All People Everywhere

In our Prayer Gathering this week, we read Scripture passages on God’s heart for the world—for all peoples, every tribe and tongue.  And as we did, the Lord was grabbing my attention:

• Psalm 67:1-7:  “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” (vv 3, 5).  Not some—but all of them.
• Luke 10:25-37:  In Jesus’ Good Samaritan story, the crossing of ethnic and religious barriers of hate with compassion for the hurting depicts God’s love for the lost (John 3:16).  No clan or class or category of sinners is too far gone to be loved, saved.
• Acts 17:16-34:  After Paul recognizes the God-given worship impulse in every heart, he points to the risen Christ and insists:  “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent…” (v 30).  All.

The more we read these passages, the more other texts from all over in the Bible were popping into my head.  Like…

• Phil. 2:9-11:  “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess…”
• Matt. 24:14:  “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” All peoples will be reached!
• Matt. 28:18-19:  Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” All of them—every people group.
• John 14:6:  Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” No one.

The texts are numerous; the theme is pervasive!  Daniel 7:14, the Son of Man’s dominion is over “all peoples, nations, languages”; Revelation 7:9, “all tribes and peoples and languages” praise Christ, the Lamb of God who saves.  I could go on.  But let’s leave it at this:  The gospel-heart of God in Christ is the one and only solution to the deep need of EVERY person on earth.  So thank him for his saving love—and spread the word, the word of life.