From Jews and Samaritans to the Gentiles

It's so great to, I got to sit toward the back today, I'm so glad I did.

It's such a beautiful and glorious sight to watch the saints worshiping the Lord side

by side again, and it brings me so much joy to be here to worship with you.

It says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, 17 to 19, but since we were torn away from you brothers

1 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavor the more eagerly and with great

desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and again,

but Satan hindered us.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

Is it not you?

For you are our glory and joy.

You are our glory and joy, and it is something that we have longed for this day, to be able

to see each other face to face again, and to worship side by side again.

And for those of you who are still away, we will continue to eagerly desire to see you

face to face, and to try to stay, though we might be torn from each other in person, make

sure that it's not in heart, that we are far away from each other.

And thank you for joining us for worship this evening.

Please turn with me to Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

We're going to go through the entire chapter and go past that to chapter 11, verse 18 today.

And let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Heavenly Father,

Heavenly Father,

we come with a posture of submission

to sit under the reading and preaching of your word.

We want to be challenged and comforted by your word.

We want the desires of our heart,

the concerns of our minds,

reflect your love for your people,

your love for the lost.

And so we pray that you would impart that to us

in your word

and by your spirit.

Speak to us, O Lord.

Your servants are listening.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditations of all of our hearts

be pleasing in your sight, O Lord,

our rock and redeemer.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Acts chapter 10,

Acts 10 · chapter mention

starting in verse 1,

going to chapter 11, verse 18.

At Caesarea,

there was a man named Cornelius,

a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort,

a devout man who feared God with all his household,

gave alms generously to the people

and prayed continually to God.

About the ninth hour of the day,

he saw clearly in a vision

an angel of God come in and say to him,

Cornelius.

And he stared at him in terror and said,

What is it, Lord?

And he said to him,

Your prayers and your alms

have ascended as a memorial before God.

And now send men to Joppa

and bring one Simon who is called Peter.

He is lodging with one Simon,

a tanner whose house is by the sea.

When the angel who spoke to him had departed,

he called two of his servants

and a devout soldier from among those who attended him.

And having related everything to them,

he sent them to Joppa.

The next day,

as they were on their journey

and approaching the city,

Peter went up on the housetop

about the sixth hour to pray.

And he became hungry

and wanted something to eat.

But while they were preparing it,

he fell into a trance

and saw the heavens opened

and something like a great sheet descending,

being let down by its four corners upon the earth.

In it were all kinds of animals

and reptiles and birds of the air.

And there came a voice to him,

Rise, Peter.

Kill and eat.

But Peter said,

By no means, Lord,

for I have never eaten anything

that is common or unclean.

And the voice came to him again a second time,

What God has made clean,

do not call common.

This happened three times,

and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed

as to what division that he had seen might mean,

behold,

the men who were sent by Cornelius,

having made inquiry for Simon's house,

stood at the gate

and called out to ask

whether Simon, who was called Peter,

was lodging there.

And while Peter was pondering the vision,

the Spirit said to him,

Behold,

three men are looking for you.

Rise and go down

and accompany them without hesitation,

for I have sent them.

And Peter went down to the men and said,

I am the one you are looking for.

What is the reason for your coming?

And they said,

Cornelius, a centurion,

an upright and God-fearing man,

who is well spoken of

by the whole Jewish nation,

was directed by a holy angel

to send for you

to come to his house

and to hear what you have to say.

So he invited them

to be his guests.

The next day he rose

and went away with them

and some of the brothers

from Joppa accompanied him.

And on the following day

they entered Caesarea.

Cornelius was expecting them

and had called together

his relatives and close friends.

When Peter entered,

Cornelius met him

and fell down at his feet

and worshipped him.

But Peter lifted him up saying,

Stand up,

I too am a man.

And as he talked with him,

he went in

and found many persons gathered.

And he said to them,

You yourselves know

how unlawful it is

for a Jew to associate with

or to visit anyone

of another nation.

But God has shown me

that I should not call

any person common or unclean.

So when I was sent for,

I came without objection.

I asked them

why you sent for me.

And Cornelius said,

Four days ago,

about this hour,

I was praying in my house

at the ninth hour.

And behold,

a man stood before me

in bright clothing

and said,

Cornelius,

your prayer has been heard

and your alms have been

remembered before God.

Send therefore to Joppa

and ask for Simon

who is called Peter.

He is lodging in the house

of Simon a tanner by the sea.

So I sent for you at once

and you have been kind enough

to come.

