Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God

Reading From Acts 1-3

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” —Acts 1:8

The Great Commandment and Commission to share the love and message of Jesus was given to the Church to be accomplished in our local communities, to those who live in our regions, to those who are somehow unlike us, and throughout all the world. When I was younger I didn’t understand why Judea and Samaria were mentioned separately. As I gave grown in my understanding, I now know that God wants us to minister reconciliation to those who are considered “other” in our societies.

In Jesus’ time, the Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews of Judea. They were seen as “less than” and treated with contempt. Jesus came to break down walls of prejudice and bring the Good News of reconciliation to all people so that anyone and everyone has the opportunity to be reconciled to the Father by the blood of the Son.

The eternal family of God is united by the Holy Spirit and our familial bonds cross all man-made barriers and constructs. Our family spans through time and space. The love, acceptance and forgiveness of the Father is available to whosoever will believe and receive regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, or sexuality. We are all called to repent and follow Jesus. This makes the Gospel both an exclusive and inclusive message.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —II Corinthians 5:16-21