamation that God has acted in history and done something that is monumental. The preaching of the gospel cannot be the timid plea to "accept Jesus as your savior and be assured of eternal salvation." The nature of the message demands the proclamation be bold and majestic. It is about God and his actions first. The response comes later.

"The time is fulfilled."

The two words used most often in the New Testament relating to time are "chronos," which is time in its linear form, and "karios," which is the kind of time that is a moment of opportunity. "Kairos" is a defining moment. It is event oriented rather than process oriented. It is a moment that makes "chronos" time make sense. Jesus is saying here that a new day has dawned. The old era has come to a close with a new day arriving. Time is fulfilled in that all the shadows of the Old Testament have become substance in him. He is the antitype to the various types of the previous era. He explains the parables and solves the riddles. He completes Israel’s mission, fulfills its law as well as its temple and inheritance. He has come to reinstate normalcy to life on earth. He is declaring that the power of the end times has broken into to now. Nothing has ever happened to compare with this event, and nothing ever will. The climax of history has come. The purpose of the meta-narrative is now evident.

"The kingdom of heaven is here."

Jesus is boldly asserting that he has come to establish on earth the rule of God as it is being done in heaven. They had all looked forward to the end when God would set things right. All injustice and unrighteousness would be addressed and justice and righteousness would prevail in an atmosphere of peace. One day the "Shalom" of God would reign over the earth like before the fall. Jesus was announcing that hope as being present. At least two aspects of this announcement are: that judgment has come, and that the original game is back on.

Jesus came to be the final judgment. Because he took upon himself the wrath of violated justice, it is now possible for someone to be declared in the right before the end of chronos. Believers are "justified". They are marked off as righteous even before the final judgment. Judgment has moved from the end of time to the now. Those who receive him receive the benefit of his redeeming sacrifice. Those who reject him have refused the only solution for their guilt. They are condemned already. Their judgment is based on their response to him, not to their good or bad works. It also means that the forces of evil have been judged. The cross of Jesus brought the defeat of hell’s authority and power. We who live in Jesus’ name have the superior hand as we rely on the faithfulness of God. The demons of hell have not been annihilated, but Satan has been exposed as the accuser of the brothers and sisters. He gains authority only as we give it by listening to his lies.

The original game is back on. Remember! God created mankind to be his partners in subduing the earth. The fall of mankind interrupted the plan. The resurrection of Jesus put the original plan back in play. It is our privilege to work with him not only in evangelizing the lost, but in discipling them to discover the treasures of the earth and to rule over creation with the power of love. The gospel has the power to restore all that the fall destroyed. There is much work to do, and we get to work not only in fellowship with God, but as partners with God.

In recent years there has been a theory floated that time (chronos) is running out and there is not enough time to play the original game. Much of the church has been running the "two minute offense" we so often see in close football games when the teams realize they have only two minutes left to win or lose the game. In this state you have to abandon most of the plays in the playbook. Only a few long passes and trick draws are usable in this time-squeezed period. Buying into this theory, abandons the earth and much of society, while the focus is on getting more people ready for heaven.

There is time. Sure the task is large. It looks impossible… but it is nothing compared to the impossibility of building a church with the dead body of Jesus. But then came Easter. We have the resources now to partner with him as he establishes his redeemed people on earth displaying his kingdom.

There must be a response to this kind of announcement! What are we supposed to do in light of the radical nature of this proclamation? Jesus has a ready answer: repent and believe the gospel. Like the word "gospel," the word "repentance" has been shriveled. It usually means to be sorry for my sins and try to do better. Repentance in this context is much bigger than that. It involves the choice to change in order to accommodate the new announcement. If time has been interrupted by God and the power of the end has invaded the now, everything must change. We must view everything differently. The old sin-cursed order has been redeemed.

History is no longer the story of civilizations coming and going without inherent meaning. History is about a loving and powerful God who created mankind to fellowship with him and partner with him in the earth project. He didn’t give up when mankind chose against him, but put in place a plan that would bring history to a time when he would through his own Son reinstate the original purpose of creation. The world is not just some disposable mud ball waiting to intersect with a random meteor or explode at the whim of some crazed dictator with his hand on the nuclear button. It is a part of the creation and thus a part of the redemption. Our work is not longer viewed as the penalty of sin or the necessary but unpleasant task of those who are required to "make a living." We are working with God to discover the treasures he has hidden in his creation, and apply the redemption he has granted to the worlds of commerce, education, politics, etc. That, in turn, will affect our attitude toward money. Money is not the primary reward for work. It is not the ultimate treasure. Money is just a tool for establishing the kingdom on earth. We will no longer use the Old Testament concept of tithe to regulate our giving. This greatly limits the freedom to commit 100% to the purposes of restoration, and usually produces a fearful legalism toward money and God. Now we can joyfully use all our abilities to create wealth in every sphere for the glory of God. Why not have as a goal to invest 90% in direct kingdom projects while using the remaining 10% to fund the personal visions and responsibilities we have as earth dwellers? The joy of giving is greatly enhanced when we stop seeing it as paying what we owe. We can’t repay God for his grace, nor can we buy him off from cursing us. The truth is that we are new creation givers. Our new DNA is the same as the one who gave his Son. Only when we decide to be givers will the joy come. With the joy will come many creative ways to create wealth for the benefit of his purposes.

Many business men and women are feeling manipulated by the church leaders who demand that they give a tithe to the local church but who do not see the opportunities to carry out the mission to subdue the earth in so many other areas. Repentance is going to affect the arena of money and that always causes turmoil. Messing with people’s gods is very threatening.

Maybe one of the most radical areas of repentance will be in the concept of discipleship. We have assumed that the most important issues are related to our fellowship while we have largely ignored the partnership aspect. Discipleship is thought of as being consistent in devotional time, scripture reading, prayer, church attendance, sharing faith, and regular giving. What about how to implement the values of the kingdom in the marketplace? How does being a Christian relate to my civic responsibility beyond voting? How do we educate our children consistent with the mandates of scripture? What are our missionary responsibilities?

Robert Lynn quotes William Diehl a former Bethlehem Steel executive,

It is not enough that we have people practicing the devotional disciplines though these are vital to maintaining spirituality. Equipped disciples are ready to get on with the original plan and purpose of creation.

The problems in the world are big! But the power of the gospel is bigger! Because Jesus has been resurrected from the dead, we have hope that all things can change. We are not pessimistic pilgrims awaiting rescue from this world. We are hope-filled ambassadors of an already inaugurated heavenly kingdom steadily working like leaven through the lump of dough. Sure the fall added difficulty to the task of subduing the earth, but the resurrection has given adequate power to fulfill the mandate.

I refer again to the previously mention article by Robert Lynn as he quotes the words of Martin Luther King Jr. as he faced remarkable odds against his message in 1957. He was no pessimist as he stood against the forces of prejudice and injustice. His outlook was illuminated by the light of an eschatological gospel.

The gospel of God gives undiminished hope. So how do we face the obstacles in our world today? How can we have hope when terrorism and fear seem to permeate the air? How can we steadily go about our assignment as if looming doom were not hanging over our heads? We have heard a joyful sound. It announced that the kingdom of God has arrived. We have heard of a man who was raised from the dead putting all enemies under his feet. And we know him. We walk in fellowship with him as we partner with him in his mission of redemption. He will not and cannot fail.