Burdened to Have Beautiful Feet

January 30, 2022 Speaker: Tara Detiveaux Series: March Forward & Stand Firm

Topic: Evangelism Scripture: Romans 10:5– :16

Burdened To Have Beautiful Feet

I work at Hope Extreme as my full-time job, our after-school program being and essential part of what we do, and this week had the privilege of working with our kindergarten students. 

Since I knew, I was going to be preaching this message, I talked to the kids about Jesus.

And the little boy next to me, cute as a button, loudly declares he doesn’t like Jesus. Granted he knew nothing about him but had been predetermined in his heart that he didn’t care for him.

And while we were able to talk and work on his perception of Jesus and who he really was,

I think this is the world that we are looking at today.  (specifically, in the generations behind me)

--One out of five non-Christians in North America doesn't know any Christians. (Ex. Rich People) MissiologistTodd M. Johnson and his team found that 20 percent of non-Christians in North America really do not "personally know" any Christians.

 

--Worldwide, the numbers are much worse: More than 8 in 10 non-Christians do not personally know a Christian.(Ex. Of People in Costa Rica) But Christians only make up a third of the world's population. The United States, meanwhile, ranks in the top 10 Christian countries, with 80 percent of the population identifying as Christians.

https://barna.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Barna_ChurchTrends_WebCharts_v6.jpg?auto=compress

And this is scary because it does not access year 2020 until now, which across the board has seen the largest decline in the capital C church, many divisions, and overall complacency. 

And we could go on and on with these stats…but the truth remains….

Christianity is on the decline,

and Jesus says “I am the Way, Truth, and Life” either way.

Romans 10:5-16  The Message of Salvation to All

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them(and wow for us that are reading the bible plan through this is where we have been this week, the commandments that were set up as rules to follow, my favorite being don’t cook a goat in it’s mothers milk, and then I think they must be making curry, goat curry, and was it yummy, and what was wrong with cooking a goat in its mother milk, was it just a matter of principle?)

But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (oh how we could sit here and rest in this wonderful truth, and soak it in, no more 600+laws, just JESUS, Jesus has fulfilled the Laws!!)

14 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?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 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!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

So, Paul jumps into Old Testament Scripture (read the Old Testament, don’t quit)

And pulls out a prophetic word from Isaiah 52 we will start with verse 6...

Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.

 

The Burden of Beautiful Feet is Upon us…

A God-given burden for those who did not know Jesus Christ. In his case, the burden was for his own people, the Jews. He cared. It burned inside him. 

But the burden is passed on to us. 

I think it is there for us in Scripture so that we don't become so obsessed with our own struggles and spiritual growth that we forget about people who need to know Christ.

 

Clearly, preaching the gospel with words is as important as living my faith with actions.

--Brings Good News (Not Fox News, CNN News, but Good News)

--Publishes Peace (Looking at Your Feeds…Publish Peace…Write It)

--Brings Good News of Happiness (Heaven is Coming, It won’t always be This Way)

--Publishes Salvation (Talk about salvation, how you can come to the Lord)

How do we start the process of telling others?

  1. Ask the Lord for a Burden

 

This part is simple but will also change the trajectory of your life all at the same time.  Paul had a burden for the gospel.  A heart to see people know Jesus. 

Do you?

Have you asked him for one?

 

  1. Open Your Mouth

Practical Ways to Tell Others About Jesus

                        --Form Habits of Inviting

                        Flyering, Posting to My Story on Media, always asking to Events

                        --Visit the Same Places and Form Relationships

One of the pastors I listen to mentioned this and I thought it was noteworthy, he   did it at a coffee shop, but I try to do the same at my grocer and hair cutting.

                        --Have a List of Those that you are constantly asking for their Salvation

                        Include these names on your daily prayer Journal for the month.

Speak those names out loud with corresponding scripture

                        --Make Evangelism an Intentional Discipline

Remember…..Salvation does, after all, “belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). No matter what tools we utilize, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t regenerate a spiritually dead sinner, they won’t respond positively to the Gospel. May the Spirit of God give you His love and boldness as you seek to reach a lost and hopeless world for Jesus Christ.

Can I end with a rap by Lecrae,

I like to call this Old School Lecrae,

Conviction Lecrae…

This song always got me, It’s Called Beautiful Feet (We are Gonna Play It After Service)

Carlos was born in killa cali
Was walking down an alley and caught a
Bullet in his head that left him bleeding badly
He lost everything at that moment except his life
He lost his hearing lost his movement and he lost his sight
He laid there in a coma
But man nobody cared
The gospel preached in his neighborhood? nobody dared
But los got up out the coma got and was able to hear
A missionary shared the gospel to his open ears
He got saved got trained got discipled
Back to hood
You could find em preaching the bible
He led a homie to Christ from his same hood
Part of church plant
Come on now ain't His name good
This is blessing but I'm stressing that this is not the norm
We need leaders and believers to help carry it on
But who would minister in a sinister part of town
I pray if Jesus is calling you that you would be found

I pray more would be BURDENED TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL FEET

So, what about you and the statistics that were read?

Does it burden you that many say Christianity is dead?

So many take a worldly view of Christ that was never intended,

Clearly the good news is that he comes for the broken and mends em.”

What about those overseas?

They never heard the name of Jesus WOW please.

So many people from many different ideologies and places

But Jesus comes to bring peace and heal all the races

Please answer the call in your neighborhood, school, job, and city.

Allow the Lord to use you to affect at least fifty…(it just rhymed)

But seriously our hearts prayer and cry.

Should be that all would know the good news of Jesus before they die.

 

Today we pray that you would be burdened to have beautiful feet!!

Today we pray that we all would be burdened to have beautiful feet!!

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