I WILL BLESS YOU & YOU WILL BE A BLESSING
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3
When people hear about the biblical idea of “election” or of God “choosing” people, they often think it means choosing people to go to heaven or hell. It doesn’t. Go back and read those passages in context with this in mind. Election has to do with a calling to be a blessing to others.
God Chose Abraham
God chose Abraham, not to go to somewhere when he died, but to be the one through whom God’s blessing would come to all the world. The Lord always had his sites set on the bigger prize. Abraham was a conduit of God’s blessing. The story of his descendants became the stage on which God revealed what he is really like through the person of Jesus the messiah.
Jesus Chose Twelve
Jesus chose his disciples the same way. Of course he loved the twelve. That’s why he chose them. Then he authorized them to represent him to the nations. Jesus was the promised “seed of Abraham” through whom all the nations would be blessed (Gal. 3:16). His apostles went out to the nations to declare the good news!
God Chose You to Bless the World
Now you are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 Of course, God loves you. He chose you to represent him and bless the whole world. Like Abraham, and the twelve, God blessed you to be a blessing. Thus, you are now the conduit of God’s blessing to the whole world.
Bless: the series
Therefore, this Sunday we are starting a new series to equip you for this role. Evangelism simply means “announcing good news”. It’s not sales. On the contrary, it is announcing; declaring; proclaiming good news that applies to everyone. God chose you to share this message. I will show you how to do it in a way that may be very different than you have heard before. There is no script and there are no tracts. Similarly, you will not need to draw on napkins. Instead, you will learn simply to bless those around you with the blessing you have received.