Articles
The Message of Jesus
THINKING KINGDOMLY
The Message of Jesus is captured in the Father-heart of God and the Gospel of the Kingdom—an all-encompassing message that informs our view of God, shapes our identity and purpose, and governs our worldview. It is the single most important “idea” to encounter and it catalyses a vibrant, joyful, lifelong pursuit of seeking, learning, probing and exploring.
This three-part article series covers the core aspects of the Message of Jesus and sets the groundwork for how to Think Kingdomly.
God’s Character
Revealing God’s nature was central to the Message of Jesus. Jesus peeled back the curtain of heaven to re-reveal the Father-heart of God. In so doing, He restored humanity to God’s loving fatherhood.
External Link
Personal Identity
Reuniting humanity to the Father, the Message of Jesus heals our broken identity, restoring us as children of God. Loved by the Father, we are both secure and significant.
External Link
God’s Purpose
Restored to the Father as His children, the Message of Jesus restores humanity’s destiny as custodians of creation. We’re commissioned to partner with Jesus in His restoration plan for the earth.
External Link
At this stage, the articles in this theme are still hosted on A Better Future Now. While we will migrate them to this website shortly, use the buttons above to view the content.
Kingdom Perspectives
How does the Message of Jesus shape our perspectives?
Generous Orthodoxy
The Message of Jesus governs
how we relate to other believers
We have far more in common with other believers than what we don’t. And what we have in common has far greater substance than what doesn’t.
External Link
Unbounded Love
The Message of Jesus governs
how we relate to all people
Jesus smashed the bounds of family, communal and national love, modelling a boundless love that includes everyone: our neighbour, the stranger and our enemy.
External Link
Unto Caesar
The Message of Jesus governs
how we relate to government
As citizens of a higher domain, we remain grounded in this domain through humility and servanthood, living lives of unimpeachable integrity.
External Link
Hebrew Values
The Message of Jesus governs
how we relate to reality
The Western world is largely based on a Greek mindset. In contrast, the Bible resonates with Hebrew values: God created a people group embodying His worldview.
External Link
Heavenly Hope
The Message of Jesus governs
how we relate to this present age
Jesus’ message is pregnant with hope—a hope that informs how we live in this present age, as we anticipate His coming and the age to come.
External Link
Good Deeds
The Message of Jesus governs
our witness to the nations
Jesus taught that good works glorify the Father. Without good deeds in championing the marginalised of society, we have no witness to the nations and the Gospel appears barren.
External Link
At this stage, the articles in this theme are still hosted on A Better Future Now. While we will migrate them to this website shortly, use the buttons above to view the content.
Kingdom Challenges
Jesus rattled cages. He challenged underlying assumptions. He dismantled misguided traditions and teachings. Again and again, He said, “You have heard it said, but I say to you” (Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43). The question is not whether Jesus would challenge our thinking today—but where.
Religion Free
The Message of Jesus
transcends Religion
Jesus did not come to start a new religion (or revive an old one). In fact, He opposed religion in all its guises, confronting it directly and explicitly whenever and wherever it surfaced.
External Link
Empire Exposed
The Message of Jesus
transcends Empire
Jesus turned the Empire on its head because He transcended it. Too often, however, our approach remains framed by the Empire. Solutions to the system cannot come from the system itself.
External Link
Hopeful Eschatology
The Message of Jesus
imparts divine hope
Jesus’ Message focuses on the advancing Kingdom of God as the pivotal factor in a hopeful eschatology. Thus, it imparts faith, not fear—stirring catalytic hope, not fatalistic despair.
External Link
Literal Literature
The Message of Jesus
incarnates God’s revelation
Jesus is the living word, and the God-breathed Scriptures resonate with the Story of God. A rational, literal approach misses the literary beauty of the Scriptures and its animating power.
External Link
All-things Restoration
The Message of Jesus
contends for change
Jesus challenged the status quo of His day, contending for change, and His early followers did the same. In contrast, Christendom largely seeks to preserve the status quo due to its hankering for power and its fear of change.
