Beware of Religion
Why is Israel important in history? What does the Bible teach about Israel? Simply put, Israel was God's chosen people during Old Testament times. They would still be today had they not rejected the message thus stripping away their calling and their mission. Does God have a chosen people today? Yes He does! Today, spiritual Israel is the church. Spiritual Israel is called to mission. The Kingdom Mission is sharing Jesus with the world. Having been born into the Kingdom, we then go as a missionary in behalf of the Kingdom. Whether Jew or Gentile, all are called into the body of spiritual Israel to experience and share the good news of reconciliation with God through Jesus.
Message and mission go together inseparably! God does not force us to love Him nor does He compel us to accept His calling. What God desires is willing, chosen obedience as a service of love. This obedience comes in at least two forms. Firstly, God desires us to live in harmony with his Commandments, which protect our relationship with Him and with others. Secondly, God desires us to live a life of service that will bless others. The Kingdom of God is all about experiencing reconciliation with God and then sharing that reconciliation with others.
In the Old Testament, national Israel was chosen by God to be His ambassadors or missionaries of reconciliation. However, instead of living outwardly focussed, they misappropriated God's call and blessings selfishly. When they rejected Jesus, the centrepiece of the prophetic message they had been entrusted with, they also lost their mission and place as God's chosen ambassadors. No message, no mission! The Christian Church was born as the new body of ambassadors to share the message of reconciliation with the world. Whether Jew or Gentile, all are welcome to be a participate in the experience and mission of reconciliation by becoming part of the Church, spiritual Israel. Jesus warned the Jews of His time that this transition from national Israel to spiritual Israel would take place when He told the story of the two sons, one of whom initially agreed to help his father on the farm but neglected to do so and the other son who outright refused to help his father but then did go. Jesus followed up this parable with the story of the hijacked vineyard in which He spoke of a vineyard rented out to hirelings with the expectation that they would tend the vines and return the harvest to the landowner. Instead they decided to steal the vineyard for themselves, even if it meant killing the landowner's son to accomplish their selfish plan. The Jews of Jesus time were so protective of their religion that they would ultimately reject Jesus, the one to whom their religious practices pointed to as the coming Messiah. The warning is, do not let religion get in the way of your experience with Jesus.
This video was produced in partnership with Hope Channel New Zealand and originally aired on television under the title "More than a Story: To Go or Not to Go; That Is the Question" (episode 17 of 24).
