Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3
We’ve been so busy training this month for our upcoming launch on the 29th. We’re living in Gainesville, and we just completed a course called Perspectives that is normally 15 weeks long. We did it in 15 days. It was a lot of work but so incredible to hear about God’s heart for missions (and actually seeing that all over scripture), His purpose, the history of the Christian movement, and discerning our role in it all. Something I realized I had an incomplete understanding of is God’s heart for the whole world, not just the Jewish people. Before going through this course, I would often simply look at Romans 11 as my assurance as a Gentile.
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and the fatness of the olive tree… Romans 11:17
Or maybe Galatians 3.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26
But I didn’t fully see in scripture that God’s intent was for all people from the beginning. His heart has not changed from Old Testament to New Testament.
Going back just before God established His covenant with Abraham, to Genesis 12 (quoted at the top), God not only promises to make a great nation of Abraham and to bless him, but that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. In Isaiah 49:6, it is prophesied over Israel that they would be a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth (not only the Jews). The Lord called Jonah to go and preach repentance to the Ninevites, who were not Israelites. Zechariah 14 prophesies of a day when all the nations and families of the earth who turn to the Lord will worship Him.
God’s heart has been for the world from the beginning, to gather all peoples to Himself for His glory. It’s been so incredible to take this course in preparation for our trip and continue to understand the character of God more.
My team and I are heading to Albania and then Montenegro tomorrow! I’ll continue to send out email newsletters and write blogs while I’m on the field. I’m also still fundraising and have about $1800 left! I would be so honored if you would pray about partnering with what the Lord is doing through me and my squad. Much love!
Ben
Also, there’s so much more we’ve been learning this month that I haven’t written about, but one of the things that has been so impactful is the state of Christian missions right now. We are constantly missing God’s heart for going and making disciples and doing things our own way. PLEASE read this blog by my teammate Elina who wrote about this! It really opened my eyes and her blog is written so well. You can find it here.
