Loving Our People

 Leviticus 15-17; Acts 18 

“…when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’…They arrived at Ephesus…He [Paul] himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews…’I will come back if it is the Lord’s will.’…”

Acts 18:6, 19, 21

Paul’s statement in Corinth that from “now on I will go to the Gentiles”, didn’t prevent him, once he arrived in Ephesus, from going first to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. The Jews were Paul’s people. No matter how broad the scope of our ministry, we cannot abandon the Gospel to our own culture and people.

Do we love ‘our people’ no matter how they treat us?

Christ’s call to his disciples to begin their Gospel ministry in Jerusalem, then Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, was also a call to begin with their own people. When we love our own people, as well as the ‘Samaritans’ even to the ends of the earth, regardless how they respond to our ministry and the Gospel, our mission heart has grown to that of Paul and Christ.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for your love in me for my own people and for those far away, for your glory.”