The Bible for All: God's Mission for UsSample

“Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.”   Psalm 67:2 (LB) 

God is a global God. He has always cared about the entire world. "God so loved the world," (John 3:16). From the beginning He has wanted family members from every nation He created. The Bible says, "From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be" (Acts 17:26, CEV).

God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him.

Much of the world already thinks globally. The largest media and business conglomerates are all multi- national. Our lives are increasingly intertwined with those in other nations as we share fashions, entertainment, music, sports, and even fast foods. Probably most of the clothes you're wearing, and much of what you ate today was produced in another country.

Jesus said, “You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). 

What is a witness? Simple. A witness is somebody who tells his or her story. A witness just says: “This is what I saw. This is what I heard. This is what happened to me.” Nobody else can tell your story. You don’t need any special training to do it. Just tell people what Jesus has done in your life. 

When Jesus said His disciples would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth, how did He mean for that to apply to us? The answer is, He was laying out a plan of ever-increasing influence. His followers are to reach out to their community (Jerusalem), to their country (Judea), to other cultures (Samaria) and to other nations (everywhere in the world). Note that He said  “and” not “then” – Jerusalem AND Judea AND Samaria AND the ends of the earth. Our commission is simultaneous, not sequential.

We are called to be on mission to all four groups in some way. How would you identify these groups in your community? What nations do you believe God has called you to serve in some form?