The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, CSB) This requires faith and belief. However, no one comes to this conclusion out of thin air. There is always a seed that is either spoken or read.
Just a few verses later, “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” (Romans 10:14–17, CSB)
This has been the lifeblood of missions and evangelism since the events Luke wrote of in Acts. Someone speaks, eyes read, ears hear, hearts believe, lives and eternities are changed. The seed has not changed. While the modes of communications has grown, the basic pattern of someone speaking the message about Christ and someone hearing it hasn’t changed. That is where faith always begins.
Now, Paul asks a question, “How can they preach unless they are sent?” Fair question. The truth is that all believers in Christ are sent. Some on missionary journeys to far-off lands, others to their local marketplace, workplace, community, and family. Jesus commanded us to, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, CSB)
The mission field is everywhere. But notice something. We can’t create faith; all we can do is tell the story of Christ. Some will do that in Biblical language of sin, sacrifice, redemption, and repentance. Others, most of us, will tell the message of Christ through our own stories of how Jesus has changed our lives. Some will broadcast in various ways to multitudes. Others, most of us, will connect relationally with individuals as we go about life.
Romans Applied. Let’s start simply. Think about how to tell your story, but don’t rehearse it to oblivion. No one wants a canned narrative that sounds like a schoolhouse lecture. Be real, be relational. Now, who? Let’s start with a simple prayer. Think of it this way for starters – you have one seed for today. Ask the Lord where you should plant it. Be ready, listening and attentive to the world around you. What catches your ear, what needs are expressed or visible? Those are the hearts open to hear the message of Christ. Even then, we don’t blast them with it like a door-to-door salesman. People have to hear what you are saying. It’s not the words striking their eardrum, it is what penetrates the soil of their heart.
Now, they may not respond or may even reject your words. Bless them and continue to pray for them. Seeds will sprout when the heart is ready. God says, “so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11, CSB)
While actions model faith, they can’t plant seeds. Godly actions of caring about others plow the ground. But words are required to plant the message of Christ. There is a time to plow, a time to water, a time to plant, a time to cultivate, and a time to harvest. Sometimes this happens in a moment, sometimes it takes decades of patient “farming.” Sometimes we will reap what someone else sowed earlier. All is part of God’s desire. The important thing is to speak, write, tell, broadcast, and portray the Good News of the Message of Christ. That is where faith begins.
- Romans Applied – Where Faith Begins - August 12, 2026
- Romans Applied – By Faith - August 5, 2026
- Romans Applied – The Potter - August 3, 2026
