The Blessing of Sharing Jesus
What comes to mind when you think of ‘blessing’? Usually we think about something we get or give. If we think of blessings in relation to the mission of God we might just view it as an add-on. Just a side quest. However there are deeply missional implications in the blessing of God in Scripture.
We first see God’s blessing in Genesis during the account of creation - first blessing the animals He had made and then humans.
Genesis 1:27-28 NLT: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
We see in the story of creation God's plan for humankind to be in relationship with Him - first made in His image and then given authority to rule, govern, and care for all of the good things He had made. God's blessing was provisional but also profoundly relational. God’s blessing came before we could do anything to earn or deserve it - but rather out of His nature and love for us.
Even after sin had entered the picture (Genesis 3) and separated humankind from God, He had a plan to redeem them - the ultimate blessing. The first look at this plan was through Abram (later renamed to Abraham).
Genesis 12:1-2: “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.”
Abraham would be the father of Israel, God's people chosen to know Him, love Him, and represent Him - and be a blessing to the nations. It's less that they were chosen ‘instead of’ the nations so much as they were chosen for the sake of the nations. But the Israelites weren't able to be the perfect people. They got it wrong - a lot. They were supposed to be the living representation of what it looked like to be reconnected to God and be His people - but were still themselves slaves to sin and to the law in many ways. But God's plan wasn't done.
“The Old Testament continues through the prophets to point forward and to insist that God would keep his promise to bring blessing to the nations and salvation to the whole world, and that he would do so through Israel." Christopher Wright
Enter Jesus, who (fulfilling one of many prophecies) was an Israelite from the tribe of Judah but was also God in flesh - sent for the sake of the nations. Paul clearly saw the connection of this fulfillment of prophecy,
Galatians 3:8-9: "What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in His sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.”
Blessing is both the end and the means. It is the vehicle and the destination. We inherit the blessing and mission given to Abraham and fulfilled through Jesus to know, love, and represent God - and be a blessing to the nations. Practically, we bless the people around us because it's representative of God's heart towards them and ultimately because it points towards the real blessing of redemption through salvation.
Students sharing Jesus are a part of this same mission. Here are a couple things that will help us on this mission:
Know God. Spend time with Him, know His voice, become more like Him, prioritize things that help you grow in your relationship with Him.
Love God. This is a command first given to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6, to love God with their whole hearts, souls, minds, and strength and then later refreshed by Jesus in the Gospels. Jesus also says in John 14:15 that if we love Him we will do as He has told us. Our love for God is not just in words or emotions alone but in our actions.
Represent God. We are representatives of God within the world, called to live separate from sin (by the power of the Holy Spirit) and showing His character to those around us.
Be a blessing. Love, serve, care and pray for, and bless those around you. This goes hand in hand with representing God.
Share Jesus. All of us (unless we are native Israelites) are Gentile recipients of that promise God made to Abraham to bless all the nations. We now get to be agents of blessing to others who don’t know Jesus - so do it. Share Jesus. Talk about the things you have seen and heard Jesus do (check out 1 John 1.) Know you’re a part of God’s mission of redemption and blessing and that He’s already moving in the hearts and lives of the people you’re around.
Merry Christmas :)
