I want to further paint a picture of the message of the book of Acts in order to make sure that as we read the book that we see the theme of the kingdom of God. It appears that Luke bracketed the book with this theme, starting with Jesus teaching it before he ascended and ending with Paul teaching about it in the house prison. Therefore, I want us to be aware of it as well.
In a real sense, the kingdom of God is simply the reality that God is king over everything. He is the ruler. He is the Lord over all.
This is a very deep-rooted thought for the Jews in the Old Testament. In 2 Samuel 7:18-17 we read of a covenant promise that God makes with David that David would have a descendant who will come after him and “build a house for [God’s] name, and [God] will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (v. 13). Now, yes, Solomon was the son of David who built the temple. And it is clear in this passage that God speaks of Solomon at certain points as he says he will chastise him when he does wrong. However, and more importantly, Solomon was a type of David’s greater Son, the Christ. That is to say: Solomon foreshadowed a greater Son of David who would come after him.
That is why Solomon had such a peaceful rule. 1 Kings 4:21-24 tells us, “Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life … For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him.” That is not characteristic of David’s rule; he was a man of constant war. So why Solomon? It is because God was using Solomon to show what David’s greater son would be like, namely, a king with no rivals but having dominion over all things in peace. And when the author of Hebrews compares Christ to Melchizedek, he can stress that as Melchizedek was the king of Salem, meaning king of peace (shaloam means “peace” in Hebrew), he can instantly think of the king of ultimate peace, Christ.
Therefore, because Solomon dies, the Jews are looking for this king who would come and reign on the throne forever. He is the Messiah, the Son of David that would come and be their eternal king. That is why Matthew (writing to a Jewish audience) begins his gospel writing, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). He wants them to see that this Jesus is the greater son of David and that this eternal kingdom where God would reign forever is here.
That is why after Jesus heals a blind and mute man, the “multitudes were amazed, and began to say, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?’” (Matthew 12:23). And that is why when Jesus steps on the scene in Mark 1:15, the first thing Mark records him saying is, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” For Jesus is the prophesied king of Israel. He is the greater son of David. The king has come, and therefore God’s kingdom can be seen. That is to say, God’s reign can be demonstrated. So in a very real sense, the kingdom of God is simply God’s reign as king showing itself in our world.1
And the reason that I believe this is so fitting to talk about as an overview of Acts is because Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (which begins this book) is very much the exclamation point to the fact that Jesus is king. That is why when Peter is preaching in Acts 2:29-36 says, “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God has sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on upon his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your Enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Do you see how he connects David understanding that the eternal king would be proven to be so by the resurrection? The resurrection proves that Christ is David’s greater son. It proves that the sign above Christ on the cross which read “The King of the Jews” was and is true. Therefore, Peter speaks of Christ as reigning with all things under his feet and assures the people that Jesus is indeed the Lord and Christ. He is the one who has the authority to pour forth the Spirit as he had just done.
That is why they are cut to the heart. I think we miss this so much because we don’t understand the biblical storyline. They were looking for David’s greater son to come and be their eternal king. And Peter’s announcement is that they crucified him. That had to have cut deep to their hearts as it drove them to plead, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).
This reality is what so much of the book of Acts is showing. What is life like under this visible kingship of Christ? What is life like now that we can be assured that he is the king of the Jews? For one, Peter speaks boldly, not fearing for his life, for now he knows that Jesus has the power to raise him from the dead just as he was raised from the dead. The disciples move out in much more boldness.
When we read this and begin to feel the anticipation that the Israelites must have felt in that day, we begin to understand why they expected Christ to come and set up an earthly kingdom. They had been in bondage in Egypt in their past, and now they were under the ruling Roman government. Therefore, the disciples ask Jesus even after his resurrection, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom of Israel?” (Acts 2:6). They thought when the Messianic king came that he would march into Jerusalem and rule over everything. That’s why the cross threw them for such a loop in the first place. However, after the resurrection, surely he would march into Jerusalem then. But instead he ascends to go back with his Father.
