God’s Kingdom,
Christ’s Love, 
and the Church’s Mission

“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”  – Matthew 11:5

The Good News is the transformative announcement of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, initiating God’s new, all-encompassing covenant of the Kingdom of Heaven. This Kingdom is the comprehensive, continuous, and forthcoming work of the Triune God to restore all of creation to family, life, purpose, and hope. It is a beacon of hope, always at work, bringing order out of chaos through the creative and re-creative power of the Holy Spirit.

The announcement of the Kingdom of God is where Christ’s sacrificial love at the cross enacts the miracle of a New Covenant, reconciling humanity to God and triumphing over the powers of evil. The Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is called to be the living reflection of God’s love, participating in this redemptive work to advance (peace, justice, and well-being) in the world today. At AWCC we hold the unwavering hope that Christ will return to complete the Kingdom, making all creation whole and ending all suffering.

Christ: The New Covenant King

Humanity is caught in a web of sin and evil powers (sin, death, the world, the devil) that pull and push us away from God. Outside of Christ, our efforts to self-correct our hurts and wrongs are ineffective. We are powerless to separate ourselves from the web and need a savior.

Jesus Christ is the Savior. He is the King of the Kingdom of Heaven, sent not to conquer with power, but to rule through sacrificial love. Jesus at the cross of Calvary is God′s paramount witness, the clearest expression of God’s image that humanity will ever see. In His reign is the power of the Good News to free us from sin and evil.

Why does the Bible say “God is love”? 

The love of God is not a fleeting emotion, but a constant, unwavering commitment to His creation. The sacrificial love, through Jesus’s death at the cross, is not God pacifying His own wrath, as though He was angry at humanity. Instead, God’s outrage is focused on the web of evil, the powers of sin, and death that separate us from Him. In His eternal love, Jesus’s sacrificial act at the cross saved humanity and interceded for all creation to God. Jesus’ sacrifice is the atonement, His loving action rescues humanity, and His justice and wrath triumph over the web of evil that keeps us from God.

What is the New Covenant? 

Jesus announced His new promise— a covenant— at the Last Supper. 

The Eucharist (communion) is our remembrance and participation in His mysterious presence with us. Through His blood, Jesus established a new covenant, a promise to deliver His people from suffering and sin. He demonstrated how His Kingdom would be ruled: not through might, but through self−giving love. This love is not self-serving or conditional, but sacrificial and unconditional, just as Jesus demonstrated on the cross.

Holy Spirit Empowerment
and Church Mission

Like Jesus, who only did what He saw the Father doing, the Body of Christ, which is the Church, has been called to discern of and participate with God’s ongoing activity in the world.

The Holy Spirit continues the work of Jesus, knowing the Father’s will and guiding the Church to see where God is already at work. By reflecting on Scripture together (which the Holy Spirit makes alive to the Church), and engaging in prayer and unified fellowship, the Church’s vision for the Kingdom of Heaven becomes awakened.

The Church’s mission is not just a duty, but a privilege to be the living reflection of the image of God to the world. We live out this reflection by embodying God’s triune nature (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in our gritty and real fellowship and unity. When people pursue Christ together and become more like Jesus, the whole Body of Christ benefits. As the Church comes together, it actively participates in the call to unity, the practice of the Trinity’s life. This unity is attractive to a lonely and afraid culture. As we submit to one another and share our sacrificial love, it is a powerful message to the world.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church announces the Kingdom and participates in God’s creative and redemptive work, doing good works of the Kingdom in the world. We credit the Holy Spirit for all good and life-giving activities.

Peace and Shalom: The hope of peace is rooted in the Jewish concept of shalom—universal, eternal harmony, well-being, justice, and truth for all things.

The Hope of Eternal Peace

Our salvation is much more than a personal “free ticket to heaven.” The Good News offers a universally and eternally hope-filled promise of a whole and peaceful life for the entire creation.
In Christ, we have the promise that all suffering, injustice, and rejection will end. This promise is not just a distant hope, but a comforting reassurance that we can hold onto in our daily lives. It is a reminder that our faith in Christ brings us not just hope for the future, but peace in the present.

Will Jesus Come Back?

The Simple Answer… YES!

While the Kingdom of God is here today, advancing in real time through the work of the Holy Spirit, the final act has yet to play out. Our ultimate hope as God’s people rests in the return of Christ. On that day, the Kingdom of God will become complete, all  brokenenes in creation will be healed, and every wrong will be made right. This final event will happen right here on Earth for all to see. Until then, we will:

Follow Jesus Christ | Do Life Together | Serve Our Neighbors

AWCC’s participation with God’s work ensures the promise of His shalom is leading the Applewood neighborhood, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Lakewood and the rest of the Denver area to know Jesus. This is the mission of advancing and moving His Kingdom in today’s world.