I grew up around folks who used the word “mess” in a unique way. We might catch a mess of fish, cook up a mess of greens, or get in a mess of trouble—which was my main problem as a youngster. A mess was just a unique way of saying that we had a lot of something or enough of a certain food, or in my case, plenty of mischief that would get me in a lot of trouble.

In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John were going up to the temple in Jerusalem when they passed a lame man, and God miraculously healed this man who had been lame since birth. He then went with Peter and John jumping, leaping, and praising God into the temple—can you blame him? Peter turned and began speaking to a mess of people around them, saying in verse 25, “And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’” (quoting from Genesis 22:18 when God spoke to Abraham).

Today, we can see that God’s creation has indeed been fruitful and multiplied (Genesis 9:7). According to some “worldometers,” there are approximately 7.7 billion people on the planet as of November 2018. That is a mess of folks! Sadly, not all of them know anything about Jesus Christ and the wonderful relationship that God wants to have with them. That’s why God has commissioned us in Matthew 28:19 to, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” People need to hear the wonderful news about how God can change a life for the better. Perhaps in the days ahead, the Holy Spirit just might steer you right into the middle of a mess of folks and open a door of opportunity to share the great news of Christ and how he has changed your life. I hope you’ll jump right in—feet first.