Thursday, July 27

THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017

"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Romans 10:17)

In Romans 10, Paul explains the nature of spreading the Gospel and receiving its message.  God has entrusted the message to human messengers, whom Paul lauds, echoing Isaiah 52:7:  "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (15)  Those who receive the message see a definite change, marked by commitment:  "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." (10)

As we discussed last week, the Gospel has a clear summary in Romans 6:23:  "For the wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus."

Because of these truths, we joyfully support efforts to spread this Gospel message through our giving, our prayer, and our going.  As John Piper explains, missions brings the Word of God to where worship does not yet exist.  It does not involve coercion or fear; rather, those seeking to bring the Word show love, compassion, and sacrifice in making the Word known.  For this reason, missionaries have played an instrumental role in establishing school, universities, and hospitals throughout the world.  People respond to the love of Christ by seeking the truth about His beauty and excellency.

How may we be involved in the work that Paul describes?  We may certainly give to support the work of the Kingdom; we then become co-laborers with those we support.  Our prayer carries great value, too, as God works through prayer to strengthen His servants and open the hearts of those whom they are serving.  Finally, we may go ourselves.  This last step doesn't just involve taking foreign trips; instead, we have hundreds and thousands of people even in our area who have never understood the love of Christ because no one has yet taken the time.

In heaven, we will see the beautiful fruit of the Gospel in the multitudes surrounding the throne of the Risen Christ, praising Him in every tongue and from every people group.  It will be an amazing testimony to the overwhelming love of God, available even to us!

Lord God, thank You for entrusting us with the Gospel.  Thank you for giving us the joy of participation in Your Kingdom work.  Strengthen Your workers today and open the hearts of those with whom they seek to share this Good News.  Give us courage to trust You completely.  In Jesus's Name, amen.