Therefore, the question we must ask is: “If the kingdom of God isn’t a political structure here on earth, then what does it look like? What is the nature of it?”
Paul answers this question for us (at least in part) by writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.” I believe that is to say that the kingdom of God manifesting itself here in the world is Jesus Christ showing us that he has power and dominion (i.e. he reigns) over everything. Therefore, as Paul tells us that it consists in power, I believe he is saying that it consists in Jesus showing his kingly power as he reigns, seated at the right hand of the Father.
But what kind of power is he talking about? Scripture mentions power in numerous places. Is it the kind of power Paul speaks of in Romans 1:16 as he writes, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”? Or is it the power that will raise us up in the last day? 1 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.” Or is it the power that Paul talks about in Romans 15:18-19 writing, “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ”?
I think I would answer those questions by saying, “yes.” I think it is all those things. For Jesus Christ is not limited in his reign. I think it is the power of signs and wonders, the power that saves us, the power that sanctifies us, the power that will one day raise us from the dead, the power that delivers us from the hold of the evil one, and the power that opens our minds and eyes to understanding. Most of these things are displayed in the book of Acts and with Jesus in the gospels.
However, before I dive into explaining all these things, let me first say that there is a tension in the presence of the kingdom. What I mean by that is that when Christ came the kingdom came, but it will not come in all its fullness until he returns. He reigns, yes. And it is shown in our world. But at the same time, we all know that the enemy has not rested, sin has not ceased, and we still feel the consequences of sin. Therefore, though Christ shows us his reign, we are not already tasting the full reign of Christ that will only be shown at his final appearing. What was predicted in the Old Testament has now arrived with the Messiah coming, but there is more to come. The New Testament writers knew that they were living in the last days2 (i.e. Peter’s preaching at Pentecost), but they also waited for the day when Christ would return and show forth an ultimate end to the enemy, sin, and death.3 Thus, one could say (and many have said) that the kingdom of God is already and not yet here.
This is shown as Jesus proclaims that the “kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15) while also talking of a time when it will come (Matthew 8:11). Therefore, what is the result in this life? In the words of Wayne Grudem, “Those who believe in Christ will begin to experience something of what God’s final kingdom reign will be like: they will know some measure of victory over sin (Rom. 6:14, 14:17), over demonic opposition (Luke 10:17), and over disease (Luke 10:9). They will live in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:28, Rom. 8:4-17, 14:17), who is the dynamic power of the coming kingdom. Eventually Jesus will return and his kingdom reign will extend over all creation (1 Cor. 15:24-28).”4 Or in my own explanation, we get infusions now of what will one day be, when the kingdom comes in all its fullness, but we don’t it see fully now. That is why Peter can declare David’s prophecy that the Christ will put all things under his feet (Acts 2:34-35) while the author of Hebrews can say of that same idea, “For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him” (Hebrews 2:8). That is to say, it’s done, but we just won’t see it fully until Christ returns.
The power of the kingdom shows up with Jesus and continues in this age through his followers. We see pictures of it throughout Scripture. One of the clearest examples is found in Matthew 10:7-8. Jesus sends out the disciples and gives them instruction saying, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8).
I think what Jesus is saying here is preach the kingdom and show them the kingdom. And the way that they were to show them the kingdom is by healing, casting out demons, etc. They were displaying God’s reign (what the kingdom is) over sickness and satanic power.
Again, Jesus has a circumstance in Matthew 12 where a blind and dumb man comes to him, and he is demon-possessed. Therefore, Jesus cast out the demon and healed him. That is when the crowds start to think Jesus might be this one whom they were waiting for—the Messiah. And some of them say, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” (v. 23). But the Pharisees do not believe and say, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons” (v. 24). Jesus’ response to this statement is incredible as he talks about a kingdom divided against itself, but one of the most powerful statements is found in verse 28. He says, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Here again, he is showing what the kingdom looks like in a demonstration of God’s power and absolute rule over everything.
