A key part of our spiritual relationship with God is the time we spend in worship. It is an act of obedience, sometimes described in Scripture as serving the Lord. It is an act of holy devotion, as we set aside a part of our time to focus on Him. It is a time of celebration and praise, as we raise our voices in song to our great God and King.
That this last part is important is clear from Scripture’s emphasis on singing in worship.
Continue reading “Balancing Spiritual Priorities”Acting in agreement with God’s heart for the lost results in people going to them. Jesus taught us that a key step in sending people is to pray for God’s involvement in that process.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matt 9:35-38
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:1-2
Early in His ministry, Jesus saw the spiritual need of those around Him and directed His disciples to pray that people would be sent to them. Shortly thereafter, He repeated that command when sending out the Twelve. Clearly, Jesus recognized the huge number of people needing to hear about the kingdom and the relatively few number of those sharing it.
Continue reading “The First Step in Sending People”In an earlier post, I discussed the importance of evangelism, and concluded that it is an essential part of the faith. Not just commanded by Jesus, but also lived out by the early church. However, the priority of evangelism seems to have shifted today. In this post, I’ll consider how we think of evangelism today in comparison to worship music.
In order to explore this, it is interesting to compare how Scripture treated both evangelism and music, and then look at how we treat them today.
Continue reading “Music and Evangelism in Church”In my previous essay, we looked briefly at the letter to the Laodiceans in Revelation (Rev. 3:14-22), and how it described a church that was being chastised for depending on their own resources and abilities rather than depending on God.
This is an easy mistake to make, and Scripture is full of reminders that we need to depend on the Lord.
I believe an example of lukewarm thinking often occurs when we look at Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. In that passage, Jesus makes two statements about the possibility of the rich being saved. To me, this gives us the opportunity to explore where we think the focus should be placed when doing the Lord’s work.
Continue reading “The Rich Young Ruler and Lukewarm”The book of Revelation includes a set of letters to churches in which Jesus commends, instructs, and challenges various congregations. One of these is a letter to the church in Laodicea. It is noteworthy as being the only letter in which Jesus has nothing good to say about the church; every other contains some positive comment.
Apparently, the error at Laodicea was bad enough, or important enough, that it left no room for praise.
For some reason, this letter has captivated me as a way to seek understanding of the faith’s shrinking impact today, and have found that meditating on it suggests new opportunities that, at least for myself, may be helpful in challenging ourselves to reach our broken world.
To begin with, here is the text:
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.’
“ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ” Revelation 3:14–22 (ESV)
Jesus first reminds the church who is speaking, then immediately describes their problem as being lukewarm – neither hot nor cold. In visceral terms, Jesus warns them that, because of their lukewarmness, He is about to reject them. Therefore, they need to change.
What could be so bad? What is meant by being “lukewarm”?
The picture of lukewarm water comes from the nature of the water supply in Laodicea. Nearby Collosae had springs of cool water, refreshing and good for drinking. Another nearby town, Hierapolis, had hot springs, where the bubbling mineral waters were believed to be good for healing.
Laodicea had neither of these, and so had to bring water from these two towns for its own needs. Remnants of the pipes used for this still exist.
Unfortunately, the water was no longer as good by the time the water made it to Laodicea. The cool water had become warmer, while the hot water had become cooler. Both had become lukewarm, losing much of their original value. They had become useless.
This was the picture that Jesus used to describe Laodicea’s (spiritual) condition. Useless, ineffective, having lost their original usefulness.
But what had caused this?
Jesus described how the Laodiceans thought they had everything they needed, but in reality they were helpless.
In fact, history shows that Laodicea was a wealthy and successful town because of the success of its banking, textile, and medical (specializing in eye salve) industries. They were so well off that, when a major earthquake struck in 60 AD and caused significant damage, the city actually refused help from Rome, preferring to restore the city from their own means.
Given this, what could Jesus mean by saying that they were actually helpless? The answer can be found by looking at the fix that Jesus gave them. In three pictures that paralleled their secular successes, He pointed them back to Himself as the source of what they really needed. In other words, although they thought their secular successes were enough, in reality they needed to be depending on Him.
This isn’t new teaching, of course. Throughout Scripture we are taught that true success comes only from God rather than worldly power or ability (Ps 20:7, Isa 31:1), that we must not rely on our own understanding, trusting instead on God to guide us (Prov 3:5-6). Even our basic needs will be supplied when we seek the kingdom first (Matt 6:33) and walk by faith rather than sight (2 Cor 5:7).
