Final Instructions
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle B
Final Instructions
(Note: Suggestion for reading the lessons on Ascension Sunday: In order to get the proper historical flow you may want to read Acts 1:1-11 after reading the Gospel, Luke 24:44-53.)
When you love someone, you try to fulfill their final deathbed directions. If your loved one has a last will and testament, you try to carry out the final instructions contained therein. In Acts 1:1-11 we have Jesus' last will and testament, his final teaching about the kingdom of God and his final instructions to the apostles and to us to serve as his witnesses both close to home and throughout the world.
Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus met with his apostles and reviewed with them the essentials of his teaching about the kingdom of God. Luke puts it this way: "After suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
Then Jesus told his followers that they were to witness for him everywhere they went. Jesus said, "... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Final Teaching
Jesus' final teaching, and therefore his most important teaching, was about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is God's rule over us for our own good. God doesn't try to rule our lives because he is some eastern potentate who enjoys putting us down. God knows what's best for us. He desires to rule our lives because he knows what's best for us. That's what Jesus taught his followers just before he ascended.
Like a mother telling her child not to put its hand into the fire on the stove because that will hurt the child, God tries to keep us from hurting ourselves. Like a father telling his son not to run out onto the superhighway, God tells us what will lead to certain death. God does these things as Lord because he loves us. His rule is always for our good. When Jesus had only forty days left before his final departure, he taught his disciples about this loving rule of God. Jesus called the loving rule of God over us the kingdom of God. What did he teach his followers about the kingdom in his last forty days on earth? The same things he taught them throughout his ministry.
Jesus taught his followers that this kingdom of God has the highest priority for his followers. He said, "Strive first for the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). In other words, Jesus taught that for Christians there is nothing more important than coming under God's rule. The first creed of the early church was, "Jesus is Lord." That creed means that we are under the control of the Lord who knows better than we ourselves know what is best for us. The question is not whether or not we will be ruled, only who or what will rule us. If we refuse to let God rule, we will be ruled by our own desires which will betray us, a false leader who will lead us astray or the evil one who will deceive us. Unless that which is above us controls that which is within us, that which is around us, will.
Jesus taught his disciples that there are three time periods for the kingdom of God: future, past, and present. First, Jesus taught that the kingdom is coming in fullness in the future. He said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31). In other words, at the end of the world Jesus will be seen by all as the ultimate Lord. The kingdom in perfection is a term about the future. But Jesus also taught that the kingdom came when he first appeared.
Jesus taught that the kingdom came when he began his ministry. In Mark 1:14-15 we read, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.' " The ripe time, the "full" time is God's kairos, his "right time." When Jesus came in the past, all things came together with a wonderful and amazing timing. From that time on, even though the kingdom would not come in fullness until the future, Jesus expected his followers to start living as if it had already arrived. The kingdom is "near," or "at hand" (as another translation puts it). Jesus said, "... If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Matthew 12:28). He also said, "... In fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:21).
Today, as well as in the past, wherever Jesus is, the kingdom of God is among us as a deposit or a foretaste (arroban in Greek) of the final triumph over evil. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God comes in the present. Since the kingdom doesn't come in fullness until the end of time, we have only glimpses of the kingdom in the here and now, but we aren't left bereft. The presence of God is real in the here and now for those who have eyes to see beyond what they behold.
For example, some New Testament scholars believe that the petition in the Lord's Prayer that we translate, "Give us today our daily bread," may be directly connected to the kingdom of God today. Their research has led them to believe that the petition is about "tomorrow's kingdom bread today." John V. Taylor says, "This petition in the Lord's Prayer may mean, 'Give us tomorrow's bread today.' "
Johaiachim Jeremias says that the earliest form of this verse of the Lord's Prayer was, "Our bread for tomorrow give us today."1
John Koenig, in his book, New Testament Hospitality, adds:
From Jeremias' translation we ... learn that the word we call "daily" is best rendered with the phrase "for tomorrow." Furthermore, Jeremias and others have offered strong evidence that in the original Aramaic version of the prayer spoken by Jesus "bread for tomorrow" would have meant the bread of God's great feast at the final coming of the kingdom (as in Luke 14:15). But here in his own special prayer Jesus instructs the disciples to pray that this future bread might come now, today.2
There is sacramental heavenly food for the calling to witness today. The kingdom is not coming in fullness until a time in the future, but here and now, we get a foretaste of that kingdom in the word and sacraments and in a wide variety or other ways.
R. S. Thomas, the Welsh poet-pastor describes the coming of Christ's kingdom today like this:
The Kingdom
It's a long way off but inside there are different things going on ...
