“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? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
– Romans 10: 14-15
Background of the Book of Romans
- Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by the Apostle Paul to explain that salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- It is by far the longest of the Pauline epistles, and is considered his "most important theological legacy".[1][2]
- Apostle Paul, wrote the letter before even traveling to Rome, this, is an advance letter announcing his visit and the purpose of his travel before going to Spain
- In context, the verses were part of Paul’s argument on the current situation of Jews and Gentile believers of his time
- It was also a reminder for believers in Rome to the hope that they have, which should be shared to everyone who has an ear
So, in context, the epistles to the Romans was written by Paul for believers, encouraging and instructing them on what they can do with the very message they have received from the Lord through Paul’s ministry.
Paul strengthened their faith by challenging them to hold on to the very teachings God has given them. In these particular two verses, Paul openly shared his thoughts about his ministry and God’s call for his life.
If you notice, in the early verses, He made it clear that he was called to the gentiles with the very message from Christ:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 28:16-20 gives a clear command to “go and make disciples to all nations…” This command was not given to a few but to everyone who believes and is a disciple of Jesus Christ.
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:16-18
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ?
According to The Joshua Project, the great commission is at 60% completion stage with more than 4.43B people hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is an achievement after 2,000 years!
In God’s goodness and timing, many have come to know Jesus Christ including us. We are part of that almost 5 billion people who have heard of the gospel message.
Although we have completed 60% of the task, the fact remains that it’s still incomplete with nearly 2.84 billion people in darkness. Kindly see global statistics below:
Global Statistics | ||
Peoples-by-Country | Individuals | |
16,829 | 6.83 billion | |
6,997 | 2.84 billion | |
41.6 % | 41.6 % | |
8,758 | 4.49 billion | |
5,913 | 2.76 billion | |
67.5 % | 61.3 % | |
It’s a sad fact that many doesn’t know the Lord or have heard of his message.
Why am I sharing these things to you?
Because you and I need to be involved in fulfilling the task. We all play an important role. Like in a puzzle, you have something that can complete such a task.
Isn’t it amazing when God uses, young people to rise into the occasion and bring glory to God’s awesome name?
Just take for example, Abraham, who was called out of Ur, Chaldea to fulfill promise he, received from the Lord. And the Lord blessed him with everything he has.
Joseph, his great-great-great grandson, was beaten by his brothers, beaten and sold out to slavery. He was imprisoned and became the savior of the ancient times when he became governor of Egypt, the second highest authority in the land. Even Pharaoh declared that there was no God like whom Joseph served.
Daniel, who likes all the princes, was exiled to Babylon to serve the King. He served three big empires of his time and recognized as the leader among all the wise men in the court of the Kings. God used him in such a difficult time to read the times, gave wise counsel to the King. Later on, his faith was challenged and was fed to the lions to become an example. But God spared his life, giving the opportunity of God’s glory to be known throughout all the land.
How about Esther, who became the queen of Persia to save her people for such a time when everyone wanted her people killed.
I need not mention David, Solomon, Joshua, Jehu, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Timothy, Stephen and Paul?
God has been using young individuals to expand his kingdom territory and eradicate the works of the enemy bringing hope to those who are in darkness.
Abram was a business man, Joseph was a manager after 40 years of being imprisoned and slaved, Daniel was the leader of all the wise men in Babylon. Paul, was a teacher of the Law, Esther was the queen of Persia.
In missions, God has been using younger generations for the past 40 years to bring the message of hope to the 10/40 windows.
Is it really possible to reach the 2.84B people before Christ’s second coming?
Yes, it’s possible. He cannot deny his word and his word clearly says that unless all the people of the earth will hear the good news, the end will not come. The bible clearly says that this gospel will be preached and then the end will come.
But what does it have to do with me?
God’s commission is for his people, set apart for such a task. Our race is unique, we can learn languages easily, we can settle anywhere, and we have a skin that can blend in with other Asians.
As a believer, God’s command is for everyone who has received the same gospel as the Romans. Like Paul, we have been given a task to help fulfill the great commission. Regardless of educational attainment, status in life or working background, He has called us for such a time as this.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Matthew 9:36-38
God is looking for co-laborers in the field. Real believers are co-laborers; they don’t sit in pews and just listen to the pastors. They do a lot of things out of love for their master. We labor out of love and not of selfish ambitions.
We become doers of the word!
If our desire is to serve and please the Lord, we must learn to march with his drumbeat and listen to his heartbeat, which is for the nations.
How can we help?
Start by praying to God and let him show you how you can help.
When I first heard that my auntie was going to Indonesia for a mission’s trip, I started praying how I can help. I was a high school student at that time and I didn’t have enough money to spare. So, I started praying for her and her endeavors. I remember getting excited every time she sends her prayer letter.
In 2003, when I became the missions’ coordinator for our school chapter, I started including the missions support of aiding the missions department of the organization. We gave, as a chapter, a monthly support to a specific missionary who is from the Visayas.
Learn more about missions and people groups
My interest in missions started when I first joined our leadership camp in InterVarsity. It was a video presentation in China. During the missions night, I was challenged by one of our staffworker’s short message of becoming “a light to the nations” which at that time, was focused in the campuses.
Later on, I started reading books about missions, autobiographies of great and small veterans of the Lord like Billy Graham, Bill Bright, Amy Carmichael, Brother Yun, Open Doors Ministry and many more. My love for the Lord and the passion to serve him opened my eyes to what’s going on around the world and what He is doing through different initiatives.
Support missionaries and mission groups
First off, support doesn’t just mean supporting them financially. Of course, money is needed when we go to missions. But first and foremost, I believe that supporting missionaries starts by becoming their helping hand, being there when they need encouragement and help them fulfill God’s calling on their lives.
We can always support them by sending them encouragement from time to time, be part of their prayer teams or start a missionary care group for them.
There are a lot of ways to support missions, we just have to be open and sometimes be creative about it.
Go and make disciples
Perhaps God is calling you to serve him as a full-time missionary in a remote place, an urban city or even inMindanao. It’s all the more that you start praying and listening to God’s voice and direction for your life.
Our endeavors might not be written in books like Joshua’s or David’s feat but it will indeed bring us to the very feet of our savior and lord, with his very words “well done, good and faithful servant…” that we always pray for. Indeed, that’s good news!
"Raising generations of Filipino Youth for cross-cultural missions"
