Speaking About The Kingdom Of God (Acts 1:1-3)

The King Is On Your Side (But Are You On His?)

Most people spend their lives trying to delay the inevitable. Vitamins are taken, diets adjusted, habits improved — all in the hope of gaining more time. The idea of knowing exactly how much time remains is deeply unsettling.

In this Crowd Church talk, Matt Edmundson shared the story of Anne, a woman in her mid-thirties who was diagnosed with aggressive cancer and told she had only weeks to live. As she prepared for the end of her life, Anne bought two large wooden boxes, one for each of her children. She filled them with letters and recorded videos — stories, memories, and messages that only a mother could give. For Anne, every word mattered.

According to the biblical account, Jesus spent around 40 days with his followers in between His resurrection and ascent to heaven. With limited time and complete clarity about what lay ahead, his choices, priorities, and actions take on profound significance.

This post explores how Jesus chose to spend those final days, and what that reveals about what truly matters.

The Gift of Ordinary Moments

In Acts chapter 1, Luke gives us a summary of those 40 days. Here's what the Bible says:

In the first book, Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3, ESV)

Two things stand out: Jesus proved he was alive, and he talked about the Kingdom of God. Those were his priorities in his final weeks.

The resurrection proof wasn't just for theological reasons. As Matt pointed out, "If there is no resurrection, there is no Christianity." The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins."

At the time, Greek philosophers tried to dismiss the resurrection appearances as mere epiphanies - ghost-like visions or dreams. But Jesus wasn't having any of that. He ate with people. He invited them to touch him. When his disciples thought they were seeing a spirit, he said, "Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

And then - this is the bit that makes Matt laugh - in the middle of proving he's the risen Lord, Jesus asks: "Have you got anything to eat?"

They gave him broiled fish. And he ate it right in front of them.

Missing Jesus at the Table

There's a fascinating moment in Luke 24 where the disciples are eating with Jesus but don't recognise him. It was only when he broke bread that "their eyes were opened and they recognised him."

Matt made an observation that's worth sitting with:

"I see this today. For many of us, there are many proofs out there to the Christian faith, to the resurrected Christ. But we might not see it. We might be like these disciples. And I know for me, I didn't necessarily see it at first, but it's as I hang out with Jesus, as I started to eat with him, as I started to experience him in my everyday, it's then I start to understand the many proofs."

It's only when we spend time with him that we start to see him for who he really is.

What Is the Kingdom of God?

So what did Jesus talk about around all those dinner tables? Luke tells us: the Kingdom of God.

This is a massive topic -Jesus talked about it constantly, promising it to the poor, to children, to the radically obedient. He said it would be difficult for rich people to enter - not because of the money itself, but because wealth makes it easy to trust in resources rather than in the King.

Here's how Matt explained it:

"To be in God's kingdom means accepting that he is in fact your king. I live in the UK, the United Kingdom. We now have a new king, King Charles. He is my king. I cannot escape that fact, and I live under the rule of the United Kingdom. But to be in God's kingdom - well, I now have a different king, and that means accepting his rule."

This is countercultural. We live in an age that loves to affirm its own truth and its own rules. We don't want anyone telling us how to live. So how can we accept the Lordship of Christ?

Matt was honest about it: "It's the hardest thing I have to do to decide daily that Jesus is my king and that I am subject to his rule."

The King Is For You

Here's what makes it possible. Paul wrote to the Romans:

"What shall we say then to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"

Matt put it this way:

"The king is on my side. That's what makes all of this possible. That's what makes it so much easier in a lot of ways when we understand that he is for us, that he is not against us, that he loves us, and dare I say it, likes us, that Jesus is not a dictator king and that he is our friend and our brother."

When you know that whatever Jesus says is ultimately for your good, it becomes easier to listen. Not easy - but easier.

Radically Inclusive

The Kingdom of God isn't an exclusive club. Matt used a phrase that stuck: it's "radically inclusive."

