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March 31, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
ALL!, by Phil Ware
"Therefore let "ALL" Israel be assured of this: God has made this
Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to
Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and
your children and for "ALL" who are far off -- for "ALL" whom the
Lord our God will call."
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted
his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
their number that day
(Acts 2:36-41 TNIV).
Depending on our church background, we will probably assign crucial
importance to different phrases or words in the previous passage. Our
eyes and brains are theologically trained to tune in to some themes
more than others. Interestingly, one of Luke's key words* in this
passage often gets overlooked -- the word "ALL"! The promise of God is
"for all who are far off ..." (emphasis added).
The word "ALL" is very important in God's dealings with mortal flesh.
Look at these clear messages. God promises Abraham that "ALL" nations
of the earth will be blessed through his offspring (Genesis 12:1-3).
Jesus sends out His closest followers to reach people of "ALL" nations
(Matthew 28:18-20). God doesn't want anyone to be lost, but wants "ALL"
people to come to repentance and turn to Him (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9).
One of the biggest battles that most churches face in Europe and the
United States has to do with whether church members view church as for
"us" or for "ALL." While we nearly everyone will theoretically affirm
that the church is for "ALL" people, our actions and our words often
betray us. One of the first questions asked by church leaders when
considering some new outreach effort is often this: "But if we do this,
who will leave?" A church that exists for "ALL" will also ask, "And if
we don't do this, whom will we not reach?"
The apostle Paul helped us truly understand the heart of an "ALL"
oriented church when he shared these passionate words about his own
life and ministry:
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become "ALL"
things to "ALL" people so that by "ALL" possible means I might save
some. I do "ALL" this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share
in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:22-23, emphasis added by author.).
How do we change our focus? How do we become a more "ALL" centered
person that is part of an "ALL" focused fellowship?
There are no simple answers, but I do believe three spiritual
commitments will help.
* We get into the story of Jesus' life told in Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John and see how he dealt with people and included "ALL" kinds
of people in His circle of friendship. The Lord is our model,
example, and mentor in reaching out to "ALL" people -- insiders and
outsiders, men and women, powerful and powerless, young and old,
religious and non-religious, needy and influential.
The mandate of God is clear!
* We pray daily that God will open our eyes and broaden our
experience with people who are different than we are.
* We step out of our comfort zone to meet and learn about people who
are different than we are.
The mandate of God is clear -- our Father wants us to reach out to
"ALL" people. He wants us to be in fellowship with "ALL" different
kinds of folks. He wants folks from "ALL" kinds of different nations,
tribes, peoples, and languages to find their unity in His Son, Jesus.
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that
no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were
wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9-10).
Most of all, Jesus wants us to begin this process of finding unity in
Him now. The first place people were identified as Christians -- people
like Christ, people who are Christ-followers -- was in Antioch, where
"ALL" races of new believers were welcomed into fellowship (Acts
11:19-25). Let's be that kind of people -- folks who welcome "ALL" in
the name of Jesus.
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Why is it so hard to be a church that is committed to reach "ALL"
people?
How can we as believers reach out to "ALL" and not just to people just
like us?
I'd love to hear your response to these questions on my blog:
http://www.thephilfiles.com/2008/03/31/all/
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* Luke is the Gospel that most emphasizes Jesus' outreach to all types
of people -- men and women, young and old, Jews and non-Jews, religious
and non-religious. He especially emphasizes Jesus' ministry to the
marginalized and forgotten in society.
---------
(c) 2008 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Do We Really Believe What He Said?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200410/20041009_reallybelieve.html
* New Windows
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200405/20040530_newwindows.html
* Why Johnny Can't Share His Faith!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200311/20031105_sharefaith.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200803/20080331_all.html
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THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD, by Brother Lawrence
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