“How can they hear if nobody tells them?”
Romans 10:11-17 (The Message)
11 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”
12 ¶ It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help.
13 “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
14 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?
15 And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims, A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!
16 But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?”
17 The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
So what did you talk about at church this week?
Do you think the unredeemeed would care?
Take a look at the “Top Ten List of Questions” people are discussing around the world and see for how many of them we have an answer. . . but no relationship in which to share it.
Makes you kinda sick, doesn’t it. Like being three feet from a guy about to jump off a roof. So close. So fatally distant.
There’s just gotta be a way for us to get back in the game.
But first we’ve gotta get out of the building and onto the field.
“Here am I. Send me!”
Scott Uselman said,
March 30, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I talked about John 20:19-30 today. My sermon title was We are on a mission from God. People just sat there. I really think The Bible Belt does not care. We are just waiting for The Great Air Lift out of here. It’s kind of like President Bush declaring the war over, but there is still a lot of fighting. Yet, the difference is that unlike our military, we Christians, are not fighting. We just live without fear and care. My church had plenty of room for people to find Christ this morning, but we went to eat instead. I think that we are going to have to wait for the next catastrophe before Christians will get motivated.
Ol Suit replies…
I know what you mean. Sometimes we do not see the immediate result we so long to see. But never fear; Your faithfulness is not in vain.
Hang in there. We are not in this by ourselves. We have a Partner…and He is not long silent!
I love ya, man!