Festivals at which the poor man is king and the consumptive is healed;
Mirrors in which the blind man looks and love looks back at him;
Industry for mending bent bones and minds fractured by life.
It's a long way off, but to get there takes no time at all and admission is free ...
If you will but purge yourself of desire and present yourself
With your needs only and the simple offering of your faith ...
Green as a leaf.
Tomorrow's bread of the kingdom comes today to those who come empty, seeking for God to fill them. A foretaste of the kingdom comes to the faithful who know that it's "wake up time." Therefore they have an urgency to witness for Jesus Christ.
Today we live between the lightning and the thunder. Jesus' first coming is like lightning; his second coming like thunder. When you see the one, you are certain that the other will follow. We live in that little space called "wake up time" between the first and the second coming of Christ and his kingdom. Since we know that he will return, we are called to be Jesus' witnesses to all people. Some of them don't know what time it is.
In his last forty days on earth, Jesus told his disciples about the kingdom. Then he told them what do about his final teaching. He gave them his final instructions to be his witnesses.
Final Instructions
Jesus called the apostles to witness for him. "You are my witnesses," he said. Some Christians are called to be evangelists. The Greek word that stands behind the word "evangelist" is euangelizzomai. Evangelists are called to declare the good news. Not all Christians are called to be evangelists, but all Christians are called to be witnesses. Witnesses are called to share the good news. While that may seem like a small distinction, it is an important one. The word "witness" comes from the Greek word marturein. It means "to share what one has seen and heard." We can all do that.
Jesus said, "... You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Think of a picture of four concentric circles. Place the names "Jerusalem," "Judea," "Samaria," and "ends of the earth," in these four circles.
Jerusalem was home base for the apostles. In other words, they were called to start to witness where they were. Like them, you are called to share the good news of Christ with family members and others you consider your immediate circle of close friends. When opportunities present themselves, a Christian witness shares what is in his or her heart about the Lord. When a crisis, suffering, a death, or an emergency occurs, this extremity is God's opportunity. Family and close friends who have turned a deaf ear to the good news may be open to hearing the gospel at times like these.
Judea was the immediate territory around Jerusalem. In Jesus' final instructions he told his followers to be his witnesses there, too. For the apostles, that meant sharing the good news of Christ outside their immediate circle of family and friends. For us, too, there is a call to be witnesses to friends, acquaintances, business associates, or people we meet in cultural settings. These may be people we see often, or seldom. Like in Jerusalem, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity."
Samaria is a difficult place. For the apostles who were Jewish, Samaria was enemy territory. In 586 B.C., when the Jews were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and deported to Babylon (today's Iraq), only a weaker group of Jews was left. Those who were left intermarried with pagans and forgot their devotion to the one true God. They became the hated Samaritans. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem and started to rebuild the walls and the temple, they insisted on staying away from those who had compromised Jewish monotheism and morality.
The apostles were all Jews. In his final orders, Jesus told his followers to go to people who were their enemies. We have people around us who have turned away from God and become immoral. They are not to be excluded from our witness. They need our witness. Admittedly, they may not be easy to reach, but neither should they be excluded.
For example, if an atheist tells you that he or she doesn't believe in God, a good response is to ask, "Tell me about the god you don't believe in." When they answer, "The god who causes wars or doesn't take care of innocent children," you can say, "I don't believe in that god, either." Chances are, the god that people say they don't believe in is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. People have all sorts of illusions about God. They need to be freed from those illusions.
"To the ends of the earth" for the apostles meant taking the gospel to strangers. That was the hardest thing of all. For them it meant even taking the good news of Christ to the Gentiles and offering them the way of repentance through Jesus Christ. As the Gospel of Luke puts it, "Repentance of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations ..." (Luke 24:47).
We, too, can offer opportunities to know Christ to people who are strangers to us. In the Bible, hospitality to strangers is a major principle of reaching outsiders for Christ. Providing for the needs of strangers often opens the doors of faith to them. Our actions of mercy and hospitality, as well as our words, can be a witness to outsiders. Meeting strangers on trips, in planes, on trains, and through business can often provide opportunity for witness. In addition, giving support for world missions is an excellent way to take this Bible verse about the "ends of the earth" off the page and bring it into our everyday lives.
These are the places in our lives to witness: Jerusalem (home), Judea (nearby with people like us), Samaria (with enemies and people not like us), and to the ends of the earth (to people we previously did not know at all). This Bible story tells us where to do it, but how can we witness? Someone is asking, "How do we do it?"
A little practical spiritual exercise may help at this point. When you hear the following sentence, fill in the blanks.
