Acts: A Gold Mine of Kingdom Treasures!

by Kenneth LaPrade, Texas

Many folks might be motivated to ask a person like me, “Why even bother emphasizing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God repeatedly? After all, we (as Christians) already believe that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected. Isn’t that the whole Gospel? So what then is the big deal about the Kingdom?”

Just over 50 years ago, at a memorable event in 1972 where Billy Graham preached, I embraced what I assumed to have been the full gospel message when I believed a teaching about John 3:16, accepting basic truths about Jesus’ sacrificial death and his subsequent resurrection. Shortly thereafter, I found myself closely linked to a group of “dispensationalists” who heartily believed that Jesus died for us and was raised from the dead, but also asserted that Jesus’ actual teachings (in the four gospels) were exclusively relevant only to Jews living before the day of Pentecost. Hence, according to our old group’s theology, Jesus’ teachings did not really apply directly to Christians. We were in the general boat, so to speak, of believing, according to a C.S. Lewis quote, “The Gospel is not in the gospels,” and, also, according to Billy Graham, “Jesus Christ came to do three days’ work” (referring to his death, burial, and resurrection). For some three decades I then confidently proclaimed this nutshell of Jesus’ atoning death and resurrection, as if it were the whole gospel message. Sadly, I was badly mistaken!

In the context of emphasizing Scriptural fulfillment through Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul mentioned these two realities as being “among matters of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Thus he did not state or imply that these two events constitute the whole Gospel message! The same context (the whole of chapter 15) includes bold Kingdom facts which indicate that the Christian dead must be raised in the future when God’s Kingdom will arrive: verses 15-19, 22-25, 50-58. In the even wider Scriptural context (which includes the four gospels), one can clearly see how future Kingdom of God (Kingdom of heaven) announcements permeate a time before the prophetic mention of Jesus’ death and resurrection. For example, in the three Synoptic gospels, at least 30 chapters precede the time when Jesus first declared his death and resurrection: Matthew 1-15, Mark 1-7, Luke 1-8. Thus, there is a lengthy time period when Jesus and the twelve successfully preached coming Kingdom truths (and the necessary response of repentance) well before Jesus’ death and resurrection were added to the Gospel message.

One might logically ask, “What is the actual danger in preaching the partial Gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection only, while omitting the foundational truths of Jesus’ ardent, devoted (Luke 4:43) preaching of the Kingdom of God?” Well, such a glaring omission could mislead folks into believing that a proactive, obedient response (Luke 13:23-24, Romans 1:5, 16:26, Hebrews 5:9) is not required, due, perhaps, to a misconstrued notion of “grace” as doing nothing! Also, without the genuine Kingdom hope, one could be deceived into grasping a false hope (such as survival after death as a disembodied ghost) or be tempted to ultimately give up in life due to a complete lack of hope! Furthermore, one might neglect the vital nature of staying faithful (Hebrews 3:6, 14) in biblical hope until the end of our lives. As an analogy, if one is expert at making electrical connections, but fails to take the basic step of unplugging (or turning off) the power source before working, he/she could incur deadly consequences! How much more serious are the basics required for salvation!

Luke himself had boldly highlighted future-oriented Gospel-Kingdom truths in his first written, well-researched account (Luke 1:3-4) — the Gospel of Luke. His future Kingdom emphasis is so clear in Luke 4:43 (showing Jesus’ divine mission of being sent to preach the Kingdom of God message in other towns). Luke 8:1, 9:10-11, 18:28-30, 19:11-27, 21:25-36, 22:28-30, and other vibrant passages are part of this picture!

In this study we will overview the same powerful Kingdom focus in the book of Acts, Luke’s second written account: Acts 1:1. Far from observing Kingdom vocabulary and its concepts dropped or minimized, as if some sort of dispensational theory were really in place (relegating Jesus’ Gospel preaching to being a relic from a previous time frame), we will see that Acts boldly declares the coming Kingdom-Gospel truths as still dynamically relevant for at least 25 years after the momentous Pentecost events of Acts, chapter 2. In twelve references to be briefly perused, eight passages state truths in Kingdom terms very directly, and at least four other records indicate vital concepts linked to essential Kingdom priorities. (Quotations here are from the OGF translation, with occasional emphasis added, www.onegodtranslation.com)

