History of Redemption: Blog Post 35

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, for Christ was slain, and purchased for God with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. - Matthew 28:19 NASB;Revelation 5:9 NASB

I love the church family that God has placed me in.  I love this family for so many reasons, but one reason at the top of my list, is that we are family who places tremendous weight on this call in Matthew 28.  This is Christ’s “Great Commission” for His people to respond to His gospel message.  Redeemer church is a family filled with men and women who have chosen to obey this commission.  We are a family who read these words and understand that they were not just a call for the apostles, but for all of us who have been purchased with His blood, to GO, and to make disciples of all the nations, BECAUSE Christ was slain and purchased for God with His blood you and I.

We are family that places such great emphasis on these words that just this week, we have launched a residency program for men and women who have devoted their lives to the cause of Christ, and desire to GO.  These are twenty brothers and sisters who have realized the price that was paid for them to be purchased, who have now surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, and who will now spend the next one to two years preparing themselves to GO, and to make disciples of all the nations.  I praise God for this family.

But where should we go?  Jesus tells us after His resurrection.  “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  Where is your Jerusalem?  Many would say that your Jerusalem is your neighborhood or your city, and you are called to be Christ’s witness there.  A dear friend of mine in Ethiopia once told me that “your Jerusalem, is your marriage.  If your marriage does not have the gospel, you can go no further”.

God has placed a call upon us to make disciples of our spouses, our children, our parents, our church family, our neighbors, our co-workers, our mailman, our congressman, our hairdresser.  AND He has called us to make disciples of men and women from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  For this is why He was slain.  All we need to do is to surrender our lives to Him.

God makes a great promise to us in Isaiah 55, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).  So what did His word in Matthew 28 accomplish?  Read the book of Acts, and you will find out.  Read the history of the church, and you will learn.  Read about the legions of men and women who today have sacrificed their lives to obey this word, and you will see the awesome power of God’s word.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’  Then I said, ‘Here am I!  Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8).