Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: The Church (12/06/07)
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TITLE: The Unchanged Marching Orders of the Church | Previous Challenge Entry
By William van der Zande
12/12/07 -
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In the book of Acts we read that the eleven disciples of Jesus, with another 109 believers, are together in Jerusalem, waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We all know the outcome - soon 16 different nations were reached with the powerful message of The Gospel, right there in Jerusalem.
Through the book of Acts we see the widening circle as the disciples, and later on through Paul, go out from Judea to Samaria to the then known world.
These “Marching Orders” however were already part of Gods great plan of salvation from the beginning of the world. Around 2000 BC, the LORD began making His plans to be known through the calling of Abram.
He said to him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show. I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12: 1-3
Jesus, the promised seed of Abraham, reiterated the promise of God to Abraham and commanded His followers to wait first, and then to go out into the entire world – to all the families of the earth. Not only to be a blessing like Abraham, but act like him, who is also called the father of the believers.
We can see aspects in Abraham’s life as a great example for the believers. Reading through the book of Genesis from chapter 12-25, he is portrayed as a man called by God, who built altars for God. He was a worshipper, a man of prayer and an intercessor. He received many promises of God for his day and the far future, and had wonderful visions and experiences with God. He was a gentleman in dealing with his nephew Lot, and had a heart of compassion when Lot was made captive. Then he showed himself a great warrior. He met the great priest Melchizedek near Salem (Jerusalem) and received bread and wine! He was called a prophet one time, but his great prophetic act was when in obedience to God’s voice, he laid everything on the altar: Isaac, his only son, the son of the promise. In doing so he showed God’s heart. He stood firm in certain conflicts and put as it were Hebron and Beersheba on the map.
In Hebrews 11 we read again about him as a man of faith and in verse 10 we read, “for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
There is much more to say about this man who was called a friend of God, the man to whom God connected Himself by saying, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Let us fast forward now to 2007 AD.
The Marching Orders still stand. Great progress has been made, especially in the last two hundred years; it is safe to say that there are at least 600.000.000 born again believers in the world.
Nearly all nations, but not yet every tribe or tongue, have the gospel in their own language. There is work to do for us all, for us as FaithWriters too! Let us reach out beyond our own FW-tribe and work while it is still day.
Let us wait, write and send out the powerful words of the Gospel and in so doing, strengthening the Church and fulfilling the Great Commission.
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The present tense in the second paragraph felt a little "off", as you were describing events of many years ago.
I like the exhortation at the end.
Well done.