Our Family Covid Experience

I've been thinking about writing this for a while and I have some pretty pointed views on Covid and the world's response to it, but I'm going to attempt just sharing about my family's experience with this virus.  Here we go:

Back in July, my family and I arrived back to the US from Ecuador.  My sister came to South Bend with my niece to visit us.  We (my wife and kids, sister, niece and I) were all staying together at my parents home.  On a Monday, a few days after arriving to the US, my mom got sick.  She spent the next few days in bed and we all figured she had the flu.  We had to take her to the hospital on Wednesday due to a pain in her lower stomach area.  They tested her for Covid and two days later (on Friday) we received a call from her doctor saying she tested positive for Covid, which made it her 5th day with Covid.  Up to that point, nobody else had any symptoms, but we had been around her and others for a week at that point.  This is where our family experience really begins.  

Friday:  The day my mom found out she had Covid, my sister had traveled home with my niece and my dad and I started with symptoms.  My mom was still feeling pretty bad.  My dad and I were pretty sick all through the night.  It was like a terrible flu, with strong body aches and migrane headaches.  I definitely didn't sleep well.  We had to call a few different friends who came to visit throughout the day on Thursday to let them know.  Interestingly enough, 2 of the 3 groups of friends that came ended up being all good, but the 3rd group did get Covid.  

Saturday:  The same symptoms continued all throughout the day, but my dad and I both lost our sense of smell.  Thankfully, the family doctor prescribed my mom, dad and I a 7 day dose of Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc.  We got that in the evening and took our first dose.  I slept a bit better that night, but was still battling the flu like symptoms.  We also started taking a lot of vitamins (thank you Marcia Wilson for blessing us with so many vitamins!)

Sunday: We still felt bad, but not as bad throughout the day on Sunday.  My dad and I went to get tested, but we knew we had it.  That morning my sister called saying she and my niece had fevers and didn't feel well.  (My sister was back in North Carolina with her mom and step dad).  It concerned us a bit, because both my sister and niece have asthma.  I was also a bit concerned for my wife (asthma) and kids, but they were still doing well.  Sunday night was pretty good overall and we slept much better.  

Monday: My mom, dad and I woke up feeling pretty good.  All the body aches and head aches were gone, but we still couldn't smell.  My sister was pretty sick at that point with a strong fever, body aches and headache, but my niece was doing a lot better.  My sister went ahead and got tested too.  Our one group of  friends that came to visit on Thursday started with symptoms that day (and they sadly had it a solid 2 weeks, but fully recovered).  That day, my dad and I started having some chest congestion, but it was clear in color.  

Tuesday: My sister was still pretty bad and her mom and step dad both started with symptoms, which lasted a solid 2 weeks.  My mom and dad were both able to get on a Z-pak for the chest congestion (walking pneumonia), but for reasons I won't get into, I couldn't get a prescription.  I called a doctor friend in NY for advice and he was AMAZING!  (Thank you Dr. Lamont Barlow!)  He gave me great advice and explained a lot of things.  He told me I definitely had walking pneumonia based on my symptoms and needed a Z-pak.  He said getting a bacterial infection is normal after having any kind of viral infection.  At that point, it was just fatigue that my mom, dad and I were fighting.  I don't know if that was from Covid or the walking pneumonia.  Maybe it was a combination of both.  

Wednesday: From that point on, we felt a lot better.  We still struggled with fatigue, but all other Covid symptoms disappeared.  I was getting worse with the walking pneumonia and was coughing up a darker yellow mucus, but I still couldn't get my hands on a Z-pak (a very frustrating situation).  My wife and kids were still completely ok.  My sister was not doing well.  She had high fevers (up to 104), body aches and headaches.  

Thursday: I was coughing up a lot of green mucus, but thanks to a lady from my church, I was able to get my hands on a Z-pak and I got over the walking pneumonia really quickly.  My parents were also doing pretty well.  We all still struggled with fatigue.  

