Are we Christians committing the same mistake like the Jews, by not spreading the universal message of God? When God entrusted scriptures to the Jews, they were supposed to spread the good news contained in them to the people living near and far. God wanted all the nations to come to his sanctuary for worship. “For mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all people” (Isa. 56:7). “…people shall flow unto it…let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways…” (Micah 4:1-2). Israel was to be the light of the nations (Matt. 5:15). Seeing the wonderful benefits Israelites enjoyed, heathen nations would inquire about their monotheistic faith, and thus many of them would be converted to the true God. Unfortunately, things did not turned out so well, instead Israel became so inwardly focused and lost sight of its larger purpose. Christ’s message was always universal, meant to be conveyed to all the people everywhere irrespective of their race, tribe, nation, color or tongue. Even Christ’s disciples initially did not understand the universality of Christ’s message or his mission. This is evident from their response to Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman near Jacob’s well (John 4). They considered Jesus, merely as a messianic fulfillment of Jewish prophecies and hopes. Modern Christians face a similar challenge. Are we committing the same mistake just like the majority of Jews? Is history repeating? Christ’s followers should transcend national boundaries, international differences, language disparities, and other difficulties in dissipating Christ’s message, because Jesus Himself had established the pattern of cross-cultural evangelism. Will we invest in furthering the gospel with dedication, or will we become inwardly focused, forgetting our larger purpose? It’s easier to fall into such a trap than we think. Remember Jesus’ great gospel commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you …”(Matt. 28:19-20). This is especially true when we are approaching the close of time. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth-to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” (Rev. 14:6). This is a clear call for spreading the gospel to all the people. Don’t forget that “angel” means messenger only. “Flying in the midst of heaven” can denote anything from media proclamation through TV satellites or internet, since most of them are situated in the sky. Finally don’t forget our neighbor as explained by Jesus (Luke 10). Christ has shown beyond doubt that our neighbor does not mean merely one of the church or faith to which we belong. It has no reference to race, color, or class distinction. Our neighbor is every person who needs our help. Our neighbor is every soul held captive by Satan. Our neighbor is every human being, who really belongs to God. May God bless you in reaching out to your neighbors! If you like this message, please visit my page, like and share it with your friends https://facebook/SomeTruthsThatYouShouldNotMiss
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 02:53:49 +0000
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