1. After being resurrected and while demonstrating “convincing proofs” of truly being alive, Jesus gave commands to the Apostles. According to Acts 1:3b, “He [Jesus] was seen by them over a period of forty days and he spoke about the Kingdom of God.” Thus, Jesus, as obviously resurrected, spoke for about six weeks about the same central Kingdom theme which had dominated his preaching for years during the whole time of the gospels!
2. The Apostles then followed up this final, extensive (v. 3) Kingdom discussion with the lord with a very good, logical question in Acts 1:6: “And so when they had come together they asked him, ‘lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?’” One might keep in mind that the expectation that Jesus “rescue and restore Israel”(Luke 24:21) was common to Jesus’ attentive disciples (i.e., students). One might also recall that previously, within a couple of months of this time, Jesus had boldly promised that they (the Apostles) would eventually sit on thrones governing the tribes of Israel! Jesus did not scold or dismiss their question (in Acts 1:6), as if it represented a foolish obsession with earthly politics! Jesus was not at all like John Calvin, who stated that there are as many errors in that verse 6 question as there are words! Jesus gave a simple reply (Acts 1:7) in terms of God’s timing: “He replied, ‘It is not for you to know times or periods which the Father has set by His own authority.’” As we shall see, this same book of Acts shows, in its overall context, that the “Kingdom to Israel” will be ultimately restored.
3. As a quick but meaningful reference (in Acts 2:29b and 34a) we can observe that, “David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day” and, “It was not David who went up to heaven.” Simply put, the overall biblical picture of the metaphorical sleep of the dead (Ps. 13:3; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Corinthians 15:17-20) in an unconscious state (Ecc. 9:5-6, 10; Ps. 6:4-5; 115:17) is vital to grasping the Scriptural need for the arrival of Jesus and a future Kingdom — to literally raise the dead (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29)!
4. Shortly after the meaningful Kingdom conversation of Acts 1:3, 6-7 and a notable healing miracle, Peter addressed the crowds in Acts 3:19-25a. “Repent therefore and turn back, so that your sins may be blotted out and so there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that He will send Jesus, the Messiah appointed for you. Heaven must retain him [temporarily] until the time for the restoration of all things[including Israel], which God announced long ago through His holy prophets. Moses said [in Deut. 18:15-19], ‘The Lord God will put on the scene of history a prophet like me from among your brothers. You are to listen to and obey him, everything he says to you. Everyone who will not listen to and obey that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken have announced these days, from Samuel and those who followed after. You are the children of the prophets.” Apparently, upcoming Kingdom realities (the restoration of all things — including Israel) are vital tenets of authentic Christian hope! Notice that having sins blotted out is tightly linked to the hope of Jesus’ glorious return!
5. Acts 8:12 provides us with a succinct summary of Philip’s ministry to certain Samaritans: “But when they believed Philip as he was heralding the Gospel about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus the Messiah, they were being baptized [in water], both men and women.” The Gospel of the Kingdom of God and everything for which Jesus stood was still vital here to Christian repentance and transformation (along with the obedient, devoted, meaningful pledge of baptism). Such realities were not at all outdated!
6. Later on, in southern Galatia (Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe) Paul and Barnabas heralded the Kingdom-Gospel, also termed “the word of God.” After severe persecution (including the stoning of Paul), they wisely exhorted the new Galatian converts in Acts 14:22: “They strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith. They said, ‘It is through many trials that we enter the Kingdom of God.’” Kingdom of God concepts and vocabulary were clearly deeply relevant during times of trials!
7. In Acts 17:22-34 when Paul brilliantly and lovingly addressed folks with pagan religious beliefs in Athens, he spoke boldly about Jesus’ future role of judgment in 17:31: “because He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice through a man He has appointed, and He gave proof of this to everyone by resurrecting him from the dead.” Thus Paul strongly correlates Jesus’ resurrection (as definitive proof) to his coming Kingdom role to “judge the world with justice!” Jesus’ words will be critical (John 12:47-50) on that day!
8. When “the word” (as sort of a code for the Kingdom-Gospel) was strongly pervasive in Ephesus and the province of Asia (in western Turkey), Acts 19:8 states, “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, addressing and persuading them about the Kingdom of God.” It is very plain that one does not urgently persuade others about outdated norms which are no longer pertinent to the lives of true believers!
9. In Acts chapter 20, when Paul solemnly declared that he had not held back anything useful to the gathered elders from Ephesus, in back-to-back phrases he absolutely linked “the Gospel of the grace of God” to the “heralding of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God!” Acts 20:24b/25a state, “So that I [Paul] may finish my task and the ministry which I received from the lord Jesus: to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. Now I know that you all, among whom I went around heralding the Gospel of the Kingdom…” Paul then went on in verse 27 to say, “because I have not held back from declaring to you the whole plan of God.” Very far from separating “the grace of God” from Kingdom preaching, Paul correlates them as synonymous concepts, two phrases which constitute “the whole plan of God”! So, it is crystal clear that (against a misguided dispensational theology), a “new” Pauline Gospel of grace never replaced an outmoded Kingdom-Gospel! The back-to-back use here of phrases about Paul’s essential message make them two ways of referring to the same Gospel!
10. When Paul defended himself from false accusations before Felix, a Roman governor, he used the occasion to pour out his heart (Acts 24:14-16) about what deeply motivated his conscience: “But I confess this to you [Felix]: According to the Way which they call a sect, I serve the God of our fathers, believing everything written in the Law and the prophets. I have the same hope in God as they have — that there will be a resurrection of both the just and unjust. That is why I do my best to always have a clear conscience before God and before people.” (See Daniel 12:1-3 and John 5:25-29.) Living conscientiously (as Paul did), based on two literal, future resurrections, is to stand firmly on the truth of prominent Kingdom realities!
11. The book of Acts closes much as it had begun, with a sharp focus on Kingdom of God treasures! In Rome, Paul met with certain Jewish leaders to engage in important discussions: Acts 28:23-24. “They set a day to meet with him [Paul], and then they came in even greater numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till night Paul explained to them, solemnly testifying about the Kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the prophets. Some of them were persuaded by what Paul said, but others refused to believe.”
12. Finally, we see the striking conclusion to the entire book in Acts 28:30-31: “Paul stayed two full years there at his own expense, and he welcomed everyone who came to him, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Messiah with complete openness and without restriction.” From overviewing these twelve dynamic passages in Acts (covering a time period of at least 25 years), when could one document that the Kingdom of God Gospel was ever replaced by another minimized Gospel? Never! When was Kingdom preaching effectively reduced to mere preaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection, while omitting the required foundation of Jesus’ vital words concerning repentance in light of a coming, future Messianic government(or Kingdom) to be powerfully implemented on earth (Matt. 5:5, 6:10)? Once again, never! Jesus said, “But seek His Kingdom, and these things [material needs] will be provided for you. Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is delighted to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:31-32).