“For God so loved the world . . .” Years ago, my friend Al Burns struggled with the new diversity in our small rural church. He had some concerns about people from other cultures coming to the church. His good friend Clyde and I used to go fishing. Al only liked catching large-mouth bass. One day we got into a school of sand bass. Clyde and I were euphorically filling the boat with fish when we heard the boat motor roar to life. We asked Al what he was doing. He said, “Nothing is happening here.” Al had a similar feeling about people. He particularly liked people like himself. Many of us do.
As the scattered believers went across the ancient world, these Jewish disciples told the good news of Jesus to all the Jews. But some time after Peter led Cornelius to Christ, some of the nameless believers evangelized the Greeks also. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus. How do we know this was what God wanted? Well, Luke tells us that the Lord’s hand was with them. How do we know? A great number of Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. Jesus’ followers had been his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Now they were beginning to go to the ends of the earth.
One night Al called me. He had met a man named Constantin from Romania. Constantin only spoke German and Romanian. So Al brought him to me. Constantin and his wife Stelutsa believed in Jesus. Al and his wife Mary helped Constantin and Stelutsa find work in the United States. As far as I know Al never stopped fishing for large-mouth bass exclusively. But God opened his heart to other people. Even Clyde started loving the people God was bringing into our church. For God so loved the world . . . Do we? We should tell them about Jesus.
Steve Camp used to sing, “He is for every man. Any one who wants him can. He’s not for some, but for everyone. He is for every man.” The love of God includes all people who believe in him. How will they call on one in whom they do not believe? And how will they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how can anyone hear unless someone preaches. How can they preach unless they are sent? We have been sent. Will we go?
