How can we participate in God's call to gather His people today? Setting the Scene: Isaiah 43:6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth—” God’s Unchanging Desire to Gather • The verse reveals a determined, authoritative call; God does not merely invite—He commands creation to release His people. • The language is global: north, south, afar, ends of the earth. Everyone who belongs to Him is in view. • Isaiah 43:5 adds the motive: “For I am with you.” His presence propels His gathering. The Gathering Thread Woven through Scripture • John 10:16 — “I have other sheep that are not of this fold… they will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd.” • Matthew 28:19-20 — The risen Christ commissions, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” • Acts 1:8 — “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” • Revelation 7:9 — John sees the finished picture: “a great multitude… from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne.” In every era, God is gathering; the church joins a plan already in motion. Our Part Today: Practical Participation 1. Personal Witness • Share the gospel clearly and lovingly with family, neighbors, coworkers. • Trust the Spirit to use simple testimony: “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). 2. Hospitable Community • Open homes and church doors to newcomers, internationals, the overlooked. • Romans 15:7 urges, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” 3. Intercessory Prayer • Stand in agreement with God’s command, asking Him to “loose” those still held by darkness. • Colossians 4:3 reminds us to pray “that God may open to us a door for the word.” 4. Financial and Practical Support for Mission • Partner with faithful workers who carry the gospel where we cannot go. • Philippians 4:15-17 commends churches that “shared in my distress” and thus bore fruit. 5. Intentional Discipleship • Invest in believers so they mature and reproduce. • 2 Timothy 2:2: “What you have heard from me… entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 6. Pursuing Reconciliation and Unity • Break down dividing walls so God’s children recognize one another. • Ephesians 2:13-14 celebrates Christ who “has made both one… breaking down the middle wall of hostility.” Living with Confidence in the Gathering Promise • God Himself guarantees success: “The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7). • Our labor is never in vain because we align with His stated will. • Every act of obedience—spoken word, offered welcome, quiet prayer—echoes Isaiah 43:6, accelerating the day when the full family stands before the throne. |
    |