Not Simply Some Corner!

As Paul was making his defense before Governor Festus and King Agrippa ( Acts 26) -- referring to the events which had taken place associated with Jesus and the hope that was in Him -- Paul knew King Agrippa was familiar with much of it because all those things had “not been done in a corner.” ( Acts 26:24) There were many witnesses to the ministry of Jesus and His death, burial, and resurrection. The work of the Apostles and the spread of Christianity had also not begun unnoticed. And even though the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus may have begun in Judea, it was the Lord’s plan for it to spread on out from there “to the end of the earth.” ( Acts 1:8) The ministry of Jesus clearly revealed His interest in the individual soul, but all He accomplished was with a view beyond a small “corner” of humanity.

As Jesus gave His disciples the great commission, He stated…
“Go therefore and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” ( Matthew 28:19 ESV)

Prior to Jesus’ ascension back to the Father, He made it clear how far reaching the message of salvation was to be. It was not merely for a few individuals in some “corner” of the world. It was not for one class of society. Nor was it for one nation among the world’s population. It was a message to be taken to ALL NATIONS.

This important truth is also contained in Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats.
“Before him will be gathered ALL THE NATIONS, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” ( Matthew 25:32 ESV)

Prior to Jesus’ ascension, He specifically mentioned ALL NATIONS. In this parable focusing on His second coming Jesus also referred to ALL NATIONS. Though our Lord’s public ministry spanned only about three short years and took place in a small region of this world, the significance of the message associated with Him and the salvation only to be found in Him ( John 14:6) was for ALL NATIONS. There is the need for the message to go out to ALL NATIONS because there will be an eventual judgment and separation from among ALL NATIONS.

In every “corner” of the world where we live we need to hold out the message of hope in Christ. We should also pray for and support those who are willing to go to other nations to share the Gospel of Jesus. We have members of our congregation who teach others through Bible correspondence courses via mail to people in Africa and other places. As God has opened the door wider and wider for the daily “teEn-MAIL” focuses it has become my privilege to share with others (most of whom I may never meet in this lifetime) across the United States and many foreign countries around the world. I praise God for those who have helped open those doors.

Let us continue to pray for ALL NATIONS and open our lives to the ways in which God can use each one of us even from our own “corner” of this globe. There are ways in which we can all be involved in helping others become prepared for the gathering and separating that will ultimately take place. May we keep the larger picture in view.

Have a great day RECOGNIZING THE BROADER SPECTRUM OF GOD’S PLAN!
Carl

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