I. The Word: Romans 10:14-15

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a proclaimer?

15How will they proclaim unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News of good things!”

II. Reflection Questions:

Meditate and think deeply on these key words from todays text:

1. “Call on”

2. “Believe in”

3. “Hear about”

4. “To proclaim”

5. “Sent to”

Here is how I see this text:

1. At the root of it all we must understand and then obey the fact that we are sent, that we are to go. Not to sit and listen, not to enjoy the church, but join the church’s mission!

2. We are sent to proclaim, not simply provide help, or to enjoy, or even to grow ourselves. All of those may happen, but that is not the main reason we are sent. We are sent as heralds, news reporters, delivery men, and ambassadors to proclaim news!

3. We are to proclaim the message of the gospel in such a great manner that people hear it! By hearing I mean understand it! Not theologically dense, but also not absent of theology. And we must make sure that who we are and how we proclaim does not hinder someone from hearing. If they fall deaf for any reason, let it be because of the message and not the messenger!

4. As we proclaim they are not only to hear the words we say, but hear them to the point that it moves them to believe! We proclaim this message to hearts not just ears! You believe with your heart we are told, let our proclamation be from our heart so that it reaches theirs!

5. And lastly, they are to hear with their ears, believe with their hearts, so that they will call out with their soul for their Savior! This is our end goal as a church. Not that people like us, not that people show up, not that people give money, and not that people tell other people how great our church is. If this is us…may we be accursed and never see life! Our sole goal and aim has to be to see people, “Call upon the name of the Lord.” Call to me is a picture of a desperate mother who has lost her child and is screaming their name in desperate despair if she cannot find her greatest love and treasure! That is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, aka a Christian. One who desperately and with abandonment of all other loves calls out to Jesus because we cannot think about anything else, we cannot worry about anything else, we cannot even see anything else until we “find” Him. Until our souls are reunited with our first love and our spirit is made alive!

So we are sent to proclaim the good news in such a way that people hear and are moved to believe to the extent that they call out for Jesus!

Take one of those words and think about them today.

Do you know and obey your orders to go? Are you proclaiming Him and Him alone? Does your proclamation fall on deaf ears because of you or the way you proclaim Him? Do you proclaim truths to the heart for belief, or only to the hands and feet (Their actions)? Do you beg and plead with the Holy Spirit to see people call out for help…for a savior?