In Mark 1:15, as Jesus begins His ministry, He says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” What is the Kingdom of God? (What is the Gospel?) It is another one of those Christianese words that is easy to talk about but more difficult to define. Yet, it is important we understand it because it is a central theme in the Bible.

A kingdom denotes rule and reign. When God created the world He ruled it and humans recognized/submitted to His reign. His general will was done on earth as in heaven. We see a glimpse of this in the opening chapters of Genesis. Adam participated in God’s reign. He had dominion and was to be His imager bearer/representative. However, while God’s absolute reign was total, His kingdom was localized to the Garden. After the Fall, while his absolute reign remained total (Ps 93:2, “Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”) His saving reign was restricted to the increasing minority of faithful humans scattered on the earth.

This is a simple way to define God’s Kingdom, His saving reign over His people in His place. These recognized Him as King and through faith were part of His Kingdom, representing Him in Eden, the Promised Land or on Earth; albeit incompletely before Christ.

There is Kingdom language used throughout the OT but since Jesus said, ‘is at hand’ infers the Kingdom was partial, wanting or incomplete. God’s ‘Kingdom’ came in fits and starts through Israel in the Promised Land. However, even here, more than a geographical limitation, Israel revealed their need of the Holy Spirit to reign in their hearts. His Kingdom was thus incomplete and local vs. global.

The whole OT story pointed forward to the Messiah King, the chosen One who would bring salvation by ushering in God’s Kingdom and salvation. Jesus is the Christ/King/Lord, though not as people envisioned. This is what we should think of when we say, ‘Jesus is Lord.’ (1 Cor 12:3). He is Lord of all and Lord of His Church (Kingdom and Church are largely synonymous). When He said the Kingdom was near Jesus meant that the King had come. He was the King exercising authority and power. Through His life, death and resurrection He would demonstrate He was the King, receive the Father’s crown of glory. Like kings, Jesus defeated sin and death and hell and Satan through His Easter victory. There is irony in the sign above the cross, ‘King of the Jews,’ for He really was, though in a spiritual sense.

After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven where ‘He is seated at the right hand of the Father.’ (Apostles Creed). Jesus reigns over all, including His Kingdom/Church. Before ascending He commissioned His princes (the 12 Disciples, of a new people of God) to found and expand His Kingdom on earth. ‘Thy Kingdom come’ is a prayer not only for a future realization but a present expansion. It should be our desire that His ‘will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Lord’s Prayer). Jesus now reigns over His Kingdom by the power of His Spirit sent at Pentecost and through the authority of His Word, the Bible. As the Gospel (Good News) about this victorious King was proclaimed rebel sinners outside of God’s Kingdom were invited to be transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness/this World and into the Kingdom of His glorious light (Col 1:13). If they would repent and believe the Good News, i.e. turn from rebellion and sin and toward King Jesus, and ask for admittance according to the victory and benefits Jesus won through His death and resurrection, they would find entry. This is what is meant by Ro 10:9, to confess (agree) that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Jesus is building a Kingdom from amongst the kingdoms of this earth.

The believer is visibly admitted to the Kingdom through the rite of Baptism. This is how they display loyalty to the King. They then become a citizen, with rich meaning for our identity along with both initial blessings but also responsibility. They gather to worship the King and hear His Word. They live in accordance with the Royal Law (Ja 2:8), to live out Kingdom values (Sermon on the Mount; Parables), are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fight a spiritual war (Eph 6), be an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor 5:20) and herald the King’s Gospel. Like a mustard seed (Lk 13:18, or Dan 2) the Kingdom expands geographically and numerically (even sanctification); a reality that history attests to. The rebellion is shrinking and the opposition growing, despite how it may appear.

However, the paradox of the Kingdom is that it is ‘already but not yet.’ Christ inaugurated (began) the Kingdom at His first coming and will bring it to completion (consummation) at His Second Coming. Rev 11:15b says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” After the Resurrection, Last Battle and Judgement, Christ will reign over His people forever in the New Heavens and New Earth. The rebellion will be over. The Kingdom will be fully and eternally here, a Kingdom of life free from the curse of rebellion and death.
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All this may be visualized as follows:

Many themes are traced throughout the book of Acts. There is the Spirit, Word, witness, courage, encouragement and care, perseverance, etc. One commonly overlooked area is God’s sovereignty (i.e. the doctrines of grace or predestination, election and providence, from here on simply ‘election’). This shouldn’t surprise us as Paul, Luke’s travelling companion, wrote a great deal on these doctrines in his epistles. Yet, election and evangelism are often seen as being in contradiction rather than complimentary. Examining this theme in Acts reveals this as untrue. Election undergirds evangelism, recognizing that this doctrine is not the content of our witness.
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Acts, like most New Testament letters, is not written to a general unbelieving audience but a Christian one. Acts is written by Dr. Luke to Theophilus, “to have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Lk 1). We teach election, not preach it. As such, in Acts, the Gospel is always what is proclaimed to unbelievers even while Luke’s narrative is seasoned with election for the teaching of believers.

