Come to the Table

(Read Genesis 17)

While immersed in quiet time reading this week, a note in my study Bible jumped off the page at me. It was an Old Testament reference to the availability of the Gospel to all people, Jews and Gentiles. “Gentiles” describes all nations of the world other than Israel. Since that revelation in my morning reading, the idea sprouted inside me so much I had to learn more about it.

The word Gospel comes from a Greek term, ueangelion which means “good news.” What good news? The good news highlighted in the Old Testament and saturating the New Testament is the announcement that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, has saved us through His life, death, and resurrection.

The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:2-4

While Jesus came from the family line of David, His earthly life and character bore none of the sinful blemishes that David had. But the line of David was a keystone truth to believers then. If Jesus wasn’t from the Davidic family, people wouldn’t have listened to Paul about Him. In “Romans,” Paul first had to establish who Jesus was and who He came from before he could write about His mission and Holy status. Jesus remains the only perfect human on earth. As our Savior, Jesus patched the unreachable gap between us and God. Jesus healed the sick, forgave sins, and offered a path to God to everyone and anyone who would come to Him. He was human, Messiah, and God. Sounds like good news to me!

Jesus’ earthly followers and skeptics were looking for a political hero, a military king. Every kingdom in our history has come to power through force. Not this one. Jesus showed that His kingdom broke through all political, ethnic, and racial boundaries. Jesus’ kingdom is accessible to all of us.

Who is “us?” A few years into his term, President Trump made a surprise visit to a church in Florida. A family member of mine was appalled. “What kind of church would let a sinful man like that in their doors?” she gasped. I’m not speaking to his politics or the kind of man he is, but I privately thought, she doesn’t understand the true Christian faith very well.

“Churches are full of sinners,” I answered her. “What kind of church would judge people walking through their doors? Heaven is full of sinners too and not just good people.” The Gospel embraces all kinds of people from every nation.

Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
Genesis 17:3-5

How cool that must have been for Abraham to hear! Here’s a very old man with no children who would become the father of millions of blessed descendants around the world. How cool is that for us to hear today, that we have Abraham, our Covenant father, favored by God because of his faith! What Abraham probably did not know was that the seed for the eventual Covenant multitude was Jesus Christ, and His followers. Anyone who shares Christ’s faith shares the same covenant blessing of Abraham.

I’ve written before about a really good friend of mine who converted from Islam. Because of his conversion, many of his family ties have been shattered. “I remember the day that I accepted Jesus into my heart, the peace and joy overwhelmed me,” (D) said. In total candor, he also admitted, “I was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted since I was converting from Islam. Some people questioned my motives behind it.”

If you knew my friend, you wouldn’t question anything to do with his character or courage. If you knew him, you would see a genuine, loving, caring soul who would lay down his life for you given the chance. He added, “I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be a Christian. God in His mercy and grace saw things about me that he called out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Speaking to the pain of separation from his family, he said, “It was so hard for me and it broke my heart when I told my sister that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and that I am a Christian because from that point, my family stopped talking to me for 9 years. Can you imagine that?” he asked. No I can’t, I didn’t have to make that sacrifice, I thought. “There are severe consequences for anyone in that part of the world who converts from Islam into Christianity. I believed then that the Holy Spirit was protecting me and still protects me today so God can use me in His mighty way to share the good news to whoever listens.”

(D) is now a teacher at a large local Christian school. He frequently shares with me the joy of seeing a Holy spark ignite in his students. “Now I can see His hand and blessings at work, using me to speak life into my kids at school.
I never doubted Him but I was curious as to how He would use my background and my language to bring glory to His name.” (D) is a devoted husband, father, teacher, friend, and disciple of Christ. He accepted God’s invitation of grace, despite the personal cost to him because he knew the price that Jesus paid for him. I don’t know many people like him. “All I know is that everything I do today is to bring glory, honor, and praise to God.”

Satan, also known as the deceiver, loves to confuse the meaning of God’s word. Because of his efforts, people often misunderstand it, misquote it, and even change it. The problem with the people who criticize God’s word in the Bible is that many of them have never opened the Bible. Jesus was very clear throughout His ministry that the way to God doesn’t have outward restrictions. The Bible is equally transparent about this matter. Those people who consider Christianity too exclusive, haven’t bothered to talk with a believer or learn for themselves the truth. Only the heart can lead or block one’s way to God.

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
Isaiah 42:6

Some 1,000 years after Abraham, God revealed the light of the Covenant to the prophet Isaiah. Light meant knowledge, wisdom, and truth. Light kind of had a power of its own. Interestingly, the Messiah was also referred to as light of the world. So, “light for the Gentiles” was an open invitation of God’s Covenant to all.

Since God made His covenant with Israel, many people viewed access to God as a locked door where only the Jewish people had the key. Non-believers in our day might have the same misconception of the Christian faith. It’s understandable considering most other religions require cultural or ritualistic, sometimes institutional prerequisites to join their faith. Jesus said otherwise.

I think that as believers, we should be working, serving, and praying for non-believing friends and family members to turn to Jesus. It’s not a matter of converting people to a religion, it’s a matter of bringing people into a relationship. I frequently pray for one very good, longtime friend of mine to believe. We’ve had many discussions. He’s incredibly intelligent, compassionate, and respectful. Our talks are always polite and calm. What I can’t get him to recognize is that Jesus’ Church has no walls. No pre-conditions. No dress code. It’s come as you are. Some of the biggest objections come from appalling historical mistakes Christian churches and Pastors have made throughout time. I personally try to do better as a disciple of Christ. I try to be a light in the darkness. As Pastor Greg Laurie said, “YOU are the only Bible some people will ever read.”

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time”
1 Tim. 2:3-6

God wants everyone to be saved and come to an understanding of His truth. Is the Gospel for good people and bad people? The Gospel is news. Everyone should hear it, feel it, and know it. Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross not just for the people of Israel, the people of Ephesus, the people of Rome, the people of Chicago, or the people of Dallas. He suffered, died, and rose again so that we can have a relationship with Him.

Christians have done a messy job encouraging outsiders in. We have scandals, live hypocritical lives, and don’t measure up to what we believe in. We can do better. It’s about availability. When Jesus resides in us, other people recognize that the Gospel is available to them too. Christ’s kingdom will eventually be full of the multitude of descendants from Abraham, just as God said. God’s Covenant has plenty of vacancies. It’s our job to work the lobby, open doors, provide maps, and answer questions. We’ll leave the room assignments to God.

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.
Revelation 14:6

Key Applications:

1. Do you welcome others to your church? Is there something about your personal faith that prevents you from doing so? Be a light in someone’s life. Encourage a non-church going friend to join you. See what happens. Planting the seed is a great start.
2. Pray for family and friends who are not believers. We can never bring someone to drink the Holy water, but we can bring them to the water. Share stories, readings, and songs with them. Chip away.
3. It is not common knowledge that Christian persecution is one of the biggest human rights issues worldwide. In many parts of the globe, religious freedom is not a respected human right. God invites all to His table. What can we do to encourage others to trust Him and His protection? Pray for people to hear God’s voice talking to them, pray for their safety, and pray for their salvation.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.