Jehovah uses “Word” to create the heaven and the earth, let there be and there is, He commanded and there is; He also uses the “Word” to call Abraham, established the nation of Israel; so that Christ can come into the world, to establish the Church of God.

There is great power in the Word of God, and when Abraham heard the call of God, the Bible uses “leave” three times to express God’s calling – Leaving his country, his kindred, and his father’s house; every departure is tougher than the previous, because these gets more intimate with the person, and increasing difficult to forsake.

Chinese and Jewish culture place great importance on family ties and communal relationship; and to ask Abraham to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house tantamount to a nightmare and a curse. But Abraham in is perfect submission to the Word of God.

Miraculously, God promised him four “blessings” subsequently: making Abraham a great nation, bless and make his name great, so that he will be a blessing, and in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Gen 12:1 – 3)

In other words, people of today who wants to be use by God, and become everyone’s blessing, must “leaving” those “sins which clings so closely” and “lay aside every weight” (Heb 12:1) or “clinging to a relationship”, willing to become “lonely”, treated as “scum of the world” (1Co 4:13) , in order to become representative of Christ, God’s witness, and humble servant.

Jeremiah of the Old Testament – is the most representative – his calling and his response, so that he can sojourn with fellow captives, to the extent that he was imprisoned and abandoned by his own tribe; the loneliness he experienced is beyond words. Jeremiah, however, became the pillar of support for Israel, allowing them to have the power to hold on to the faith even in captivity.

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ left the heavenly honor, emptied Himself completely to become Man, humbled to death, even death on the Cross; by His poverty we might become rich (2Co 8:9) and with His wounds we are healed (Isa 53:5). God, the Heavenly Father, anoint the Child to be the head of all rule and authority (Col 2:10, Rev 3:14).

Our Lord, our Ruler wants to use us today, sending us to the people to proclaim His Gospel, replacing the Old Testament concept of people flocking to Jerusalem to worship God and seek the truth. He wants to use the Church of today, to be a blessing to people, and are we willing to respond to the call of God, to leave our comfort zone, to be sent by God, and be used by Him?

Rev Dr Caleb Soo

Moderator