The King of Kings: Kingdom Theology and Living in the Now and Not Yet

Welcome and Worship

• 👋 The service began with a warm welcome and practical information, including an invitation to move towards the center of the room.
• 🎶 The congregation engaged in a time of worship, singing several songs that focused on God's goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty.

Mission Partner Prayer: The Wilsons in Ethiopia

• 🙏 A significant portion of the service was dedicated to intercessory prayer for the Wilson family (Chris, Susie, and their three children), who serve as mission partners in Ethiopia.
• 🌍 Chris's work centers on reconciliation and peacekeeping, involving lecturing at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology and providing training to pastors in refugee camps.
• 🏡 Susie's responsibilities include homeschooling, teaching English to teenagers, and orienting Ethiopian families preparing for mission service abroad.
• 👶 Prayers were specifically requested for Chris's training program, Susie's various roles, the children's spiritual and physical growth, and the future of their foster baby, who cannot be legally adopted by foreigners.

Sermon: The King of Kings and Kingdom Theology

• 🗣️ Andy delivered a sermon based on the Nicene Creed, focusing on Jesus as the King of Kings and the nature of the kingdom of God.
• 📚 He introduced Eldon Ladd's kingdom theology, particularly the concept of "deferred and realized eschatology," also known as "the now and the not yet."
• ⏳ This theological tension highlights that the kingdom has been inaugurated but not yet consummated, meaning God's reign is present but its final, full realization is still awaited.
• 📖 The sermon contrasted 1 Peter 4, which addresses suffering and the use of spiritual gifts in the present, with Revelation 21, depicting a future where there is no more suffering and God is personally present.
• 👑 Jesus's ultimate authority as King of Kings was affirmed, emphasizing his righteous, merciful, and lifegiving reign, earned through his sacrifice on the cross.

Living Out the Kingdom

• ✅ Believers were encouraged to declare Jesus as Lord not only at salvation but continually in their daily lives, signifying submission to Christ and relinquishing personal rights.
• 💔 The sermon highlighted a Christlike mindset towards suffering, noting its unique centrality in Christianity and how Jesus's own scars demonstrate his redemption of pain.
• 💡 Practical ways to live out the kingdom include being alert and prayerful, practicing radical sacrificial love towards others, and using spiritual gifts in service to demonstrate God's reign.
• 🌟 The message concluded with the hope of renewal in a new heaven and new earth, urging the congregation to live as citizens of heaven rather than solely of this world.

Call to Action and Blessing

• 🙏 An invitation was extended for individuals to seek prayer ministry and to make a decision to follow Jesus.
• 👟 The metaphor of