But then Jesus gives us a picture of what really happens when the kingdom of God infuses itself into this world, and God displays the fact that he reigns. He says in verse 29, “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” He is showing them that when he casts out a demon, or heals, or forgives sin, he is actually binding Satan and displaying his power over him right in his midst. Therefore, I like to think of a dark world where Satan knows he has been given power, and then watching flashes of light burst into this world, reminding him that God is the one who reigns. It would be like an army being so powerful that in order to mock their enemy, they walk into their camp, bind them to render them powerless, bring tents, and set up camp right in their midst, just to remind them of their great power. The enemy is utterly humiliated.
I think that is what God does every time we see an infusion of the kingdom of God into this present age where Satan is called “The god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), “The prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and “The ruler of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11). And yet he knows how powerless he is against God. To display it, Jesus reminds Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). And he reminds all of us in John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.” I think that is just like the present situation, as Satan has no authority except what God allows.
But the most extraordinary way in which the kingdom of God (i.e. God’s reign) is displayed is in salvation. And for those of us who think to ourselves, “Yeah right, of course, but what is the real miracle here?” do not understand what must happen for an individual to be born again. Let me show what the scripture says of an unbeliever, and then maybe we will be able to see the miracle of salvation a little more clearly.
First of all, the unbeliever lies in the power of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 says, “ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (emphasis mine). Not many of us realize this, but those of our friends and family who are not believers are not just rebellious; they are actually under the power of Satan. They are walking in his kingdom, in his reign (notice Satan’s kingdom in Matthew 12:26). Ephesians 2:2-3 tells us that they are walking according to “the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air.” They are walking in his power.
And not only that, but he has blinded them to the truth. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “In whose case [speaking of unbelievers] the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” So, they are blinded from seeing the light of the gospel.
But it doesn’t stop there. Not only are they under the power of the evil one, but they do not want God at all. First of all, Genesis 6:5 and 8:21 says that the intent of the thoughts of man’s heart is only evil continually, from his youth. Therefore, one could conclude that if such is the case that we would never desire anything good. And such a conclusion would be a correct one. In the New Testament, Romans 3:10-12 repeats Psalm 14:3, saying, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is not even one.” Not any of the people whom we know who are lost want God. They are evil in their nature and have no desire for God. But not only that, they desire the exact opposite of the things of God. John 3:19-20 says that men love “darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light …” They hate the things of God and love the things of the world. Therefore, it’s pretty safe to say that if God left us to our desires, he would not be doing us a favor.
In describing the condition of a man before salvation, the Bible says that he is dead in his sins. Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses …” Even if men wanted to seek God (which they do not), and they were fighting their evil desires; they would still be helpless because men are not badly wounded; they are dead. And dead men cannot do anything for themselves.
Finally, to build the mountain a little steeper, Satan is working against our every effort to reach them with the gospel. In 1 Thessalonians 2:18 Paul writes, “For we wanted to come to you—I Paul, more than once—and yet Satan thwarted us.” Then Jesus says in Matthew 13:18-19, “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.”
Therefore, to sum it all up, man are dead in their sins, lovers of darkness rather than lovers of light, every intent of their hearts is only evil continually, none of them is seeking God, they are blinded by Satan, and they are walking in the power and kingdom of the evil one. And all the while, Satan is working against them hearing the gospel.
Now then, do we realize the miracle that happened for us to be saved? God made us alive, gave us a love for him, changed our hearts (plucking out our heart of stone and giving us a heart of flesh—Ezekiel 36:26), freed us from our sinful will, opened our eyes, and transferred us from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. Colossians 1:13 actually says, “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” And yet all these things were commanded to us. In Acts 26:16-18 Jesus tells Paul, “But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” This is a large portion of the book of Acts. It is God infusing his power and reign into the hearts of men while the gospel is preached. That may be why it is called the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14, Mark 1:14).5
This question can be answered in a number of ways. I will list a few:
1) We should labor to take the gospel to men everywhere.
