Kingdom Triangle in Ministry Magazine

In the May issue of Ministry magazine, a publication of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, JP Moreland has an article, titled, "The Power of God's Kingdom and Ministry."

Among the many topics that Moreland addresses, he unpacks what he means by the "gospel of the Kingdom" and its relationship to justification. He also talks about the importance of these matters as they relate to evangelism:

the gospel of the kingdom of God is to justification by faith as the whole is to the part, or as the beginning of a journey is to the rest of the journey. The gospel of the kingdom includes justification as an essential ingredient. And it specifies the purpose of justification, namely, to be the entry into a continuing journey, or, perhaps more appropriately, to be the start of a continuing journey. The point of becoming justified? Justification is the way one begins a life of sanctification. The gospel invites us to an entirely new, rich life lived from the resources of and according to the nature of another realm. I become justified so I can learn this new life, a life that will be mine forever ...

the gospel of the kingdom bids me to start by trusting something Jesus did for me (died and rose), and to continue that trust by enlisting daily as Jesus’ pupil so that He can teach me regarding living my life as He would if He were me, that is, living out the kingdom in my own setting.

My evangelism has been transformed by recovering this broader gospel. When I speak evangelistically, I now spend most of my time painting a picture of what life in the kingdom is like. I contrast it to life outside the kingdom. I offer an invitation for listeners to rethink their life in light of the invitation to live from within the kingdom of God. And, finally, I proclaim the need for justification by faith as the essential first step into kingdom life. By connecting justification by faith with this broader gospel, I have good news to offer people. And I have come to recognize that the gospel of the kingdom and kingdom life, generally, should be accompanied with manifestations of God’s power and presence as we see in His ministry and in the book of Acts. And Jesus’ own ministry is to be understood as an example of how to live in and from God’s kingdom in dependence on God’s Spirit. This is our invitation and what an honor it is.

Pastors Learn about Kingdom Triangle at Moody's Pastor's Conference

In February, JP participated in Moody Bible Institute's Founder's Week conference.

Just this last week, he completed some further speaking at Moody for their noteworthy Pastor's Conference. While at Moody JP did six seminars. Each seminar was had, on average, 100-120 attendees.

I did three on each leg of the Kingdom Triangle, one on the nature of faith from In Search of a Confident Faith, and two on evangelism from The God Question. These topics were assigned to me by the conference organizers and interest was high and responsiveness was very good.

The organizers of the conference believed that the themes in the books are of central importance to pastors and local churches. The God Question lays out for a thoughtful non-Christian the steps leading to belief in the existence of the Christian God, why the topic of God is a life and death question, and how to become a follower of Jesus without being religious once one enters the Kingdom. It is a solid evangelistic tool, and the pastors were incredibly enthusiastic about receiving this content. The Kingdom Triangle's three legs are at the core of pastoral ministry, or, at least, should be, since it provided a balanced set of values for maturing people in the Way of Jesus. And my book with Klaus Issler (In Search of a Confident Faith) is of great help to pastors because it clarifies the nature of faith in the midst of great confusion about faith, and it lays out a series of steps for helping people grow in their faith. This is at the core of pastoral ministry.

Do you want to have JP speak at your pastor's conference? Contact us with the details.