Jesus quoted John the Baptist - one of the heroes of the time - and then said something shocking: "Among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

Imagine the listeners hearing those words. Their hero, surpassed by the least in God's kingdom. That's a radical statement. It means there's a place and purpose for everyone.

Hope in the Tension

Scripture talks about the Kingdom of God in both present and future tenses. We're part of it now, and we're waiting for its fullness. Matt acknowledged this tension - and addressed the question of suffering head-on:

"I've heard many people who use suffering as an argument that there is no God. Because a God of love surely would not allow suffering. Yet we learn about a God of love who gives us the ability to choose, the ability to have free will, and that despite the suffering there is in fact still hope that justice will win."

He went further: "It's because there is suffering and evil that God has to exist. If you are oppressed, you can nurture the hope that God's justice will ultimately triumph. Otherwise, it all is a bit meaningless."

Conversation Street

"What would you do with 40 days left?"

Anna was honest about her first instinct: "My natural human nature would be like, well, I'd just spend all my money and do all the things and have some fun. The first thing that doesn't come to mind, if I'm totally honest, is it would all be about the Kingdom of God and serving others." Yet that's exactly what Jesus prioritised. Challenging.

"How easy is it to miss Jesus in everyday life?"

Dan made the point that the disciples missed Jesus even when he was right next to them. "You can just do life, can't you? Especially if life is busy or hectic. We can miss Jesus in our lives. Perhaps we need to slow down."

Anna related this to her own tendency to be task-focused: "I know there's times when I don't give my child my full attention because I'm doing something. And if we can be like that with human people here in front of us, how often are we like that with God as well?" She found it strangely reassuring that even the disciples struggled with this.

"What makes accepting Jesus as King easier?"

Anna picked up on Matt's point about knowing Jesus is for us: "Once you know that, it's so much easier to accept his rule and his authority. Actually, it's not a scary thing to come under the reign of Jesus when you know that he's totally for you, totally good, totally on your side."

She compared this to human relationships: "Who else do we know who's completely good? Even the best kings, the best people trying to do their best by their own families, get it so wrong. But this king really is perfect."

"How do you find your purpose in the kingdom?"

Dan had been reflecting on this with his son Luke, who gets frustrated when he can't do certain things, despite being brilliant at puzzles. Dan's insight: "It's not about what we can do, it's about who God's made us to be."

Anna asked whether purpose comes all at once or unfolds slowly. Dan shared his experience: "For me it hasn't been a massive revelation. It's just been a steady series of questions and answers. What do you want me to do, God? Should I go here? Should I speak to that person?"

Anna agreed: "A lot of people I speak to, it's been a slow discovering of who you are and what you're gifted at and how God's made you to work. Maybe God getting your heart for a certain person or group of people or issue. And then just following that and seeing where it takes you."

Your Next Step This Week

Here are some practical ways to respond:

1. Slow down and notice - Like the disciples at the table, we can miss Jesus when we're rushing through life. Take a few moments this week to pause and pay attention.

2. Ask the question - "The king is on my side. Am I on his?" Sit with that honestly. What would it look like to be more fully on his side?

3. Accept imperfection - Finding your role in God's kingdom doesn't usually come as a lightning bolt. It's often small steps, following what stirs your heart.

4. Remember he's for you - When Jesus's rule feels hard, remember that he's not a dictator. He's a friend and brother who wants your good.

5. Join the story - Matt said we can become "kingdom builders" and "part of something bigger." What's one way you could participate this week?

Part of Something Bigger

Matt closed with a vision of what happens when ordinary people spend time with Jesus and live as part of his kingdom:

"We become kingdom builders. We become part of something bigger. We become part of a story that can last for thousands and thousands of years."

That's what Jesus spent his final 40 days talking about. Not strategy sessions or detailed instructions. Just this: there's a kingdom, it has a king, and you're invited in.

The king is on your side. The question is whether you're on his.