John T. Willis

Sunday, March 04, 2012

God's Mission to Restore All Peoples--Part 5

Human beings, communities of human beings, cities, and nations throughout the centuries have turned away from God, which has led to sinful feelings and activities, to divisions, to wars, to national and internation hatred and hostility. Murders, injustices, genocides, and the like run rampant throughout planet earth. In response, God is one a mission to restore all peoples to HIM and to other another. This is THE PRIMARY MESSAGE OF GOD throughout scripture. We have already highlighted only a few texts about this in the Hebrew Bible. Now, finally, we highlight a few texts in the Newer Testament.

1. Matthew 6:10. In the model prayer, often called The Lord's Prayer, Jesus taught all people to pray:
"Your [God the Father] kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on EARTH as it is in heaven."
This does NOT say among godly people or God's chosen people, or the elite, but EARTH, encompassing all peoples.

2. Luke 2:14. When the angels appeared to the shepherds when Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to Bethlehem, a multitude of the heavenly host praised God, saying:
"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on EARTH peace among THOSE WHOM HE FAVORS."
This covers every person on planet earth.

3. Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus' final proclamation to this disciples before he departed after his resurrection is:
"Go . . and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everthing that I have commanded you."
God's people have the responsibility of making disciples of ALL NATIONS, not just a few selected people or groups of people.

4. Romans 1:16. Setting the stage of the entire Epistle to the Romans, he declared:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to EVERYONE who has faith, to the JEW first and also to the GREEK."
This includes ALL HUMAN BEINGS on planet earth.

5. Ephesians 3:6. Paul states that the "mystery" which God has revealed is:
"the GENTILES have become fellow heirs [with the JEWS], members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."
This embraces every person on planet earth.

6. John 3:16. The all-encompassing statement of the message of God is:
"God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
God's mission is to transform everyone to him.

YOU will immediately think of many other similar texts. I hope and pray that ALL OF US will unite in God's mission to attempt to touch the lives of ALL PEOPLES on planet earth.

Share YOUR desires and emotions and desires and aspirations and feelings and experiences with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis