Who Is the Gospel For?
The Bible instructs us to share our faith to the nations. But what does it mean to share the gospel?
While many religions have converts and followers worldwide, Christianity stands unique as a truly global religion. While Christianity takes on different components from whichever region it finds itself in, its core components and truths exist in a way that allows relevance and growth in each culture.
Today, followers of Christianity are spread evenly across each continent as the gospel continues to advance into previously unreached populations. As Pastor Tim Keller shares in Making Sense of God, we see clear segmentation of where most religions are focused.
Where are religions primarily found?
90% of Muslims live in the Middle East
95% of Hindus in India
88% of Buddhists in east Asia
There are equal numbers of Christians living in Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
Why is this the case?
In Scripture, we see that at the core of God's plan is a diverse and multi-ethnic body that is restored to right relationship with their Creator and glorifying Him through worship. A God who creates all peoples will one day be glorified by all peoples, and when we look at His character revealed in both the Old and New Testaments, we see that this has always been his plan.
What Does the Old Testament Say About Sharing the Gospel?
It would be impossible to look at the missionary emphasis of God without beginning at creation. God creates the entire cosmos and creates humanity in His image at His crowning moment. Male and female, humanity is made in the image of God with dignity, honor, and responsibility. We were created to be in right relationship with God and glorify Him through our worship.
This concept of all being made in the image of God forms the foundation of our missional emphasis to all nations, as well as much of our views on race; God is not the God of one country, one people, or one ethnicity. Instead, we find ourselves, all united together, through our image-bearing status.
The Old Testament narrative quickly shifts from this idyllic picture as our first parents, Adam and Eve, chose to rebel against God and His perfect plan. By listening to the serpent, the two fell from right relationship with God. The decision would create further disruption: humanity would no longer be in right relationship with each other, and humanity would no longer be in right relationship with the world around them. Sin, which is doing contrary to what God says or living contrary to God's character, now defined each of these relationships.
Just eight chapters later, we see sin take on a devastating effect with the story of the Tower of Babel. In its pride and hubris, humanity attempts to come together to build a tower to reach God. Instead, God responds by confusing and separating them apart, each with its own language.
Racial sin continues to exist today; it occurs when one has a sense of pride and self-righteousness in their race, ethnicity, or culture and a sense of inferiority in others. This sin affects and corrupts many aspects of our lives, including internal prejudices, harmful interactions between different races, and the unjust ordering of environments that benefit one race over another.
We also see this type of sin affecting nationalism too. While it is right and good to have the love and pride of one's country, it should never be to the level that hates others or hinders God's activity within other populations.
While this sin is introduced in Genesis 11, God's mission and love towards all nations and races follow in the next chapter through God's calling of Abraham. God speaks to one person, who will represent one family that becomes one nation with this promise:
“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
God's core plan begins in the Old Testament with the formation of the nation of Israel, which was to function as a light to the nations to showcase the glory of God. In its law, leadership, and conduct, all of the world's countries were to see God and respond to His Lordship. They would be drawn to the beauty of Israel and thus be led to God, and there are multiple examples of this calling.
Examples of Evangelism in the Old Testament
Joseph's children, born from his Egyptian wife, become the first to receive the blessing of Jacob. Rahab and Ruth are welcomed next.
Elijah heals Naaman specifically, even though he is a foreign general.
The Psalms praise the universal rule of God.
Isaiah's future visions of a messianic kingdom are global.
Jonah receives a prophetic call to love the Ninevites.
Truly, the people of God in Israel believed that one day the glory of God would cover the entire earth. There would be a return to the perfect worship of Eden. They just were not prepared for how that would be achieved in the person of Christ.
What Does the New Testament Say About Sharing the Gospel?
One of Jesus' most controversial and shocking features in the gospel is the global nature of his ministry. Jesus' ministry is centered around creating a new people of God that is defined by faith rather than their Israelite ethnicity.
While we might be quick to think that this is due to his Great Commission statements to go all the nations (found in: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, and Acts 1), we see that this was a feature of His ministry from the beginning. For example, one of his first moments of teaching in the synagogues in Luke 4 was met at first with excitement about the coming kingdom. Still, that excitement quickly turned to resentment when Jesus reminded his attendees that the prophets Elijah and Elisha were explicitly sent to non-Jewish individuals or Gentiles.
