1. Kingdom of God and Church of God (Bride) are different and has independent identity. Thought both are connected but separate.
• Kingdom of God: The kingly rule of God in the lives of people and nations. It refers to the recognition of the authority of God, rather than a definite geographical area, and begins with the ministry of Jesus Christ.
• Church: From the Greek kuriakos (belonging to the Lord), but it stands for another Greek word ekklesia (whence “ecclesiastical”), denoting an assembly. According to Smith's Bible Dictionary, “Ecclesia” the Greek word for church, originally meant an assembly called out by the magistrate, or by legitimate authority.
• New Testament images of the church is the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5), the bride of Christ Revelation 21:2, and God’s household or family (Ephesians 2:19) but we must know Jesus Christ and Church are one flesh (Ephesians 5:25-33). It is much more than just body.
2. Entry into Kingdom of God our trust is Jesus and John 3:3- 5 entries into Church is our obedience to Christ and willingness to suffer for Him Rev 3:20
3. Church is “called out people”, Called out from where and for what? Church is called out Kingdom of God not from the Kingdom of Satan. According to Matthew 16, Jesus is building His Church and we are asked to build His Kingdom.
4.We can be one place at-a-time (I Cor 10:32-34). According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:32 “Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God”. All three are different. To Corinthians Paul is saying since you are in the Kingdom of God and “called to be saint” do not case anyone to stumble and since these three are not in the Kingdom of God.
5. From Kingdom of God we can go to heaven if not hell but from Church we will go to heaven if not back to Kingdom of God.
6.John Calvin was right when he said “once saved eternally saved” but we must be in the Church (Bride) not in the Kingdom of God. Armenian was right too but we must be in the Kingdom of God otherwise we can lose our salvation (Math 13)
7. Where was Paul? Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:4-6 “Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering”. “We” and “You”, therefore we see here Paul was in the Church and the people of Thessalonians were in the Kingdom of God.
8. Paul’s letters are important to us. Two different names and titles are used to address his readers. For those who are in Kingdom of God he calls them as “Called to be saints” and for those in the Church are “Saints”.
Paul letters to people in the Kingdom of God
• Romans 1:7 - called to be saints
• 1 Thessalonians 2:12 - who calls you into his kingdom and glory
• 2 Thessalonians 1:5 - you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.
Paul letters to people in the Church
• 2 Corinthians 1:1 - All the saints
• Ephesians 1:1 - To the saints
• Philippians 1:1 - To all the saints
• Colossians 1:2 - To the holy
Address to both Kingdom of God and To Church
• 1 Corinthians 1:2 - To those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.
9. What we will get if we are in the Church and in the Kingdom of God? Book of Revelation gives answer to this question. Chapter 2 is to People in the Churches (Four Churches) and Chapter 3 is to People in Kingdom of God (Three Churches)
A.To Church (Bride)
• Ephesus, “To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.”
• Smyrna, “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
• Pergamum,” To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it”
• Thyatira, “To him, who overcomes, I will give authority over the nations ... [and] also ... the morning star.”
B. To Kingdom of God
• Sardis, “He who overcomes will ... be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life.”
• Philadelphia, “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
• Laodicea, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne....”
10. The Church (Bride) will not go through tribulation but the Kingdom of God will go tribulation and great tribulation.
11. There is end for the present Kingdom of God: “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26.
12. When Jesus handover the Kingdom to the Father then Church (Bride) comes down. According to Rev 21:2 “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God”.
The question is where am I now, in the Church or in the Kingdom?
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