Daily Word

About the Kingdom of God...

(Acts 19:-8-10, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 27, 2013)

[8] And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

This passage describing Paul's important ministry in Ephesus begins with his work in the synagogue where we read that he was teaching about “the kingdom of God.” It ends with Paul doing daily classes in a place called “the hall of Tyrannus” where he taught Jews and Greeks “the Word of the Lord.”

Are we to understand these as two different messages or was the teaching about the kingdom of God essentially the same as the Word of the Lord? It may help us to know that what Luke calls “the kingdom of God,” Matthew most frequently refers to as “the kingdom of heaven.” Passages about Jesus' teaching that are virtually identical in every way use the words “kingdom of heaven” in Matthew, but when Luke quotes them he uses the phrase he writes here in Acts 19 synonymously, that is “the kingdom of God.”

The Word of the Lord is from the Lord of heaven and earth. It is the Word of King Jesus, who when He had accomplished His ministry on earth, ascended into heaven, from where He now reigns as King. He is coming again to bring the glories of His heavenly kingdom upon the earth. This is at least a portion of what we pray for in the Lord's prayer when we say together, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We want to see the Kingdom of God grow on the earth now, and we want to see it come in fullness when the Lord returns. Both now and in the future the Kingdom of God will come through the Word of the Lord.

The church is to speak that Word boldly, reasoning and persuading others about Jesus and the resurrection. In other words (from earlier passages in Acts), we are to prove “from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.” The church is to preach “Jesus and the resurrection,” not just His resurrection as an isolated fact, but His resurrection as the beginning of a new era. This is “the Kingdom of God.” This is “the Word of the Lord.”

[9] But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them

Paul says in another place that this preaching and teaching of the Christian hope is a word of life unto life for those who will receive it, but it is a word of death to those who reject it. A divided response should not surprise us. When the kingdom of heaven is established in fullness there will no longer be a division of this kind. The grace of the Lord will be with all in the Kingdom of God. All of us will eagerly, immediately, and fully receive the Word of the Lord. That is one of the delightful characteristics of the life to come for the children of God. One day the struggle within us and outside of us will be over. That day is not today for you and me.

Today we still face some measure of division. As with Paul in the synagogue in Ephesus, three months of relative peace can come to an end. The hidden rejection of the Word of the Lord in some hearts can suddenly become an open and stubborn unbelief that leads to speaking against the Way of the Lord, sometimes right in front of the congregation. This is not a sign that we should shrink away from our faith. We must stand firm in the truth speak the truth in love.

Speaking the truth in love will require wisdom from God. But before we can speak the truth with the integrity and power of heavenly love, we must hear that truth and surrender to it. That can happen in an instant by the power of God, but that is not the universal story of how everyone grows in faith and holiness.

and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. [10] This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Whether instantly or gradually over a number of years, we need to see that our growth in understanding and in obedience in the kingdom of God is worth our daily attention.

When Paul faced a point in his synagogue ministry where he finally knew that it was time to leave, he did what he had to do. He found a place where the Word of the Lord could be faithfully proclaimed to those who had not already rejected it. He did not leave alone. As in other places, the apostle took some with him who were sensing life in this message that Paul preached.

A couple of the ancient manuscripts add some words indicating that this teaching took place during the off hours, mid-day, when the hall was not otherwise in use. In other words, the Ephesian church had to make do with a less than ideal building situation. The essence of the church is not in the right circumstances or in the latest idea of how to make belief in God and His kingdom convenient to those who have some possible casual interest in a new religion. The kingdom comes most powerfully when the children of God are so eager for the Word of the Lord that they will make whatever provision necessary to grow in that Word every day of their lives.

This was happening in Ephesus. Jews and Gentiles were coming from all over the province of Asia in order to take advantage of Paul's teaching curriculum. The passages prior to these verses had shown how important the need was. When great men like Apollos did not know any baptism beyond the baptism of John, and when twelves disciples in Ephesus had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit, the church needed to be soundly taught about Jesus and the resurrection.

Is this need for the daily work of the Word of God just a thing of the past, or does the church have this same need today? We have more Christian materials quickly and cheaply available to us than any other generation, but as we examine the state of the church over the last century we have to conclude that matters that are central to the Christian faith have been neglected.

Even among those who know what the faith is, so many have decided that they would rather teach people about methods of reaching others rather than building them up in the Word and Spirit of God. Many have little sense of the Kingdom of heaven until someone dies. Then the question of what God is actually up to, so central to both the Old and New Testaments, takes on a heightened level of importance. But will the church teach the disciples about the kingdom of God? Will they give people the Word of the Lord? And will those who have been baptized into the wonderful Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, concluded that hearing that Word every day is of more value to their souls than every amusement and vanity that would have such a strong claim on our affections?

Every church should have a vigorous teaching ministry focused on the central truths of our faith. Leaders in the church need to be taught. Every child of God needs to be in the Word and prayer. Jesus is worth our hearty attention. He is the Lord who has a Word for us. He is the King of the kingdom of God. He has ascended into heaven. He has given us a living hope that will never fail.

An Example: Have you taken the time to consider the importance to you of Christ's ascension?

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 24 – Ascension Psalm

Gospel Passage: Luke 24:44-53 – The Ascension of Jesus Christ,

Sermon Text: Acts 19:8-10 – Paul's ministry in Ephesus

Sermon Point: The Word of the Lord and of His heavenly kingdom is worthy of your daily consideration.