Change. Most of us don’t like it. After all, change makes us uncomfortable. Our routines get upset, and new habits have to
be learned. But you and I know Jesus
Christ today because God pushed the early church outside its own backyard, and
into a different, sometimes frightening, world.
In reading the Bible, one finds a unified message from Genesis to
Revelation; that those of us who are blessed with the knowledge of the love of
God, and the salvation that the death and resurrection of Christ gave us should
spread that blessing to all peoples of the earth. To do any different is to
disobey the direct commands of God Himself. Many are called to go, and many are called to
send and support those who go through prayer and finances, but there is no one
exempt from involvement in this command to make disciples of all nations.
When we begin by looking at the Old Testament, we see that the
purpose and intent of God in seeing His name exalted throughout all of His
creation started in Genesis. In Chapter
12:3, God told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever
curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
The Abrahamic Covenant, God’s promise
to Abraham, is the instrumental event in the story of redemption.
God then sends Moses to free the Israelites from captivity in
Egypt. And in Exodus, God explains why
He has let the Pharaoh remain in power, “But I have raised you up for this
very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be
proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16) God raises up men in a strategic way to make
His name known. In Joshua 4:24, God tells the people His
purpose in drying up the Jordan River was so that all the people of the earth would
know, “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the
hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your
God.”
And even in the Major and Minor prophets we see clear statements
of God’s purpose in working with Israel and ultimately all the nations. In Isaiah 45:5-6, 14, 18, 21-22 tells us,
This God must be proclaimed, acknowledged and worshiped in all the world. And finally, in Malachi 1:11 God tells us, “My
name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the
sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name,
because my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD Almighty.” This is a small presentation of almost the
whole of Christian doctrine. All these
universal claims of God require worldwide action in evangelism and missions.
As we have seen, the concept of making disciples of all nations is
not originally a New Testament idea. But
with the arrival of the Messiah, something changed. The Abrahamic Covenant finally found
fulfillment. God had told Abraham that, “…through
your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed
me." (Genesis 22:18) Paul makes
clear in Galatians that Christ is that promised offspring. (See Galatians 3:16)
Christ “…he himself is our peace, who
has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility...” (Ephesians 2:14) to allow all nations into covenant with God.
And now, Jesus has commissioned His disciples with the well-known
command, “Therefore 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 everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to
the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20) Yet, the Great Commission is really an old
commission, because Christ is re-stating God’s promise to Abraham. Think of it, Christ is restating the Abrahamic
Covenant thousands of years later!
Moving on to the book of Acts, we see that after the crucifixion,
and just before Jesus’ ascension back to heaven, He restates the commissioning
of His disciples by telling them, “But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Next, we look at Galatians 3. Paul says in this chapter, “The
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced
the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So
those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”
(Galatians 3:8-9) So this verifies that
God’s eternal plan was to bring Gentiles into covenant with Him. We now have some much needed unity to the Old
Testament and New Testament in theme and intent.
And finally, John writes about his vision, “…before me was a
great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and
language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” (Revelation
7:9) What is John seeing? He is seeing the fulfillment of the Abrahamic
Covenant! That is a vision of heaven to
look forward to, when every people group will be worshiping the Lamb of
God!
You have now been introduced to the heart of God for the
nations.