Now therefore,

we are all here

in the presence of God

to hear all that you

have been commanded

by the Lord.

So Peter opened his mouth

and said,

Truly I understand

that God shows

no partiality.

But in every nation,

anyone who fears him

and does what is right

is acceptable to him.

As for the word

that he sent to Israel

preaching good news

of peace through Jesus Christ,

he is Lord of all.

You yourselves know

what happened

throughout all Judea,

beginning from Galilee

after the baptism

that John proclaimed,

how God anointed

Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit

and with power.

He went about doing good

and healing all

who were oppressed

by the devil,

for God was with him.

And we are witnesses

of all that he did,

both in the country

of the Jews

and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death

by hanging him on a tree.

But God raised him

on the third day

and made him to appear,

not to all the people,

but to us

who had been chosen

by God as witnesses,

who ate and drank with him

after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us

to preach to the people

and to testify

that he is the one

appointed by God

to be judge

of the living and the dead.

To him,

all the prophets

bear witness

that everyone

who believes in him

receives forgiveness

of sins

through his name.

While Peter was still

saying these things,

the Holy Spirit fell

on all who heard the word.

And the believers

from among the circumcised

who had come with Peter

were amazed

because the gift

of the Holy Spirit

was poured out

even on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing

them speaking in tongues

and extolling God.

Then Peter declared,

Can anyone withhold water

for baptizing these people

who have received

the Holy Spirit

just as we have?

And he commanded them

to be baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him

to remain for some days.

Now the apostles

and the brothers

who were throughout Judea

heard that the Gentiles

also had received

the word of God.

So when Peter

went up to Jerusalem,

the circumcision party

criticized him

saying,

You went to uncircumcised men

and ate with them.

But Peter began

and explained it

to them in order.

I was in the city

of Joppa praying

and in a trance

I saw a vision,

something like

a great sheet

descending,

being let down

from heaven

by its four corners

and he came down

to me.

Looking at it closely

I observed animals

and beasts of prey

and reptiles

and birds of the air

and I heard a voice

saying to me,

Rise Peter,

kill and eat.

But I said,

By no means, Lord,

for nothing common

or unclean

has ever entered

my mouth.

But the voice

answered a second time

from heaven,

What God has made clean

do not call common.

This happened three times

and all was drawn up

again into heaven.

And behold,

at that very moment

three men arrived

at the house

in which we were,

sent to me

from Caesarea.

And the Spirit

told me to go with him,

making no distinction.

These six brothers

also accompanied me

and we entered

the man's house.

And he told us

how he had seen

the angel stand

in his house

and say,

Send to Joppa

and bring Simon

who is called Peter.

He will declare to you

a message by which

you will be saved,

you and all your household.

As I began to speak,

the Holy Spirit

fell upon them

just as on us

at the beginning.

And I remember

the word of the Lord

how he said,

John baptized with water,

but you will be baptized

with the Holy Spirit.

If then God gave

the same gift to them

as he gave to us

when we believed

in the Lord Jesus Christ,

who was I

that I could stand

in God's way?

When they heard

these things,

they fell silent

and they glorified God,

saying,

Then to the Gentiles also

God has granted

repentance

that leads

to life.

There's a,

there's a,

the Korean word

for we

is

uri,

which

interestingly enough

is also the same word

for

fence.

or a,

a pen

that you keep

your animals in.

It's used to

keep your animals in

and keep intruders out.

I think it's

related for a reason

because

the word connection

recognizes the fact

that

in order to define

we,

you need to define

they.

You need to define

yourselves,

your identity

in contradistinction

to

what is,

what doesn't belong

to that group,

what is outside

of it.

And,

and even though

that's a necessary

marker

for defining

who,

who we are,

sometimes,

unfortunately,

even within

the family of God,

we can,

as simple people,

draw lines

where there shouldn't

be lines.

Erect fences

where there shouldn't

be fences.

the church of God

transcends

racial,

ethnic,

political,

and cultural

boundaries.

We can yield

to our worst

tribalistic instincts

and impulses

and divide amongst

ourselves at times.

And this passage

is a reminder

that,

of the radical

unity of the

spirit that we

have in Jesus.

And it teaches us

that God,

without distinction,

grants forgiveness

of sin

and the gift

of the Holy Spirit

to all who believe

in Jesus Christ.

So first,

we're going to talk

about how God

sends His witnesses

to all nations,

how God grants

forgiveness of sins

to all who believe,

God gives His Holy Spirit

to all who believe,

and how God

receives into fellowship

all who believe.

