by Jon Bloom
“I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16)
Jesus Christ is hard at work gathering the rest of his sheep that he “bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). This is the main thing that is happening in the world. All the great geopolitical shifts in the world are connected to this mission. The world doesn’t know it.
But the church on earth, the sheep that are in the fold already, must remember this. It’s what history is all about and it’s why they are still here. It’s why God installs and removes rulers. It’s why economies surge and crash. It’s why church planting and missionary doors open and close. It’s why gospel awakening breaks out in one place and persecution breaks out in another.
We can be at peace despite major cultural shifts, political upheaval, war, natural disasters, disease, and persecutions (Romans 8:35).
God wants us to stir up our minds by way of reminder (2 Peter 3:1) so that we don’t lose sight of the gospel and the real purpose of history. Remembering is what keeps us from losing heart and hope and retreating into our private escapes.
Remembering is why we keep recommending the short but very potent book, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die).
Jesus must bring in all his sheep and they will listen to his voice. It is so hopeful to remember that this is what all of human history is all about.
