Through poignant storytelling, Rogers calls upon each of us to consider our responsibility in spreading the gospel. He challenges listeners to be flexible and ready at any time to fulfill the call of God, demonstrating how our modern comforts are built on the sacrifices of those who preached before us. With relatable anecdotes and historical context, this episode invites us to live boldly and unashamed in sharing our faith.
Adrienne Rogers was a motivator, an encourager, and a leader of the faith. He was also passionate about presenting scriptural application to everyday life circumstances, and you’ll hear that in today’s message. Now, let’s join Adrienne Rogers.
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We’ll be finding Romans chapter 1 and verse 14, would you please? Romans 1, 14. To understand what motivates a man is to understand his life. THE GREATEST MISSIONARY THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN WAS THE APOSTLE PAUL. AND IN THE PASSAGE THAT I’M ABOUT TO READ, YOU’RE GOING TO FIND OUT WHAT MOTIVATED, WHAT MOVED, WHAT DROVE, WHAT IMPELED AND ENERGIZED THE LIFE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST MISSIONARY. THE TITLE OF THE MESSAGE TODAY IS A VERY SIMPLE TITLE, THE MISSIONARY CHALLENGE. THE MESSAGE ITSELF, IS OF GREAT, GREAT, GREAT IMPORTANCE, NOT JUST TO THOSE THAT WE CALL MISSIONARIES, BUT TO EVERY CHILD OF GOD IN THIS PLACE. TO SAY MISSIONARY AND TO SAY CHRISTIAN IS TO SAY THE SAME THING. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A MISSIONARY HEART, YOU ARE GUILTY OF HIGH TREASON AGAINST HEAVEN’S KING. HUDSON TAYLOR SAID, missionary to China, that the Great Commission is not an option to be considered. It is a command to be obeyed. And if you don’t have a missionary heart, a missionary zeal, a missionary prayer, a missionary pocketbook, a missionary motivation, you have a clenched fist in the face of God. And you, sir, you, ma’am, are guilty of high treason against heaven’s Now, here’s the Apostle Paul. And I want you to see what motivated Paul. There are three statements in the Scripture that I’m about to read that begin with the phrase, I AM. Now watch for them. Verse 14, I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greeks. Now do you see it? Verse 14, I am debtor. Verse 15, I am ready. Verse 16, I am not ashamed. And in those three verses, Paul deals with three great facets of the missionary challenge. First of all, he deals with what we’re going to call the missionary obligation. And then he deals with the missionary opportunity. AND THEN HE DEALS WITH THE MISSIONARY OPPOSITION. AND I WANT YOU TO SEE HOW HE DOES IT. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT PAUL WAS HERE FATEFUL TO THE MISSIONARY OBLIGATION. HE SAYS, I AM DEBTOR. NOW WHAT DID HE MEAN BY THAT? WELL, HE MEANT PRIMARILY I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING THE GOSPEL TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT YET HEARD, TO THE GREEKS AND TO THE BARBARIANS. BUT BEHIND THAT WAS PAUL’S LIFE THAT KNEW THAT HE WAS A DEBTOR TO JESUS CHRIST. In verse 1, Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. And what that literally means is a bond slave. That is, Paul knew that when Jesus Christ died for him, Jesus Christ purchased him, and though salvation is the gift of God’s grace, THE GREAT PARADOX IS THAT WHEN WE’RE SAVED BY GRACE, WE BECOME A SLAVE TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. AND IN SLAVERY TO JESUS CHRIST IS ABSOLUTE FREEDOM. BUT WE ARE THE BONDSLAVE OF JESUS CHRIST. THAT’S THE REASON THE APOSTLE PAUL TOLD THE CORINTHIANS, YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN. YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. AND SO YOU TODAY MUST JOIN THE APOSTLE PAUL AND SAY, LORD JESUS, I owe everything to you, my life, my soul, my all. Jesus paid it all, and all to Him I owe. Tell you something else that Paul meant when he said, I am debtor. Not only did he mean that he was a debtor to Christ, but he meant he was a debtor to those who had gone before him, who had suffered, bled, and died for the faith. You see, already in Paul’s time, there were martyrs who had paid with their blood for the faith that we enjoy. And let me say this. We sit here