– Hey, friends. Thanks for taking a few minutes with us today. And Mary, thank you for joining this vlog. I’m really glad you’re going to be part of some of these moments with the Alliance family. I really enjoy teaming up with you.

– I’m really glad to be here with you. We are in San Jose, California, and it is really a privilege to get a front row seat into what Jesus is doing in so many places. This Alliance church is just one example. It is a vibrant picture of what our family, The Christian and Missionary Alliance, is all about.

– Yeah, before we tell you about that, we’d like to start with a Scripture that gives a window into the vision for the future. Really, it’s the vision of Jesus. And maybe we can start by just setting the context, and then we’ll read the passage.

– It’s an incredible scene in Revelation chapter five, 100 million plus angels, 10,000 times 10,000, and people, so many people. And in the middle, the Lord Jesus. Revelation 5:6 says this: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne.”

– Let’s pause there. It’s this giant worship gathering, certainly bigger than any gathering you and I have ever been a part of. And they’re all singing with one voice to Jesus. And this is where you and I come in—every follower of His

– In verse nine, they all sing. Here it is: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood, you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth.”

– That is so much God’s heart. He wants people here, there, and everywhere to be part of His family. That’s what it says, people from “every tribe, every language, every people, every nation.” And the price He was willing to pay—the blood of Jesus. And with His blood, He bought you and me.

– That’s the best news ever, isn’t it? We get to be part of His family forever. I love that last little phrase where it says, “will reign on the earth,” and we’ll get to serve Him. It’s amazing.

– So, how does that tie into the vision for us as the Alliance family? You and I have the privilege, really the responsibility, of getting the news out to people in every language, every nation. I have this shirt that says it this way: “Here, there, and everywhere.” That’s our focus, our commission. And really, to do anything less than that would be an injustice. A huge miss.

– Can I just say, I am so grateful to be part of this Alliance family that takes that vision seriously. From a humble beginning at a church in Manhattan 140 years ago, this group of believers grew and grew, and at great cost, they took that “here, there, and everywhere” seriously.

– And today, The Alliance has a network of churches in 88 countries—88! Several of those networks have more than the almost 2,000 churches we have here in the U.S. God is on the move. We’re on the way to fulfilling that vision.

– And it’s not just the “everywhere” that we focus on. It’s the “here and there,” people around us, our neighbors, our classmates, our colleagues, strangers that we meet in a waiting room or on an airplane—all in God’s providence. We extend the hope that only Jesus can give.

– And that’s the vision that compels us, encourages us. And it shows in churches like here at San Jose Christian Alliance Church. They got their start 50 years ago in 1975. And as San Jose welcomed waves of immigrants and then later the tech boom, the church grew with the city, serving neighbors through language classes and tutoring ministries for seniors and children and lots more.

– And they’ve helped start churches in seven languages. And during all this, they’ve sent missionaries to various countries. They’re a praying, giving, and sending church. And the impact is profound.

– I love the church’s motto, “One family, many languages, united in Christ.” And I think that captures really the spirit and the heart of The Alliance as well. You’ll hear more about the significant story being written here in an upcoming video piece with the lead pastor, Ted Kang.

– So everyone can have an opportunity to say yes to Jesus, we go to the furthest places, the hardest places, everywhere, and we open our hearts to the nations that are coming to us. It’s a “both/and.”

– Yeah, it’s local and global. That’s the heart of Jesus, the vision that compels us. And here’s the question I ask myself, “Lord, do I see people like You do? My neighbors, people who look or act or believe differently than I do? Do I have Your compassion?” That’s what it means to be His follower. I remember how John says in his second letter, he says, “Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

– You and I have a prayer that we pray about every day, and it is just so simple. It’s, “Lord, would You help me to see people like You see them and to love people like You love them?”

– What if we paused and prayed that prayer right now? “Lord, would You help me to see people like You see them and to love them like You love them?” The goal is to reflect His heart, to value every person, to offer an opportunity to encounter Jesus. That’s the vision that Jesus has given us.

– And He’ll keep His promise—”people from every nation, every language.” Can you imagine what it will be like one day to all join in that giant worship service?

– So, be encouraged today. Your investment in people counts. I mean, it really does. As we look forward to the arrival of our Coming King. So may He live and love through you and me today. Thanks for being on mission together.