__________ loved me by ___________. Think back to yesterday or long ago when someone did something that made you feel loved. Perhaps you want to fill in the blanks like this: Mom loved me by listening to me. Or maybe you'll fill in the blanks like this: Dad loved me by saying the right words at the right time in the right way. Or maybe your sentence will read: Walter loved me by telling me he believed in me. In your imagination think of how you felt loved by a specific person.
The second point of this spiritual exercise is to replace Mom, Dad, Walter, or whatever name you placed in your sentence with the name Jesus. Jesus loved me by listening to me; or by saying the right words at the right time in the right way; or by telling me he believed in me. In other words, Jesus used Mom, Dad, Walter, or whoever you put in your sentence to show you love.
Third, answer this question. How many of you named pastors to this special place in your lives? Generally when this exercise is done, only about ten percent of the people name pastors as the most influential and loving people in their lives. That's not anything against pastors. The point is that everyday family, friends, and acquaintances often are the most important people who witness to us with their love.
Fourth, you are challenged to do for someone this week what was done for you. If someone loved you by listening to you, take on the task of listening to someone else in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or world of complete strangers. If someone said a special word or told you they believed in you, repeat that with someone you meet this week.
Remember this comforting promise: Jesus promised the apostles that they would never be alone as they served as his witnesses at home and abroad. In Matthew's account of the ascension, we find these words, "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Witnessing for Christ is the will of God. The will of God is not always easy to discern, but there can be no doubt about what God wants us to do, indeed -- expects us to do about his good news of salvation in Christ through repentance and forgiveness. We are to share this truth with others by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One man described doing the will of God like this:
The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs
Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
-- Anonymous
The will of God is that we serve as witnesses for Christ so that other people may experience the riches of his grace. Jesus' final teaching was about the kingdom of God. Jesus' final orders were about including others in that kingdom through witnessing to them. When you love someone, you try to follow that person's final instructions.
____________
1.ÊJohaiachim Jeremias, The Lord's Prayer, tr. By John Reuman (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964), p. 17.
2.ÊJohn Koenig, New Testament Hospitality: Partnership with Strangers as Promise & Mission (Philadelphia: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1985), pp. 44-45.
(Note: Suggestion for reading the lessons on Ascension Sunday: In order to get the proper historical flow you may want to read Acts 1:1-11 after reading the Gospel, Luke 24:44-53.)
When you love someone, you try to fulfill their final deathbed directions. If your loved one has a last will and testament, you try to carry out the final instructions contained therein. In Acts 1:1-11 we have Jesus' last will and testament, his final teaching about the kingdom of God and his final instructions to the apostles and to us to serve as his witnesses both close to home and throughout the world.
Just before he ascended into heaven, Jesus met with his apostles and reviewed with them the essentials of his teaching about the kingdom of God. Luke puts it this way: "After suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
Then Jesus told his followers that they were to witness for him everywhere they went. Jesus said, "... You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Final Teaching
Jesus' final teaching, and therefore his most important teaching, was about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is God's rule over us for our own good. God doesn't try to rule our lives because he is some eastern potentate who enjoys putting us down. God knows what's best for us. He desires to rule our lives because he knows what's best for us. That's what Jesus taught his followers just before he ascended.
Like a mother telling her child not to put its hand into the fire on the stove because that will hurt the child, God tries to keep us from hurting ourselves. Like a father telling his son not to run out onto the superhighway, God tells us what will lead to certain death. God does these things as Lord because he loves us. His rule is always for our good. When Jesus had only forty days left before his final departure, he taught his disciples about this loving rule of God. Jesus called the loving rule of God over us the kingdom of God. What did he teach his followers about the kingdom in his last forty days on earth? The same things he taught them throughout his ministry.
Jesus taught his followers that this kingdom of God has the highest priority for his followers. He said, "Strive first for the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). In other words, Jesus taught that for Christians there is nothing more important than coming under God's rule. The first creed of the early church was, "Jesus is Lord." That creed means that we are under the control of the Lord who knows better than we ourselves know what is best for us. The question is not whether or not we will be ruled, only who or what will rule us. If we refuse to let God rule, we will be ruled by our own desires which will betray us, a false leader who will lead us astray or the evil one who will deceive us. Unless that which is above us controls that which is within us, that which is around us, will.
Jesus taught his disciples that there are three time periods for the kingdom of God: future, past, and present. First, Jesus taught that the kingdom is coming in fullness in the future. He said, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31). In other words, at the end of the world Jesus will be seen by all as the ultimate Lord. The kingdom in perfection is a term about the future. But Jesus also taught that the kingdom came when he first appeared.