So how God

treats us

without distinction.

We've come to,

this is a momentous

moment in church history,

and it begins

with a man named

Cornelius.

He's described

in chapter 10,

verse 1,

as a centurion

of what was known

as the Italian cohort.

A centurion

was an officer

in the Roman army

in charge of 80 soldiers.

And this detail

tells us that

he was a Gentile

and he was a Roman citizen

because that was required

to be a part

of the Roman cohort.

Verse 2 tells us

that he was also

a devout man

who feared God

with all his household

and gave alms

generously to the people

and prayed

continually to God.

So that he feared God

is kind of a technical phrase.

It means that

he was a God-fearer.

That's the term

that the Jews

used to refer

to Gentiles

who have not fully

converted to Judaism

by getting circumcised,

but nevertheless

revered and worshipped

the God of Israel.

And so Cornelius

was a man

who had a humble

disposition toward God.

He was the ideal

God-fearer

who prayed

and generously gave

to people in need.

And his piety

is emphasized

throughout the whole chapter.

It's mentioned

again and again,

but this is not

to imply

that Cornelius

deserved God's grace

in salvation

due to his devotion.

That's not the point

of the passage.

Rather,

the point is that

even a Gentile,

if he turns to God

as Cornelius does,

may be saved.

Luke drives this home

explicitly,

drives this home

in verse 35.

He says,

in every nation

and anyone

who fears God

and does what is right

is acceptable to him.

Cornelius already

believed in Israel's God,

but he had never heard

of the person

and work of Jesus.

And because of

that deficiency,

he had no hope

for salvation

and he had no hope

for inclusion

among God's people

apart from

getting circumcised

and becoming a Jew.

But God,

who has heard

his prayers

and has remembered

his almsgiving,

paves the way

for Cornelius

to hear the good news

of Jesus Christ

and be saved

and to be included

among God's people

as a Gentile.

This episode,

then,

is yet another example

of how nothing significant

in the book of Acts

happens apart from prayer.

Cornelius prays,

God answers that prayer,

Peter,

and later Peter

is praying

and God appears

to him in a vision.

Some of you here

and some of you

may be listening

outside

are not yet

a follower of Jesus.

You have not come

to believe in the good news

of Jesus Christ.

But if you sincerely

seek God

as Cornelius did,

if you turn to him,

then surely

God will not turn you away.

God answers Cornelius' prayers

by sending an angel

to Cornelius in a vision

and he instructs him

to send for Simon Peter

who was residing

in Joppa at the time

with Simon the Tanner.

And while Cornelius'

three envoys

are traveling toward Joppa

in response to the vision,

God prepares Peter

by revealing to him

another vision

and while Peter

was praying,

it says in verse 10

that he became hungry

and wanted something to eat.

That's a sensation

we're all familiar with

and when we're hungry,

I tend to dream

of my favorite foods,

my daydream

about my favorite foods.

But that's not

what happens to Peter.

It says in verses 11 to 14

that Peter fell into a trance

and saw the heavens open

and something like

a great sheet descending

being let down

by its four corners

upon the earth

and it were all kinds

of animals,

reptiles,

birds of the year.

And there came a voice

to him saying,

Rise, Peter,

kill and eat.

Peter sees specifically

unclean animals

that he has,

as an observant Jew,

never before eaten

in his life

on this sheet

lowered from heaven

and he's commanded

by this voice

to eat it.

In the Old Testament,

God's people were taught

to distinguish

between the holy

and the common,

between the clean

and the unclean.

The holy places,

the holy vessels,

and the holy people

were all things

that were specially

set apart for God.

They were consecrated

to him.

And things and people

that were consecrated

to God

were not to be defiled

or made unclean.

So they were not allowed

to touch things

that were deemed unclean.

They were not allowed

to eat things

that were deemed unclean.

And so when Peter

saw in his vision

the unclean animals

that he had never

before eaten

and he's commanded

to kill it and eat it,

he would have had

a visceral reaction

against it.

Think of the time

when you were first

invited to something,

to eat something

that you had never

before considered eating.

Maybe chicken feet,

fried tarantulas,

maggot cheese,

live octopus,

I think these are

all real foods.

Or haggis,

the Scottish pudding

made of sheep organs.

And the wills

had that before.

Even the thought

of such foods

might make you gag

if you have never

even considered

eating them.

If you've never

been exposed to them.

