The document discusses the nature of the Kingdom of God and its relationship with the Church, emphasizing the Kingdom's universality, its present and future realities, and the Church's role in manifesting and preaching the Kingdom. It states that while the Church is part of the Kingdom, it is not the entirety of it, as the Kingdom encompasses all of God's people across both covenants. The key message is that preaching the Kingdom of God is a critical mission of the Church.

1. January 28, 2024
Lesson 4
The Church and the Kingdom of God

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“[...] The time is fulfilled, and the
Kingdom of God is near. Repent and
believe in the gospel.” (Mc 1.15)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
Preaching the message of the
Kingdom of God is an important
mission of the Church.

4. DAILY READING
Second - Ps 47.7 The universality of the Kingdom of God
Tuesday - Is 43.15 The Kingdom of God is of a theocratic nature
Wednesday - Rom 14.17 The Kingdom of God as a present
reality
Thursday - 1 Co 6.9,10 The Kingdom of God as a future reality
Sixth - Eph 1.10 The Church as a manifestation of the Kingdom
of God
Saturday - Acts 19.8 Preaching the Kingdom as a mission of the
Church

5. BIBLE READING IN CLASS
Mark 1.14-17
14 - And after John was put into prison, Jesus came to
Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God
15 - and saying: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.
16-And as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and
Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were
fishermen.
17 -And Jesus said to them: Come after me, and I will make
you fishers of men.

6. INTRODUCTION
The Bible presents God as a king (Ps 47.6; 52.7) who exercises
his government and rules over everything there is (Ps 22.28).
Over his kingdom he rules sovereignly. In this lesson, we will
present an understanding of the Kingdom of God based on its
nature and its relationship with the Church. In this aspect, we
will show the divine kingdom in its universal and sovereign
dimension, as well as its present and future reality. The Church
is seen as part of this kingdom and, therefore, God established
it to live, preach and manifest the life of the divine kingdom.
KEYWORD: Kingdom

7. I - THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF
GOD
1. The Kingdom of God is universal. The psalmist says
that “God is King of all the earth” (Ps 47:7) and, in the same
way, Daniel states that God rules over the kingdom of men
(Dn 4:25). Thus, the Scriptures reveal an important aspect of
the nature of the Kingdom of God: its universality. God is
the universal King and, as such, has absolute dominion over
his creation, over human kingdoms and governments, as well
as over all angelic hosts (Dn 4.35). This means that nothing
and no one is outside his domain (Dn 2.21).

8. 2. Divine sovereignty and world events. We observe
that, although the world follows its course, God has not
lost or ceased to exercise dominion over it, nor over the
created universe. A God who did not have control over
everything would not be God. This does not mean that He
is the cause of everything that happens in the world. It
means that, although men and even the Devil and his
demons have freedom and permission to act in this world,
these actions do not override God's sovereignty. Thus
God rules over all (Ps 103:19).

9. 3. The Kingdom of God, the nation of Israel and the
Church. The Old Testament reveals that God chose a people,
Israel, to reign over and through him in a sovereign, theocratic
government. When Israel was organized into a tribal regime, God
reigned over it (Nm 23:21), sovereignly, exercising his theocratic
government over his ancient people (Is 43-15) - Israel, therefore,
was a priestly kingdom (Ex 19 -5.6). Thus, when he chose Israel,
God had the purpose of blessing this nation and, through it, all
peoples (Gen 12.1-3; Is 45.21,22). This purpose came to fruition
in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who through his
death and resurrection established the Church (Eph 2:14; Gal 3-
14; 4-28; 1 Pet 2:9).

10. SYNOPSIS I
The Holy Scriptures reveal the universality
of the Kingdom of God, as well as its
specific purpose for Israel and the Church.

11. II - THE CHURCH AND THE
DIMENSIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
1. The Kingdom of God as a present reality. In the
Gospels, we see Jesus drawing attention to the present
dimension of the Kingdom of God. For example,
Matthew records Jesus freeing and healing a blind and
mute demon possessed man (Mt 12:22). This extraordinary
fact provoked the jealousy and anger of the Pharisees who
accused him of doing this through the power of
Beelzebub (Mt 12:24).

12. Jesus’ answer was revealing: “But if I cast out demons by
the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you” (Mt 12:28). In these words of the Lord, we see a
very important aspect in understanding the identity of the
Kingdom of God: its present reality. In other words, with
the advent of Jesus, the Kingdom of God was already
present among men. Our Lord said that the Kingdom of
God had arrived (Mt 3.2). Therefore, this kingdom is not
something subjective, but concrete, real.

13. 2. Where is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God
as a present reality is not related to geographic space, but to
the presence of Jesus, because where His presence is, the
Kingdom of God manifests itself (Luke 17:20,21). In other
words, every time people are saved (Acts 8:12), healed and
freed from the power of the Devil (Acts 8:6,7), the
Kingdom of God is present (Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 4:20). Now,
the Kingdom of God was present in the ministry of Jesus,
as He Himself was the manifestation of the kingdom, it was
present in the apostolic ministry in the Primitive Church
and, finally, it is present through the Church of Christ in the
present era.

