Glossary
1. Authority
God has all authority - he has the right to rule over all things. Though some might rebel against God's authority - and the Fall of mankind was caused by rebellion against God's authority - there is nothing that can withstand his will. Jesus has been given all authority. God's Word carries complete authority so that anything which contradicts it is in error. God also delegates his authority to men, through his appointing and anointing. This principle of delegated authority is to operate in the family and in the church, and we are also to subject ourselves to the political authorities within society with the proviso that they are not commanding us to do anything which would be contary to God's will. All communities function best and enjoy true freedom, blessing and unity when they are rightly related to God's ordained authority.
(Refer also to Rule in the glossary).
2. Disciples
God's plan was always to take one man and enable him to reproduce himself after his own kind so that he would fill the earth. Although Adam fell, God's plan remained the same and he chose another man, Abraham, and determined to make him the father of many. To go from the one to the many. God is still doing this through Jesus, the seed of Abraham. Jesus is to be the first of many (). The way that God is going to enable this world to be filled with people like his Son, Jesus, is through us becoming disciples and then going out and making disciples of all nations (Matt.28:18-20). The process of discipling or discipleship is demonstrated to us by Jesus who started with 12 disciples, calling them to be with him (Matt.10:1), to learn from him (Matt.11:29) and to be sent out by him in his authority (Matt.10:5;28:18-20), to continue his work and to make more disciples. This process of discipling is the only means that God gives in the Bible to fulfil his original purpose of filling the earth with a people like himself.
3. Discipleship
See Disciples
4. Garden
The purpose of God is to fill the earth with the Garden of his presence. The garden in which he placed Adam and Eve and where he fellowshipped with them in the cool of the day had rivers flowing from it to the four corners of the earth. This was representative of God's desire for the whole earth to be such a garden characterised by his presence, life, beauty, and fruitfulness. It is fitting that the place where Jesus knelt before the Father and committed himself to go through with the death that would restore all things back to God's original intention was a garden. In the book of Revelation the picture of the heavenly city of Jerusalem that is central to the restored heaven and earth is seen as a garden city.
5. Glory
Understanding what is meant by the glory of God is central to understanding the purpose of God for his purpose is to fill the earth with his glory. God's glory is the appearance, or the radiance, of God's likeness in all his brilliance. We could not literally see God and live but it has always been God's purpose that he dwell on the earth among men and so he has minifested his glory amomg men in various ways. We see this in part when his glory came down to fill the tabernacle in the wilderness or the Temple. There are no human words or anything in our experience that could truly describe this glory but often a cloud was used to express what it was like. The word itself conveys the brilliant light of his likeness and the weight of his Presence. This glory appeared in human form in the person of Christ. God's desire is that now this glory be seen in the church as it was in Christ. When people come among the church they should see what God is like and feel a sense of his Presence - God is all his majesty, holiness, beauty, love and joy; not as a mystical cloud but in the lives and relationships of the community of God's people. Ultimately the purpose of God is to fill the earth with a knowledge of his glory.
6. Inheritance
The concept of inheritance is very important in Scripture though that may not be immediately obvious. There are two main aspects to it. First, there is our inheritance in Christ. By being adopted as sons and united with Christ we become co-heirs with him and recipients of every spiritual blessing that is in him. The promised land apportioned to the tribes of Israel is a picture of this inheritance and we must be determined never to allow oursleves to be robbed of it or surrender it to the enemy. It's ours!
A second aspect of inheritance relates to that which has been entrusted to us. An inheritance is that which is passed down from one generation to another. The most valuable thing that we have to pass on to future generations is the gospel - the revelation of the truth about Christ and his Kingdom. We are stewards of that revelation and we must prove faithful to guard it intact and to pass it on to the next generation. We must never be like Esau who depised his inheritance.
7. Judgement
God's judgement is based upon his total holiness and justice. The root meaning of the word has to do with separation. God's holiness cannot tolerate mixture and impurity. His justice demands that that which is right and just be distinguished from that which is evil and unjust. God's judgement - in terms of the separation of the righteous from the wicked, the true from the false, the clean from the unclean - is something to be rejoiced in and celebrated; it often goes together with deliverance or salvation. Sometimes the word is used to refer to the punishment or condemnation that comes on the wicked after judgement. In this sense the judgement against us has already been taken by Christ so that, as Christians, we are no longer under condemnation. There will be a final judgement from which all those who do not avail themselves of God's free gift in Christ will be eternally condemned. In this world, Christians must continually try to exercise discernment and make sound judgements from an eternal or spiritual perspective.
8. Leader
See Leadership
9. Leadership
God has always brought direction and leadership to his people through men and women. In contemporary society many people just want to do their own thing and follow their own course, but the Bible shows us a better way of responding to and following God-appointed leaders. This is the crucial point - leaders have to be called and apointed by God; and they have to be anointed by the Holy Spirit. Leadership in the Kingdom is not about management skills or organisational ability; it is a spiritual calling and activity. A leader is primarily a man, or woman, of God.
"When leaders lead in Israel,
When the people willingly offer themselves,
Bless the Lord!" (Judges 5:2)
(Refer also to Rule and Authority in the glossary)
10. Obedience
Our obedience to God is the ultimate test and proof of love for God and faith in God. It always goes together with faith as believing God and doing what God says it what walking with God is all about. It is not just about prayer and worship - but indeed worship is ultimately expressed in our obedience because to obey is better than sacrifice.
The Fall of humankind came from man's disobedience which was a rebellion against God's authority. To obey God is to submit to his rule and authority. The Law of Moses was given essentially to show us that we could not obey God because of our sinful nature, and so show us our need of the grace that was in Christ. The gospel changes our heart and nature so that we can now obey God. Living under grace does not mean that we just do what we like. We are still aware of God's character and God's will, though these can not be reducued to a legal code, a list of rules and regulations. Therefore we obey God, we follow his teaching, we live according to his will - from the heart by the power of the Spirit. To trust God and to obey him is the only way to live a successful Christian life.