missing the mission

Jesus trained his disciples intentionally and well for over three years in a variety of ways.  He taught them, showed them, gave them hands on experience in the field and then commissioned them with clear instructions to take this message to "all nations"...and yet they almost missed the mission because of one fatal flaw in their bias.  They thought the good news was just for their kind.

You see, the Jewish people (children of Abraham) were "God's chosen people" and while this is clearly true, it didn't mean what they thought it meant.  If you go all the way back to Genesis 12, God told Abraham that he was blessed to "be a blessing".  He wasn't supposed to keep the blessing for himself or his family or even his descendants alone; but for all people.  He was supposed to share his knowledge of God with the whole world; but alas, they did not.  They hid their light under a bushel basket.

But now, Jesus is restating the mission once more, take it to all the world.  But the disciples are Jewish and they still see the world through this same bias.  It is hard for them to let go of this way of thinking that people would need to become "like us" in order to be saved.  In fact, they almost miss the mission of God because of their stubborn persistence that people conform first and be saved second...but that's not how God works.  We don't get to tell God who is in or who is out, His spirit moves where it pleases and in who it pleases.  We can't draw lines on a map and keep God in. 

I urge you not to make the same mistake.  Don't miss the mission that God is calling you to because you try to limit God.  Nobody is ever too far for God to reach.  God's love can overcome any barrier or line we might draw.  So never give up.  Be open to any move of God's spirit.  If He moves, even in unlikely places or with unlikely people, be ready.  

In Christ,
Pastor Scott