Church in the Wild: A Kingdom Perspective
We’re wrapping up our October series with the 5th and final part of Church in the Wild, where we’ve spent the month exploring how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our current culture. What an incredible month of learning and encouragement it’s been! This week, we’re covering Acts 21 through 28 with a deep look into Paul’s life and experiences.
In A Kingdom Perspective, Pastor Eric highlights a series of Paul’s unfortunate events and we discover the ways that Paul used each of those circumstances for the good of God’s Kingdom. We’re challenged to ask ourselves 3 questions to help transform our minds to align with a kingdom perspective and we’ll discover the importance of embodying a kingdom perspective and shifting our mindset to align with the Lord’s divine plan.
The chapters we’re looking at in Acts detail Paul’s experiences after being initially arrested and then imprisoned. From the outside looking in, it seems like Paul’s circumstances were just a series of unfortunate events as he faces challenge after challenge after challenge. Here were some of the major events Paul faced during these 7 chapters:
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Acts 21: Paul returns to Jerusalem and he is beaten by an angry mob and arrested.
Acts 22: Paul is put in prison without a trial.
Acts 23: Paul stands before the High-Priest to explain his actions and is ridiculed.
Acts 24: Paul is brought before the Roman Governor, Felix, to make his case.
Acts 25: Paul appeals to Caesar in Rome but is put back in prison for 2 years.
Acts 26: Pais ul addresses Governor Festus and King Agripa to explain why he’s in prison.
Acts 27: Paul is sent as a prisoner to Rome, but on the way is shipwrecked Malta.
Acts 28: Paul finally arrives in Rome as a prisoner and is placed under house arrest.
As Paul was sitting in prison in Acts 28, we wrote the following verse in Philippians–a verse we can all be encouraged and strengthened by. The focus of this verse and of part 5 of Church in the Wild as a whole is not on Paul’s experiences, but on his perspective.
Philippians 1:12-14 (NIV) 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
God has a plan for each of us! A plan to use our challenges and struggles and our story to advance His Gospel and embody our call as the church in the wild, no matter what we face in our lives.
A Kingdom Perspective
As we all know, two people can look at the exact same thing but have two entirely different points of view surrounding the experience. In A Kingdom Perspective, Pastor Eric shares a heartwarming story about his daughter Olive that highlights how easily and frequently our perspectives differ from others’. He goes on to share a sentimental memory about himself and his dad, Pastor Jeff, further emphasizing this truth.
The takeaway from both of these stories is that perspective is important. The unique way that we view our situations drastically impacts the way we act and respond to those circumstances. Let’s keep this viewpoint in mind as we continue our journey through the last chapters of Acts and Paul’s unimaginably challenging circumstances.
Through being beaten and imprisoned and shipwrecked, Paul never stopped sharing the Gospel. He was never tempted to quit his calling. If we reread Philippians 1:12-14 above, it’s easy for us to question how Paul could possibly write these words with such confidence?!
Paul was able to write these words in the face of severe adversity because Paul embodied a kingdom perspective. He viewed his life through a different lens–instead of seeing things the way the world sees them, Paul saw things based on God’s Word. Paul knew that his current circumstances were not as important as what to do with them. Every trial was an opportunity to share his testimony!
If we are going to be the church in the wild, we too must live with a kingdom perspective in every situation! We are called to have a transformed perspective and see our lives and circumstances based on the truth of God’s Word.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This verse clearly highlights the importance of perspective and talks about going on the journey of changing the way we think, changing the way our brain operates as to not see life through the lens of our past experiences, but to see life through God’s Word, through a kingdom perspective. Amen!
Let’s consider these next 3 questions to help challenge and transform our viewpoint from a worldly perspective to a kingdom perspective. Let’s dive into the renewal process of seeing life according to God’s Word!
1. What’s Happened to You?
Philippians 1:12 (NIV) Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
Despite everything Paul had been through, he was able to see how God could redeem anything. As we know, we serve a God whose redemptive nature transforms all our challenges, circumstances, and situations to come together for goodness.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
It’s important to realize that God does not cause all things. The Bible doesn’t teach us that God is the cause of all things; the Bible teaches us that God turns all things together for good. There’s a critical difference! We have an enemy whose mission is to steal and kill and destroy anything and everything that we will allow him to in our lives. Thankfully, our God can turn all things for good! Amen!
The story of Joseph and his circumstances with his brothers highlights this truth about God’s character perfectly. Despite being thrown in a bit by how brothers, sold into slavery, and imprisoned, Jospeh’s life was living proof of this truth:
Genesis 50:19-20 (NIV) 19But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
We’ve got to start seeing our circumstances with A Kingdom Perspective just like Paul and Joseph and so many others before us have done to advance the Gospel!
Discussion:
Reflect on a difficult experience or season in your life that seemed full of darkness. Looking back, how did God work those things together for your good?
What has happened to you that in turn served to advance the Gospel as Paul said in Philippians 1:12?
