Romans 10:14-17 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? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
The message of Christ has been sent around the globe in all kinds of forums: face to face, small and large gatherings, written letters, newspapers, radio, television, online, telephone, and so on. Two and a quarter billion Christians inhabit the world. These are people who classify themselves as Christians when asked. One would think the message of Christianity has invaded every corner of the world, for Christianity is the largest religion in the world of seven and half billion people. However the message of faith in Christ alone has not been well received by many who claim to be Christians. They might have joined a Christian organization or follow a dogma that claims to be Christian, but they lack complete dependency on Christ for their salvation, a key element of true faith. Christ crucified and resurrected has always been a stumbling stone to many in the world, religious or not. When Peter wrote of people rejecting the living stone, our cornerstone, Jesus Christ, he quoted the Old Testament: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. (1 Peter 2:6) Jesus is the only way to everlasting life. This pure truth of the gospel must still be preached in all lands. Until Christ returns, people must be sent to every corner of this world to preach the Good News: eternal life comes to those who are IN CHRIST THROUGH FAITH IN HIS WORKS. The salvation message, received by faith in Christ, must still be spread by every means possible. The supernatural existence of the born again experience must still be shared. A new creation comes alive by faith in Christ’s work, through his efficacious blood on the cross and in the power of his resurrection from the dead by the Holy Spirit. A born-again life moves from this finite kingdom of the Earth to an eternal kingdom known as the Kingdom of God. The redeemed receive a new citizenship: a new residence is promised to them forever. This is the message believers must take to all people who are trapped in this time capsule without an escape from death. This is the message of the GOOD NEWS. Across the ages, many have been persecuted and even killed because of promulgating this lifeline to a sick and dying world. But Christians must continue to carry this Good News to their communities and to the world. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
We should have a fire in our souls burning to share the same message Paul wrote to Timothy, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to same sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15)
The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven is real to those who grasp this reality by faith. All others cannot enter into this domain of God because of their lack of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) However, a new kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, must be seen through eyes of faith that trust in God. God has demanded that we use faith in order to come to him. The Good News requires faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross. God will accept no other avenue to him, but faith. As humans, we often want to see evidence that God is real. The people in Jesus’ time wanted him to perform miracles on their command. But Jesus would not accommodate them. In fact he told them that an evil generation seeks a sign, a generation that will not accept God and his existence by faith. The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” (Mark 8:11-12) A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:39-40) From the beginning to the end The Bible lifts up faith. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve could never again enter into the Garden of Eden or find a place where they could commune with God face to face. Their lives would carry out God’s curse on them. But even in this desperate situation, God had a plan for them and for all humanity to come to him in faith, believing God has a place of abiding with him just over the horizon. But this kingdom of God must be attained by unswerving faith in his goodness, mercy and grace. God has not given up on mankind, even though man’s inclinations are evil from birth. His rebellion, his shaking of his fist in God’s face, is integral to his nature. “I WILL DO IT! I don’t need you. I will perform righteousness in my life.” Mankind cries out at God. But man’s existence through historical accounts has always been polluted by violence, degradation, untold evil acts. He has not been able to reform himself, even though God has given him understanding, great knowledge, and wisdom. Yet God made a way for us through his Son that we might be saved and take the gospel forth to a dying world in answer to Jesus’ command: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15)
Faith in God and in his words was central to the lives of the ancients in the Bible. By faith, Noah had to see a new kingdom after the flood. He built the Ark, based on his faith in God’s words. By faith, Abraham left what he knew and moved to a new land, one he never would own in his lifetime, but a land that was promised to him and his descendants. By faith, Moses took the Israelites to a land that he had never explored, a land already populated, but promised to the Israelites. These Bible greats and men like Joshua all accepted their future by faith. The prophets, depending upon God, accepted the truth of the future by faith. In the New Testament, we find Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, Jesus, the disciples, the apostle Paul, and all the others who followed Jesus accepting their future by faith. Today, we who are IN CHRIST also have a future we accept by faith. We know God has given us the Kingdom of God now and that we will live forever in the presence of the Lord. Because of our hope and trust in Jesus and our confidence in his Word, our future is established. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 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. (Romans 10:8-10) We who are IN CHRIST have inherited a new existence, a new Kingdom, one that we have never explored or possessed with our physical senses, but it exists. We have obtained this kingdom by faith. Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we can function successfully in this kingdom. We have the privilege of talking to our Lord face to face because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. This relationship depends on the faith we have in Jesus Christ, just as people in the Old Testament depended on their belief in God and his works, we depend on God’s work and not our own. We are risen with Christ into a new life. We are born again into a new family through our faith in Christ. Our kingdom is present, but also in the future. For someday we will be known to all creation as the adopted members of God’s household, through the work of Jesus Christ. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls our, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6) Today, walk with beautiful feet as a son or daughter of the King, sharing the gospel that Jesus saves to the uttermost!
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