Acts 5:26-42

Dan & Claire Maudhub

A brand can be defined as 'a set of perceptions that someone has about a particular product or service'. Most of us in Western society are subject to the messages of hundreds of brands every day. We are led by the marketing messages we receive. We know what brands we like and which ones we don't like and which ones 'fit' our lifestyle. For example, we don't just want an mp3 player we want an ipod and we've decided whether we'll drink Coke or Pepsi.

Church can also be like that - it can be a brand. We have our own denominations, own doctrines, ways of doing things, programmes, structures, to name a few. It was the same in Jesus' day; the Pharisees had their brand, the Sadducees also and the Jews were looking for a particular brand of Messiah. Jesus Christ came in and brought something completely new, he brought "the unbranded gospel" - he brought a gospel that was fresh and the complete opposite to the thinking of the world and religious people of the day. The gospel of the Kingdom challenged everyone to the core.

In our culture of structure and programmes we need so much to be reminded of the Gospel that Jesus preached. It was the Gospel of the Kingdom - that is the good news of the rule and reign of God. This good news was meant for all peoples, it was not meant to be just for the Christians meeting in a building. It was not meant to be slotted into prayer books and religious do's and don'ts; it was meant to be a lifestyle and principles lived out through us - His sons. Check out Acts 5 - The first apostles were a radical bunch. It was impossible to pigeon hole them, control them, label them. They shrugged off brands and inaccurate tags; they just lived a fully-persuaded Jesus-modelled lifestyle.

As a generation, let's not be conformed to brands - we want to see the exciting message of the Kingdom lived out. The lost world is not looking for a cooler, hipper Christianity but the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom. When we make our Christianity about going to church on a Sunday it becomes lifeless. We were not designed just to go to church on a Sunday or youth on a Friday, we were designed with a Kingdom purpose to be lived out every day of our lives. Our purpose involves being with the life-giving church family God has given us and taking God's rule and reign into every area of society. Now that's exciting!