It’s not all about You! Romans 10:14-17 (Part 2)

Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

In part 1 of our study on these verses, we talked about how the good news of Jesus Christ needs to be shared before people can believe it! But there is one thing that is out of your control altogether- whether they will accept the message or not.

If you do not preach, they may never hear.

But at the same time, you can preach for hours and days on end with no result. Why? Because it is not up to you to ‘convert’ someone. You cannot make a decision to believe on behalf of someone else. Yes, there are things you can do, but ultimately, it is their choice.

For they will not call on Jesus unless they believe in Him.

So what affects belief?

First, the Holy Spirit needs to interpret the message to them, which will happen at the right time, in the right place. If you read the story of Phillip in Acts 8:26-40, you will see that the spirit called Phillip to a certain place to share, at the exact time that the Ethiopian was examining the Old Testament scripture. You can read here then that this wasn’t a ‘cold’ approach, like a door to door salesperson, but this person was already reading and interested. This person had also just come from Jerusalem, so they knew about God already. If you like, the time and place were set by God. The Ethiopian still had a decision – he could have chosen to reject Phillips message of the good news, as many of the Jewish faith did, but he didn’t.

1 Corinthians 2:6-14 (ESV)
Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

So what can we do to influence this?

Pray. Pray that the Spirit will interpret the good news of Jesus to that person. Pray that you will be given an opportunity to share. Pray that the opportunity comes at the right time, in the right place. Pray that you are given the right words to say.

You don’t need to be perfect. You can totally stuff the whole thing up, from your own perspective. Once the process is started, in many ways, it doesn’t matter! (I’m not saying don’t try, but that the power and conviction comes from God – not you). Once you have started to share, it is up to the Holy Spirit to guide and interpret, convict and direct, and that person to consider and make a decision either way.

Don’t expect immediate results (though they may well come!). Don’t expect anything at all, but pray that the message is received, and you have done what God wants of you in that moment in time. You may be called on again to share to that person – you may not. Someone else may also be called on to water the seed that you planted, or maybe you are watering the seed someone else planted.

The thing to remember is – it is not you. It is now between that person and God, and all you can do is pray. So pray!

Lord God, we are amazed that imperfect as we are, as useless at speaking correctly as we are, as fallen and weak as we are, that you would choose to use us for the most important tasks in Your Kingdom, that of sharing Your good news with others. What an amazing privilege, to partake in the good news of Jesus Christ and share it with others! Guide us Lord, lead us, because we don’t know what to say or when. Help us to more and more rely on you at all times, in Jesus Name, Amen.