After that, my parents had to take another round of the Z-pak for their walking pneumonia, but we were all better (though fatigue was still a factor for another week).  My sister, her mom and step dad were all pretty sick for the full 2 weeks, but totally recovered.  Their doctors only gave them Tylenol, which I believe had something to do with its longevity and severity.  My wife and kids never had symptoms.  They got tested because a doctor told me it was pretty much impossible that they didn't have it, so we wanted to see.  My wife came back positive, but was asymptomatic.  We're assuming the kids also had it early on and were also asymptomatic since the whole family had it.  We ended up finding out that Carolina's 97 y/o grandma in Ecuador had it, but was asymptomatic.  Other family members in Ecuador also had it, but all were fine.  With the 30+ people of our family and friends in the US and Ecuador that have had it, everyone got better, but one.  Sadly my wife lost an uncle in his 70's who had an underlying heart condition.  We are thankful to the Lord that all our other family and friends who have had Covid are doing great and pray that will continue to be the case.  This is our Covid story!  

WILSON FAMILY MISSIONS- JUNE 2020

Greetings from Ecuador!  

To start, many have wondered how things have been here in Ecuador during all this chaos.  Well, this has definitely been a year for the record books.  Back in October the whole country went on strike and shut down due to an abrupt decision by the president.  That strike really hit Ecuador hard economically.  The school had to do online schooling during that time.  For me, Spiritual Emphasis Week got cancelled as a result.  Fast forward to March, Covid-19 hits shutting down the country for 3 months.  Pretty much from March 16 through all of May only 1 person from each family could leave the house to buy groceries once a week.  We had a 2pm curfew, so I was in line to buy food at 6am on my one day to buy food.  Thankfully things have started opening up again here in Ecuador the last few weeks.  Curfew is now 9pm and we can drive 3x p/week.  For the kids and Carolina this time has been tough.  Obviously we had to do online schooling like the rest of the world, but they didn't leave the house for pretty much 3 months.  Sitting in front of a computer for most of the day was crazy.  The kids handled online schooling well, but really missed seeing their friends.  Carolina's work load doubled as a result, but like always, she handled everything like a champion!  Thankfully we have a nice yard and a basketball court here at the house, so we were able to get outside everyday.  We're probably one of the only families in all of Quito that has a big basketball court at their house.  We've definitely been blessed!  God is SO good!

I am thankful to say that we had all but 1 day of our Spiritual Emphasis Week in March before things hit with Covid-19 and everything shut down.  It was a powerful time.  The worship team from the South Bend area came again and it was amazing!  Our guest speakers from here in Quito brought powerful messages and God really moved in the hearts and lives of many students.  We had 3 days and closed it off with a worship night that had gotten cancelled due to the virus, but the students asked the principal if it could be a student sponsored event and they said yes.  It really moved me and the team that some of the students wanted to gather and worship the Lord even though school and everything else had been cancelled.  It was a beautiful and powerful night worshipping the Lord and a fitting way to end my time at AAI.  My prayer is that the seeds planted will bear great fruit and that the praise and worship released will resound in the hearts of every student and staff unto eternity!!!   Amen!  

Well, as I close up, this is our last Wilson Family Missions post.  As I shared back in December, we are transitioning back to South Bend, IN after 5 years of serving the Lord in Quito, Ecuador to take the senior pastor position at Radiant Church.  As I previously shared, this was a complete shock and surprise.  I came here thinking we would be in Ecuador forever, but as we all know, God's timetable and plans don't always turn out how we think.  These 5 years have been AMAZING in so many ways and I am grateful to the Lord for leading us here.  I have been challenged and have grown in ways I never would have had we not come here.  God is so faithful.  

In December I had some specific prayer requests and God has been answering them each step of the way.  So, I want to take a moment to brag on God.  
1.  Though we are saddened to leave Ecuador, a place we call home, God has placed in us an excitement and are so expectant for what God is going to do in this next chapter. 
2.  God has provided us a home, a home that is exceedingly and abundantly more than we ever thought or imagined.  We are close to my parents and the church and are SO excited and blessed!  
3.  We have been able to sell almost everything that we needed to sell.  The only thing left is the car, but God is going to provide a buyer willing and able to pay a good price.  (Please pray with us for the sale of our car.)  
4.  God provided a great shipping company and are shipping a container with many of our household items on June 30th.  Howard, the guy I'm working with, is a strong Christian and has become a close friend and brother.  We end up talking about Jesus every time we talk.  It's awesome!  Pray that the shipment ships and arrives safely and with no issues.  The shipment cost is $7,600 but thankfully $5,000 of it has been covered and we're believing for the rest.  The Lord is our provider!  
5.  We have flights back to the US on July 21.  Our first flights got cancelled, but thankfully they refunded us the money and we were able to buy new tickets.  Pray everything goes smoothly with our flights so we can get back to the US.  

