God promised Abraham that he would be the father of and his Offspring (the Seed, Jesus) A blessing to the nations... Genesis 15:4-6; 26:4
God had ensured there would be Nations at the Tower of Babel… Genesis 11:8-9; Acts 17:24-28
Jesus comes to the world because he so loved the world... John 1; 3:16-18; Isaiah 53
Jesus implored His followers to love God and one’s neighbor as one’s self - stretching His followers’ perception of who they were responsible for… defining this concept by using a despised member of the community as the one who loved his “neighbor” making this one considered “less than” the “hero” Luke 10:25-37 (Phoenician woman - Mark 7:24-30)
Jesus, on his leaving, commands the disciples to “Go Make Disciples of all Nations...” Matthew 28:18-20
Jesus instructs the disciples to recognize the concentric nature of the movement of the Kingdom of Heaven (for each who would follow)… Acts 1:7-8
● …being called to go from Jerusalem to Judea; Judea to Samaria; Samaria to the ends of the Earth – as God gathers to Himself all nations (Isa 60:1-3; Zec 8:22; Rom 15:7-13;)
“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals,
because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Rev 5:9-10
This is the work of the Kingdom, this is the privilege of the family of God, this is the honor it is to be an ambassador as a representative of the kingdom of heaven to the lost of the world as makes a refuge, a place to run, a place of peace with God and man, to bring hope - to man, through man
It is our honor to be part of the kingdom and this kingdom movement as we love one another as brothers worldwide.
We are… Broken pieces brought together by God’s gracious and skillful hands to make something beautiful…
So, God has given us apostles, prophets, pastors, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip His people for works of service… to the fullness of Christ” Eph 4:9-16
What are those works? Eph 2:8-10
● First is to believe in Jesus (John 6:28-29)
● Next is to love and serve the Brotherhood with the gifts and talents and resources given by God's grace to each of us for all of us - here and abroad - loving others with that which we have been blessed with (John 13:34-35; James 1)
· Lastly, as we care the body, we allow that love to be a demonstration of God's grace to man to a lost world and to give them a reason for hope when we are asked... To go and make disciples of all Nations (Matthew 28:18-19; Acts 1:7-8)
How do we go? 1Peter 3:15-16
● Christ as Lord
● Live a life worthy of the call/name (Eph 4:1; 5:1; 1Peter 2-3)
● Prepared to give a reason for hope
● Gentleness and respect
This is exactly what the ministries and Kenya are doing for their people. Kenyans being equipped to reach their fellow Kenyans. Our privilege is to walk beside them, WHILE, learning from them!
This is the privilege and responsibility we have as American churches to our brothers around the world – and too see what it Is that we can learn from them.
