“I will send you far away.”

Tuesday 10-25-16  Martínez, Argentina

Today we read: Job 16 and Acts 21 -23

S.  Acts 22:21 "But the Lord said to me, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!' " NLT

O.  The mob that had been bent upon killing Paul, now listened as he spoke their language, Aramaic, telling the story of how he, just like them, had wanted to kill all Christians. But near Damascus, where he was going to arrest more Christians, a light, brighter than the sun, blinded him and threw him to the ground. The crowd listened as he told them of his vision of Jesus, but the moment that he told that Jesus was sending him with God’s message of love and salvation to the Gentiles, they cut him off with, “Kill him! Kill him!”

A.  The Apostle Paul was well aware that Jesus had sent him with the Good News to the heathen, idol worshipping nations. Apparently most of the Jewish people felt that the Great Creator, Jehovah God, belonged only to them. Like Jonah, who balked at carrying a salvation message to Nineveh… they could not, would not share God’s love with others. They were “God’s chosen people”, but they missed the fact that they had been “chosen” to “bless all the families of the earth” with His salvation message.  I have been blessed, not to sit on my blessing, but to bless others.

P.  Lord Jesus, Your great commission has not been revoked. You are still sending us to the gentiles, the nations. You are intent upon getting the Word out to every tribe (people group) in every nation. Your words ring in my ears, “For God so loved the world…” It is not “for God so love the descendants of Abraham”. Your love overflowed the boundaries of the Jewish religion and reached across the centuries and continents all the way to me.  And one day I heard you say, 'Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!' "  You said “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel!” And until You return, Your expressed will is still my command.  Amen.

Ralph