today on this beautiful Sunday morning, in this air-conditioned auditorium, on those cushioned seats, in moderate safety, listening to glorious music. It hasn’t been like this for Christians down through the years. This Apostle Paul, who wrote that he was a debtor, had his head cut off for Jesus Christ. Simon Peter… the apostle. They were going to martyr this apostle Simon Peter, and they said, he likes the cross so much, let’s crucify Peter. Peter said, you may crucify me if you like, but don’t crucify me right side up like Jesus was crucified. Crucify me upside down. And tradition tells us that Simon Peter was crucified upside down for Jesus Christ. If you will study Fox’s Book of Martyrs, you will find out how those people that are our predecessors lived and died for the faith of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some of them were stripped naked and put in arenas where they were gored to death by wild bulls. Others were read in the mouths of ravenous lions with their own blood. Some of them were tied to the beaches at low tide AND PEOPLE GIGGLED AND LAUGHED AS THE WATER CAME UP AND DROWNED THESE EARLY BELIEVERS IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. SOME OF THEM WERE PUT IN HUGE SACKS AND SOWED INTO SACKS AND IN THOSE SACKS WERE POISONOUS SERPENTS. THEY WERE SOWED, PUT IN THERE ALIVE TO BE BITTEN BY THOSE SERPENTS AND DIED. NERO TOOK SOME OF THESE EARLY CHRISTIANS AND DIPPED THEM IN OIL AND SET THEM AFIRE TO LIGHT HIS GARDENS FOR HIS BANQUETS. And even this building that we’re in today, it didn’t just happen. It didn’t just happen. The ministry that we have today, it didn’t just happen. Since 1903, the witness called Bellevue has been here. And you and I stand on the shoulders and reap the legacy of those who’ve gone before us. Those who have suffered, those who have given, those who have prayed, those who have sacrificed. I want to ask you a question. How did you get to know Jesus? DIDN’T SOMEBODY TELL YOU? DIDN’T SOMEBODY BRING THE GOSPEL TO YOU? DID NOT SOMEBODY BRING THE MESSAGE TO YOU? FRIEND, WE’RE DEBTORS TO THOSE WHO’VE DONE THAT. WE OWE THEM. I HEARD OF A LITTLE BOY WHO SAID TO HIS MOM, SAID, MAMA, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT VASE, THAT BEAUTIFUL VASE THAT YOU TREASURE SO MUCH? THAT VASE THAT’S BEEN IN OUR FAMILY FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION? SHE SAID, YES, DARLING, WHAT ABOUT IT? He said, this generation just dropped it. And I’m afraid that we may have a generation that has been the recipient of the gospel that has been handed down from saint to saint and generation to generation and we dare not drop it. But what Paul meant primarily when he said, I am debtor, both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, the wise and the unwise. What did he mean? Well, the Greeks were sophisticated. The barbarians were not. What Paul meant was everybody needs to know Jesus, the up and out, the down and out, the wise and the unwise, the educated, the illiterate, the rich, the poor, the young, the old. All, everybody deserves to know about the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul said, I am faithful to to the missionary obligation. You, if you name the name of Jesus, have an obligation to get out the Gospel. Now, it may not be across the ocean that you’ll go. It may be across the street. IT MAY NOT BE THAT YOU WILL GO WITH A PREACHING VOICE. IT MAY BE THAT YOU WILL GO WITH YOUR DOLLARS. YOU’LL GO WITH YOUR PRAYERS. BUT SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, YOU WILL BE A PART OF THE TEAM THAT GETS OUT THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. AND YOU MUST SAY, EVERY ONE OF YOU, I AM IN DEBT. I AM IN DEBT. THERE IS A DEBT THAT MUST BE PAID. SOMEBODY GAVE THE GOSPEL TO ME. AND I MUST, I MUST PASS IT ON. ISN’T THAT RIGHT? NOW, DID THAT SINK IN? WOULD YOU SAY, LISTEN NOW, THIS IS NOT A SERMON, NOW THIS IS TO YOU, WOULD YOU SAY, PASTOR ROGERS, I AGREE THAT I MUST BE FAITHFUL TO THE MISSIONARY OBLIGATION? WILL YOU SAY THAT IN YOUR HEART? DID YOU SAY IT? OR DID YOU COME TO SIT IN CHURCH LIKE YOU WATCH TELEVISION WITH NO INTENT OF BEING CHANGED? DID YOU SAY, Will you say? Are you saying right now along with the Apostle Paul, I am faithful