Just a little bit of business that needs to be shared.  If you've been partnering with us financially and giving through Radiant Church, June is the last month to give through the church.  If you would still like to give to help us with the remaining costs of our transition back to the US, please make any checks out to Caleb Wilson and send it to my parents house.  Thank you!  

So, as we transition from our time here in Ecuador, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for us and partnered with us financially during our time here!  You guys helped make it all possible.  Words could never express our gratitude, but we want you to know how much we love you and how grateful we are to you!!!  You share in and are a part of any and all fruit that has come to be and that will come to be from our time here.  I pray God's blessing and favor over you and your families all the days of your lives.  

Love always!

Caleb, Carolina, Joaquin & Milena

The Kingdom of God and the Issue of Injustice

 In light of all that is happening in the United States since the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer, vast groups of people have been rallying to cry out for justice and much more.  My goal in this post is not to specifically address the negative, unbiblical approach I see in the BLM movement, but to address God’s Kingdom principles and discuss how Christians are called to respond to injustices.  Just to be clear, this blog is in response to things I’m seeing in social media, specifically from Christians calling the Church to align with the Black Lives Matter movement, which is a movement contrary to God, His Kingdom and His Kingdom principles.  (If you are curious why, I encourage you to investigate about the movement as I have.)  The things I address in this blog do not appear to have any value in the BLM movement (but to be fair, it is not a Christ centered movement), and yet Christians are flooding to the streets or their FB pages with calls to align with it.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be!  

The whole New Testament is written during a time of great persecution, suffering and injustice.  Jesus is born in the midst of all this chaos.  Jesus grew up in the midst of great persecution and suffering.  Jesus ministered in the midst of great injustice.  During this time, many Jews lived in fear, while others boldly protested and rioted the injustices of Rome.  But Jesus demonstrated and taught something completely different.  Jesus demonstrated throughout His life that His primary focus was to teach people about the Kingdom of God, reveal the Kingdom of God and lead people into the Kingdom of God.  The Jews believed God was going to establish His Kingdom on earth through the Messiah.  The Messiah was supposed to be a conquering king who would set God’s people free from the oppression of the Romans, who were brutal in their dealings with the Jews.  They were all about overthrowing the Romans and finding freedom, but Jesus turned things upside down with His teachings.  The things He said and taught were completely foreign to the Jews, and did not reflect what they expected from the Messiah.  The Jews failed to recognize the bigger picture God had.  Jesus is the Messiah and will one day return as a mighty conquering King to set His people free from the sufferings of this world, but His initial arrival was for another purpose, to set us free from sin and death and lead us to represent and live according to His Kingdom while here on Earth.  

Jesus said that He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  He went about preaching, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”  He said things like, “You’ve heard it said, but I say to you…”.  Jesus was fulfilling the law, while raising the standard to reveal God’s Kingdom purposes, values and principles.  So, what did Jesus teach that was so radical?  What did He talk about in the midst of so much suffering and injustice?  

In Matthew and Luke, Jesus teaches extensively about how God calls His people to live.  See what Jesus says in Luke 6:27-36.  Jesus says, “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies!  Do good to those who hate you.  Bless those who curse you.  Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also....  Do to others as you would like them to do to you.  If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that?  Even sinners love those who love them!  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit?  Even sinners do that much!  And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit?  Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

Love your enemies!  Do good to them.  Lend to them without expecting to be repaid.  Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.  You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”  This is a key description for Kingdom living!  

KINGDOM PRINCIPLES

“LOVE YOUR ENEMIES” 

So, who do you think came to the Jews’ minds when Jesus said this?  Exactly, the Romans.  They were their enemies.  Jesus was telling the Jews to love the Romans.  Wow…that was a shocker.  Definitely not something they were expecting to hear.  In Matthew, Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said, ‘love your neighbor’, but hate your enemies.  I say, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  “Love your neighbor” was in the OT law, but hating your enemies was not.  That was something man added.  Jesus was revealing the Kingdom mindset and raising the bar for all who would become God’s children.  It’s not enough just to love those who love you, you must also love those who hate you and harm you!  Jesus demonstrated that for the entire world.  While we were haters of God and still sinners, Jesus died for us so we could have new life.  Now He calls us to love everyone...even those who do us harm. 

“DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HATE YOU, BLESS THOSE WHO CURSE YOU, PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HURT YOU & BE MERCIFUL”

Jesus was clarifying and expounding on the fact that love is more than just a thought or feeling…it is action!  We must do good, bless and pray even for those who hate us, say bad things about us and do us wrong.  Love is the call!  
At the end of that Luke passage, Jesus calls us even higher, "You must be compassionate (merciful), just as your Father is compassionate (merciful)."  Wow!  Jesus calls us to reflect our Father by showing mercy, compassion and forgiveness to those who deserve to be punished or harmed.  You might say, "But that's not right!  They deserve to be punished!"  And you're right.  They do deserve to be punished for their wrong doings.  WE ALL DO!  After all, we are all sinners.  We have all done wrong and have been unjust at times and we all deserve to be punished by God!  But God has shown us mercy through Jesus.  We are called to do the same!  

“TURN THE OTHER CHEEK”

This addresses when someone personally attacks or insults us (physically, verbally, emotionally).  This is not implying pacifism, nor placing ourselves or others in danger.  Jesus is telling us that we cannot seek retaliation or revenge for personal offenses.  Offense (being offended) is not a value nor is it permitted in the Kingdom of God.  This is not a directive for government policies or the judicial system.  It is a directive for God’s children for how to live Godly lives in the midst of injustice, suffering and pain in this world, which goes hand in hand with loving your enemies.  Jesus demonstrated this perfectly and WE are called to live like Jesus.  This too is only possible when we surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to empower us to live like Jesus. 

“FORGIVENESS”

This is of vital importance to God.  In Matthew 6:12, 14-15 Jesus says, “and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.  …If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  Forgiveness is no longer holding someone’s faults against them.  It doesn’t keep a record of the wrongs committed against you or others.  It is letting go of the past.  It is choosing to move forward, free from hurt, anger, resentment and bitterness.  It goes hand in hand with becoming a new creation…the old is gone, the new has come.  We no longer live according to what was, but look to Jesus and live according to what He calls us to.  Forgiveness is difficult when we hold on to the hurts and offenses of the past.  Forgiveness is easy when we don’t allow offense into our hearts to begin with.  That is not to say that it’s always easy, but it is the call.  A favorite quote of mine says, "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison hoping the other person will die."  We must remember, forgiveness opens the door to being forgiven by God, but unforgiveness not only destroys our lives, it blocks God from being able to forgive us of our sins. 

“RECONCILIATION”

From Genesis to Revelation, God’s desire and plan was to reconcile the world to Himself, meaning to restore us to right relationship with Him.  Once reconciled to Him, God would reconcile people from every tribe, tongue and nation.  Through Jesus, there would no longer be anything that divides us…not race, social position, economic position, etc, but all are one in Christ Jesus.  That is God’s heart and desire…for us to be reconciled with one another through faith in Jesus and the empowering, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit!  (Read: “Be Reconciled”)

“UNITY”

Reconciliation leads to unity.  God desires that His people, His children would live in unity—oneness in heart, mind and Spirit through the bond of peace and love.  Jesus prayed in John 17:23, “I am in them and You are in Me.  May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me.”  The body of Christ is to protect and guard this unity at all costs, after all, it is our unity in the bonds of love and peace that points people to Jesus! 

Paul writes in Philippians 1, "I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.  For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.  But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ."  He goes on to say, "ABOVE ALL, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News."

This is the call for all of God’s people.  As Christians, "our rights" are no longer the focus...the Kingdom of God is.  We abandon "our rights" when we come into the Kingdom because we serve the King!  "It is no longer I who live, but Christ Jesus lives in me!"  Our rights and opinions no longer matter.  What matters is what God says and that is what we are called to represent.  The question is will we be Kingdom Christians that seek to reflect God and His Kingdom or will we be a people who take the name of Christ and still reflect the kingdom of this world?  Will we be ABOVE ALL citizens of heaven, living in a way that is worthy of the Gospel of Jesus, unified with one spirit and purpose, fighting for the faith OR will we be citizens of this world, living in a way that reflects the values of this world, unified with the spirit and purposes of the world, fighting for "my rights"?  These are a few of the questions we need to answer as we live in the midst of all this chaos we see in the world today.  

