Kingdom of God as Jesus taught and lived it

Jesus said The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel!

The dawning of the kingdom of God is the central message of the Bible.

In the person and work of Jesus Christ, the reign of God on earth has become effective and accessible. He embodies it with words and good works, in healing, deliverance and miracles and in His giving of His life out of love for the salvation of mankind. We expect precisely this inbreaking of the kingdom of God naturally and also supernaturally in the daily lives of the people around us and in our world.

We are aware of the tension between the "already" and "not yet" of the dawning kingdom of God.

We live the ministry of Jesus as God's mission to us with a positive world view.

Expecting God's intervention: Today, we expect God to act and speak and are prepared to take risks to do so. We live consciously and naturally supernaturally.

On the road with a mission: We live as followers of Jesus by passing on His words, doing His works and expecting His active intervention. This discipleship is a passionate adventure for us that pushes our boundaries and challenges us beyond our personal capabilities.

Living in tension: We know that we are caught up in the tension between the dawning of the kingdom of God (already) and the still pending completion of this kingdom when Jesus returns (not yet).

Acting out of hope: We act out of our conviction that Jesus already has all power and out of our positive view of the future. We believe in God's mission to preserve and care for creation.

Loving the whole church: We are connected to the whole church of Jesus Christ and actively seek "unity through diversity" with all Christians. We learn from them and respect them with their different gifts and styles.

Following Jesus in orientation to God's Word

The Bible contains God's moving and inspiring story with mankind, reveals to us the nature of God and shows us the way to a living community with Him and in togetherness. We recognize it as the highest authority for our faith and our way of life. In our orientation towards the Bible, we grow in our relationship with God and towards a meaningful and liberated life, learn to recognize and overcome wrong patterns of thought and behaviour and to lead a life of devotion to God and service to others.

The Bible as the Word of God and authority: For us, the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the framework for a meaningful life as a follower of Jesus and a God-given guide for a life that honors God.

God speaks to us humans in many different ways: First and foremost in the person of Jesus Christ together with his work, his death on the cross and his resurrection, secondly through the Bible as an inspired testimony of God's work in Jesus Christ and in the history of his people, and thirdly through various effects and manifestations of his spirit today.

Love for God's Word: We love the Bible and read it regularly and with the openness that God's Spirit meets us through it, guides us and corrects us.

Personal prayerful reading and targeted study: We recognize different approaches to the Bible: a more personal, prayerful-meditative approach in openness to God's immediate impulses for us, as well as a studious approach to understand biblical statements in their cultural and historical contexts and the intentions of their authors.

Taking the Word of God seriously in a humble attitude: The Bible as a standard given to us by God makes us humble. We do not place ourselves above it, but form and measure our own thoughts and convictions against the Bible. We are aware that our knowledge is always piecemeal and that we always read the Bible with culturally or biographically influenced "glasses". We strive to recognize these and not to read them into the Bible.

Understanding the Bible as a communal task: We assume that God speaks very personally to us as individuals through his Holy Spirit as we prayerfully read and study the Bible. At the same time, we recognize that for a healthy theological foundation of a community or the people of God, a common struggle to understand the Bible is of great importance, both within a community and in ecumenical dialogue.

Healing community through love, acceptance, forgiveness

We live sustainable and honest relationships that build bridges. We deal with individuals as God deals with us: in love, acceptance and forgiveness (Romans 15:7). Such relationships create authenticity and new vitality.

People before methods: We treat people with dignity and respect and support them in their process so that their God-given potential can unfold. Programs and methods support these processes.

Grace instead of law: We are aware of the human need for control and security, which often leads to legalism. That is why we encourage each other to adopt an attitude of passionate devotion, grace and mercy.

Love, acceptance and forgiveness: We seek a culture of love, acceptance and forgiveness that lifts people up and erases fear, shame and guilt.

Self-responsibility and accountability: We live relationships as places where we open up to each other, develop with each other and mature. They help us to live responsibly and with commitment.

Relationships build bridges: We know about the power of reconciling relationships and seek to overcome divisions between people of different religious, ethnic or social backgrounds with Jesus in mind.

Living God's powerful presence

We seek God's presence for His own sake because we love Him (intimacy)! In His Holy Spirit, He meets us with transformational power! He brings about forgiveness, deliverance, as well as outer and inner healing for ourselves and for others. We act out of this encounter with God, listening to His speaking and the revelation of His will. But we also experience encouragement, correction and change through His presence in fellowship with other Christians and our committed life with them.

Experience God's presence: We love to worship God and create space for His presence. In His presence we experience forgiveness, healing and deliverance.

Spiritual leadership from the presence of God is a mission and not a position: We welcome leadership as a gift and present from God. Those who are themselves led by God can lead others in a good way.

Community (people of God, church, congregation) as a place of His presence: We focus entirely on Jesus Christ and see Him as the head and owner of His church. In this focus, we do not limit Him through our own experience, ideas and programs, but give Him space and seek the expanse with Him. We live under His guidance by listening to His voice, paying attention to the Word of God and His actions, allowing ourselves to be filled with His Spirit and being obedient to Him.

God's presence in this world: We are part of God's presence and therefore part of God's exciting actions in our living environment, at our place of work and study and in the history of this world. In this picture, we are all "world changers". Everyone contributes in their own way to shaping this world in God's way (Everyone gets to play).

Mercy that turns to people

God is merciful towards every human being. We experience this mercy ourselves and it is a way of life for us as people in the Vineyard movement. We want to take others with us on this journey and actively care for people from other cultures as well as the sick, the poor and the broken.

Coming home: We experience dignity and value in God's care for us. This gives us stability and identity.

Healing and restoration: We take responsibility for our lives and understand healing and restoration as a process of character and personality development, among other things.

Healing the sick: We pray for the sick and expect the supernatural intervention of God. At the same time, we accompany sick people with love, patience and hopeful faith.

Serving the poor: We share our lives with people in need and stand up for the poor, the needy and the marginalized, regardless of their background.

Seeking the lost: We live and pray with people who are far from Jesus. We hope that in this way they will experience the presence of God and want to embark on the journey with Jesus.

I think ...

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth.

And to Jesus Christ,
his only begotten Son, our Lord,
conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
crucified, dead and buried,
descended into the realm of death,
risen from the dead on the third day,
ascended into heaven;
He sits at the right hand of God,
the Father Almighty;
from there he will come,
to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the dead
and eternal life.

Amen.