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Writer's pictureCamden McKuras

For Kingdom and Christ

“When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.”

- Acts 28:23


We have been on quite a long journey in Acts! 28 weeks if we wanted to get technical. All the way back on the week before Pentecost (May 15th) until now (November 20th). We witnessed the Church get founded via the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of the Kingdom and Christ expand, also via the power of the Holy Spirit and appointment of Paul by Christ. We have seen miracles and prison cells. We have seen conversions and storms. We have Jerusalem, Damascus, Judea, Samaria, and a large chunk of the Greco-Roman world!


One thing has remained incredibly consistent throughout all of Acts. Whether we are following Paul’s journeys or tracking Peter’s leadership moments. Whether we are dealing with Jews or Gentiles. This one thing has remained the same, the message of the Kingdom of God and of Christ Jesus. This has been the forefront act of the Apostles, the evangelization of the world utilizing the same message. It only seems fitting to close this journey through the book of Acts by highlighting verse 23.


For Kingdom:

The Kingdom of God has come to be interpreted in a lot of different ways over the last 2,000 years. Yet at the same time, it has been a crucial part of the Gospel since the days of Abraham and then the days of David. Even the Maccabees knew its importance when they retook Jerusalem from the Greek Seleucid Empire in the 160’s B.C.


One of the ideas that persisted in the days of Jesus was that it was a tangible, physical, political kingdom. It was to be one nation among all the others. One purely Jewish, free from the rule of the Romans. That’s what the Zealots wanted. A Kingdom of Israel that was freely and truly Jewish. They had beef with the Pharisees and Sadducees. After all, they did nothing about Rome’s rule, in part because their religious authority and their spiritual side of the kingdom was preserved.


Jesus presented a different idea of the Kingdom of God that continued in the early church and was preached by Peter and Paul everywhere they went. It’s a Kingdom that exists NOW via the Church, and a Kingdom that is NOT YET here in its fullness. It’s a Kingdom that God reigns, rules, and judges. It’s a Kingdom a justice, righteousness, and peace. It’s one not shaped by politics and human agendas but shaped by God’s heart. It’s a Kingdom we are seeking above all else.


Yet, it’s a Kingdom we have too often overlooked with our agendas and bias, much like the Zealots. Some today even seek to shape America into God’s Kingdom by changing laws and policies to match a certain human viewpoint. But the real Kingdom is something different. The Kingdom of God will always be distinct from the nations of the world.


For Christ:

The Good News carried forth by Peter and Paul, now being spoken in Rome, was none other than the message about Jesus Christ. Not only was it His teachings and the miracles He performed, but a testimony of His resurrection and all that it means for the Gentiles. No longer would Jews be the only ones making up God’s chosen people. Now there is redemption brought in by Jesus Christ. A redemption that once could not be achieved, not by the Law of Moses nor through the work of the prophets, but both of them pointed toward the day that Jesus would come.


Here’ the downside. Many Christians live in such a way as if Christ has returned and placed us in the judge's seat and given us the gavel. In doing so, many have become the new Pharisees who distinguish between the righteous and the sinners. As if we are the ones to decide who is redeemed and who is consumed in their sin. We judge as if everyone is in a concrete state of redemption or rebellion.


A Gospel about Christ preached accurately, would never grant us the gavel and throne, but Christ alone sits in the throne and has yet to strike the planet with His gavel. It’s a Gospel that enables people to still decide and accept redemption. Acts 28 closes with a warning to the Jews about rejecting what is being spoken about Christ. How their ears, eyes, and lives are closed off, and because of that this Gospel is going straight to the Gentiles. Then it is on us, will we believe and be changed by the best news ever, or reject it and live in arrogant ignorance of God?


Paradigms and Redemption:

The Gospel of the Kingdom and Christ is one that requires us all to shift out of our current paradigm and see the world through redemptive lenses. It’s one that enlightens us to our sinfulness and the wickedness of the world, and points to a better reality that is both present and still to come.


We need to create church communities of truth, grace, and redemption where there are no barricades for people on their way to Jesus. Than to trust the Holy Spirit to pave their way of sanctification and perfection in God’s grace. Allowing space for the law and love of God to be written and consume our hearts and minds. Let’s allow God to have His way with the way we view the world and others around us, to be reshaped by the Gospel, and enable moments of redemption.


Final Blessing:

The book of Acts has been saturated with the Gospel of the Kingdom and Christ. In the same way, may it saturate our hearts, minds, and lives to the point we view the world differently and be redemptive to those around us? May the encounter grace through us, and feel no barriers to Jesus minus the Gospel itself.


Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breathe, and every heartbeat of your journey!

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