Jesus taught that the kingdom came when he began his ministry. In Mark 1:14-15 we read, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.' " The ripe time, the "full" time is God's kairos, his "right time." When Jesus came in the past, all things came together with a wonderful and amazing timing. From that time on, even though the kingdom would not come in fullness until the future, Jesus expected his followers to start living as if it had already arrived. The kingdom is "near," or "at hand" (as another translation puts it). Jesus said, "... If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Matthew 12:28). He also said, "... In fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:21).
Today, as well as in the past, wherever Jesus is, the kingdom of God is among us as a deposit or a foretaste (arroban in Greek) of the final triumph over evil. Jesus taught that the kingdom of God comes in the present. Since the kingdom doesn't come in fullness until the end of time, we have only glimpses of the kingdom in the here and now, but we aren't left bereft. The presence of God is real in the here and now for those who have eyes to see beyond what they behold.
For example, some New Testament scholars believe that the petition in the Lord's Prayer that we translate, "Give us today our daily bread," may be directly connected to the kingdom of God today. Their research has led them to believe that the petition is about "tomorrow's kingdom bread today." John V. Taylor says, "This petition in the Lord's Prayer may mean, 'Give us tomorrow's bread today.' "
Johaiachim Jeremias says that the earliest form of this verse of the Lord's Prayer was, "Our bread for tomorrow give us today."1
John Koenig, in his book, New Testament Hospitality, adds:
From Jeremias' translation we ... learn that the word we call "daily" is best rendered with the phrase "for tomorrow." Furthermore, Jeremias and others have offered strong evidence that in the original Aramaic version of the prayer spoken by Jesus "bread for tomorrow" would have meant the bread of God's great feast at the final coming of the kingdom (as in Luke 14:15). But here in his own special prayer Jesus instructs the disciples to pray that this future bread might come now, today.2
There is sacramental heavenly food for the calling to witness today. The kingdom is not coming in fullness until a time in the future, but here and now, we get a foretaste of that kingdom in the word and sacraments and in a wide variety or other ways.
R. S. Thomas, the Welsh poet-pastor describes the coming of Christ's kingdom today like this:
The Kingdom
It's a long way off but inside there are different things going on ...
Festivals at which the poor man is king and the consumptive is healed;
Mirrors in which the blind man looks and love looks back at him;
Industry for mending bent bones and minds fractured by life.
It's a long way off, but to get there takes no time at all and admission is free ...
If you will but purge yourself of desire and present yourself
With your needs only and the simple offering of your faith ...
Green as a leaf.
Tomorrow's bread of the kingdom comes today to those who come empty, seeking for God to fill them. A foretaste of the kingdom comes to the faithful who know that it's "wake up time." Therefore they have an urgency to witness for Jesus Christ.
Today we live between the lightning and the thunder. Jesus' first coming is like lightning; his second coming like thunder. When you see the one, you are certain that the other will follow. We live in that little space called "wake up time" between the first and the second coming of Christ and his kingdom. Since we know that he will return, we are called to be Jesus' witnesses to all people. Some of them don't know what time it is.
In his last forty days on earth, Jesus told his disciples about the kingdom. Then he told them what do about his final teaching. He gave them his final instructions to be his witnesses.
Final Instructions
Jesus called the apostles to witness for him. "You are my witnesses," he said. Some Christians are called to be evangelists. The Greek word that stands behind the word "evangelist" is euangelizzomai. Evangelists are called to declare the good news. Not all Christians are called to be evangelists, but all Christians are called to be witnesses. Witnesses are called to share the good news. While that may seem like a small distinction, it is an important one. The word "witness" comes from the Greek word marturein. It means "to share what one has seen and heard." We can all do that.
Jesus said, "... You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Think of a picture of four concentric circles. Place the names "Jerusalem," "Judea," "Samaria," and "ends of the earth," in these four circles.
Jerusalem was home base for the apostles. In other words, they were called to start to witness where they were. Like them, you are called to share the good news of Christ with family members and others you consider your immediate circle of close friends. When opportunities present themselves, a Christian witness shares what is in his or her heart about the Lord. When a crisis, suffering, a death, or an emergency occurs, this extremity is God's opportunity. Family and close friends who have turned a deaf ear to the good news may be open to hearing the gospel at times like these.
Judea was the immediate territory around Jerusalem. In Jesus' final instructions he told his followers to be his witnesses there, too. For the apostles, that meant sharing the good news of Christ outside their immediate circle of family and friends. For us, too, there is a call to be witnesses to friends, acquaintances, business associates, or people we meet in cultural settings. These may be people we see often, or seldom. Like in Jerusalem, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity."
