How?
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| Students preparing for ministry in Madagascar. |
Scripture:
Rom. 10:14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Observation:
Paul begins with a series of “how” questions, and they are all interconnected. They don’t know him; they’ve never heard of him; no one has ever told them about him, no one was sent to them. Therefore, how are they to believe?
There is a need for those to be sent, and they are considered to have beautiful feet. However, even in their going, not everyone will respond. There must be a faith response to the words that are heard — and these are not to be the personal words of the speaker — but the words of Christ.
Then comes condemnation on those who have been privileged to hear. In Paul’s day, these were the people of Israel, and yet the words of the prophets seemed to ring true. The word was now going out to those who had not known God and were not seeking, but the Lord was being revealed among them. In loving Grace, God the Father had stretched out his arms towards his people day and night, but they did not respond.
Application:
Preaching about Jesus is not necessarily an easy task these days. In many parts of the world you will find opposition to this good news, and one has to wonder why. True Christianity will preach Jesus, and a call to Christlikeness. This is not a position of power, but one of humility in light of imitating Christ. The early church drew people to Christ because of the ways in which they lived their lives. The how had to do with caring for the sick, being a people of peace, maintaining sanctity in marriage between one and and one woman — for a lifetime, and caring for unwanted babies and children.
Just yesterday I was talking to a believer who told me that they have now raised 15 children. This is not someone with an unusual amount of financial resources, but rather, someone who is called to live like Christ. They were telling my husband and me about their youngest daughter, who is now 11. They found her abandoned on the side of the road when she was just one year of age. She had been left for dead by her parents, who lived in a slum. They showed us a picture of her poor decimated body that they picked up and took to a local hospital, where she was declared dead. The believer father pled with the medical staff to do something and a nurse began CPR. The little girl took a breath and cried out — she was alive.
Finally, they showed me a picture of this girl today. She is a beautiful and healthy girl, who hopes to one-day become a police officer. She has been adopted by the believers and is one of their 15 children, loved and supported by this entire family. I was humbled as I listened to their story, because they reflect Jesus everyday in everything that they do. How does their community know about Jesus? They know Jesus because they have seen this family reflecting the love of Christ day in and day out. And yes, they live in a place where it is becoming increasingly difficult for those who serve Jesus.
How will people know about Jesus? We are to have beautiful feet, and in our going, we are to be reflecting the image of the Lord through our words and our deeds.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to have faith — and to go in your grace. Amen.
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