As I'm reading through the Bible, this time using the New Living Translation, I've been plowing through the book of Number. Even the NLT couldn't add life to Numbers 34 today, subtitled "Boundaries of the Land." Literally, God lays out to Moses the exact borders of the nation of Israel.
The new nation was marked by the edge of deserts, countries, bodies of water, and a bunch of towns I struggled to pronounce. I read the chapter and asked my regular application question I use after any Bible reading, "So what?"
As I began scrolling back through the text on Youversion, I noticed a simple statement that means more to me in the age of Coronavirus than it did before:
"These are the boundaries of your land." Numbers 34:12
As many churches, including ours, look at how we can provide more online content and connection, let's not overshoot our primary audience. Believers and churches should know the boundaries of their communities. Yes, we have been called to go into all the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), but we should begin by identifying and intentionally seeing to reach our neighbors with the gospel.
A long-time career missionary was speaking to a young man feeling excited and called to go overseas on missions. The missionary asked the young man, "What's your next door neighbor's name?" When the young man sheepishly admitted he didn't know, the veteran missionary replied, "If you're not willing to meet the person who lives right next door to you, why should I believe you'll be any more willing in another country?"
Let's reach the world! But let us first begin by taking a look at our own neighbors, family, friends, waiters, cashiers, baristas...
