Thursday, March 13, 2014

Romans 15:12-17

Isaiah 11:10 says “in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” In this ancient prophesy, the prophet Isaiah foretells of the day when not only Jews, but also Gentiles will come to the feet of the son of David, Jesus. You see, the misconception for centuries was that the Messiah was going to be only a Messiah to the Jewish people, but Isaiah had hinted that even the Gentiles would seek the Messiah.
This same passage in Isaiah serves as a springboard for Paul as he delves into the work that God has called him to among the Gentiles. While he was a Jew, a Pharisee no less, God had called him to go throughout the whole known world and proclaim the good news of Jesus’ kingdom to all peoples of the world. This new message was not just a Jewish message.
Similarly, God still calls people today to cross-cultural missions. Often He has called men like Adoniram Judson, David Brainerd, Hudson Taylor, Jonathan Goble, and many more to go to people who are not ethnically the same. The message of Jesus is not a message that should be bound to one skin color or ethnic group. God has called us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” According to Paul and Isaiah, the good news of Jesus is meant to be good news for all people.

Food for Thought: Read Romans 15:12-17. What does Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10 say in regards to the coming messiah and what we should do with the news of Him?

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