Living Room Study

Romans 15

“Now I say that Messiah has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God, to confirm the promises to the fathers, and so that Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy.  As it is written: ‘Therefore, I will praise You among the Gentiles and I will sing psalms to Your name.’  Again it says, ‘Rejoice you Gentiles with His people!’  And again, ‘Praise the Lord all you Gentiles.  All the peoples should praise Him!’ And again, Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; in Him, the Gentiles will hope.’”  Romans 15:8-12

God’s heart has always been for Jews & Gentiles to know & worship Him in unity. Ever since the covenant with Abraham, the Lord’s articulated desire has been for the whole world to enter into a saving relationship with Him.

“I will bless those who bless you.  I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”  Genesis 12:3

Again, through the Prophet Isaiah, God communicated His heart for the nations.

“No foreigner who has converted to the Lord shall say, ‘The Lord has excluded me from His people.”  Isaiah 56:3a

Today, I left Israel, traveling to the predominantly Moslem country of Jordan. I always leave Israel with sadness for the millions of Jews who are yet to acknowledge Y’shua (Jesus) as Messiah. This time was no different. None of our tour guides were believers, and although I share a Jewish heritage, there was a massive spiritual disconnect.

I have never been to a Moslem country, so I was expecting even more of a spiritual disconnect from my Jordanian guides. Ironic, they are all Arab Christians!! From the moment our guide began leading us, I felt at home. Was it his attitude, comments, or demeanor? Frankly, it was the presence of the Holy Spirit. We connected as Christians, even though we are Jew and Arab, in a way that I could not connect with the of non-Messianic Jews.

As the song goes, my guide and I were truly: “Jew and Gentile, one in the Spirit, one in Y’shua’s love”. (Joel Chernoff)

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins