Several passages I read this morning reminded me of the heart of God for the nations. Fascinating how reading from various books of the Bible in the same sitting reveals themes I might miss if I read them on separate days.

Here’s my progression of writers today, from Ezekiel to David to John:

I will show the holiness of my great name…Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes (Ezekiel 36:23).

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name (Psalm 86:8-9).

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Phillip with a request, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (John 12:20-21).

God proclaimed through Ezekiel that the nations would see his holiness. David predicted the arrival of people from all nations to worship the Lord. Then—in nearly the exact same spot—travelers of a distant land arrived with the goal of meeting Jesus.

Jesus came first to the lost sheep of Israel, and because God’s plan included everyone in the world, the good news flowed far beyond their borders.

The expansion continues to this day. Check out this graph illustrating one aspect of the growth of the Christian faith over the centuries. It shows the world-wide ratio of non-Christians to practicing Christians from the first century to today:

For every active Jesus follower in 100 AD, roughly 360 people remained uninformed or uninterested. Today that ratio is 1 to 7—astounding growth, with more still to come.

Why? Because God wants the nations to know that He is the Lord, and even today there are millions of people who would like to see Jesus.

Ezekiel 36, Psalm 86, & John 12 in week forty-five of reading the Bible cover to cover.

Photo by Jireh Mark