Daily Devotional

Romans 10:14-15  | Read in NIV YouVersion

This Sunday, we will be commissioning our Youth Mission Team as they leave for the Dominican Republic. This week's devotionals will focus on the importance of missions and how we can ALL be missionaries. They are taken from The YouVersion Bible Study entitled "Why Missions Matters," which you can find in its entirety here.

Pause for Reflection:

"The Call for Us All" By Danny Saavedra

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’”—Romans 10:14–15 (NLT)

Imagine this with me: An actress is filming a scene but she wasn’t given any lines at all. She just stands there in front of a green screen with no clue what the scene is, what her role is, or what she needs to say or do. When they start rolling, she is baffled and stands there like a deer in the headlights. The director yells cut and is upset by what just took place . . . but does he have any right to be? How can she know what to do or say if she wasn’t given a script or any context for what was taking place in the scene?
 
In today’s verse, the apostle Paul essentially questions the same thing as it pertains to faith. How can we expect people who aren’t told about the gospel to live out the gospel? How can we get so indignant at nonbelievers when their lifestyle doesn’t line up with the Christian way of life they know little to nothing about—and what some unfortunately see as a poor representation of living in Christ, as portrayed by the mainstream media and sometimes by Christians living as poor witnesses. How can we expect them to live according to the message of the cross when “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)? How can they be saved if believers don’t tell them about the good news of salvation?

My friends, if you are in Christ, if you are His disciple, you have been sent. It’s not just a call for some Christ-followers, it’s not just the job of a select group of believers or pastors . . . it’s everyone’s mission. Mark 16:15 (NIV) says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” while Matthew 28:19 (NIV) says, “go and make disciples of all nations.” This is for all of us.
 
You don’t need Bible college training to do this. Like the woman at the well who immediately went into her town to tell people about Jesus, you just need to tell people the good news that Jesus loves them, died for them, and can change their lives and hearts in ways they never thought possible. Like the blind man in John 9:25 (NIV), you don’t need to know everything, because he said, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" 

The gospel of Jesus has the power to change every heart on its own. All you need to do is be the messenger who delivers this good news.

Pray for our church budget, which is currently being worked on for our new fiscal year, to reflect our heart for missions in a healthy way.

Pray for a world missions organization that you are aware of and support, by name and as specifically as you can. If you realize you don't know what their current prayer needs are, spend some time finding out today.

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