Six Great Ends of the Church: 6. The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Lessons: Acts 1:6-9; Ephesians 4:1-6: This 6th of the Presbyterian "Great Ends of the Church" sums up the other five with, "Go, and let the world know about this."  Let the world know about Jesus' message that the reign of God is already present and active; it is here, available for those who see that everything is holy, everything and everyone is precious to God and belongs to God.  Let the world know about Jesus' radically different approach to power and authority.  Jesus didn’t use power or authority to impress or coerce.  He expressed his power in acts of service: restoring health, raising people to life, breaking down social taboos, providing for people’s needs – in other words, demonstrating the love, justice and goodness of God.  Let the world know about the love, justice and goodness of God.