Romans 10:11-13: As Scripture says, Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentilethe same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
As you may know, those that were of the Jewish faith believed in heritage. Everyone else was called a Gentile. Boy, what a revelation when the book of Acts happened. Wait a minute! You can’t get saved, you’re not Jewish! The Lord said, yes they can, because I came for the whole world.
Sometimes we kind of act the same way. Maybe we don’t say the same thing, but we act the same way. Wait a minute, you were my enemy. You can’t be saved. You’re the guy that doesn’t like me, therefore, I don’t like you. You can’t be saved. Or, you’re from China, you’re from India, you’re from Central America, you’re from Canada, you’re from wherever. You’re from Michigan, not Michigan State. How can God love you?
I hope you got the humor in the Michigan comment. Sidenote, I don’t know why Michigan State fans still can not stand Michigan fans. Who knows. I digress.
God loves us so much, that he will send you half way around the world, and send someone half way around the world to you, if he has to. There is no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles, you are the same. We all need to be saved.
Sometimes we don’t think about it this way. Billy Graham had to say this prayer, one time in his lifetime, at least; “Jesus, I am a sinner. Come into my heart, come into my life, save me and set me free.” Billy Graham, you say? Oh yeah. Him and everybody else.
Romans 10:13-18: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?Isaiah 52:7: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns!
We have, what’s called, good news…the Bible. Do you think our world needs some good news? South Bend needs some good news and I bet your city does too. Boy, do we need good news. What does everywhere else around the world need? Good news.
Somehow, we have made this so hard, so complicated, so many hoops to jump through. We then say, “I’m not qualified to speak. I’m not qualified to lead anybody to the Lord. I can never be a missionary. I can never be a sent one. I could never tell anyone good news.” Why?! Because you don’t know Greek? You know what? The Bible says the same thing in Greek, Hebrew, Latin, French, and every other language, as it says in English. Good news.
If you’re lost, what’s the good news? You can be found. If you’re sick, what’s the good news? You can be healed.
So what is the good news? It’s whatever the devil has put on you. Jesus, by the cross, and by the power of His resurrection, He has taken that off of you. That is good news.
There’s a man, by the name of John Gilman, that worked for CBN, years ago. He had something way down on the inside of him, a calling to the people of India. He went to India, but couldn’t speak in all their dialects, so he had a movie made. It was a Jesus movie. Years ago, he came by our church and we raised some money to help him produce that, but he reproduced that in the language of the people in India.
He would go out into the villages, throw up a white bed sheet, then they’d run a generator, for a PA system and projector. Thousands came to know the Lord. They didn’t know who Jesus was. They didn’t know that there was a Bible. They knew absolutely nothing. The people of that village would sit on the ground and watch the movie. They’d weep. God would touch their hearts. Then they would say, “Why are they killing that innocent man.”
That says it all.
They killed the innocent man, because we are guilty in our sins. But, the good news is, that He rose again the third day. He’s sitting at the right hand of the Father making intersession for us. He wants the whole world to be free. Say out loud, right now, FREE.
You don’t have to live in bondage. You can be free. You know what? There are hundreds, of millions, of people that need that word. You don’t need to tell it to them in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, just their own language so that they can understand. They can understand that they can be free.
From the banker, the lawyer, to the guy that picks up the trash, or anyone else. You can be free.
~Pastor Steve