How?
Today’s Verse:
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ~Romans 10:14
One of the challenges we face daily is the question of, “How?” It is a good challenge, but sometimes it manifests itself as a daunting challenge. We want to know how we will get to a certain destination. We want to know how a certain request can be accomplished. We want to know how much time is left. We want to know if something is possible. We are looking for direction and a pathway. This morning, let us consider the “how” of getting the gospel to every person of the world.
We see there is the sovereign invitation.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Salvation is the free gift of God. Salvation is available to all who will believe that Jesus Christ is the sinless Son of God Who died for their sins and rose again from the dead. God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” God invites every sinner to call on Jesus to save him from his sins. Calling on the Lord for salvation is not a “Band Aid on a simple cut,” but a complete confession of helplessness and inability to save oneself. It is the sinner’s acknowledgement that he has placed his entire faith in the shed blood and death of Christ for his salvation. God invites sinners everywhere to be saved.
We see the staggering inquiry.
We must consider the world situation. A large portion of the world is living in spiritual darkness. The predominant belief systems in the world are atheism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and Islam. Many of the countries where these belief systems are found have political and economic instability. Many of these belief systems have radical followers who see Christianity as a hostile threat to their culture. So, there is the question of, “How?” Four different times this question is asked. “How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent?” We agree that salvation is the free gift of God. We agree that God wants all men to be saved. But how will everyone hear? How will everyone have at least one opportunity to call on the Lord for salvation? It is a staggering question: How????
We see the surrendered involvement.
The answer is found in the last “how.” “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” There must be preachers of the gospel that will be sent to bring the message of salvation to the people of the world. The solution is that missionaries must be sent. Christians must awaken to the fact that we are the solution for this need. Jesus looked on the fields and said they are white already unto harvest. The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few. The only means by which the “how” can be answered is that Christian men must surrender to be preachers of the gospel. How shall they preach, except they be sent? Churches are in the saving business. Churches are also in the sending business. Our emphasis through soulwinning and missions is to create awareness in the hearts of our people that laborers are needed to start churches and reach the masses with the gospel.
As we consider this morning the “how,” we must reshuffle the letters in this word and make it “who.” The answer to the “how” is “who.” Who will go? Who will take the gospel? May we be like Isaiah and say, “Here am I Lord, send me!”
Have a missions-minded God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 49-50