14. 3. The Kingdom of God as a future reality. Just as the
Kingdom of God has a present dimension, it also has a
future dimension. This is the eschatological aspect of the
Kingdom of God. Writing to the Corinthians, the apostle
Paul highlights the types of people who would be left out
of this coming kingdom (1 Cor 6.9,10). Although the
Kingdom of God is a present reality today and even though
it is possible to experience it now (Hb 6.5), however, it will
manifest itself in its fullness in the age to come (Mt 13.49).
The Millennium, the thousand-year reign on Earth, is part
of this future dimension of the Kingdom of God (Rev
20.1-5).

15. SYNOPSIS II
The Kingdom of God has a present
dimension, but it also has a future
dimension, that is, eschatological.

16. III - THE CHURCH IN THE CONTEXT OF
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
1. The distinction between the Church and the Kingdom of
God. It must be highlighted that the Church is part of the Kingdom
of God. However, it is not the Kingdom of God in all its
expression. The Kingdom of God is broader and involves all of
God's people in the Old as well as the New Covenant. The Church,
even within the context of the kingdom, did not exist in the Old
Testament, however, the Kingdom of God already existed in the
Old Covenant. Just as under the Old Covenant, in which Israel was
the community of the kingdom (Ex 19.5,6), the Church is the
community of the kingdom in the New Covenant (1 Pet 2.9).

17. 2. The Church expresses the Kingdom of God. The
Church was idealized and designed by God to be the
expression of his kingdom in the fullness of time (Gal 4.4
cf. Eph 1.10). It is not an improvisation by God nor a
patch that He made in the history of salvation. She was
designed and planned, she is God's chosen one (Eph 1.4-
6; 1 Pet 1.2). This means that under the New Covenant,
God gave the Church the mission of making known his
plan and project of salvation for humanity. It is through
her that the unsearchable riches of Christ became known
to the principalities and powers (Eph 3:10). Through the
Church, the Kingdom of God will be known on Earth.

18. 3. The Church and the message of the Kingdom of
God. Preaching the Kingdom of God is the important
mission of the Church (Acts 19:8). Speaking to the elders
of Ephesus, Paul recalled that he preached to them the
Kingdom of God (Acts 20:25). When already a prisoner in
Rome, we see Paul “preaching the Kingdom of God”
(Acts 28:31). Those new to faith were made aware of the
reality of the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). The
Kingdom of God is the message of hope given to those
who love Him (James 2:5).

19. Therefore, preaching the message of the kingdom is the
mission of the Church. This mission is only carried out
when the local church has a kingdom vision. This means
that the church knows what the Kingdom of God is and
how important it is. When this understanding is not clear,
then the local church ends up going off course and taking
other paths that distance it from its mission, which is to
preach the message of the Kingdom of God. In this
regard, Jesus was very clear in saying that “his kingdom is
not of this world” (John 18:36).

20. SYNOPSIS III
The Kingdom of God is broader and
involves all of God's people at all
times. The Church, however, is part
of the Kingdom of God.

21. CONCLUSION
In this lesson we learn a little more about the Kingdom of
God. As someone said, the Church is not identical to the
Kingdom of God, as it is greater than it; however, the
Church is the present instrument of the kingdom and will
inherit the kingdom (2 Peter 1:11). Thus, the Kingdom of
God, in its fullness, or in its final manifestation, will include
all believers who have professed and will profess their faith
in Christ, the Son of God.

22. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1. What is an important aspect of the nature of the Kingdom
of God that the Scriptures reveal?
Its universality.
2. What does the Old Testament reveal about the Kingdom of
God in relation to Israel?
The Old Testament reveals that God chose a people, Israel, to
reign over and through him.
3. What is the important aspect highlighted in the lesson
regarding the identity of the Kingdom of God?
Your present reality.

23. 4. In addition to the present dimension of the
Kingdom of God, what is the other dimension covered
in the lesson?
The Kingdom of God also has a future dimension.
5. Explain the distinction between the Church and the
Kingdom of God.
The Church is part of the Kingdom of God. However,
it is not the Kingdom of God in all its expression. The
Kingdom of God is broader and involves all of God's
people in the Old as well as the New Covenant.

24. REFERENCES
CPAD. O CORPO DE CRISTO - Origem, Natureza e Missão da Igreja
no Mundo. Rio de Janeiro: Casa Publicadora das Assembleias de Deus
(CPAD), 2024. (Lições Bíblicas, Adultos CPAD).
SOCIEDADE BÍBLICA DO BRASIL (org.). Bíblia De Estudo Plenitude
Revista E Atualizada. Barueri, SP: SBB, 2005.

25. Slides created by Celso Napoleon
SBS | 1st Quarter of 2024 | CPAD Adults | Theme: THE
BODY OF CHRIST - Origin, Nature and Mission of the
Church in the World | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 4 - The
Church and the Kingdom of God

26. LESSONS:
Lesson 1- The Origin of the church
Lesson 2 - Biblical Images of the Church
Lesson 3 - The Nature of the Church
Lesson 4 - The Church and the Kingdom of God
Lesson 5 - The Mission of the Church of Christ
Lesson 6 - Church: Organism and Organization
Lesson 7 - The Ministry of the Church
Lesson 8 - Discipline in the Church
Lesson 9 - Baptism – The First Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 10 - The Lord's Supper – The Second Ordinance of the Church
Lesson 11 - The Worship of the Christian Church
Lesson 12 - The Role of Preaching in Worship
Lesson 13 - The Power of God in the Mission of the Church