The mission of the United Church of God is to proclaim to the world
the little-understood gospel taught by Jesus Christ-the good news
of the coming Kingdom of God-and to prepare a people for that Kingdom. This message
not only offers great hope for all of humanity, but encompasses the
purpose of human existence-why we are here and where our world
is headed.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, at the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus
Christ arrived on the world scene with a specific message. Mark 1:14
tells us He came "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God" (emphasis
added throughout).
But what was His message? Christ's gospel-the word gospel meaning "good
news"-focused on God's wonderful promise of world peace that
all of humanity will enjoy after Jesus comes to earth a second time. As
the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings, Jesus will establish the Kingdom
of God on earth and begin instituting lasting peace and universal justice.
This Kingdom-the Kingdom of God-is the central theme of all
that Jesus preached and taught.
John the Baptist, Jesus' immediate predecessor, likewise focused his message
on the certain coming of this Kingdom. Like Jesus, he emphasized the need
for one to repent-to turn away from wrong living-before being
able to enjoy an active role in the Kingdom (Matthew 3:1-2). John's message
was the continuation of the Old Testament prophets' teaching that the end
of man's misrule over himself would come to an end with the permanent reign
of the Messiah (or, in the Greek language of the New Testament, the Christ).
After Jesus concluded His earthly ministry, the early Church continued
to spread that same good news, the gospel of God's coming Kingdom, throughout
the Roman Empire and beyond (Acts 14:22; 28:31; 1 Corinthians 4:20; Colossians 4:11).