2. What are you Chained to?
Philippians 1:13 (NIV) As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
Philippians 1:13 (NKJV) So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.
Paul is telling us that he has observed and seen that even during his worst circumstances, those around him were able to recognize that although he was in chains on the outside, Paul was actually chained to something even greater on the inside. He lived with a different perspective!
Paul had such a revelation in his identity in Christ that even while he was chained, he knew that he was first chained to Jesus and he lived from that reality. No external experience could grab ahold of him because the Lord had already grabbed ahold of him. Paul didn’t see his life based on circumstance, but instead saw his life based on what God said about him. Paul shows us the importance of having a Christ perspective!
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Paul had surrendered his life to Jesus but even more than that, Paul identifies with Chris through death, burial, and resurrection. Like Paul, we can’t just live our lives with the addition of Jesus; we must live in Christ fully and wholly. He is our identity and we have a new life in Him.
This is a totally different framework of living! A Kingdom Perspective reframes our world. The Romans thought they had Paul in chains but they didn’t; he was chained to Christ. Paul knew a higher truth! When we recognize our true identity in Christ, it changes our perspective on everything we face.
Instead of being chained to our circumstances or past mistakes or our upbringing or the world, we are called to be chained to Christ!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If we are going to be the church in the Wild, we have to renew our minds and see from the perspective of who we are in Jesus as being more than the circumstances we face on earth. In A Kingdom Perspective, Pastor Eric shares a powerful personal story reflecting on the difference between the world’s point of view and God’s point of view and how that difference radically shapes our lives.
It’s time to renew our hearts and see ourselves in Christ. Amen!
Discussion:
Think about a difficult situation you’ve faced recently. What does that circumstance look like through the lens of the world versus the lens of Christ?
How does our salvation as born again Christians impact the ways in which we respond to trials and tribulations?
3. What Opportunity is Before You?
Philippians 1:14 (NIV) And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Paul had a perspective to see an opportunity in every single situation. He saw life through a different lens! He transformed what many would perceive as failures into prosperous opportunities to use his life and experiences to encourage others. Take a look at what he wrote in letters to some of the churches he planted:
Colossians 4:3 (NKJV) And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NLT) 15So be very careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Paul was not just optimistic in response to challenges; he was opportunistic. We need to be assessing our circumstances and discovering what opportunities God has created for us in the midst of our challenges. How can we use our situations to share the Good News and glorify His name?
At the beginning of A Kingdom Perspective, we explored Paul’s series of unfortunate events. Let’s take a look at the ways he found opportunity in those circumstances and used those challenges to continually advance the Gospel:
Seeing an Opportunity in Every Situation
Acts 21: Paul returns to Jerusalem and he is beaten by an angry mob and arrested.
- As he is being dragged away from the mob, he asks if he could speak to them about Jesus.
Acts 22: Paul is put in prison without a trial.
- He tells the mob and the Jews about his life-change in Jesus.
Acts 23: Paul stands before the High-Priest to explain his actions and
- And stands boldly and talks about the resurrection anyway.
Acts 24: Paul is brought before the Roman Governor, Felix, to make his case.
- Instead of defending himself, Paul told Felix about his hope in God.
Acts 25: Paul appeals to Caesar in Rome but is put back in prison for 2 years.
- Because he understood he was called to take the Gospel to Rome.
Acts 26: Paul addresses Governor Festus and King Agripa to explain why he’s in prison.
- And stands boldly and talks about the resurrection anyway.
Acts 27: Paul is sent as a prisoner to Rome, but on the way is shipwrecked Malta.e sick on that Island and they get healed.
- And prays for the sick on that Island and they get healed.
Acts 28: Paul finally arrives in Rome as a prisoner and is placed under house arrest.
- And writes the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon which is in scripture today.
If we’re going to be the church in the wild, we too must learn to live from A Kingdom Perspective and find opportunity in every situation.
Discussion:
This week, what situations are you facing that seem daunting, defeating, or depressing? In what ways can you adopt a kingdom perspective and find the opportunity in those circumstances?
In the past, what challenging circumstances have you faced that had the potential to become opportunities instead?
As we close out our Church in the Wild series, let’s take a look at the very last verses in Acts and discover the commissioning that we’re called to:
Acts 28:30-31 (NKJV) 30Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.
The reason the book of Acts seems unfinished is because the church in the wild is called to continue! The Acts of the Apostles isn’t done; it’s being done through us here in our world and our culture today. These 28 chapters aren’t just past stories for inspiration; they’re charges for us to live the same way in the here and now. There’s a world to reach! God is looking for disciples–for men and women filled with the Holy Spirit who know who they are in Jesus–to live with boldness, go on the adventure of obedience, and embrace a kingdom perspective. Let’s be that church!
Prayer:
Lord, we love you and we’re grateful for the freedom to gather freely and lift up the name of Jesus. God, as we open up your word, please give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. Help all of us to be transformed into the image of Christ and to step out boldly to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, Amen!