Examples of Jesus’ Love to Gentiles
The Magi travel from a foreign nation to worship His birth.
The Roman centurion and Canaanite woman are the only two who Jesus describes as having 'great faith.'
He does specific miracles, such as the feeding of the 4,000, in Gentile areas of Judea.
He made a Samaritan the hero of one of His parables.
He showed love and compassion to the woman at the well.
Jesus modeled and passed on this ministry throughout His life, a ministry that culminated with Him dying on the cross. On the cross, Jesus Christ forever defeated all sin that keeps us from being in the right relationship with God, others, and the world. Then, through His resurrection three days later, He made a way back to God that any person, ethnicity, any population can follow: turning from one's sins and turning to Jesus in faith.
We see an important shift from the Old Testament's paradigm as he does this. Where previously the nations would be drawn to the beauty and light of Israel, and thus be led to God, now Jesus tells his followers that they are the light of the world, and the nations will be drawn to the beauty and light of the gospel through their witness, and the church's witness to the world.
This very thing is what we see through the rest of the New Testament as a new and diverse people of God are formed. As the Holy Spirit falls at Pentecost, the people of God have a direct reversal from the Tower of Babel experience in Genesis 11: rather than one people becoming many, many peoples become one. Unity is found through the Holy Spirit in a way that continues and even thrives amid diversity.
This continues with the cross-culture ministry of the early church recorded in Acts and the epistles.
Examples of the Early Church Sharing the Gospel
The Ethiopian eunuch converts and is baptized.
Peter grasps the vision in the home of Cornelius, and they are baptized.
The Jerusalem Council expressly affirms missionary activity to Gentiles.
Paul goes on three different missionary journeys that lead him to testify before Roman leaders.
In his epistles, Paul both addresses racial sin and teaches that while different ethnicities remain, we are all one in Christ.
As Christ-followers, our identity is returned to the unity of Eden as the blood of Christ that has broken down the dividing wall of hostility and created in Himself one man.
Why Should I Share My Faith?
In Scripture, we see that at the core of God's plan is a diverse and multi-ethnic body that is restored to right relationship with their Creator and glorifying Him through worship. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now can invite all the nations into that right relationship. And in Scripture, we are promised that all the nations will be present worshiping one day.
The end of the story is clear: one day, every tribe, people, and language will be gathered around the throne in their beautiful diversity in the worship of our Creator. Yet until we get to that day, it is clear that we have a role in this story: to take the gospel to all the nations. And by God's grace and for His glory, the Fulani people will be among those nations.
To the Nations is Christ Church's new yearly project to advance the gospel with one specific population worldwide that either remain unreached with the gospel or faces significant persecution.
In 2022, we will be working with International Leadership Institute to minister to the Fulani. The Fulani are an expansive tribe of unreached people living throughout western and central Africa. As a whole, they are over 99% Islamic and significantly responsible for the spread of Islam throughout much of central and west Africa and a tremendous amount of persecution towards Nigerian Christians.
For more information on the project, including ways to pray, fast, and give, visit christchurchmemphis.org/fulani.
TL;DR
In Scripture, we see that at the core of God's plan is a diverse and multi-ethnic body that is restored to right relationship with their Creator and glorifying Him through worship.
All of humanity is created in the image of God with dignity, honor, and responsibility. God is not the God of one nation, one people, or one ethnicity, but He is Lord of All.
Our sin leads to a broken relationship with God, others, and the world around us, including different aspects of racial sin.
God's Plan A is to restore this relationship through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. We have the calling to advance the message of Jesus to all the nations that remain unreached and unengaged with the gospel.
One day this plan will be fulfilled as every tribe, people, and language will be gathered around the throne in their beautiful diversity in worship of our Creator.
Related Reading
Why Should I Read the Bible by Bro. Chris Carter
How to Understand the Old Testament by Grant Caldwell
How to Read Difficult Scripture by Brad Bogue
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services.