to the missionary obligation? Yes, I am a debtor. Now here’s the second thing he said. Not only did he say, I am faithful, but he said, I am flexible to the missionary opportunity. He said, I am ready. I AM READY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE AT ROME ALSO.” HE’D BEEN IN OTHER PLACES AND NOW HE IS READY. MAY I TELL YOU WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE THE MISSIONARY HEART? DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? NOT ORATORICAL ABILITY, NOT INTELLECTUAL ABILITY, NOT PHYSICAL OR FINANCIAL ABILITY, NOT PERSONALITY, IF YOU HAVE THOSE THINGS WELL AND GOOD, USE THEM FOR CHRIST. BUT THE TWO GREAT ABILITIES THAT ARE NEEDED IN THIS CONGREGATION, NEEDED IN THIS CITY, AND NEEDED AROUND THE WORLD ARE THESE, DEPENDABILITY AND AVAILABILITY. DEPENDABILITY AND AVAILABILITY. ARE YOU AVAILABLE? AND ARE YOU DEPENDABLE? COULD YOU SAY WITH THE APOSTLE PAUL, I AM READY? I AM READY TO LIVE? as a Christian ought to live. I am ready to pray. I am ready to give. I am ready to go. I’m ready to die if need be. Would you die for Jesus? You say, well, Pastor, I don’t know whether I would or not. I don’t think you do now. But I think you ought to ask yourself that question today. and say, I want to be ready to die for Jesus. You know, I don’t think you’re ready to live until you’re ready to die. You see, if the gospel is worth anything, it’s worth everything. Are you ready? Are you available? Are you flexible? Could God break into your plans and The great missionary David Livingston said, Send me where you will, but go with me. Lay any burden upon my heart, but sustain me. Sever any tie, but the one that binds my heart to you. I am ready. You see, many of us, if God were to call us, we’d say, I can’t go. Well, why can’t I go? Well, I’m enrolled in this course. I’m involved in this business. I’m attached to this relationship. I am committed to this cause. Well, there’s no school, no relationship, no business, and no cause that should take precedent over the call of God upon your life. If God calls… Are you a lawyer today? Your law practice is not more important than the call of God on your life. Are you a doctor today? Your medicine is not more important than the call of God upon your life. Are you a banker, a financier, a school teacher? None of that is more important. Now, God may want you to be a banker, a lawyer, a doctor, a physician, right where you are. As a matter of fact, I think most of us are exactly where God wants us, but not all of us. Not all of us. And God may just break in and say, hey, that’s what you’re doing now and you’ve been in God’s will thus far. But now here’s a new call. If God were to reach in and break up your little party, are you flexible? Are you flexible? I mean, are you willing to change your plans? You say, this is what my career path has been. It’s what it’s going to be. Well, God might have other plans for you. There’s a man right there. God had a career path for him. Bob Sorrell had a mind, the ability, the energy, and the ambition to succeed in the world of industry and was doing a wonderful job. But God stepped in and said, I want you in the ministry. I want you in the ministry. And he was flexible so that God could hear him and took him out of a career path and put him somewhere else because he was flexible. You know, we can do really, we can make arrangements to do what we really want to do. Now, are you faithful to the obligation of the gospel? Are you? Are you flexible for the opportunities of the gospel? Did you know that these are days of incredible opportunity? Jesus said in John chapter 4 and verse 35, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white unto harvest. When has been in history the greatest day of missionary advance? When? Now you are living in it. The Christian church today, please hear this pastor’s heart, is reaping and witnessing a far greater harvest of souls than in all of history and anything that the apostles ever witnessed. Around the world today there are massive victories for the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet most of the people in the Western world are completely unaware of what is happening. Years ago I read about a sales manager WHO GOT