“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Psalm 96:3

As Christians we frequently refer to the Great Commission where Jesus commands his followers to be his witnesses and make disciples of all nations (see Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:18-20). We have been trained that this is our calling as believers. These New Testament verses are our battle cry as we seek to reach people and make disciples. So often we fail to realize that God’s call for us to be missionaries began in Genesis; it is not a calling that the people received once Jesus came. God’s plan has always been to reach the ends of the earth with his glory.

When God made his covenant with Abraham he promised him, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” This blessing did not just apply to the nation of Israel. Here God is setting apart the descendants of Abraham to reach all the families of the earth. They were to be a kingdom of priests to display the glory of God among the nations (see Exodus 19:5-6). As God worked among the Israelites his power would be communicated throughout the land and people would worship him. Rahab, a Gentile, hid the Israelite spies because she had heard about the one, true God. “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt…And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and the on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:10-11).

God’s plan to reach all nations with the gospel began with him setting apart the people of Israel and working through them. Through the prophet Isaiah he told the people of Israel, “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). The light of the Israelites reached Rahab, Ruth and the people of Nineveh, among others.

God set Israel apart so that they could be a light to the people and declare his glory among the nations. This is still our calling today. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). We are now “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” that we “may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). God has set you apart to be a light to the people and to declare his glory among every tribe, language, people and nation that they may worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Our God is on a mission to redeem all peoples of the earth. This mission began in Genesis and has been entrusted to his people throughout redemptive history. We must follow his call to reach people and make disciples, declaring his marvelous works among all the peoples. As we go about this difficult task we find hope in a vision of the future that God gave to the apostle John. God’s missional plan will succeed. For we know that in the future the song in heaven will be, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom of priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).

• Pray that God’s heartbeat for reaching the nations with the gospel would be your heartbeat as well.
• Pray that God would use you to declare his marvelous works among all peoples.
• Pray that many would see the light in you and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.