So, getting back to how Jesus would respond.  What would Jesus do in the midst of all the current chaos we see in the US and world?  Well, we definitely know Jesus would not be out looting and rioting!  But, would He even peacefully protest?  Let's answer that by looking at how he responded in His day.  

Did Jesus join His fellow Jews in protesting the injustices of the Romans?  

Did he ever start a peaceful protest against the injustices done to His people?  

The answer: NO!  Jesus in His entire ministry never even addressed the topic (the specific injustices done to the Jews by the Romans).  When asked about the unjust taxation of the Jews by Romans, Jesus simply said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.”  Did Jesus not see the injustices going on?  Did Jesus not care that people were suffering?  Of course He did.  He grew up in it and experienced it His whole life, but Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing and said only what He heard the Father saying.  Jesus came to proclaim, reveal, represent and demonstrate the Kingdom of God, not establish an earthly kingdom.  We are called to do the same! 

"So, it's wrong to address the injustices in the world?"  

No, as long as the purpose is to bring about the Kingdom of God.  The best way to "address the injustices" in the world is to live out God's Kingdom culture, live justly and treat others the way we would want to be treated.  For example, we are called to care for the orphans and the widows and the poor.  That is the call of the Church and Christian ministries.  We are called to do it, not wait for the government to do it.  Protesting calls on government to make changes.  The Church is called to live justly and care for the hurting, to reveal the truth about the Kingdom and to demonstrate the Kingdom of God to the world around us and to those who are lost and dying in sin. 

Micah 6:8 says, “the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right (act justly), to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  We are called “to act justly”, in other words to live rightly and do what is right and just.  The people of God are called to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.”  Again, I am not saying we don’t speak out against injustices when they occur, but we must do it in alignment with God’s Word and Kingdom.  Speak God's truth (not the world's), but speak it in love and with mercy for the purpose of reconciliation and unity in Christ.  The Church must lead the way, not follow worldly, spiritually blind, anti-God movements. 

So, what are we supposed to do then?  

Jesus calls us to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength by following Him, surrendering our lives to Him and obeying His Word.  This leads us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  When we love God first, we will be able to love those around us with God’s unconditional, agape love.  The Word of God says that the world will know us (those who belong to Him) by our love.  In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan when asked, "who is my neighbor?".  He tells of a Jewish man robbed and beaten and left for dead.  3 men came upon this near dead man: a priest (Jew), a levite (Jew), and a Samaritan.  The first 2 men passed by, but the Samaritan stopped and helped the man.  Now what is important here is the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other, yet Jesus reveals to us that even those that hate us are our neighbors and we must go and do the same as this Samaritan did.   You see, we are incapable of truly loving like this apart from God’s love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit and His enabling power.  1 Corinthians 13 describes this love: “Love is patient and kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”  This is the kind of love we’re called to pursue. 

My prayer is that we the Church, God’s people, will be awakened to live according to God's Kingdom.  We must remember that we are in this world, but not of it and that we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, join together as the reconciled and unified children of God, and love God and others completely and wholeheartedly, pointing them to Jesus--the King of kings and Lord of lords--for there is salvation in no one else.  This life is about living for eternity (having an eternal mindset).  This is our call and our mandate as ambassadors for Christ here in this world.  

Amen!

BE RECONCILED!

BE RECONCILED!

The greatest need in the world today and since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden is the need to be reconciled to God.  Every single issue and problem we see in the world is the direct result of sin and being separated from God!  It doesn’t matter the issue, whether it is poverty, divorce, racism and prejudice, murder, abortion, infidelity, slavery and human traficking, addiction, fatherless homes, etc...ALL is the direct result of our broken relationship with God!  God’s creation was perfect, but when Adam and Eve gave the keys of authority and dominion over the earth to Satan through their sin, everything fell apart.  All the good that God had created and the life abundant that He intended for His creation to live in was broken and the door opened wide to Satan--who is the one that comes to kill, steal and destroy all of God’s purposes and everything God had designed and purposed for His creation.  

It is no surprise then that we see the world in chaos and desperation.  The entire world is broken, in darkness and enslaved to sin.  The pain, suffering and selfishness people see and experience all around is the will of Satan and the direct consequence of broken relationship with God.  It is Satan’s influence in the world and being controlled by our sinful nature that leads us into all this mess.  John 8:44 says, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.  He was a murderer from the beginning.  He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  Galatians 5:19-21 says, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.”  Hmmm...does this look familiar?  Isn’t this what we see all around us in the world?  So what hope is there when Satan-- the one who seeks to steal, kill and destroy every good thing God created and designed for us-- is in control over our lives?    

