Part Four: The Revolution Continues
14 Passover People (354)
Resurrection as end of story but also beginning; death defeated; victory in two stages (355); the jailer had been overcome but someone had to unlock the prison doors, to announce the amnesty for sinners, the power of suffering love. What does the revolution look like and how do we join?
Confusion between the evangelism of the works contract and mission (356); this excludes the vocation to be image-bearers reflecting God's glory, building the kingdom on earth as in heaven; Kingdom on Earth as a distraction from heaven, suspicion of earth, believing God will destroy it (357). "Christian mission means implementing the victory that Jesus won on the cross."
The Puritan hope (358), mission through expansion and colonialism; re Handel, Messiah, the worldwide kingdom achieved through Gospel preaching then the final resurrection, the aim to bring nations into submission to Creator God. But in 19th Century turned to saving souls from earth and for heaven (359). The 'Enlightenment' and Cartesianism (361).
Rethinking Mission. Victory without forgiveness and vice versa both incomplete; when we see the victory of Jesus in Passover terms, new Christian movement not a religion but a new way of life, not as mundane as an "ity" or an "ism" (362); the royal priesthood worships the god of heaven and work for his kingdom on earth (363); a balance between sin and affirmation (364); church errors. Respond with love (365); the message of Acts (366) 2 Corinthians 6.4-10; the necessity of suffering (367); "... the revolution that began on the cross only works through the cross"; suffering and miracles in Acts (368) and Romans (369). Romans 5.3-5 and 8.17-25 (370); implementing Christ's victory and sharing his glory; Romans 8.26-27 (371-72); suffering is bound to come but woe to those who impose it (Matthew 18.7) (373); the gradualism of suffering love (374); Bonhoeffer (375); victory and persecution (376); martyrs; when we are weak we are strong (377). Sacramentality: Baptism (378); Eucharist, 1 Corinthians 11.26 (379); a public announcement of victory (380-81).
15 The Powers and the Power of Love (382)
John 20.21-23, 21.18 (383); Luke 24.46-49 wider than individual sin and forgiveness; forgiveness as the new reality (384); Jesus' post resurrection new way of being human signals our new way of being human; forgiveness the new reality (385); incredulity in the face of resurrection and forgiveness; Resurrection result of death's defeat, forgiveness result of sin's defeat (386).
Freedom. After the cross the world is free to give allegiance to God (387); the necessity of the Gentile mission, Acts 26.16-18 (388); 1 Thessalonians 1.9-10; Acts 14.15-17, 17.22-31(389); Galatians 1.3-4, 4.3-5,8-9 (390); 1 Corinthians 2.8; Colossians 2.14-15; Romans 1.16 (391) not just beneficiaries but agents.
The powers defeated but capable (392); the world's ills (393); the victory of the cross must be declared. Sex (394) celebrities and clergy (395); forgiveness requires repentance. Power (396) Mammon, Aphrodite and Mars; moral effort, mental effort and spiritual guidance (397) "A sinning Christian is like someone walking on stage and reciting the lines that belonged in yesterday's play" (398). "... the power of self-giving love unveiled on the cross is the real thing, the power that made the world in the first place and is now in the business of remaking it;" and earthly power is a distortion (399). Speak truth to power for the powerless (400); Jesus power (401); Psalm 72.1-2, 4, 11-14 (402); holiness combines the public and the private (403); the groaning of the spirit (404); the new creation work of justice and beauty; Wittgenstein: "it is love that believes the resurrection" (405-06).
The Powers and the Power of Love. We must have both halves of Galatians 1.4; Mission is neither about saving souls for heaven or building the kingdom on earth; but is worshipping and working for signs of the kingdom in lives and institutions. Life after life after death (407-08); again, abandoning Platonised eschatology, moralised anthropology and paganised soteriology.
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