There are 1.4 million people who live in the islands, and 1.3 million of them don’t believe that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We want them to be redeemed and radically transformed by the gospel, but with such a daunting number, where do we start?
Paul gave us a five-step plan: “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!'” (Rom 10:14-16).
There are five verbs in this passage that provide us with a simple strategy:
1. Send
The Latin word for send is “missi,” where we get the word “mission.” A mission isn’t just something that Mormons do. It’s not just something that Army Rangers do. It’s what we all do! Yesterday, we sent out a short-term missions team to Southeast Asia. They’ll be reaching factory workers, and university students. But they’re not the only ones who are sent.
We send every member of our church to their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods, fully understanding that this mission can be a lot more difficult than a mission to another country. When I’m talking about Jesus with someone overseas, I know that if the person rejects me, I’ll probably never see him for the rest of my life. It’s a lot harder to talk about Jesus with my next-door neighbor. I might see that guy every day for the rest of my life! I don’t want to rock the boat. I don’t want to make things uncomfortable. But that’s a mission God’s sent all of us on. A mission to our own people. And what are we going to do on that mission?
2. Preach
The Greek word means to herald. To make an announcement. So we’re not really talking about preaching a sermon. We’re talking about spreading the word about something good we’ve found. We’re beggars who’ve found bread, and we want to invite as many people as we can to come share it with us. That’s all that preaching is: sharing something good you’ve discovered.
When people visit L.A., I tell them about a great little cookie store in Westwood. Three huge cookies for a dollar. “You have to go! Even if you have a 2-hour layover at LAX, take a taxi and go get those cookies!” When people are going down to the North Shore, I tell them about a great little Mexican restaurant and their epic carne asada. “You have to try it! Your life will be changed!”
These places should be paying me for all the publicity I’m giving them, but I happily do it for free. I’m just passing along something good I’ve found. How could I not do that with the incredible thing I’ve found in Jesus? A Christian who never wants to talk about Jesus is like an NFL quarterback who never wants to talk about football. It’s his whole life! We can’t help but talk about it. And then people will…
3. Hear
People need to hear the gospel. Which means when we preach the gospel, it needs to be with words that people can hear. For the last few years, Christians have loved to quote St. Francis of Assissi: “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” But the thing is, the gospel is words! We are sinners in need of a savior, and Jesus is that savior You can’t preach that by holding the door open for the old lady at the store. You can’t preach that by giving a big tip to the barista who makes your Venti Caramel Frappucino. The gospel needs to be heard and understood! And then, if God is working, people need to…
4. Believe
People need to believe the gospel. Which doesn’t mean simply believing facts about the gospel. In James 2 it says, “Even the demons believe – and shudder!” Even demons believe that Jesus was God, that he lived a perfect life, and died on the cross to take away our sin, that he rose from the dead and reigns at the right hand of the Father, and that he’s coming back to judge the world. They believe that, but they still don’t want to accept it. They know that Jesus is the Lord, but they don’t want him to be their Lord. And so they shudder when they think about it. To truly “believe” the gospel means to accept and embrace the gospel. Which means that people need to…
5. Call
Paul says, “How will they call on him in whom they have not believed?” Some people call on Jesus without believing. They’re in a tough situation and they say, “Jesus, if you get me out of this, I’ll go work with Mother Theresa. I’ll go to India. Zimbabwe. Tajikistan. Wherever!” And Jesus delivers them, and they stay exactly where they were. Plenty of people call on Jesus when it’s an emergency. As Don Carson has said, “Some of us have a view of the gospel that makes Jesus out to be something like an automobile club repairman: Jesus is a nice man, he’s a very, very nice man, and when you break down, he comes along and fixes you.”
But Jesus isn’t a repairman, he’s the savior. He’s the Lord. We don’t need to call on Jesus to fix us, we need to call on him to save us, and redeem us, and rule over us. And we need to do that every single day. Calling on Jesus isn’t something you just do once. It’s something you do all day long:
- “Oh Lord, I’m tired today. … I need your strength!”
- “Oh, Jesus, I’ve got a big meeting this morning. … I need your wisdom!”
- “Oh Lord, I’m tempted to snap at my kid right now. … I need your love!”
- “Jesus, I just snapped at my kid. … I need your forgiveness!”
That’s what it means to be a Christian … calling on Jesus for everything, every minute of every day. And when you do, Jesus makes a promise: “The Lord bestows his riches on all who call on him” (Rom 10:12). He bestows his strength, wisdom, love, forgiveness, and everything else you need, when you call. And that changes everything about your life.
This is what we’re passionately praying, working, and preaching toward. We want to see 1.3 million people in Hawaii call on Jesus and receive his riches. Join us on our mission!