Before his Ascension, Jesus declared: “All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations!” Ever since, he has been dispatching his disciples to announce his Lordship and offer salvation to all the nations, even to the “uttermost parts of the Earth.” The Era of Salvation commenced with his death, resurrection, and the outpouring of the Spirit, and so, his Life-Giving Good News must be announced to all men, women, and children. This is the primary if not sole task of his Church.
Unfortunately, a great many so-called
churches have abandoned this mission, preferring instead to pursue social
reformation, political activism, and other forms of what Jesus labeled “perishing
meat.”
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| [Photo by Rahul S on Unsplash] |
Such organizations may qualify as “churches” according to the watered-down Western sense, but they certainly are not members of the ‘Ekklésia,’ the Assembly of God, the “Body of Christ” that is filled with His Spirit.
There is no salvation apart from Jesus, and
without it, life has no enduring purpose, and only death awaits one and all. Yet
how will the nations and peoples of the Earth hear of this wonderful salvation,
let alone respond to the Gospel in faith, if the Church refuses to undertake its
mission?
- “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How, then, shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Moreover, how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?” – (Romans 10:13-14).
God exalted Jesus to the Messianic Throne as promised in the
Scriptures: “I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for your possession.” Consequently, he now sends
his emissaries to announce his sovereignty and salvation throughout the Earth –
(Psalm 2:8).
Moreover, by bestowing the Gift of the Spirit on his genuine
disciples and true Church, Jesus empowers them to proclaim his Good News to the
entire world, the one task assigned by him to his Assembly before his ascension:
- “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the Earth” – (Acts 1:8).
This salvation is for men of every generation and nation
without exception. Jesus died and God raised him from the dead so they no
longer would live for themselves but for Him, and in newness of life,
looking forward in hope to their bodily resurrection when Jesus “arrives”
at the end of the age - (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
God loved humanity so much that He “gave his only born Son”
so all men might believe and receive “everlasting life.” Moreover, Jesus
has bequeathed to each of us the ministry of reconciling men and women to His
Father by proclaiming his Gospel – (John 3:16, Acts 2:36-38, 2 Corinthians
5:17-20).
Because of his suffering “for our sins,” God raised Jesus
from the dead and “highly exalted him, granting him the name that is above
every name,” – JESUS - the name that means “Yahweh saves.”
Through this same Jesus, the salvation promised by the God of
Israel has become reality for all humanity, and His Son has become the “Ruler
of the Kings of the Earth” who is “shepherding the nations” until
the day when they will stand before him and his Father’s “Throne” in the
New Creation – (Philippians 2:6-11, Revelation 1:4-6, 7:9-17, 12:5-11).
All peoples and nations belong to Jesus whether they know it
or not. His sacrificial death voided the legal claim of Satan over mankind, and
his resurrection broke the iron grip of Death that held us all.
This is a radical message of liberation from the tyranny of sin, Satan, and death that all men and every nation must hear – (1 Corinthians 15:1-6, Philippians 2:6-11, Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 1:6-8,3:21, 5:5-14).
However, the world will remain ignorant of this glorious hope
if no one preaches the message of salvation to its inhabitants, and they will miss
the opportunity to choose life instead of death.
ONE PEOPLE
God has “spoken” definitively and with eloquent finality
through His Son. It is the Son alone who “achieved the purification of sin,”
therefore, he sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on High places” as the Great High Priest who mediates salvation and life for
his people. He alone has achieved victory over sin and Death – (Hebrews 1:1-4).
Salvation is available to all men “through
the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction.” The offer of life is provided
to all because of the faithful obedience of the Son of God, the one who “died
for our sins” when we were still “enemies of God” and “dead in
our trespasses” – (Romans 3:21-22).
Sin is the Great Leveler that condemns
every man, woman, and child to bondage, decay, hopelessness, and death. In the
end, neither ethnicity, political power, nor economic status makes any
difference. Death awaits us all.
However,
because of his death and resurrection, anyone may now receive the forgiveness
of sin and promise of salvation, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, poor
or rich; namely, “from the faith of
Jesus Christ.”
Death still
occurs, but for the disciples of Jesus, it will be reversed when he raises his
people from the dead on the Last Day, and they will shout in triumph, “O death, where is your victory?! O
death, where is your sting?!”– (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).
Considering
his faithful act on our behalf when we deserved only death, all that penitent men
and women can do is respond to his generous and unmerited offer by placing
faith in Jesus and all that God accomplished in him.
Ever
since His Son “achieved the purification of sins,” his Father has been
creating a new community composed of men and women from every nation who have
been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, the ‘Ekklésia’, the “Assembly.”
Every person who places faith in Jesus becomes a member of this holy community –
(Ephesians 2:15).
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| [Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash] |
No nation, civilization, or political ideology can claim Jesus or his teachings as its property. His Gospel is a message for every man, woman, and child on the Earth; therefore, it transcends all national and cultural boundaries. His disciples proclaim one message for all men, whether “Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male and female, for all are one in Christ Jesus” – (Galatians 3:28).
In the truest sense, then, his “Good News” is a universal
message and religion. All men have sinned. Everyone needs salvation
and everlasting life. No one deserves it, “No, not one,” but God graciously
offers it to one and all through His Son, and “freely” so.
Finally,
salvation is provided on the same basis to every man, woman, and child, namely,
from the faith of Jesus Christ. All we can do is respond with repentance
and faith to this offer and the self-sacrificial act of the Nazarene who “gave
his life as a ransom for many.”
RELATED POSTS:
- Only Some Nations? - (Is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God a message of hope for only SOME nations, or is it Good News for all nations and peoples?)
- Ignoring Scripture - (Was the Apostle Paul serious when he exhorted Timothy to only appoint elders and ministers who were above reproach?)
- The Goal of the Church - (Jesus has tasked his disciples with proclaiming the Good News of GOD’s Kingdom in and to every nation on the Earth – Romans 3:22-30)