Before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
God gave the apostle John a magnificent vision of a diverse multitude—people from every part of the human family—forming a great chorus worshiping the Lord and proclaiming his victory over evil.
This vision portrays what believers in Christ have been laboring and praying for through the centuries. The goal of God’s mission in Christ is that people from all over the earth will receive his salvation and worship him. But this great chorus is not yet complete. Not all of God’s people are gathered in; many are missing. There are still language groups and people groups that have no followers of Jesus.
The original Greek word used for “nation” in the New Testament is ethnos, from which our word “ethnic” comes. Sometimes ethnos refers to major countries in Bible times, like Egypt, Syria, and Persia. Sometimes it is translated as “Gentiles,” referring to non-Jewish groups of people. And sometimes ethnos refers to smaller cultural and linguistic groups. One country can include many such groups.
So even though there are Christians in every country on earth today, there are still many people and language groups that have no Christians. As Jesus’ followers, we need to bring the gospel (the good news of Jesus) to them. What role does God want you to play in this task?
Use me, Lord, in your great mission to bring people from every group on earth into your family. In Jesus, Amen.
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