“So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
How does the gospel move forward? How does the Lord regenerate a heart so a person is able to understand and respond to the gospel? The clear answer in Romans 10 is “by hearing.” What is it that people need to hear? Again, the answer is clear: “the word of Christ.” In other words – the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is God’s Word and has a powerful impact on all who hear it.
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11
These two Scriptures give us three metaphors for Scripture: 1) a fire that consumes; 2) a hammer that breaks up hard rock and; 3) rain that nourishes the earth. Clearly God’s Word is the most powerful resource at our disposal!
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Here is a fourth metaphor: a sword that pierces to the inner being. And there is the key. What people need to be saved is not a little knowledge or a little moral improvement. What they need is a complete internal transformation – a spiritual heart transplant. The tool God uses to change a heart is His Word – specifically, the gospel message.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
In Romans 10, Paul applies the gospel’s power to evangelism saying that believers have to move forward and boldly share the gospel because “faith comes by hearing.” And this is exactly where he started in Romans 1, showing by his example the importance of unashamed gospel proclamation. Because it is the gospel verbally declared that “is the power of God for salvation.”
What this means for us as evangelists is that we need to be much quicker to share the gospel. I’m not saying we should be obnoxious or offensive, or try to force the Romans Road into the first conversation with a neighbor. Obviously discernment is needed and an ongoing dependence on the leading of the Holy Spirit. But often we wait… and wait… and wait… hoping for that perfect moment of relational magic and spiritual openness – that never actually comes.
This is why it’s important to have two clear and brief messages ready to share at a moment’s notice: 1) your story of how you came to hear, believe and respond to the gospel and; 2) God’s story of how Jesus came, died and rose again to pay for sin and bring you into a relationship with God. Both of these need to be written out and practiced so you can share them clearly and quickly – like an “elevator pitch” in the business world. Here is a simple version of the bridge illustration.
There is a great App called Share Your Faith that walks through the bridge illustration for you.
There is another App called Life on Mission that uses the 3 Circles, another simple gospel presentation.
Lots of other tools are available – the point is to find simple presentations that work for you – and use them!
People need to hear! They cannot hear if we don’t share!