The
Kingdom existed in preparation. Christ began His personal ministry during the
days of the Roman Empire. During His personal ministry, the kingdom/church
existed in preparation. Both Jesus and John the Baptist preached that the
kingdom was “at hand” or almost there. Jesus stressed that His kingdom was a
spiritual institution and used the terms “kingdom” and “church”
interchangeably. Jesus said that His kingdom would come “with power”. After His
resurrection, He told the disciples that the power would come when the Holy
Spirit came and that they would be His witnesses beginning at Jerusalem. They
were to wait in Jerusalem until that power came, and at that time, repentance
for the remission of sins would be preached in His name. Peter did just that in
Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.
Prayer Requests: ____________________________________________________________________