Kingdom Tension Part 2
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Tension,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
In this season of teaching called Kingdom Tension, we’re exploring what it means to be the church between the first and second coming of Jesus. This series, the seventh in an eight-part journey through the Bible, takes us from the book of Acts into Revelation and focuses on how the church lives in the tension of the “now and not yet” of God’s Kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
When Jesus first came, He announced that the Kingdom was near—it had arrived in Him. But it wasn’t the political or nationalistic kingdom many were expecting. It was a kingdom marked by forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life. When Israel largely rejected this Kingdom, Jesus declared that it would be given to a people who would bear its fruit (Matthew 21:43). That people is the Church—those who receive Jesus as King and live under His rule.
As the instrument of God’s Kingdom, the church has a calling: to proclaim the Good News and live it out in word and deed. We are called to demonstrate Kingdom life in our homes, communities, and world. We are, in the words of Paul, “new creations,” and we’ve been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17–19). That means our lives should reflect the love, mercy, and mission of Jesus to a world still in need of healing.
Jesus also gave the Church the keys of the Kingdom (Matthew 16:19). This isn’t about controlling who gets into heaven—it’s about access. In Christ, we now have access to the power and presence of the Kingdom, even as we live in a world still marked by brokenness. The Holy Spirit empowers us to carry out our mission as Kingdom people in real time.
That mission is clear. In Matthew 28, Jesus sends us to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey His commands. He promised to be with us always and sent the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us for this great task. The early church radically lived this out—gathering for worship, sharing their lives, and seeing lives changed daily.
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