Election in Acts

• 1:8- Jesus promises that His mission will succeed
• 2:23 & 4:27–28- Christ was predestined to die
• 13:48- “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed”
• 16:7-“the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (the Macedonian call, which meant that some heard the Gospel and the others didn’t)
• 16:14- “the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” (effectual call)
• 18:10, 27- “many in this city who are my people” and “those who through grace had believed.”
• 20:24- “the Gospel of the grace of God.”
• 23:11- promise that Paul will go to Rome
• 26:16/Paul’s testimony- chosen to be an apostle to the Gentiles
• 27—God providentially preserved Paul in the storm
• 28:26–27- a citation from Isaiah that “a partial hardening has come upon Israel” (Ro 11:25). Curiously Luke bookends Acts with reminders of God’s sovereignty.

Acts, which is about evangelism, is entirely consistent with election.

We also see this from a simple review of history from recent centuries.

History
The following all upheld election and are all likewise famous examples of evangelism.

• During the Reformation Calvin’s Geneva was at the centre of a European wide missions movement sending missionaries across the continent.
• Puritans were at the forefront of evangelizing England.
• The evangelist George Whitfield was the most prominent figure on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1st Great Awakening/Evangelical Revival.
• William Carey was the “father” of modern missions.
• Charles Spurgeon helped to found hundreds of churches and preached to thousands more making a beeline to Christ in his sermons.
• Ontario Baptists upheld the “election and effectual calling of all God’s people” in 1925 as they zealously supported Western and Francophone missions.
• Martin Lloyd Jones preached Christ crucified—truth on fire—especially cultivating indigenous missions throughout the Empire.
• John Stott advocated Christian mission in the global world, especially amongst students.
• There are many more contemporary examples that could be given.

From Acts and recent history one sees that election and evangelism are compatible.

Specifically, it teaches a humble dependence upon the Lord to fulfil such a Great Commission; it grounds us that we preach grace through faith in Christ; it assures us that our mission or fishing for men isn’t in vain, that some will indeed believe the Gospel (2 Ti 2:10- “I endure everything for the sake of the elect”; Tit 1:1); it produces comfort in affliction; and inspires worship for in the end God alone is glorified.  
 

The story of Moses is well known, even if you don’t know much about the Bible. For Christians it is a cherished story. Hidden within it, however, is a gem for those of us who experience suffering that teaches us about the higher purpose of seeing God’s glory.

In Exodus God’s people were suffering and God heard their cries and called Moses to tell Pharaoh to ‘let my people go!’ When Moses met the leaders this was heralded as good news (ch. 4). However, when Moses actually announced this to Pharaoh he made life worse for the Israelites by adding burdens to their work. The result was that the people complained (ch. 5).

So God’s will (to rescue His people from suffering) actually resulted in more suffering for His people! Now to be sure God is never the agent of sin (Jas 1:13) but that is not to say that everything is ultimately part of His will (Eph 1:11). God may be the first cause but His will is worked out through secondary causes (Acts 2:23, 4:27–8). This lesson is key to the storyline of Exodus.

Moses, recognizing something of this, puts the situation back into his God’s face who had begun this saga in the first place. Listen to what he said to the LORD (Ex 5:22–23):

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

Why is a question we often ask when we suffer as Christians. Why Lord, why!? Yet God was still keeping His promises and teaching both Egypt and Israel of His glory, the glory of His justice and the glory of His grace. Listen to the LORD’s reply to Moses:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

It was through suffering that the Lord would teach His people of His glory. If the hardships were not great the display of His glory would be trivialized. Think of what would have happened if God had simply allowed Pharaoh to ‘let His people go’ immediately. Israel would not have learned to depend upon Him, nor seen His might or His love. They would not have been as grateful or experience as great a salvation. It was through trusting the Lord in the suffering that they would see His glorious power.  
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It is like that in our lives too. Why God will’s suffering remains a mystery; but that He works all things for good for His people is a promise we can depend upon (Ro 8:28). When we suffer we must in faith humbly trust the Lord’s will and know His will display His glory and accomplish what is for our greater good as we wait upon Him.