“The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’” (Isaiah 49:1b-3)
Q Presenting the gospel is our mission and calling as the prophet Isaiah reminds as he expounds on the Servant of the Lord. The Servant was coming to set things right because the people of Israel were self-centered, vain, unloving, and idolatrous, just like people today, which is probably the root cause of our American unrest. Everyone thinks that he or she is right and that those who hold differing opinions are not just erroneous but offensive and mean spirited and should not be allowed the freedom to contradict them.
Israel had failed to carry out her Godly mission. Therefore, the Messiah would do what they would not and could not do. The Servant of which Isaiah speaks is the Messiah who would come as a Light to the Gentiles, to bring God’s salvation to all nations.
We who are the church must remember that the Lord has called us to perform the same mission as Israel and as the Messiah: to be the light of God’s glory and love to all mankind. We are called to spread the gospel to the lost. He has saved and redeemed us by His grace, but we cannot sit back and merely bask in the blessings of God. The church cannot be silent for she bears the message of salvation by faith in Christ that all the world needs to hear. Our mission is to bring the gospel to all people by word and by deed. We are Jesus’ representatives, His agents who show the oppressed and weary world who He is and what He has done for us.