“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
‘‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
– Acts 13:47
It would be impossible to overstate how important this task is to God! He has made all people in His image and made all people to be in relationship with Him. He desires to gather believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation, reconciling them to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. The task given to Barnabas and Saul remains an urgent, ongoing task for the church. We are to live and speak in such a way that we ARE a light for those who don’t yet believe in Jesus. We must get the words of life and the message of salvation to the ends of the earth.
The task is huge. Currently, there are billions who are unlikely to even hear the Gospel message from a Christian, much less embrace it. That doesn’t make it impossible. Nothing is impossible for God! It’s our responsibility, in this generation, to move this work forward. It will require devotion and sacrifice. It will require an educated church that is focused on prayer for the nations and people groups that need the gospel. Pray for God to prepare them to hear and respond. Pray for God to raise up those who will go and speak the message of salvation. Pray for God to raise up those who will translate the Scripture into their native language.
It will require sacrificial giving of financial resources to support translation efforts, the distribution of Gospel materials, the use of technology to spread the Gospel, and the sending of cross-cultural missionaries. It will require the devotion of time to support and encourage those who go and to welcome those coming to our community from the nations. It will require some to go, just as Barnabas and Paul did. Who will go to the nations? Is God calling you? #FollowJesus