Jesus plainly stated that we can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5). The admonition to the Laodiceans was really a reminder of this fundamental truth. Perhaps they had become so convinced in their own abilities that they neglected to seek the Lord’s guidance and provision.
After the initial warning, Jesus gave them a list of changes to make, described symbolically. Refined gold, white clothes, and salve for eyes are all Biblical metaphors. As such, there may be multiple interpretations, perhaps representing opportunities to seek for different individual circumstances.
For myself, here are interpretations that have occurred to me.
Refined gold, and riches in general, often refer to wisdom or guidance, and empowerment from the Lord. For example, Paul describes the riches of understanding Christ in us, in whom are treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3). In a practical sense, this can be a reminder of the importance of prayer and being filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Clothing is often a metaphor for our walk, such as fine linen representing the righteous deeds of the saints (Rev 19:8), or when Paul discusses putting off the old self and putting on the new self (Col 3:9-10). So, perhaps Jesus is reminding the Laodiceans that behavior is important. Think of all the admonitions in the various New Testament letters to not walk as the pagans do, that our behavior must set us apart from the lost world.
Sight is often used to represent spiritual sensitivity. Paul said that he looked at the unseen things rather than the seen (2 Cor 4:18), and regarded no one according to the flesh (2 Cor 5:16). Jesus demonstrated this when challenged about eating with sinners, when He described them as needing a physician, clearly describing their spiritual condition (Luke 5:31). Perhaps Jesus was likewise reminding the Laodiceans that they needed to be aware of the spiritual state of those around them (in addition to their own), and to see spiritual needs as well as physical.
So, three possible themes are spiritual wisdom and empowerment, right living, and spiritual sensitivity.
Given that the emphasis of this site is to explore new approaches for evangelism, here are some thoughts about how they might apply, and how I’ve tried to walk in these principles.
An obvious starting point for spiritual wisdom and empowerment is prayer, of course, and we saw in an earlier post how prayer was essential in Jesus’ teaching and to the early church. Similarly, we’ve also seen how the Spirit explicitly empowered people to speak effectively, just as Jesus said He would and as Paul prayerfully sought. So it seems that both of these are aligned with Jesus’ direction.
Right living is a pretty broad category, and while we can all do better, the focus in evangelism may especially include having a good reputation before unbelievers (Matt 5:16, 1 Pet 2:12, Rom 2:23-24) and love of the Brethren (John 17:20-21). The latter seems especially important since Jesus pointed out that our unity would lead the word to believe that He was sent by the Father. As such, it may be that ecumenical activity can be considered evangelistic. For myself, I strive to maintain connections with believers from different churches, even helping out when it makes sense. I’ve found that unbelievers find this sort of activity surprising and very positive.
Lastly, spiritual perspective in evangelism helps us remember to pay attention to people’s spiritual needs, not just their behavior or physical needs. In doing so, we may find that many who are all around us are far from God. This is the perspective discussed in earlier posts on having a spiritual interpretation for the “ends of the Earth”. Personally, I’m trying to develop ways of reaching people who are not reached by the most current evangelism, through completely non-spiritual activities like art and technology.
Again, these pictures from Jesus may best be thought of as tools for seeking direction in our own lives, so different people may come to different conclusions and applications. But for myself, the observations above seem to agree with the other spiritual perspectives that I’ve developed from studying Scripture.
In addition, it seems that these observations may help address some of the limitations I’ve seen in my own involvement with evangelistic activities, perhaps some of which may exist elsewhere and contribute to the growing unprecedented darkness.
I don’t know how common these are, but they do seem to come up regularly. Also, when considering the message to the Laodiceans, they seem like good examples of relying on worldly power, wisdom, and perspectives, instead of Jesus.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7 (ESV)
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! Isaiah 31:1 (ESV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
for we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (ESV)
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2–3 (ESV)
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. Revelation 19:8 (ESV)
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:9–10 (ESV)
as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV)
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 2 Corinthians 5:16 (ESV)
And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Luke 5:31 (ESV)
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12 (ESV)
You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Romans 2:23–24 (ESV)
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20–21 (ESV)
In Jesus’ final appearance before His ascension, He described how the Holy Spirit would enable the disciples to be His witnesses all over the world, starting in Jerusalem. The well-known sequence in Acts 1:8 of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the Earth is used to describe how we should be taking the gospel progressively outward all over the world. It is often used today to encourage Christians to participate, or at least support, evangelism that goes out from wherever they are.
