Skip to main content

Go To ALL

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.  And when they saw him they worshipped him, but some doubted.  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" - Matthew 28:16-20

These verses are well known to most Christians as The Great Commission.  And we have likely heard many sermons and read numerous lessons on them.  But my reading this morning looked at it in a way that I believe is vital to our country and world today.

Athletes like Jackie Robinson (MLB), Charlie Sifford (PGA), and Althea Gibson (tennis & from South Carolina), opened doors for African Americans to their perspective sports.  I do not believe those doors should have ever been closed in the first place but the fact of history is that unfortunately they were.  We cannot go back and rewrite history, we can only change our attitude in the present to make a better future.

But opening doors is also a major theme at the heart of the gospel.  Jesus commanded us to go to "all nations" (v19).  The word nations come from the Greek word ethnos, from which we get the word ethnic.  So in other words, Jesus said "Go and make disciples of all ethnicities."   There is no differentiation of races in the Bible, we are only one human race (Genesis 1:26-27).  And just as the barrier breaking athletes I mentioned above were able to share their sports with other athletes, now we all have the privilege of sharing the love and compassion of Christ with everyone.

Through the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior we can now share that love to someone who may have never dreamed they would be loved.  We can welcome them into the family of God because Jesus has opened the doors of salvation to all who believe. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2020 is Hindsight...Finally!

Wow, what a year! 2020 could literally be an entire decade, maybe more, of history, change, and lessons rolled up into these twelve months. While many aspects of 2020 were kind of sucky and we would like to forget them, it will certainly be a year to remember. And it will be enlightening when this year is looked back on in 10, 25, or 50 years to be discussed. I wonder if we'll seem like geniuses or idiots? Probably both to some extent! While there is so much that I could consider and analyze about this year, I'll try to break some of it down into four dimensions - Physical, Spiritual, Mental, and Social/Emotional. These are events and happenings from my world and perspective and I'm trying to be open in sharing and would love to hear from others on events you found most transforming. Physical When COVID cause gyms to close, that messed me up. Our town and state were late to be hit with severe cases and therefore later than many across the country to close up shop. I'm n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Worship > Fellowship

I believe that worship, true worship of God, is more important than fellowship with other believers.  Now I'm not saying that fellowship and relationships aren't important.  But I am saying that if I'm not worshiping God, if I'm not right with him, then my other relationships can't be right.  My fellowship and worship with him is more important than my relationship with my wife, my son, family, friends, my church, and my community.  Think about it.  How can I love my wife like Christ loved the church if I don't love Christ?  I wouldn't know how to love without knowing him.  Why should she submit to me if I'm not worth submitting to?  And yes I do believes wives should submit, but I also believe that won't be an issue as long as she's submitting to a godly husband.  (Ephesians 5:22-25) Our love for others must flow from our love and worship of God.  1 John 4:19-21 reads, "We love because he first loved us.  If anyone says,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Magnify

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" - Psalm 34:3 We often talk or sing about magnifying the Lord or magnifying his name, but what does it really mean to magnify something?  According to Webster, the simple  definition of magnify is: - to make something greater - to make something seem greater or more important than it is - to make something appear larger I've spent practically all of my life in church, but not necessarily walking with God.  I didn't pray about where I would attend college, get a job, or buy a house.  I took the lower cost college and searched for best available in the other two categories.  I have since learned that if I will focus on God, he will direct me to where I should be and what I should be doing.  It's like looking through a magnifying glass.  You can be glancing around and going in many different directions, but then the Lord steadies your hand and you begin to see the image under t...
Post a Comment
Read more