Samaria is a difficult place. For the apostles who were Jewish, Samaria was enemy territory. In 586 B.C., when the Jews were conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and deported to Babylon (today's Iraq), only a weaker group of Jews was left. Those who were left intermarried with pagans and forgot their devotion to the one true God. They became the hated Samaritans. When the Jews returned to Jerusalem and started to rebuild the walls and the temple, they insisted on staying away from those who had compromised Jewish monotheism and morality.
The apostles were all Jews. In his final orders, Jesus told his followers to go to people who were their enemies. We have people around us who have turned away from God and become immoral. They are not to be excluded from our witness. They need our witness. Admittedly, they may not be easy to reach, but neither should they be excluded.
For example, if an atheist tells you that he or she doesn't believe in God, a good response is to ask, "Tell me about the god you don't believe in." When they answer, "The god who causes wars or doesn't take care of innocent children," you can say, "I don't believe in that god, either." Chances are, the god that people say they don't believe in is not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. People have all sorts of illusions about God. They need to be freed from those illusions.
"To the ends of the earth" for the apostles meant taking the gospel to strangers. That was the hardest thing of all. For them it meant even taking the good news of Christ to the Gentiles and offering them the way of repentance through Jesus Christ. As the Gospel of Luke puts it, "Repentance of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations ..." (Luke 24:47).
We, too, can offer opportunities to know Christ to people who are strangers to us. In the Bible, hospitality to strangers is a major principle of reaching outsiders for Christ. Providing for the needs of strangers often opens the doors of faith to them. Our actions of mercy and hospitality, as well as our words, can be a witness to outsiders. Meeting strangers on trips, in planes, on trains, and through business can often provide opportunity for witness. In addition, giving support for world missions is an excellent way to take this Bible verse about the "ends of the earth" off the page and bring it into our everyday lives.
These are the places in our lives to witness: Jerusalem (home), Judea (nearby with people like us), Samaria (with enemies and people not like us), and to the ends of the earth (to people we previously did not know at all). This Bible story tells us where to do it, but how can we witness? Someone is asking, "How do we do it?"
A little practical spiritual exercise may help at this point. When you hear the following sentence, fill in the blanks.
__________ loved me by ___________. Think back to yesterday or long ago when someone did something that made you feel loved. Perhaps you want to fill in the blanks like this: Mom loved me by listening to me. Or maybe you'll fill in the blanks like this: Dad loved me by saying the right words at the right time in the right way. Or maybe your sentence will read: Walter loved me by telling me he believed in me. In your imagination think of how you felt loved by a specific person.
The second point of this spiritual exercise is to replace Mom, Dad, Walter, or whatever name you placed in your sentence with the name Jesus. Jesus loved me by listening to me; or by saying the right words at the right time in the right way; or by telling me he believed in me. In other words, Jesus used Mom, Dad, Walter, or whoever you put in your sentence to show you love.
Third, answer this question. How many of you named pastors to this special place in your lives? Generally when this exercise is done, only about ten percent of the people name pastors as the most influential and loving people in their lives. That's not anything against pastors. The point is that everyday family, friends, and acquaintances often are the most important people who witness to us with their love.
Fourth, you are challenged to do for someone this week what was done for you. If someone loved you by listening to you, take on the task of listening to someone else in your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or world of complete strangers. If someone said a special word or told you they believed in you, repeat that with someone you meet this week.
Remember this comforting promise: Jesus promised the apostles that they would never be alone as they served as his witnesses at home and abroad. In Matthew's account of the ascension, we find these words, "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Witnessing for Christ is the will of God. The will of God is not always easy to discern, but there can be no doubt about what God wants us to do, indeed -- expects us to do about his good news of salvation in Christ through repentance and forgiveness. We are to share this truth with others by the power of the Holy Spirit.
One man described doing the will of God like this:
The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you,
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs
Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule you.
The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
-- Anonymous
The will of God is that we serve as witnesses for Christ so that other people may experience the riches of his grace. Jesus' final teaching was about the kingdom of God. Jesus' final orders were about including others in that kingdom through witnessing to them. When you love someone, you try to follow that person's final instructions.
____________
1.ÊJohaiachim Jeremias, The Lord's Prayer, tr. By John Reuman (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1964), p. 17.
2.ÊJohn Koenig, New Testament Hospitality: Partnership with Strangers as Promise & Mission (Philadelphia: Augsburg Fortress Press, 1985), pp. 44-45.