This use of the passage takes its physical meaning, but it is also sometimes used figuratively by applying it to cultural, relational, racial, or economic differences. The idea is to reach those who are different from ourselves, rather than those who are far distant from ourselves. Note that in either case, we place ourselves at the center of the sequence.
This essay considers a different way of looking at the sequence by placing God at the center and thinking of the sequence as a series of spiritual steps. I hope that this perspective can shed new light on ways to reach the growing darkness in today’s world.
To start with, it’s good to recognize that Acts describes the fulfillment of Jesus’ sequence in a physical sense. Evangelism started in Jerusalem, then spread to other regions of Judea, eventually getting to Samaria, and eventually to regions far from Judea. That is the most direct, literal interpretation.
However, it doesn’t really make sense to follow the same physical sequence today since the same countries and regions don’t exist and Christianity has already spread far from Jerusalem. Instead, the sequence is generally applied either by placing ourselves at the center instead of Jerusalem, or by taking the sequence figuratively.
When we place ourselves at the center of a physical interpretation, the ends of the Earth become places that are far from ourselves or our church. For example, for a church in America, that might mean going to Africa. But for a church in Africa, that might mean going to America. The point seems to be to get far from home.
If we take the sequence figuratively, then we often interpret it to mean we should reach people who are different from ourselves in some characteristic. The difference may be cultural, racial, economic, or any number of other ways we describe groups of people. So a wealthy church may reach out to the poor, or intellectuals may be sent to the uneducated, and so on. Once again, this generally places ourselves at the center.
Going back to Scripture, we find that the term “ends of the Earth” is also sometimes used figuratively. It’s often used in the Old Testament to describe places far from Israel, but also sometimes refers to Gentiles without regard for their location.
In fact, Paul uses a quote from Isaiah 49:6 in exactly that way. It mentions God’s salvation going to the ends of the Earth, and Paul applied it to reaching Gentiles instead of Jews. In other words, what Paul seemed to be focusing on was people’s spiritual state, not their physical location.
Paul’s quote seems to be from the Septuagint, which is commonly how the Old Testament was quoted in the New Testament writings. Interestingly, Jesus used exactly that Greek phrasing in Acts 1:8, even though He used other terms in the Gospel accounts that are also commonly translated “ends of the Earth”. In other words, Jesus used different wording in Acts than He used anywhere else, and that different wording matched the Septuagint translation for the Isaiah passage that Paul used.
Could it be that Jesus also intended His sequence to describe spiritual states in addition to physical ones? It’s hard to be sure from such a brief statement, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time His statements often had layered meaning with spiritual undertones.
At the very least, it seems reasonable to take a spiritual perspective like Paul. In that case, the phrase “ends of the Earth” refers to those far from God, having no relationship with Him at all, perhaps even hostile to Him. There are certainly people all around us in that category today. In other words, we don’t need to travel to encounter the ends of the Earth, we just need to be aware of people’s spiritual states.
Note that this interpretation not only has us focus on the spiritual, it places God at the center of the discussion, rather than ourselves. What becomes important is their relationship to Him, rather than their relationship to us.
An interesting followup question is to ask whether there are equivalent meanings to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. Going back to Paul’s encounter in Acts 13 again, we see three groups of people mentioned before he turns to the Gentiles (a fourth group). They are Jews, proselytes (converts to Judaism) and God-fearers (people who respect or worship god without fully converting). In some ways, these match the physical sequence:
There are probably many ways these can be aligned to today’s world. For example, Jerusalem may represent devoted Christians who are deeply involved with church (a center of religious activity). Judea may represent people who are Chrisitan but not involved with traditional religious activities. Samaria might then represent those who are spiritual, perhaps like some aspects of Christianity, maybe even attend some church events if invited, but don’t describe themselves as Christians.
These categories probably are not that important, but thinking through them helps us learn to see people with eyes of faith rather than eyes of flesh.
One initial observation with this perspective is that those at the “ends of the Earth” may have little to no interest in attending church events. Given the prevalence of Christianity in our culture, they often feel they have enough exposure and without any relationship with God, have no interest in changing that. As such, we need to make more deliberate efforts to go to them. This, then, raises a series of questions about how to evangelize people who have no interest in church or Christian activities.