HIS SALES FORCE TOGETHER, TOOK A WHITE POSTER BOARD AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT WHITE POSTER BOARD HE PUT ONE BLACK DOT, HELD IT UP IN FRONT OF HIS SALES FORCE AND SAID, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ONE SAID, WELL, I, I SEE A BLACK DOT. THE NEXT, WHAT DO YOU SEE? A BLACK DOT. THE NEXT, WHAT DO YOU SEE? ALL SAW A BLACK DOT. AND THEN HE SAID, ISN’T IT STRANGE THAT ALL OF YOU SAW A BLACK DOT, BUT NONE OF YOU SAW THE WHITE ALL AROUND Now we see the black dot of self-concern, but how many of us have lifted up our eyes to see the fields that are white already under harvest? Are you flexible? I mean, if God were to reach in and break up your little party today, if God were to say, hey, you’re the one he’s talking to. I have a different plan for you. Yes, I know you’ve got it all scoped out. Yes, I know that you’ve planned it all, but I have a different plan for you. Now, I’m not saying that God’s going to call every one of us overseas or into the ministry. I’m saying that every Christian is a missionary where he is and he must be flexible. He must say, God, whatever it is, wherever it is, Lord, I am ready. Like David Livingston, send me where you will, just go with me. JUST GO WITH ME, LAY ANY BURDEN ON MY HEART, JUST SUSTAIN ME. SEVER ANY TIE BUT THE ONE THAT BINDS MY HEART TO YOU.” NOW HERE’S THE THIRD THING HE SAID THAT MADE HIM THE MISSIONARY HE WAS. HE SAID, I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. THAT MEANS HE WAS FEARLESS TO THE OPPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL. HE WAS FAITHFUL TO THE OBLIGATION HE, FRIEND, WAS FLEXIBLE FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES. AND HE WAS FEARLESS TO THE OPPOSITION. HERE’S A MAN WHO WAS GOING TO ROME, THE MOST POWERFUL AND SOPHISTICATED CITY ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, THE SEAT OF POWER, THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, AS IT WERE. AND HE SAID, THIS IS WHERE I AM GOING. IF YOU THINK IT’S DIFFICULT TODAY, YOU SHOULD HAVE LIVED IN PAUL’S DAY. IN PAUL’S DAY, THE GOSPEL HAD AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT STANDING. THE CROSS WAS A MARK OF SHAME. PEOPLE DIDN’T WEAR A GOLD CROSS AROUND THEIR NECK AS JEWELRY. AND TO MOST PEOPLE, IN PAUL’S DAY, JESUS WAS A MADMAN AT THE BEST AND A CRIMINAL AT THE WORST. AND THE GOSPEL WAS IDENTIFIED WITH A POOR JEWISH CARPENTER WHO WAS CRUCIFIED. NOW THE ROMANS HAD NO SPECIAL APPRECIATION FOR THE JEWS, AND EXECUTION WAS THE, BY CRUCIFIXION, WAS THE LOWEST FORM OF DEATH. AND THAT’S WHAT PAUL WAS PREACHING WAS CHRIST CRUCIFIED. THESE ROMANS WERE SAYING, WHY SHOULD I PUT ANY FAITH IN A JEW WHO WAS CRUCIFIED? ROME HAD HER GREAT INTELLECTS AND HER PHILOSOPHERS. THEY THOUGHT OF THIS AS A FABLE ABOUT SOME JEW WHO WAS CRUCIFIED AND THEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD. But Paul said, I’m not ashamed of that. I’m not ashamed. It doesn’t bother me about what you think about it. I know what you think, but I’m not ashamed. And let me say that if you’re a child of God, you don’t have to lay your brains on a shelf in order to serve Jesus. Paul was an intellectual giant. Did you hear me? intellectual giant. I know what he wrote. He wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but yet you need to see the mind that the Holy Spirit inspired. Read the book of Romans. I mean read it. Friend, there is a treatise. There is the mind of a man, yes, ignited by the Holy Spirit. I understand all of that. But here was a man who had the equivalency of a triple Ph.D. Here was a man that was a leader of leaders. Here was a man who was of the tribe of Benjamin, a Jew of the Jews. Noble birth. But he said, I’m not ashamed of Jesus. You know what the problem with many of us today is? We think that somehow to be a Christian… IS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE JUST KIND OF HAVE TO BE TONGUE TIED ABOUT, JUST A LITTLE ASHAMED OF. DR. LEE TOLD ABOUT AN OLD PREACHER ONE TIME, HIS NAME WAS MR. BALWIN, BROTHER BALWIN. BROTHER BALWIN SAID THIS ABOUT THE GOSPEL. HE SAID, AT 30 WHEN I WAS A YOUNG MAN, I EXAMINED ALL THE PHILOSOPHIES OF THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD AND I SAID, THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. THEN HE SAID, WHEN I GOT TO BE 40 AND THE BURDENS OF LIFE CAME AND, AND I SAW THE POWER THAT I NEEDED IN MY LIFE, I SAID, THERE’S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE GOSPEL. THEN HE SAID, WHEN I GOT TO BE 50 AND WHEN THERE WERE SOME EMPTY PLACES AT THE TABLE AND THE GRAVE DIGGERS HAD DONE THEIR WORK, I SAID, THERE’S NOTHING TO BE COMPARED TO THE GOSPEL. BUT THEN HE SAID, WHEN I GOT TO BE 60 AND 70. AND I SAW WITH A NEW SET OF LENSES THIS WORLD WITH ALL OF ITS VANITY AND ALL OF ITS ILLUSIONS. I CAME TO SEE THERE IS NOTHING BUT THE GOSPEL. NOTHING BUT THE GOSPEL. ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS IS JESUS. FRIEND, ARE YOU ASHAMED OF JESUS? ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION, AM I A SOLDIER OF THE CROSS? a follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own His cause or blush to speak His name? Paul said, I’m going to Rome, but I want you to know when I go, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. I’m not ashamed of the person of that gospel. It’s the gospel of Christ. OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO’VE EVER LIVED, ABOUT 60 BILLION WHO’VE EVER LIVED FROM ADAM TO THIS TIME, BUT THERE’S ONE WHO STANDS OUT ABOVE THEM ALL. HIS NAME IS JESUS. JESUS, THE SON OF GOD. JESUS, GOD THE SON. IF I HAD A THOUSAND LIVES, I’D WANT TO GIVE EVERY ONE OF THEM TO JESUS CHRIST. A YOUNG MAN LIVED A LIFE OF SIN AND DEBAUTRY AND FILTH. HE HAD SUNK SO LOW HE WAS TERRIBLE THE WAY HE’D LIVED. HE’D… DISGRACEFUL. THEN GOD SAVED HIM BY HIS AMAZING, WONDERFUL GRACE. GOD CALLED HIM TO PREACH. UPON A TIME HE WAS IN A SERVICE PREACHING. And somebody who had known his prior life saw him up there and thought it was disgusting that a man had been such a reprobate, a profligate, a person who had lived in such debauchery and depth of sin and filth, listed all of the things that he’d known that this man had done, put them on a list and dispatched it by an usher up there to give it to him and said to him, aren’t you ashamed of yourself? How dare you stand up there to preach? Do you know what that young man did? HE TOOK THAT LIST WITH EVERY FILTHY THING ON IT THAT WAS TRUE. AND HE STOOD BEHIND THE PODIUM AND HE SAID, I WANT TO READ A NOTE THAT’S BEEN HANDED TO ME. AND HE READ ALL OF THESE THINGS. DIDN’T LEAVE ANYTHING OUT. AND THEN WITH THE TEARS STREAMING DOWN HIS CHEEKS, HE SAID, YES, I AM ASHAMED. BUT HE SAID, I’M NOT ASHAMED OF JESUS. I’m not ashamed of Jesus. I’m sure the Apostle Paul was ashamed of some things that he’d done, but he was not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, the person of the cross. And then he’s not ashamed of the purpose of the cross, his salvation, for it is the power of God unto salvation. What is the greatest need of this world? More education? Better roads? Better economy? What is the need of the world? Why did Jesus come? Luke 19, 10, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost. Let Wall Street handle the finances. Let Hollywood have the fame, the games, and the shame. Let the politicians… HANDLE THE POLITICS. LET ME BE IN THE BUSINESS OF WINNING SOULS TO CHRIST. I’M NOT AGAINST THESE OTHER THINGS RIGHTLY USED, BUT I’M SAYING TO YOU, FRIEND, THE GREAT MOTIVE OF PAUL’S HEART WAS SALVATION. DO YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE RIDICULED, THIS CHURCH IS RIDICULED AND OTHER CHURCHES ARE RIDICULED BECAUSE WE PUT AN EMPHASIS UPON GETTING PEOPLE SAVED? THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. Saved is a good word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It’s the power of God unto salvation. Paul wasn’t ashamed of the person. It’s the gospel of Christ, the purpose, salvation, the power. It is the power of God unto salvation. If you’ve heard preaching very long, you know that that word power is the word we get our word dynamite from. It’s the Greek word dunamis. Paul said it’s the dynamite of the gospel. There’s power in the gospel. If you were to take a hydrogen bomb and put it in the lapels of your coat and detonate it, they couldn’t find anything to bury after it was over. You’d be vaporized. But the sin would still be there in your heart. Only the gospel of Jesus can blow that