It is the only power of God to salvation. And unless men respond to the gospel in faith they will die and suffer God’s eternal wrath in hell for an eternity. This no doubt drove the disciples in part because they knew that they were once in the same position.
However, it is not the only motivation. We should also long for the gospel of the kingdom to be spread to men because we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and have a passion to see all men everywhere recognize him as the Almighty God and King. Peter shows us such passion as he continually declares, “God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). He wants men to recognize how great he is.
And within this, the God whom we adore has commanded us to do something in which we can witness his power. As I’ve mentioned previously, the command that Paul received in Acts 26:15-18 is impossible to fulfill if God doesn’t intervene. But he most definitely will. Therefore, we are commanded to share his gospel and marvel as his kingdom infuses itself and men are saved.
These reasons are why we must be an evangelistic people when we go from this place. There is a felt power as you share this message, point people to the source where your have found life (Jesus Christ), and watch their lives transform before you.
Finally, we take the gospel everywhere because it has yet to reach every tongue, tribe, and nation. And our hearts should long for men everywhere to have their eyes opened and their lives yielded to the reality that Jesus is the Messianic King.
2) We should pray for his power to be shown in our day (His kingdom come).
Not only are we commanded to pray this, but reading the book of Acts alone should drive our hearts to long to pray for it. That is the encounter in Acts 4. The believers are trying to preach the gospel and they are being persecuted. They are threatened and released, with the charge that they shall not speak the gospel any longer. And reading it, don’t you feel the war that is seemingly being raged?
These men, who are persecuting the church, are standing against the very purposes of God. So the disciples gather and quote from Psalm 2, “Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ” (Acts 4:24-26). The disciples realize that God has subjected all things under the feet of Christ, and they are praying for God to show his power in this situation by giving them great boldness. As I read this, my heart cries, “God show that you are the king! Don’t let these people be deceived into thinking that you do not reign!” Then God shakes the room where they are, filling them with the Spirit, and sends them out to speak the gospel with boldness.
Their passion was for Christ to show his greatness and glory. And that is why we should pray for his power to be infused into this world. We long for his glory to be known. That’s why when we pray for the sick to be healed and say, “God, we ask this for the sake of your glory,” we are not simply filling up time with these words, we are truly praying that God would remind Satan, sickness, and death that they are subjected to him.
Therefore, we pray for boldness to preach the gospel that Jesus is the Messianic King. We pray for people to be healed. We pray for evil to cease, in this life. However, we must remember that we still await the full coming of his kingdom. Therefore, we do not think we have done something wrong when not all men are saved, or not all men are healed, or evil continues in our day. Though we may see the kingdom in passing glimpses, it is not yet fully here.
I make this warning because I think this way probably the problem in Corinth (and in many churches today). People are confused into thinking that the kingdom has fully come and is here. Paul writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:7-13, “For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us ; and I would indeed that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”
Do you hear what is happening here? The Corinthians were probably saying that if believers were full of faith in the reign of Jesus that we should never suffer, never get sick, be rich, be powerful, live as kings, and show up everyone who tries to come against us. But Paul reminds them that we are not yet to that day, and he uses his life and that of the rest of the apostles to directly contradict such a teaching. They were living as if the kingdom had already come in all its fullness.
3) We need to pray for Christ’s kingdom to come in all its fullness.
We should pray and long for that day when it will be manifested that all things are in subjection to Christ. We should pray for the time when every knee will bow in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth and confess that Christ is indeed the one who reigns over all things. We should long for that day when our king would return to take home his bride. And because of the truth of Matthew 24:14,7 one way we can pray that way is to be obedient to the command to pray that Christ would send forth laborers into the harvest.
In short, we should continue the passion and mission that we see in the book of Acts. I pray that we will by his grace. Amen.