The Economic Implications of God’s Kingdom

The book of Acts is about the advancement of God’s kingdom through the followers of Jesus in the 1^st century Mediterranean world. The book begins with a report that Jesus spent 40 post-resurrection days instructing his apostles about the kingdom of God (1:3) and ends with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God unhindered in Rome (28:30-31). Despite many tribulations and obstacles along the way, God’s kingdom, through the announcement of the gospel of Jesus, advanced and flourished (6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20).

The implications of God’s kingdom upon the world included more than just heart changes within individuals. It also impacted the social, political, and economic aspects of wider society. In Acts 19, for instance, Paul’s preaching of the kingdom actually had an impact on the economy, specifically the economy of the idol-making trade in Ephesus. In the story, a certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines to the goddess Artemis, rallied together those of similar trades and said: “Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with human hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship” (19:25-27). This speech led to a near riot and nearly endangered the lives of Paul and his companions. But the point to take away: the proclamation of God’s kingdom has inescapable social and economic implications. In the case of Acts 19, those who responded to the Paul’s preaching could no longer be devoted to paganism, could no longer pay money to purchase idols, and thus the businesses that relied on these things were economically impacted for the worse – and they did not like that very much.

For us today, we have to realize that a faithful response to the gospel of God’s kingdom will inevitably put us at odds with wider society, especially when we denounce and refuse to participate in practices that are economically prosperous for some. As a modern example, billions of dollars are made each year on the routine killing of children in the womb. And just as the gospel calls us to turn away from idols to the one true God, it also calls us to love and care for every person, as God does, which includes the unborn. A faithful response to the gospel requires a denouncement of abortion (among other injustices) and an unwillingness to participate in the practice, regardless of what it might do to businesses that make a profit from it. Ultimately, as Paul turned his world “upside down” (17:6), when we announce the gospel of Jesus and live out our kingdom calling, we will inevitably do the same.