In other words, while it’s easy for those immersed in church-based faith activities to settle with an invitation-based strategy, Jesus call to go to the ends of the Earth should make us realize that this will not work for everyone, may actually be working less and less effectively over time, and that we need to deliberately go to people who are far from God.
I think this spiritual structure can lead to other insights and challenge us to look for new approaches. At least, it has for me.
Various aspects of living out the faith are reflected throughout Scripture. Teaching, music and worship, fellowship, helping the poor and disadvantaged, and more, are all clearly given in both the Old and New Testaments. As a result, these things are reflected in most churches.
Where does evangelism fit in?
Continue reading “Evangelism in Church”The way of the Lord is justice and righteousness, summarized by Jesus as loving God and our neighbor. This is to be our nature as members of God’s family, and this theme is repeated throughout Scripture. However, the Old Testament also makes it clear that legalism cannot create such kingdom people – we need transformed hearts, a new covenant. Legalism relies on human ability, but the prophets looked forward to the coming of a Messiah who would fulfill God’s promises through the power of God.
Continue reading “The Importance of Evangelism”In my previous post, we looked at evangelism in two parts: a sign that points people to God, and the message of the gospel. Looking at a handful of Acts narratives in which both elements were present helped illuminate how both pieces were important and how they might work. Here, we will focus on one of those narratives, Paul in Athens, and see what spiritual principles are at work, then consider how those principles might play out today.
Earlier, we noticed how Paul’s encounters in Athens could be described in the same two parts, although the “sign” part was not typically miraculous. Instead, it seems that his statements in the marketplace served to point people to spiritual realities that he presented more fully on Mars Hill. Here, we will focus on that first part, and how non-miraculous pointers can be used to point people to the gospel. In the next essay, we will look at the second part, and how the gospel can be proclaimed in suitable ways.
The goal of this work is to see it applied to a project that I’ve been led to develop.
When Paul was waiting in Athens, he was bothered by the idolatry of the city and responded by presenting the gospel. Although there are few idols in the same sense today, many people still turn away from God and devote themselves elsewhere. For example, Paul describes greed as a form of idolatry, and that is certainly evident today, but that’s not the only option. In a sense, we still live in a society that is saturated with idols.
However, are we as bothered by this as Paul was? I’ve often wondered if I am as disturbed by people’s spiritual state as I am by their physical, social, economic, or political status. To this end, it has proven fruitful to pray for eyes to be open in the same way Paul’s were.
Paul’s reaction to his distraughtness was to preach the gospel. He started in the synagogues but also moved out into the marketplace and into secular contexts, presumably to reach Gentiles who didn’t know about God. This illustrates our previous observation that it’s necessary to go into secular contexts to reach the lost, rather than stay in religious contexts and invite people in.
Those who heard him apparently didn’t understand what he was talking about, but found it interesting enough to want to hear more. Paul followed up with a more effective presentation on Mars Hill. However, it’s interesting to consider this first part as a pointer in the sense of the previous discussion. Although not a miracle, whatever happened served to get people’s attention and engage them.
One of the challenges with sharing the faith today is the nature of our post-Christian society. Even casual mentions of Christianity, or even just Jesus, often evoke negative reactions in unbelievers. Thus, it may be necessary to interest people and engage them in ways that can lead to spiritual discussions, without immediately jumping to the gospel. Paul’s experience seems to validate the importance of appropriately getting people’s attention first, before presenting the gospel.
Now, the approach of intellectual engagement may not work for everyone, but just as it was most effective for some of the thought leaders in Athens, it may be most applicable for reaching them today. The important thing is to be able to lead into spiritual discussions, so identifying and connecting with the “unknown gods” being worshiped is a good start.
There’s a tension between getting people to think beyond the merely natural, while not triggering the anti-spiritual sentiments that are so common. Perhaps, just as people were always interested in hearing new things in Athens, the intellectually curious today can be engaged with novelty. One place where novelty and the realm of ideas often come together is in art, where creativity and metaphor are fundamental.
To me, this suggests that the right kind of creative expression of spiritual ideas could engage people enough to lead to deeper considerations.