The command to kill

and eat these unclean foods

would have elicited

a similar reaction

from Peter

these foods

have never even

entered Peter's mouth

and as far as

Peter was concerned

these animals

were not food.

They were not fit

for human consumption.

And so he emphatically

responds in verse 14,

by no means Lord

for I have never

eaten anything

that is common

or unclean.

But God shows Peter

the same vision

a second time

and then a third time

and the voice says

what God has made clean

do not call common.

The threefold repetition

of the dream

shows that this is

a certain revelation

of God.

If you remember

from the story

of Joseph

when he interprets

Pharaoh's dream

in Genesis 41

he says that the fact

that God showed

Pharaoh the same dream

twice means that

God has decided

for certain

that he's going

to do this.

So the three time

repetition

this is really

something that God

has decided

it's going to happen

this is what he is doing.

he has made clean

what was formerly

considered unclean.

That's the same phrase

that is used

in the Old Testament

to describe

the purifying rituals

by which priests

made things

that are formerly

unclean

clean again.

The meaning

of this vision

is made clear

by the event

that follows.

It says in verses

17 to 20

Now while Peter

was inwardly perplexed

as to what the vision

that he had seen

might mean

behold the men

who were sent

by Cornelius

having made inquiry

for Simon's house

stood at the gate

and called out

to ask whether Simon

who was called

Peter was lodging there.

And while Peter

was pondering the vision

the spirit said to him

behold three men

are looking for him

rise and go down

and accompany them

without hesitation

for I have sent them.

Three times Peter

saw this vision

of the sheep

being lowered from heaven

and not coincidentally

there are three men

three Gentile men

who are standing

at his door

calling upon him.

By God's sovereign

guidance

right at the

conclusion of the vision

is when they knock

on the door

and they come to him

and the spirit

prompts Peter

to go down

and accompany them

without hesitation.

