The Apostle Paul,  in at the Areopagus, in Athens, spoke these words concerning the “unknown god” for whom there was a “just in case” idol:

“And he (God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” – Acts 17: 26-31, ESV

What an awesome testimony of God’s sovereignty over all things, especially the nations, all the nations of the earth! In these few words, Paul summarized the activity of God concerning the nations, from creation to final judgment!

Listening to the various forms of rhetoric concerning the state of our nation, one hears just about everything from the far left to the far right, and everywhere in between. I have my own opinions about things, and it is very difficult to remain silent at times and remember that God is sovereign over all the affairs of men. this is not to say that the voice of an old soldier will not be heard by way of the ballot box, but only to say that God is sovereign and all moaning and complaining will not change his divine purposes.

I am also reminded of how many times in the book of Ezekiel alone God spoke the words “Then they will know that I am the Lord!” Depending on the translation, those words, or words like them, were spoken between 25 and 30 times. God spoke them when he was blessing his people and when he punished his people, claiming divine responsibility for both the blessing and the punishment. God spoke those words over pagan nations he caused to rise up as the instrument of divine discipline, and when he caused the very nations he used as divine instruments to be themselves destroyed as his enemies.

God WILL have his way with the nations, and he WILL gather his elect, the remnant out of all the nations, chosen for Himself before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4 & Rev 5:9).

What are we, as Christians, to do in this time? What is our reason for remaining ‘among the nations”?

There is but one answer in the heart of this old soldier – the gospel of Jesus Christ! We have the great privilege of being used of God to take the gospel to all the nations – the gospel that Christ died for our sins for our justification and was raised up again, as we are raised up in Him as we yet live, and will one day be glorified with Him in the final resurrection.

Our mission – the Great Commission – has never changed.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matt 28:19-20

Perhaps this is a time when we, as individual believers and as the Bride of Christ, should ask ourselves. “How are we doing?”