He Bled Out!Sample

A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 

God speaks in both our cultural languages and our personal languages. He meets us and relates to us right where we are, whether we are man, woman, or child. That is why the book of Hebrews is so appropriately named, because the Lord is speaking to the Hebrew people in a way they would understand. The book is preoccupied with guiding those steeped in Judaic tradition to better understand the revelation of who Jesus is. He was one of them, yet they failed to perceive Him as so. The writer of Hebrews uses illustrations relative to their culture to reveal Jesus to them. 

To be effective globally, one has to speak global languages, have global experiences, use global metaphors, and have a global understanding of the truth. The truth is universal, but the illustrations used to clarify the truth must be relative to the audience and convey the skill of the person’s ability to relate diversely.  

God needed someone to speak to the Hebrews, because salvation came first to the Jews and then to the Greeks. The message of salvation had to first be delivered to those who were in a covenant relationship with God, then proceed outward. The Jews’ rejection of the Bread of Life opened a door for the Gentiles to receive what the Jews rejected. The God who is not willing to see anyone lost and desires that all repent now labors in the book of Hebrews to give its readers a deeper understanding of who He is. So, the book opens with the writer telling us how God speaks “at sundry times and in divers manners.” In other words, God speaks at different times, to different ages, through different people, all to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to save humanity.  

Has God spoken your language? In your individual and collective cultures, do you know who Jesus is? Can you convey the message of Jesus Christ to different people, of any race, creed, or color, and relate effectively, regardless of your differences? God is looking for people who are willing to be diverse and appreciate those diversities. He calls all people to live in union with God and in harmony with one another.