Who are God's Chosen People - Part 4

Is God's promise to Abraham valid today or did it cease with the destruction of Jerusalem and the nation in 67-73 AD? Paul dealt with this very subject in Galatians 3. Paul wrote to the church because teachers had come from Jerusalem to tell the Galatians they had to become practicing Jews before their salvation could be complete; it was a matter of law verses grace. "I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. In the same way, 'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.' The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous 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. Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith." Gal 3:5-9, 14 (NLT). So, Paul tells us we believers (the church) are the true children of Abraham today. Galatians 3 is so rich it is worth reading the whole chapter several times. To end the chapter, Paul summarizes by saying, "For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are His heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you." Gal 3:28-29 (NLT).

So, what do we do with this knowledge? The last part of God's covenant tells what our purpose is; "all the families on earth will be blessed through you". In other words, God chose Abraham's descendants as the means to tell the world about God's Covenant of Grace and the promised Messiah. But the Israelites became arrogant about their being God's chosen people as demonstrated by the prophet Jonah. The Israelites took their eyes off God's purpose and let other non-essentials take priority.

Can the same thing happen to the church that happened to Israel? Of course, it can and has happened through the centuries. Churches have closed their doors because they took their eyes off the priority and became involved in petty disputes or actions. "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you?" James 4:1 (NLT). They forgot their main mission that Jesus gave us. "Jesus came and told His disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always even to the end of the age'." Matt 28:18-20 (NLT) When we forget that mission, we get distracted with disputes over pastor personalities, spending priorities, worship styles, etc. For example, have you ever heard of a church firing a pastor because there wasn't enough growth? Guess what? We are looking at the wrong source. Jesus said, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to me." It is His job to grow the church; it is the church's job to lift Him up! Many churches want to be an Acts 1:8 church yet they forget that the first requirement is to wait in Jerusalem, study the word, and pray until the power comes down. We must study, pray, and be in one accord with one purpose to glorify the Lord Jesus or we will be set aside also.