Welcome to the Kingdom of God Equip Class Sessions!

Ever wondered what Jesus meant by the “Kingdom of God”? It’s at the heart of His teachings and ministry (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43), yet many of us are left scratching our heads about what it truly means. Get ready to embark on an exciting journey through Scripture as we uncover the life-changing truth of God’s Kingdom and why it’s absolutely vital for your faith today. This 8-part series was offered as an Equip Class at Bethel Church, Redding.

If you scroll down, you will see that each audio teaching has a title and a brief description followed by an audio file where you can either listen to the teaching from our website or download the Mp3. Please note that if you choose to listen to the file, it sometimes takes several seconds to start playing the audio after you click on the play button. To download the file to your computer, simply click where it says "download" at the bottom right hand corner of each audio file. You can also get the series from our podcast on iTunes at the following link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/life-in-the-spirit/id1378127274 or on YouTube at the following playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDVI1bzZhsw&list=PL_k_mxDE3VSllNN9rM1XW8iKCO9FmPpC0

David Cwir - What is the Kingdom of God? (Session 1: Kingdom of God Equip Class)

Everything about Jesus’ teaching and ministry has to do with the Kingdom of God. He speaks about it in every kind of saying (parables, admonitions, apocalyptic, beatitudes), and whenever the gospel writers summarize the ministry of Jesus they do so in terms of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43).  Yet the Kingdom of God is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the teachings of Jesus. If we are to “seek first His Kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) then it is essential that we understand what His Kingdom is. Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about the Kingdom of God, what it is, and what it meant to Jesus and the people living in His time.

Note: This is part two from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on November 12, 2025

David Cwir – The Time of the Quenched Spirit (Session 2: Kingdom of God)

Understanding the Kingdom of God is essential for grasping the teachings and ministry of Jesus (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43). Scripture indicates that the Kingdom of God is connected to Jewish end-time expectations and must be interpreted within the context of Jewish Messianic hopes. In this session, we explore the end-time expectations that had developed in Judaism before the time of John the Baptist and Jesus to provide a framework for understanding how the New Testament concept of the Kingdom of God fits into these expectations.

Note: This is part two from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on November 12, 2025

David Cwir - The Age of the Kingdom has Dawned (Session 3: Kingdom of God)

“The time is fulfilled” and everything that Jesus is, and did, and said was a proclamation that Jewish Messianic hopes and expectations are coming to realization in His ministry. All the scriptures on fulfillment suggest that for Jesus Himself, the Kingdom of God was a present reality. This fulfillment was demonstrated through the blessings of the future realities that have already come present and through Jesus’ engagement in the Holy War with satan. Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about how the Kingdom of God is a present reality at the following link:

Note: This is part three from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on November 19, 2025

David Cwir - The Kingdom Is Here (Yet Not Yet) (Session 4: Kingdom of God)

What is the Kingdom of God? All the scriptures on fulfillment (e.g., Mark 1:15) suggest that for Jesus Himself, the Kingdom of God was a present reality in His own ministry. The mystery is that Jesus speaks of the Kingdom in two different ways: On the one hand, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom as a future event, but on the other hand, He also speaks of the Kingdom as a present reality. How can something be both present and future at the same time? Trying to reconcile this paradox is absolutely essential to our understanding Jesus and the whole New Testament! If you are interested, check out this audio message that expounds on some of the crucial teachings of Jesus that address this “already/not yet” Kingdom reality.

Note: This is part four from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on November 19, 2025

David Cwir - The Mystery of the Kingdom (Session 5: Kingdom of God)

Part of the difficulty that some people have in embracing the whole counsel of God is that there is often seeming paradox in Scripture. One such paradox is that the Kingdom of God is both a present reality AND a future event. The question then becomes, “How can something be both present and future at the same time?” Trying to reconcile this mystery is absolutely essential to our understanding Jesus’ teachings and the whole New Testament. If you would like to learn more, this audio message addresses how to reconcile the Kingdom of God as both present and future by looking at what Jesus calls “The Mystery of the Kingdom.”

Note: This is part five from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on December 3, 2025

David Cwir - The David Cwir - The Presence of the Future in the Parables (Session 6: Kingdom of God Equip Class)

The future has already entered the present age. God has already triumphed. He has already secured our life. What He is asking us to do now is to live the life of the future in the present. In other words, God’s people are determined not by their present realities but by the coming Kingdom, and we are to live the values and the life of the future now (already, but not yet). Check out this audio message to learn more about the already/not yet realities of the Kingdom of God and the parables of Christ that served as primary vehicles for confronting people with the Kingdom of God.

Note: This is part six from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on December 3, 2025

David Cwir - The Age of the Kingdom has Dawned (Kingdom of God Session 7)

The resurrection of Christ and gift of the Spirit marked the beginning of the End—the turning of the ages—and we are called to be living the life of the future now in the present age. The Spirit is the clear evidence that the future “Age of the Spirit” has dawned, and by the Spirit’s presence, believers taste of the life to come so that everything we are and do is the life of the future lived out now in the present. We are citizens of another world (Phil 3:20) and we live in this present world as a colony of heaven by the power of the Spirit. Check out this audio message if you would like to learn more about our present future existence.

Note: This is part seven from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on December 10, 2025

David Cwir - Living Life in the Radical Middle (Between the Ages) (Session 8: Kingdom of God)

The Kingdom of God is here! Jesus’ coming set the future in motion, the Coming Age has dawned, and we await the consummation in His Second Coming. In His earthly ministry, Jesus was all about bringing the future realities of the Kingdom into the present. As His disciples, we are to follow His footsteps by living the values and the life of the future now. Check out this message to learn more about how God’s people are determined not by their present realities but by the coming kingdom: we are to live the life of the future in the present.

Note: This is part eight from the "The Kingdom of God” Equip Class that was offered at Bethel Church in Redding, California on December 10, 2025