January 5, 2000
GREAT QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE:
"Whom shall I send? Who will go?"
Isaiah 6:8
___"Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'"
___The question, "Who will go?" is relevant in every generation. It is a question that reveals the call of God for his people. The call of God provides each person with the opportunity to serve him by making others aware of whom he is.
___The text reveals Isaiah's vision of God's holiness came after the death of King Uzziah. It also reveals the prophet's need to be
HOWARD ANDERSON
Pastor, Singing Hills Baptist Church, Dallas
cleansed from sin. After Isaiah's cleansing, he was able to hear God's call.
___The question God asks, "Who will go for us?" provides Christians with a great challenge. Jesus said: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
___Therefore, the responsibility for responding to God's call for service upon one's life cannot be substituted. We live in a time when you can find a substitute for almost anything. There are all kinds of substitute foods. In the world of sports, there are substitute players ready to step up and take another's place.
___But the challenge of responding to the call of God must be answered by the hearers. The hearers must understand there are no substitutes for obeying God's call on their lives. The call of God is an individual call that each person in every generation must choose to obey or disobey.
___"Who will go?" is a question that demands a decision. It is a decision based upon the hearer understanding the urgency of sharing God's message of redemption through the saving life of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.
___"Who will go?" is a question that denotes a duty. The hearers of God's call must undertake the task of God's commission. This task cannot be delegated to the next generation, because the task of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others is crucial. The Apostle James said, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says" (James 1:22). We must understand God is asking the question, and it is our responsibility to do the answering.
___"Who will go?" is a question that determines direction. Responding to the call and commission of God can determine the direction for the next generation. In the Book of Judges, we see what can happen if God's people do not share his word with other generations. "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).
___"Who will go?" Those who have responded to the good news of God by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and are willing to share the gospel with others in this millennium.
Previous Columns: 7/14, 7/21, 7/28, 8/4, 8/11, 8/18, 8/25, 9/1, 9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20 10/27, 11/17, 11/24, 12/1,12/15.
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