Here,Near, and Far

Published: Aug. 5, 2020, 7 a.m.

A friend of mine is a pastor, and his church has a motto that reads “here, near, and far”. Basically, that means the church wants to spread the Good News here locally, nearby, and far across the world. To accomplish these three tasks, the church sends missionaries to far away places. They’ve set up church-school partnerships throughout the state nearby. And internally, the church focuses on helping families in need. They are here, near, and far!  The Bible talks about the concept of here, near, and far, too, in Acts 1:8, where Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This week, take a look at your own life. Where do you have the ability to serve God? One day I talked to a Salvation Army leader in the United Kingdom and I asked him where he worked.  He said, “In Bristol.” And then I said, “What do you do?” And he said, “I minister to the last, the least, the lonely, and the lost.” What a tremendous view of the calling of God! To the privileged and to the unknown, we are called to give the blessed Good News of Jesus Christ.  God bless you as you do it! This is Luis Palau.