If you're using

the English Standard

Version of the Bible

ESV

you'll notice

that there's a footnote

next to the phrase

without hesitation

and if you follow

that footnote

to the bottom of the page

it says

quote

making no distinction

so that's the more

literal translation

in fact the same word

is translated

making no distinction

later in

verse 12

of chapter 11

so Peter

is not

to discriminate

against these men

because they are

Gentiles

he is to

accompany them

making no distinction

between Jew

and Gentile

that's

the command

don't

it's not just

don't hesitate

make no distinction

between Jew

and Gentile

that this is the real

point of the vision

is seen clearly

in the ensuing verses

in verse 23

Peter invites them

to be his guests

despite the fact

that as Peter says

in verse 28

it is unlawful

for a Jew

to associate with

or to visit

anyone of another nation

they didn't want

to be defiled

Jews avoided

sharing foods

with Gentiles

because of their

idolatry

they didn't want

to be defiled

by that

also because

Gentiles often

ate unclean foods

were in contact

with unclean things

that could be

defiling for the Jew

and so

just as when

God gave

the dietary laws

in the Old Testament

in the first place

he wasn't so much

concerned about

food

as he was about

distinguishing

and setting apart

the people of God

marking them out

especially set apart

from the other nations

what he's doing here

is similar

he is saying

that not just

that the foods

are declared clean

but that it is

no longer necessary

to mark out Jews

as separate

from the Gentiles

that the Gentiles

have been declared

clean

and that's why

Peter is to

accompany them

without making

a distinction

now this is

a fulfillment

of the verse

that we've been seeing

play out throughout

the book of Acts

again and again

in Acts chapter 1

Acts 1:8

verse 8

but you will receive

power when the Holy

Spirit comes upon you

and you will be

my witnesses

in Jerusalem

in all Judea

and Samaria

and to the ends

of the earth

so the gospel

has reached the Jews

in Jerusalem

and Judea

it has reached

the Samaritans

in Samaria

and now it's

finally reaching

the Gentiles

in the end

of the earth

Revelation 5

Revelation 5:9

verse 9

teaches us

that Christ

by his blood

has ransomed

people for God

from every tribe

and every language

and people

and nation

there are people

whom God

has appointed

for salvation

among every tribe

people

and nation

and language

this is why

we cannot

complete the

Great Commission

unless

we go to the

nations

to proclaim

the gospel

of Jesus Christ

to the people

groups

and the ethnic

groups

that have not

heard it

this movement

of the gospel

toward the Gentiles

is a momentous

development

in the history

of the church

and it would

not have

happened

without God

driving

these events

notice how

he's the one

who takes

initiative

he's the one

who guides

the process

he's the one

who shows

the visions

to make

this series

of unexpected

events happen

but as he

does that

it doesn't

merely show

God's

sovereignty

it also

shows

human

responsibility

in the same

way early

in chapter 9

God prepared

both Saul

and Ananias

by showing

them visions

but then he

sent Ananias

to minister

he now

sends

Peter

to minister

to Cornelius

and his

companions

and it's

not uncommon

for God

to reveal

himself

in visions

in this

way

nowadays

as well

according to

a report

published by

Mission Frontiers

magazine

out of 600

Muslim

converts

to Christianity

25%

experienced

a dream

or a vision

that led

to their

conversion

there's

actually

an entire

book

just

cataloging

dreams

and visions

like this

entitled

dreams

and visions

is Jesus

awakening

the Muslim

world

often

there's

a pattern

they see

a picture

of Jesus

or an

angel

telling them

follow me

and they're

led to

a Christian

who can

share the

gospel with

them

or to a

church

or to

someone

who can

give them

a Bible

one

particularly

dramatic

story

is about

a migrant

family

that was

traveling

by boat

from Turkey

to Greece

let me

read it

for you

not too

long

it says

on the way

they lost

their seven

year old

daughter

into the

water

everyone

in the

crowded

boat

was looking

for her

but couldn't

find her

suddenly

she appeared

on the

other side

of the

boat

saying

over

and over

a man

who walked

on the

water

took me

and brought

me

to the

other

side

of the

boat

the parents

dismissed

her words

as silly

upon arriving

on the island

of Lesbos

they met

a Christian

who made

a fire

and offered

to talk

to them

that day

without knowing

what happened

he asked

if they would

like to know

about a God

who walked

on water

they started

crying

the man had

never used

that illustration

in evangelism

but that morning

he felt like

he had to

they asked him

who are you

to which he replied

I'm a Christian

they said

what do you mean

walk on the water

he opened

the Bible

and read

the story

of Jesus

walking

on the water

they continued

crying

our daughter

fell off

the boat

they explained

we thought

she was

crazy

because she

was dry

on the other

side

we didn't

understand it

but she kept

on saying

it was a man

who walked

on the water

that took

me to

the other

side

to this

day

God

is sovereignly

saving

people

to this

day

God

sometimes

uses

dreams

and visions

to reveal

himself

to people

and that's

his gracious

providence

but God

doesn't do

everything

by himself

God

could have

shown Cornelius

everything he

needed to know

in his vision

to be saved

but he doesn't

do that

he takes

the longer

and harder

route

of involving

Peter

having Cornelius

send for

Peter

and having

Peter travel

to Caesarea

to preach

the gospel

to Cornelius

once again

this is a

pattern

that we

see over

and over

again

in the

book of

Acts

just as

God

used

Ananias

to preach

the gospel

to Saul

and even

in the story

I shared

Jesus

walking on

the water

Jesus

doesn't tell

them

everything

right then

he prepares

them to

meet the

family

the Christian

who will

then open

the Bible

and share

the gospel

with them

this is

the normal

way in

which God

works

through

his

people

look with

me at

Cornelius'

