I love how Luke begins and ends his gospel movement documentary (i.e. the Book of Acts) with such a vivid focus on Jesus and his Kingdom. The rapid multiplication of new disciples and new churches conveyed between these verses that bookend the Book of Acts can’t be explained apart from this focus. The epic good news of all eternity was and will always be about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the Kingdom he has put within our reach.
“After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” –Acts 1:3
“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” –Acts 28:31
In Acts 1:3, we find Jesus in the forty days between his resurrection and ascension pouring into his disciples what they would essentially need to remember and rely on as they would be his ambassadors to convey in word, deed, and power his message and ministry of good news to the nations. They needed to know with certainty that he was the Suffering Servant and Risen King, and that his Kingdom was now accessible to everyone by faith. And in the following verses, Jesus emphasizes that this gospel ministry that would impact the world would require the empowering presence of his Holy Spirit.
In Acts 28:31, the last verse of the book of Acts, we find the aged apostle Paul in prison in Rome. And what is he up to after the previous decades of being the ringleader of the radical gospel movement recorded in Acts? He is proclaiming the Kingdom and teaching about Jesus!
I believe it is essential that we carry on this twofold focus on the good news as Jesus himself and the apostle Paul demonstrate:
The gospel about Jesus refers to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). May we be known as people who remain fascinated with Jesus above all else!
The gospel of Jesus refers to the good news that Jesus proclaimed, that God’s Kingdom has been made accessible to all through faith and repentance (see Mark 1:14,15). Let us continue to pray for, declare, and demonstrate with expectation the reality of God’s Kingdom reign that Jesus has brought near!
Suggested prayer focus:
Take a few minutes to quiet your heart and mind and simply focus on loving Jesus. Tell him what you are grateful for regarding his life, death, and resurrection. Now listen for what he might want to say to you. Perhaps you need to apply the gospel to an area of sin, brokenness, or despair in your life right now? Is there a family member, friend or neighbor who needs to hear the good news about Jesus?
Take a few more minutes and recall how God’s Kingdom has broken into your life. Specifically give thanks to God for those things. Finish this reflection by praying as Jesus instructed, “Father, may your Kingdom come and will be done…(in this person’s life, in this situation, etc.). Pray this prayer with humble expectation with reference to anything where you desire to see what is true in heaven impact people and situations on earth (no sickness, bondage, lostness, etc.).
You might like to finish this devotional time by listening to one of my favorite worship songs by Jeremy Riddle called, “Stand in Awe”. Let’s remain fascinated with King Jesus!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Randall and his wife Jill live in Boise, ID within minutes of their three married kids and six grandkids. Bill has an earned doctorate in spiritual formation and theology from Fuller Seminary. After a career of church planting and equipping leaders for Kingdom ministry, Bill and his wife Jill joined Novo in 2014. He launched Pioneering Initiatives in 2016 which grew to 13 teams serving in Western Europe and the States. Bill now serves on the Novo Lead Team as the co-director of the Gospel Movement Teams division.