The nature of these deeper considerations will be looked at later when we consider Paul’s speech to the Areopagus and the role of “unknown gods”, but for now, this seems to suggest a framework for engaging with many of today’s secular and inquisitive people.
First, we need to pray and open our hearts to the Spirit’s burden for lost people. Such prayer should give us the boldness to go – away from religious contexts and into the secular. As we interact with people there, we need to get their attention and engage them in ways that point to spiritual truths, albeit without being explicitly Christian. Lastly, it may be helpful, especially in today’s rapidly changing world, to use novelty to get and hold their attention.
Now to make this concrete. For years I have tinkered with creating 360 photographs and have found that they can be used to easily get people’s attention. Even more, they are a great metaphor for encouraging people to “see more” in ways that eventually lead to spiritual discussions. I’ve used them to open spiritual doors that other evangelistic efforts have not.
However, most 360 photography is not used to share ideas, symbolize abstract concepts, and so on. Nevertheless, there seems to be a great potential for doing this, for developing this type of photography along the lines of an art rather than a commercial product. As a result, there seems to be opportunity for creativity and innovation – exactly the sort of thing that many inquisitive people find engaging.
For example, they can be used to illustrate the limitations of science and materialist thinking in ways that encourage more open minds. With such open thinking, moving onto specific immaterial concepts, such as the spiritual, becomes more natural.
I plan to build a variety of ways for people to encounter 360 photographs, some in ways that they will not find anywhere else. They can be presented in various secular contexts, both online and physical, illustrating key themes that point to spiritual truths without being explicitly Christian, so that post-Christian hesitation won’t come into play.
As a pointer, this seems like a path worth exploring and is being developed as a work called “Whole Reality”. But since the goal is to get people to the gospel, there needs to be more. This is handled through an apologetic model that I’ve refined over the years that will be worked out in a different work called “Kelvin’s Clouds”. For right now, though, the next post will present the Whole Reality project in more detail.
In an earlier post, I looked at the term “ends of the Earth” and saw how, in addition to the obvious physical meaning, it pointed to Gentiles and ultimately, to those who are far from God. Jesus’ statement in Acts 1:8 described the church expanding through various levels of spiritual commitment until finally it broke out into those areas where there was no connection with God at all.
It became clear that today, spiritually, the ends of the Earth today are all around us, not just in far distant regions.
In a similar manner, I think we can revisit the Great Commission in Matthew and note that there is a spiritual application for today that challenges us to think about evangelism in a new way. A way that, at least for me, encourages getting away from standard Christian contexts.
Let’s start by revisiting the passage.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)
Note that the command is to go into “all the nations”.1 This is generally taken to mean something similar to the physical interpretation of “ends of the Earth” – to go even to far distant lands. It also is often taken to mean that every “people group” is to be reached.
However, just as “ends of the Earth” was also associated with Gentiles and not just distant lands, the term “the nations” was also the way of saying “Gentiles”. In other words, Jesus used a term that meant both the physical reality of different people groups all over the world, and the spiritual reality of people far from God (wherever they might be).
This latter meaning of spiritual lostness gets obscured with standard translations so that the emphasis is on going far away – things like international missions and the like. In order to apply the command to our local lives, the word “go” is often rephrased from into “as you go” and then becomes a command to witness as we go through our normal lives.
For myself, however, the neglected spiritual perspective reveals the need to be deliberate and proactive about reaching into the darkness around us. I feel led to go away from church, both physically and metaphorically – away from Christian services, concerts, programs, ministries, and other forms of Christian context, and to find ways to present the Gospel in those spiritually distant places that are all around us.
I think the deliberate act of taking the Gospel into dark contexts involves actions that go beyond our normal activities, and that this is the difference between “go” and “as you go”. In other words, we need to look for ways to go into secular contexts, things we might not otherwise do, that can be used to speak truth.
We need to go to the ends of the Earth that are all around us.
So, what might this look like in practice? Obviously, the first step is prayer, seeking the Lord for new ideas, perhaps meditating on encounters in Scripture for specific principles to use. My previous essay briefly described a technique I’ve been led toward. I’ll write more about that later. But for now, I think that a regular practice of prayer and Scripture meditation is a way to let the Spirit lead one towards options.
This is part of what this blog will work towards.
1. Even though the ESV translates this as “all nations”, it seems the Greek actually says “all the nations”, and more literal translations present it that way.
Exploring Antioch 