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Further Talks on the Gospel of the Kingdom

Further Talks on the Gospel of the Kingdom

Last updated on: March 21, 2026 at 7:34 am by Frank Viola

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Further Talks on the Gospel of the Kingdom 2026-03-21T07:34:58-04:00 Frank Viola

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What follows is the transcript of my audio interview with Christian apologist J. Warner Wallace on the gospel of the kingdom.

Enjoy!

J. Warner Wallace: What motivated you to write your landmark book, Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom?

Frank Viola: I had a burden on my heart to see what the Scripture had to say about the kingdom of God.

So I began to look at the subject from Genesis to Revelation. Not through a systematic theological lens, but through a narrative lens.

I especially put focus on a phrase used throughout the Gospels and Acts. The phrase is “the gospel of the kingdom.”

What I discovered astounded me, deeply challenged me, and riveted me.

It altered the way I viewed the Lord, His work, and the gospel.

I also compared what I had found to what I was seeing on social media over the last decade.

My observation was: Most Christians merely repeat the talking points of either the Progressive Left or the Conservative Right. And Jesus Christ and His kingdom are left out in the cold.

Out of the social media feed the heart speaks.

When I stepped back from what I discovered, it dawned on me that we had lost the earth-shaking, jarring, titanic gospel of the kingdom that shook the world in the first century.

In the Summer of 2017, I spoke in a conference where I unveiled the gospel of the kingdom in eight messages.

The weekend was electric. People’s lives were transformed, and we had spontaneous baptisms in response to the messages.

Each person who was baptized made a public profession of their decision to break all ties with the world system and give their full and complete allegiance to Jesus Christ and the alternative civilization that the New Testament calls “the kingdom of God.”

I then wrote the book, which seeks to present the gospel of the kingdom from Genesis to Revelation as clear as I could, putting it in simple terms and in an easy-to-read format.

The Insurgence has begun … don’t miss it!

J. Warner Wallace: In your book, you argue that we – as Christians – have lost the dynamic, titanic, living gospel that Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles preached. How would you briefly define that ancient gospel message?

Frank Viola: We are Westerners, so we are the sons and daughters of Aristotle.

As such, we like to compartmentalize truth into neat and tidy definitions. The danger in doing that is two-fold:

(1) certain spiritual realities – like the kingdom and the gospel of the kingdom — cannot be defined without losing their power and draining their glory.

(2) for many Westerners, we wrongly equate hearing a definition with having the reality of it.

The New Testament uses the phrase “kingdom of God” over 80 times, and yet it never defines it.

Instead, it illustrates it.

Jesus would often say, “The kingdom of God is like …” and then He’d given an example. It’s a like a net, a pearl, a farmer sowing seed, etc.

Paul would reverse that pattern and tell us what the kingdom of God was not. Example, “The kingdom of God is not meat or drink …”

So in like manner, I can tell you what the gospel of the kingdom isn’t.

It’s not going to heaven, it’s not signs and wonders, it’s not trying make the world a better place, and it’s not about social justice or getting conservative laws passed.

The gospel of the kingdom is the most powerful message in the New Testament, and I do my best to unveil it in the book in a highly readable way.

J. Warner Wallace: What has our current Christian culture adopted today that has replaced the ancient gospel you have described?

Frank Viola: The alternatives which have replaced the gospel of the kingdom are as follows:

The gospel of legalism on the one hand (God’s holy. You’re not. Try harder)

– OR –

The gospel of libertinism on the other (you’re under grace. God understands that you’re a mere mortal, so it doesn’t really matter what you do in your private life).

Worship at the altar of Nationalism on the one hand – OR – worship at the altar of Globalism on the other.

Worship to the god of Capitalism on the one hand – OR – worship to the god of Socialism on the other.

Allegiance to the talking points of the Conservative Right – OR – allegiance to the talking points of the Progressive Left.

None of the above have any real points of contact with the gospel of the kingdom.

Jesus stood outside both the Progressive Left of His day (the Sadducees) and the Conservative Right of His day (the Pharisees).

His gospel and His message transcended – and collided – with both. And they also subverted allegiance to Rome and its emperor.

It’s no different today.

J. Warner Wallace: Why did you call your book Insurgence? What are you suggesting by this title?

Frank Viola: The New Testament calls Jesus an insurgent (I go into this in the book).

He was an enemy of the State, accused of treason. The gospel of the kingdom sounds like treason, even though it isn’t. Acts 17 makes this clear.

Listen to this description of the apostles and their message:

“They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

The Insurgence, then, is the recovery of the titanic, earth-shaking, subversive gospel of the kingdom that got Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles in hot water.

It’s a spiritual revolution against the world system that Jesus, John, and Paul speak against, and an utter and total allegiance to Jesus Christ and His alternative civilization called “the kingdom of God.”

J. Warner Wallace: Finally, what has been the response to your book so far?

Frank Viola: The responses have been beyond what I expected.

Personal revivals (even from many pastors), changed lives, addictions broken, complete allegiance to Christ, etc.

However, the book is divided up into six parts. And each part does something VERY different.

Consequently, some readers are electrified by Part 1 or Part 2, others are deeply affected by Part 3 and 4, still others are moved by Parts 5 and 6.

So it’s important that readers read each part. If someone stops early, they will miss the entire conversation and the parts that could change their lives.

Here is an example testimonial from a Christian leader who read the entire book:

“As a pastor, I read a lot of books. However, occasionally in our Christian life, we come across a book that brings us to our knees. This book has brought about a revival in my own life, though every page has been a spiritual battle. Frank brings his transparent and biblically saturated style once again to the Christian world calling on all Christians to reclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom.

As a Christian, I strongly urge you to invest in your spiritual life and follow Frank on a much-needed journey. As a pastor, I strongly warn you that this book will have dire worldview altering consequences to your spiritual walk. Pagan Christianity may have disturbed the waters of the evangelical world, but Insurgence will capsize the boats of the modern Christian church.

If you miss this book, then you will be missing an amazing blessing. I guarantee that you will be challenged in a way that you never have before. If you are content with casual Christianity then this book is not for you. If you, on the other hand, desire a deeper walk with the Lord, then this book will become an Ebenezer in your spiritual journey.”

J. Warner Wallace: If you’re ready to have your thinking adjusted, especially when it comes to the Christian life and the nature of the church, start reading Frank Viola.

To see Frank’s …

entire book catalog (all 20 volumes)

all the podcasts (Insurgence, Christ is All, The Deeper Journey)

full archive of articles (over 1,000 articles)

YouTube channel (200+ videos)

online courses (How to Live by the Indwelling Life of Christ, The Day I Met Jesus, etc.)

the deeper life network (Master Classes: Galatians in 3D, Ephesians in 3D, etc.)

Just go to Christian Stuff That’s Not Boring.

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