initial encounter

with Peter

in verses

24 to 26

it says

Cornelius

was expecting

them and

had called

together his

relatives and

close friends

when Peter

entered

Cornelius met

him and

fell down

at his feet

and worshipped

him

but Peter

lifted him

up saying

stand up

I too

am a man

Cornelius

was so eagerly

awaiting

Peter's arrival

he had called

together all

of his

relatives and

close friends

because he

wanted them

to hear this

important message

from God

as well

and Cornelius

falls prostrate

at his feet

at Peter's

feet and

worships him

and this is

a revealing

detail

Cornelius

thought that

the person

who would

be conveying

to him

so important

a message

from God

himself

the saving

news of

God

must either

be God

himself

or at least

a divine

figure

an angelic

being of some

kind maybe

so he bows

down to

worship Peter

and Peter

lifts him

up saying

stand up

I too

am a man

this is

something that

we take

for granted

sometimes

but the

good news

of Jesus

Christ

that we

have been

entrusted

with

to share

with the

nations

to share

with our

neighbor

is the

message

from the

king of

kings

it is the

most important

message

you have

never received

a more

important message

you will never

be entrusted

with a more

important message

than this

1 Peter 1

12 says

that this

good news

this message

is something

that even

the angels

long to

look at

that expression

describes them

bending over

to gaze at

something that

they don't

quite have

full access

to

that message

that even

angels are

not fully

privy to

is given

to us

entrusted

to us

to be the

stewards

and the

messenger

of it

in 2019

I saw

a British

war film

entitled

1917

you guys

see

some of you

guys see

that

it takes

place

during

World War

I

I don't

see that

many movies

so you guys

probably know

all the movies

I've seen

after the

Germans

are

kind of

retreating

from the

western section

of the

western front

the British

army has

been ordered

to go

and

continue

to press

the attack

to pursue

the retreating

German army

but the

aerial reconnaissance

finds that

actually the

Germans were

only feigning

retreat

they were

not actually

retreating

they were

instead

creating a

new front

line

and assembling

and gathering

all their

troops

and they

were just

waiting

for the

British

troops

to charge

at them

so that

they can

just

demolish

them

with

heavy

artillery

they were

just

waiting

on them

the

aerial

reconnaissance

finds

this out

however

they can't

let the

people in

the front

lines

know

because the

communication line

has been broken

it's damaged

and so what the

general does

is he appoints

two soldiers

William Schofield

and Tom Blake

to relay the order

calling off the

attack

to Colin McKenzie

at the front

lines

this is an urgent

message because

it could mean

the life or death

of 1600 men

among whom

is Tom Blake's

brother

Joseph Blake

the film

is shot

gorgeously

and it

seems like

one continuous

take almost

so you're

following

intimately

these two

men

from the

beginning

of their

journey

to the

end

and as

they're

going

it's a

harrowing

journey

they have

to escape

from an

exploding

tripped

wire

they get

damaged

their arm

gets damaged

they are

running away

from people

shooting at

them

and Tom

Blake

actually gets

stabbed by a

German soldier

and he

dies

and they

continue to

go

and more

and more

bad things

happen

he has to

swim through

a river

he falls

over a

waterfall

and he gets

knocked unconscious

at some point

and at some

point he's

tempted to

just abandon

his mission

and stay

in hiding

with the

French woman

that he

finds

but he

keeps getting

up

and he

keeps going

because

even though

he's just

a lowly

soldier

really

unimportant

in the

grand scheme

of things

but because

he's carrying

an urgent

and important

message from

the general

of the army

because

precious lives

are at stake

and at the

end when he

can't reach

the colonel

at the end

in the front

lines he

climbs up

above the

trenches

and while

the enemies

are firing

at him

and runs

parallel

in order

to reach

the colonel

to relay

this news

and to his

relief he

finds that

Joseph Blake

is alive

if that's

how

a man

can be

focused

on the

mission

to rescue

and save

the temporal

lives of

people

how much

more

should we

who carry

not the

message

of a

man

but the

message

of God

himself

the Lord

of hosts

the Lord

of the

armies

how much

more

should we

be focused

on this

mission

how much

more than

should we

who carry

not the

message

merely of

temporal

rescue

but the

message

of eternal

salvation

obey our

king's

orders

with utmost

dedication

God

sends

his

witnesses

to all

nations

a study

by the

Center for

the Study

of Global

Christianity

estimates

that 87%

of all

Hindus

Muslims

and Buddhists

have

limited

if any

contact

with a

Christian

Operation

World

estimates

that a

quarter

of the

world

population

approximately

2 billion

people

have not

had the

gospel

presented

to them

in a

way

that they

can

appreciably

understand

and respond

to

the

International

Mission

Board

of the

Southern

Baptist

Convention

estimates

that there

are

approximately

7,400

unreached

people groups

meaning that

these people

groups have

no indigenous

church among

them to share

the gospel

with

and there

are approximately

3,000

unengaged

people groups

meaning they

don't even

have a

gospel witness

among them

let alone a

church

Jesus said

in Matthew

24,14

and this

gospel of

the kingdom

will be

preached in

the whole

world as

a testimony

to all

nations

and then

the end

will come

we are

living in

the end

time since

the first

coming of

Jesus

but the

end

Jesus'

second

coming

has not

yet

come

and that

means our

mission

that our

Lord Jesus

has given

us is not

yet

finished

sometimes

I think

we can

live like

we've already

finished the

race and

we're just

waiting for

the award

ceremony

if you're

alive your

race is not

over

the end is

not here

that means our

task is not

finished

there are

people like

Cornelius

among all

the nations

who are

waiting for

someone to

proclaim the

good news

to them

some of

them may

already have

seen a

vision from

God to

prepare them

and may

and God

may send

them to

you

to open

up God's

word to

them

to preach

Jesus to

them

so let's

go obediently