The church is called to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God in every inhabited corner of the earth before Jesus returns in glory.
After his resurrection, Jesus declared that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.” During his ministry, the disciples were not to preach to the Gentiles, though he did so several times in anticipation of opening the gospel to the “nations.” But initially, they were to proclaim it only to the “lost sheep of Israel.”
SYNOPSIS – Jesus is the promised “seed” of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed in fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham.
Basic to the redemption of humanity is the covenant established by Yahweh with Abraham, and with his “seed.” This includes the promise that “all the nations the earth will be blessed in him”; moreover, that Abraham will have innumerable descendants. So, how will the nations be blessed “in Abraham,” and when will this “blessing” occur? Who are his descendants and, most importantly, who or what is the “seed of Abraham”?
All too often, the “Good News” about the Kingdom of God has been perverted into good news for some, but bad news for a great many others. This occurs each-and-every time representatives of the “church” associate the message of Jesus with specific nations, races, cultures, political systems, and ideologies. Unfortunately, this has been a frequent pattern throughout much of church history.
Disciples Global Network 