External Link
At this stage, the articles in this theme are still hosted on A Better Future Now. While we will migrate them to this website shortly, use the buttons above to view the content.
Messy Dogma
Words often get lost in translation, as the process itself is fraught with challenges. While we can be grateful for the many translations that make the Scriptures accessible in contemporary English, we must also acknowledge the limitations of translation and identify where particular choices muddy the biblical text.
What Does Righteousness Mean In The Bible?
THE WORDS WE’VE FUDGED:
Dikaiosynē
What does “righteousness” really mean in the Bible? Explore the Greek word dikaiosynē and how we’ve halved its meaning, cutting the relational, restorative heart out of the word.
What Does Poor Mean In The Bible?
THE WORDS WE’VE FUDGED:
Ptōchos
What does “poor” really mean in the Bible? Explore the Greek word ptōchos and how we’ve overly spiritualised it, fudging the social implications of the Gospel.
What Does Church Mean In The Bible?
THE WORDS WE’VE FUDGED:
Ekklesia
What does “church” really mean in the Bible? Explore the Greek word ekklesia and how translation choices shifted Jesus’ vision from Kingdom governance to religious gathering.
What Does Eternal Mean In The Bible?
THE WORDS WE’VE FUDGED:
Aiōnios
What does “eternal” really mean in the Bible? Explore the Greek word aiōnios and how translation bias has shifted Jesus’ Kingdom message from this life to the afterlife.
What Does Hell Mean In The Bible?
THE WORDS WE’VE FUDGED:
Gehenna
In this article, we look at the word Gehenna, how the pagan words, Hell and Hades became associated with it, and explore the implications to our views on post-mortem judgement.
External Link
Paul Vs. Jesus
CHRISTENDOM’S IDOLISATION OF PAUL
In this article, we discuss the Paul vs. Jesus tension, consider how the tension arose, why it’s so unnecessary, and suggest a better way forward.
External Link
At this stage, the articles in this theme are still hosted on A Better Future Now. While we will migrate them to this website shortly, use the buttons above to view the content.
Encounters with Jesus
These articles place Jesus at the centre, exploring how His words, actions and challenges reveal the nature of God, His Kingdom and our response today. They flesh out the topics covered in the more foundational articles above.
The Time Jesus Embodied an Image
Remember the time Jesus stepped into an image shaped across fourteen centuries of Scripture, showing how a familiar symbol can suddenly reveal its true weight?
The Time Jesus Re‑revealed Yahweh
Remember the time Jesus used a Davidic psalm to reveal the Messiah’s identity and the relational heart of Yahweh?
The Time Jesus Self-Identified
Remember the time Jesus self-identified—not with spectacle or dominance, but in a way that brought rest to those crushed by religion?
The Time Jesus Asked For Help
Remember the time Jesus asked for help, restoring a broken and shunned woman who then brought transformation to the very city that broke and shunned her?
View all articles in this theme.
Missional Musings
These shorter articles explore mission, evangelism and church health. Written with churches and their leaders in mind, they engage key questions and current challenges.
Building Babel, AgAIn: Faith at the Edge of Human Possibility
Every generation thinks it’s the first to be ambushed by technology. Once, Socrates thought writing would ruin us. Now AI may present an actual threat. What if a very old story showed us how to face it with hope rather than fear?
Why Willingness Fails to Become Mission
Agreement with mission is strong. Action continues to decline. Australian data and global research expose the quiet erosion of intent—and what it will take to re‑awaken resolve.
Hopeful Yet Honest in Post‑Christian Australia
As Australia’s religious landscape shifts, what does the data reveal? Are there hints of a “Quiet Revival”? What’s with the uptick in interest among young men? And how do we rediscover our missional purpose and presence?
The Currency of Trust: Our Hidden Asset
Gospel advance in a low‑trust age depends less on the clarity of our proclamation and more on the credibility of our lives and communities, as trust becomes an increasingly valuable resource for the good news.
View all articles in this theme.