: W. E. Vine
: The Church and Its Mission Critical Issues for Leaders in Local Churches and in Missionary Service
: Kingsley Books
: 9781912149537
: 1
: CHF 10.50
:
: Religion/Theologie
: English
: 384
: kein Kopierschutz
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
'I will build my church,' said Christ. 'This introduces certain questions for our consideration,' said W.E. Vine, 'namely, what the Church is, and what are its calling, constitution, and destiny.' Moreover, 'in the mind of God, the ultimate object of missionary activity is the planting of churches.' The Church and its Mission looks at these two facets of the work of God in this world. 'The Church and the Churches' is an excellent exposition of the New Testament doctrine of the church in which W.E. Vine unfolds the truths of both the universal church and the local church. He addresses vital topics such as spiritual gifts, church organization, baptism, the Lord's Supper, church discipline, and tithing. 'The Divine Plan of Missions' is a practical guide to missionary work, reflecting W.E. Vine's experience with Echoes of Service. By corresponding with more than 1,000 missionaries, he came to understand the challenges and opportunities of missionary work. Each of these sections of The Church and Its Mission also includes shorter articles that examine critical issues for leaders in local churches and in missionary service.

CHAPTER TWO

The Church and the Kingdom of Heaven

The Lord s statement to the Apostle Peter, that upon the rock foundation of the truth of his confession, as embodied in His own Person, He would build His Church and the gates of Hades should not prevail against it, was followed by the promise, I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19). It is important to observe the distinction made by the Lord between the Church and the Kingdom of Heaven. To identify the two gives rise to much confusion.

The Kingdom of Heaven describes Heaven as the place from which authority proceeds, while the earth is the sphere in which it is exercised. Heaven is God s Throne, the Seat of Divine Government (Ps. 11:4; 103:19; Matt. 5:34; Acts 7:49). When the One who exercises the authority is the pre-dominant thought, the phrase used is the Kingdom of God, a phrase which also extends beyond all the various ages of time with their dispensational features.

The Heavens have always ruled (Dan. 4:32). Inasmuch, too, as the Kingdom of Heaven assumed a special phase with the testimony of Christ in the days of His flesh, obviously the Kingdom of Heaven preceded the formation of the Church. While yet the inception of the Church was future, Christ denounced the Pharisees for shutting up the Kingdom of Heaven against men: Ye enter not in yourselves, He said, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter (Matt. 23:13). That alone would be sufficient to show that there is a distinction. They were not hindering men from entering the Church, as it did not then exist.

The Keys

In saying to Peter, I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, He was at once differentiating between the Kingdom and the Church, of which He had just spoken. The keys are symbolic of authority and of the power to give admission to something. In this case, the admission was not to the Church. Peter did not open the door into the Church, either when He preached to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost or when he preached to Gentiles in the house of Cornelius. If the preaching of the gospel is the opening of the door into the Church, then all who engage in preaching are openers of the door. Moreover, the Lord s commission to preach the gospel was given to all the apostles, as recorded in Matthew 28:19. While, on the one hand, He was about to build His Church, which would consist of true believers only, His disposition of the affairs of the Kingdom of Heaven, of which He handed Peter the keys, was quite another matter. It had to do initially with the nation of Israel, in the midst of which the powers of the Kingdom had already been exercised, though it was not limited to Israel.

Israel and the Kingdom

Whereas there is no mention of the Church in Christ s previous discourses, He had constantly spoken of the Kingdom of Heaven, as also had His herald John the Baptist in his special mission to Israel. Each had given the nation the message, Repent ye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matt.