A Family on a Mission

In Genesis 29 we see the beginnings of the formation of a nation, really the family of God. Through Jacob 12 sons would come who would form the 12 tribes of Israel. As we will see as we read on, this family had a very special mission. That mission was to be a light to the nations; to reflect in their interactions as a people the character of their God.
As we will see when we read on this family did not do a very good job of reflecting their God. So blessed by God yet they still neglected God and fell into deep idolatry. But God's plan was not thwarted.
In the fulllness of time, God sent His Son to do what Israel did not do. Jesus fully reflected His Father. He followed His Father's will, spoke His words, did His deeds. Those who saw the Son saw the Father. There is a sense that we could say that Jesus took the place of Israel in fulfilling the mission God had for His family.
But at the end of His days on earth, Jesus passed the baton to His disciples. That's what we see in Matthew 28. Jesus is now constituting a new family and sending them out with a mission. That mission is so well capsulized in verses 19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Now it is through the church, God's new family, which is indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, that God's mission is to be fufilled throughout the earth. That is what we find the Apostle Paul doing in his day. At the end of Acts 28, in verse 31 it says the Paul was "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."
That is our calling today as well. When we came to Christ in repentance and faith we became part of God's family whose mission remains the same. We are to bring the light of Christ to the nations. We are to display the uncommon love of our God in our family interactions as well as with the world around us. That's our identity in this world and it gives ultimate meaning and purpose to our lives.
May the Lord use us all today to shine His light in our world everywhere we go!