Torch, Fall 2001

mind. It simply says he obeyed. Abraham took the knife and was about to slay his son when the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven saying, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” And then, of course, God provided a ram for the offering. And the second time, God spoke from heaven saying, “... because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you ... and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” There is so much we could say about this passage. I want to look at it from just one aspect—the personal aspect involving you and me. The essence of this passage is the call to each of us to lay on the altar the things that we hold most dear in this life. It might be our only son or only daughter. It might be our boyfriend or girlfriend. It might be our work, our profession. It might be our reputation or our self-image. It might be our lifestyle, our comforts, or our possessions. Jesus said it even more starkly in Luke 14:26: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, 10 TORCH / Fall 2001 We haven’t obeyed, and that is precisely why 1.5 billion unreached people have not yet had a chance to meaningfully hear the gospel of Christ. Why? Because there are not enough Christians who are willing to go out and share the gospel with them. Don’t miss God’s call. I’ll close by reflecting on a passage of well-known Scripture. Genesis 22 contains the story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his son. I am sure you remember it well. In this passage, God tells Abraham to take Isaac to a certain mountain and there sacrifice him as a burnt offering. It took him three days to journey to the mountain. Scripture doesn’t tell us what was going on inside Abraham’s Take Part in God’s Work in the World an easy, comfortable, prosperous life. We’re called to hardship, sacrifice, and even suffering. We are called to carry a cross. Jesus Christ is asking you to join His army. He is the commander, and His marching order to each one of us is the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Go make disciples of all nations. Not only America, but all nations. The very last words that Jesus spoke on earth just before He ascended into heaven are recorded in Acts 1:8. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The missionary call isn’t some kind of voice. It is a verse: Go and “be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth.” Nepali geography is some of the most picturesque in the world. Below: “When there is no bridge you make one.” Nepali boys use ingenuity to cross one of the many dangerous waterways that are spread throughout the rugged natural landscape.