The Kingdom Strikes Back — Foreword

"This, then, is how you should pray: ... your kingdom come." - Matthew 6:9-10

Foreword

By Jerald D. Johnson, former director of the Nazarene World Mission Division and former general superintendent

It has been especially satisfying to me to have been personally involved in the missionary career of Howard Culbertson. I was privileged to be part of the process that sent Howard and his wife to their first overseas assignment. Since then, I have watched them serve God and the church faithfully and effectively. The worldwide church has further benefited from the exceptional writing skills of this missionary. Howard's ability with the pen first surfaced when he was a student in college. He has continued to develop his talent so that now there are many of us who eagerly await his next article or book.

When I received a copy of the manuscript The Kingdom Strikes Back, I set it aside to read while on an overseas trip. I began reading it on a flight between Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. I found that I could not put it down until I had read every word. By chance, a Nazarene woman from Arlington, Virginia, was on that same flight, sitting just across the aisle from me. I suggested that she might enjoy the manuscript as well. It turned out to be a joyful reading experience—almost a competition—as she was always just a page or two behind me, enjoying it as much as I did. It was a seven-mile-high missionary study lesson that allowed fellow passengers to get glimpses into Nazarene missions as we exchanged pages and comments.

But The Kingdom Strikes Back is more than a story of missionary work in Haiti. Howard has based his book on a unique and powerful interpretation of New Testament truth regarding the kingdom of God. The book offers both devotional reading and food for thought.

Thanks, Howard, for another contribution to the Nazarene missionary book list. Already we are looking forward to your next one. In the midst of your busy schedule, may you find time to keep your pen writing and your thoughts flowing. You contribute greatly to our missionary interest by doing so.

— Jerald D. Johnson [ Start reading the book ]

"From that time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'" — Matthew 4:17

This ebook tells a story of missionary work in Haiti. It explores how Jesus' words about the signs of the kingdom of God illuminate the events described in these chapters. Six chapters, a foreword, and a conclusion demonstrate that God's kingdom is indeed in our midst. The title - The Kingdom Strikes Back - is borrowed with gratitude from Ralph Winter, who used it as a chapter title in a book he coedited: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Winter's title is an adaptation of the title of the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. Quotations marked NEB are from the New English Bible, © The Delegates of the Oxford University Press and The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press, 1961, 1970. Used by permission. Quotation marked Williams is from The New Testament in the Language of the People, by Charles B. Williams. © 1937 by Bruce Humphries, Inc.; assigned 1949 to Moody Bible Institute, Chicago. Used by permission.