Contents
Acknowledgements і
Introduction: The People of God: The Church? 1
Churches: A Bewildering Story 1
Who Is the Church? My Journey 6
The Presence of God among the People of God 12
1 Becoming and Being Church, the People of God 15
Jesus and the Church 17
The Bible and the Church 23
The People of God: The Continuing Story, Hebrews 11-12 28
Outline of This Book 34
2 Beginning with Moses: The Promise, the Covenants and
the People of God 37
Beginning with Moses: God's Revelation of Creation at
Mount Horeb 39
Abraham: The Promise and the Covenant 48
The Exodus, the Covenant and the Land of Promise:
Creating a People of God 51
God, His Purposes and His People 57
3 Israel, the Monarchy and Exile: God's Rebellious People 63
Living in the Land of Promise: The Rebellious People of God 65
Exile: The Promise of a New Covenant 74
After Exile: The Community of Promise 80
The People of God: The Remnant 82
4 Jesus, the Fulfilment of the Promise:
Creating New Community 85
Jesus: The Fulfilment of the Promise to Israel 88
Jesus: The Presence of the Kingdom of God 91
Jesus and His Disciples: Creating a Community of the
Kingdom of God 100

5 Jesus, His Disciples and Pentecost:
The Birth of the New Community 107
The Disciples of Jesus: Becoming the Community of the
Kingdom of God 109
Community in the Holy Spirit 115
Pentecost: The Inauguration of Community in the Holy Spirit ... 121
6 In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the Ends of the Earth:
Acts of the Holy Spirit 127
In Jerusalem 130
In All Judea and Samaria 134
To the Ends of the Earth: Among the Gentiles 138
A Missional Community: Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit... 142
7 Churches of God: Communities of the Holy Spirit 147
In Antioch (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-4) 149
In Philippi (Acts 16:6-15) 156
In Corinth (Acts 18:1-11) 161
In Ephesus (Acts 19:1-41; 20:17-36) 167
Churches Today 171
8 The Church: God's New Pilgrim Community 173
The Church: A Community Of Faith, By Faith,
In Faith, For Faith 176
A Community Of Love, By Love, In Love, For Love 183
A Community Of Hope, By Hope, In Hope, For Hope 189
Ordering the Community for Faith, Love and Hope 194
The Church: God's New Pilgrim Community 196
Bibliography 199

It is so refreshing to read what Bishop David Zac Niringiye, long-term friend and brother, has to say about the church. On the one hand I am personally warned of how easy it is for us, lost in the exuberance of our inventions and redefinition of the church, to lose our bearing with regards to Gods purpose for the church. On the other, 1 am reminded of why the church today should be a continuing story, journey and witness of the people of God to his kingdom.
In a contemporary age in which the identity of the church has been re-created in our image - be it ethnic, social, economic or whatever else, with all their attendant paraphernalia, Bishop Zacs clear word is a call for sober reflection regardless of our church tradition. Rather than just a lamentation of how church easily slides from being "all about God" to "all about us" or even just "me", this is a prophetic call to rediscover and return to God's original purpose for the church in relation to his kingdom.
I commend this book to all who long for the church to be the church as communities of God's people "announcing and demonstrating the Kingdom of God by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit."
Femi B. Adeleye, PhD Director of Church Partnerships Giobal Centre Christian Commitments, World Vision International
David Zac Niringye is for me a modern hero of the faith. He has been so helpful to our community of hundreds of students and all nations and ages at the heart of Oxford. When he gave up his role of Bishop to work for the cause of justice in Uganda and beyond some feared he might forget the Church. But this brilliant book shows the opposite is true. He writes movingly about the people of God on the journey of God and invites us winsomely to join in the advancing kingdom of God. Get this book to get in touch with your destiny.
Charlie Cleverly
Rector of St Aldates Church, a house of prayer for all nations at the heart of Oxford, UK