sin out. Friend, that’s power. That’s power that can make a crooked man straight, make an impure woman pure. It can make a drunkard sober. That can give a hope that is steadfast and sure. The gospel, listen, there’s another word that we get from there. Not only dynamite, but dynamo. He doesn’t just forgive you and you have a big explosion and it’s all over and all the dust just settles. But friend, He comes into you and gives you a power that energizes you and works through you and is in me now, working through me and in you. That is the dynamo of God, the Holy Spirit of God when you receive Christ. God doesn’t just wind you up and let you go. God puts His power into you. What a wonderful gospel. I’ll tell you something else. WHY PAUL WASN’T ASHAMED OF IT? IT’S PERSON, IT’S PURPOSE, IT’S POWER, AND IT’S PLAN. LOOK IN VERSE 16, FOR I’M NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION, NOW WATCH THIS, TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVES. THAT’S THE PLAN OF THE GOSPEL. YOU KNOW, IT’S SO SIMPLE. AND THAT’S WHY IT’S SO WONDERFUL. It’s for everybody, the Jew, the Gentile, the Greek, the barbarian, the wise, the unwise, whoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is universally applicable. What if God said everybody wants to be saved, run around the block? That would be easy enough, except there’s some little crippled children who can’t run. What if God said everybody wants to be saved, read a chapter in the Bible. That would be simple enough, except there’s some people who can’t read. What if God said, everybody who wants to be saved, give $10? Some people don’t have anything to give. But there’s one thing that all can do, and that’s to trust Jesus. And I’m glad that I can say to anyone, anywhere, any place, any time, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. And if you put any other qualification on there, you take the whosoever out, if you add baptism to it, then people in an airplane can’t be saved. People in a desert can’t be saved. People in a submarine can’t be saved. But according to this, anybody can be saved if they’ll trust Jesus. I want to show you something. I kind of shouted when I preached this earlier, so I’m going to try not to shout and be a little more dignified right now. But turn to chapter 4 and verse 16. Let me tell you why it is this way. You know, I’ve been preaching on grace. Now watch verse 16. Romans 4, verse 16. Therefore it is by faith that it might be by grace. Now, if you add anything else but faith, it’s no longer grace. It is by faith that it might be by grace. Now watch this. To the end, that is for the purpose, that the promise might be sure to all the seed. If you add any other qualification to it, you eliminate people. The only way that you can be sure that you can be saved and be sure that you are saved is the grace of God and your faith in God’s grace. Isn’t that a great verse? This is what Paul is saying. The world’s greatest missionary. He said, look, listen, I am going to Rome. And he says here, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome also. What does he mean Rome also? He said, I’ve already seen it work and I’m going to get you too. I’m going to get you too. It’s like little David. David came against Goliath. He said, look. He said, I’ve slain a lion. I’ve slain a bear. And I’m going to get you, son. I’m going to get you too. I know where the power is. Paul said, I’m ready to preach the gospel to TO YOU WHO ARE AT ROME ALSO. I KNOW WHERE THE POWER IS. NOW, BELOVED, THIS IS THE MISSIONARY CHALLENGE. IT IS NOT AN OPTION TO BE CONSIDERED. IT IS A COMMAND TO BE OBEYED. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME TODAY, GOD IS SPEAKING TO YOU. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, If you name the name of Jesus, God is speaking to you. And every one of us must say, oh God, help me to be faithful to the missionary obligation. Oh God, help me to be flexible to the missionary opportunity. And oh God, help me to be fearless to the missionary opposition. I’ll never be ashamed of Jesus. I’ll never be ashamed of Jesus. I will not do it. I’ll stand up for him who died for me. And God’s people said, amen.
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