Disciples Global Network

The gift of the Spirit is part of the New Covenant, the first fruits of the New Creation, and the promised gathering of the nations . The history of Israel includes national sins that caused her expulsion from the land of Canaan. But God foresaw her failures and determined to institute a new covenant, one  ENERGIZED AND CHARACTERIZED BY HIS SPIRIT  and one that would include the nations and culminate in the New Creation. With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Age of the Spirit commenced.

With the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the blessings for all nations promised to Abraham commenced . The “ Promise of the Father ” is the Gift of the Spirit that Paul links to the Abrahamic covenant in his letters, and the covenant promises find their fulfillment in the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus of Nazareth. The bestowal of the Spirit on his church marks the commencement of the age of fulfillment, and “ in him ,” Gentile believers become full heirs of Abraham along with believing Jews.

The Gospel of  Matthew  begins by declaring that Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” This is more than a genealogical notation - it sets the stage for the theme of fulfillment in this gospel account. The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ seed ” of the Patriarch. In him, all the covenant promises find their fulfillment.

In his  Letter to the Romans , Paul details the Gospel that he is proclaiming to the Gentiles and declares it to be the “ power of God for salvation .” Due to humanity’s sin, two forces are at work in the world -  righteousness  and  wrath . In his Son, God has provided the solution to mankind’s desperate plight, one that is available to all men through the “ faith OF Jesus Christ .” And in the Gospel, these two forces are revealed whenever the Good News is proclaimed.

The parable of the “ budding fig tree ” is a graphic illustration of Christ’s answer to the question – “ When will these things come to pass? ” The fig tree sprouting foliage is the clue for the “when” of the predicted events. Its leaves signal the arrival of “ summer ,” the time when “ all these things ” will be fulfilled.

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus explained to his disciples what it meant to be the Messiah of Israel. In the city of David, he was about to face his final confrontation with the Temple authorities and a violent and unjust death at the hands of the Romans. Was not Jerusalem the appointed place where the prophets were killed, where the Messiah himself must suffer rejection and death according to the Scriptures?