All thanks, honor and praise to the one and only God, the one who truly has ALL power and authority, for His plan to reconcile the world to Himself through His son Jesus.  Why?  God’s will is that no one perish, but that all would repent, come to know the truth, be saved and have eternal life.  (2 Pet 3:9, 1 Tim 2:4, John 3:16-21)  And what is eternal life?  “And this is eternal life--to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth.” (John 17:3)  Colossians 1:13-22 says, “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.  

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.  He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.  So he is first in everything.  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.  

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.”

You see, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners and now through faith--the leaning of our entire life in hope, trust and confidence--in Jesus and Jesus alone can we be saved from sin and eternal death and be reconciled to a right relationship with God.    This was God’s plan all along--from Genesis to Revelation, this has been a story of REDEMPTION!  By reconciling us (restoring us to right relationship) to Himself through His one and only Son Jesus, God would restore and make right what had been broken in the Garden of Eden.  This restoration would give us new life--a life free from the bondage of sin and lead us to be molded and made into the image of His Son Jesus through the indwelling power of Holy Spirit giving us “peace with God”, making us “friends with God” (Rom 5:1-11), causing us to “become His children” (John 1:12) and leading us to become His “rich and glorious inheritance” (Eph 1:18).  WOW!!!  What a plan!!!  God is so GOOD!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

But was there more to this plan of redemption?  

Absolutely!  God also desired to reconcile people.  When Adam and Eve sinned, division and hostility between people entered the world.  This was not God’s plan, so He made a promise to Abraham--a man of great faith--that he would be the father of many nations.  In other words, that Abraham would have a family that came from every nation, tongue and tribe around the world. That promise was fulfilled through Jesus, who broke down the walls and barriers that separate people.  He did this through His life, death and resurrection.  Jesus is the One who unites every person who trusts in, clings to, relies upon and adheres to Him.  Through faith in Jesus, we join God’s family--those from every tribe, tongue and nation!  As John 1:12 says, “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, he gave the right to become children of God.”  This means we are God’s children through faith in Jesus, but it also means we are brothers and sisters through faith in Jesus.  How beautiful is that! 

The word of the Lord for us today is this: “For you are all children of God THROUGH FAITH IN Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  (Gal 3:16-28)  All these groups mentioned here were divided.  They devalued each other and even hated each other for many different reasons.  What we see is a call to lay down their differences, forgive all wrongs and come together in unity.  We see this reflected today when Muslims who become Christians now love and pray for Jews.  We see this when Christians from enemy tribes join together in unity.  We see this when persecuted Christians love and pray for those who persecute and kill them.  We see this when black, white, brown and yellow people put aside and forgive injustices of the past, present and future and focus on our unity in Christ!  God’s heart and call is that we would love Him and love one another as He loves, no longer focusing on what divides people all around the world and no longer looking to the past.  Those things are no longer important for we are called to put on Christ and be one in Christ Jesus, “forgetting what is behind and looking to what is ahead” (Phil 3:13), recognizing that “we have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live, but Christ Jesus lives in us” (Gal 2:20) in order to reflect His character & nature and represent Him and His Kingdom Culture to the world around us.   

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 says, 

"Christ's love controls us.  Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves.  Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.  

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.  At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view.  How differently we know Him now!  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ.  And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them.  And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us.  We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

In closing, God is saying to the world, 

“BE RECONCILED TO ME THROUGH MY SON JESUS!   I AM THE ONE WHO TRANSFORMS LIVES, COMMUNITIES AND CULTURES.  I AM THE ONE WHO TAKES WHAT IS BROKEN AND MAKES IT NEW.  I AM THE ONE WHO HEALS AND RESTORES RELATIONSHIPS.  I AM THE ONE WHO FORGIVES YOUR SIN.  I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE...THE ONE AND ONLY ONE WHO CAN GIVE YOU LIFE ABUNDANT HERE IN THIS LIFE AND INTO ETERNAL LIFE AS YOU FOLLOW ME!!!  AGAIN I SAY, BE RECONCILED TO ME!!!”   

AMEN!

Click the link if you'd like to read about "The Kingdom of God and the Issue of Injustice"