ACTS 26:19-2319 "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothin...
ACTS 26:19-23
19 "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - 23 that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
FROM THE LESSON
The three realities of the resurrection:
1 Hope fulfilled - verses 4-11
2 Light revealed - verses 12-18
3 Kingdom arrived - verses 19-23
The three defining characteristics of the kingdom:
1 It's a kingdom of obedience - verse 19
Paul is both a Jew and Roman citizen by birth, but first and foremost, he is a citizen of the kingdom of heaven by rebirth.
Philippians 3:20 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior who is from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."
2 It's a kingdom of repentance - verse 20
Paul preached that they should repent (change their minds) and turn to God (change their direction) and prove their repentance by their deeds (change their behavior).
The Greek word translated prove is also translated "to practice, to exercise, to perform habitually and repeatedly."
3 It's a kingdom of unity - verses 21-23
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
This is not just a geographical outline for the book of Acts, but it is also God's blueprint for uniting all of His people into one kingdom.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1 Paul says that our citizenship is in heaven. What does it mean for you to live as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven?
2 The primary desire of the heart for a citizen of the kingdom of God is obedience to the words of King Jesus. You know conversion has occurred when obedience is no longer something you have to do, but something you get to do. How have you experienced this kind of kingdom conversion in your life?
3 The lesson looked at three parts to kingdom repentance. There is a change of mind, a change of direction, and a change of behavior. Repentance means a great deal more than just "turning around." Which one of these three parts helped you most in your understanding of repentance?
4 Have you ever been part of a movement that purposefully worked to unite different cultures or people groups? What was that like? How could we as citizens of the kingdom of God be more purposeful in living into the "sneak peak" of Revelation 7:9-10?
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