How are people supposed to know about God if no one told them about Him?
For Meditation (Richard Haney)
This Sunday we come to another ‘fun kid question’ in our summer sermon series. “How are people supposed to know about God if no one told them about Him? Why doesn't God tell them directly; why doesn’t He make people believe in Him?”
Behind this excellent question about the destiny of all people is a question about God’s purpose for his creatures made in His image. Does God care about all nations, all peoples and all persons? We learned an important lesson from the first week’s sermon: God is Love. What does that biblical truth suggest for this week’s question? Secondly, what is God’s strategy for telling people about Himself, His kingdom and His love for them? Does He have a communication plan for sending out the Good News?
The Old Testament and the New Testament agree that God’s people are intended to be a blessing for all the families on earth (Genesis 12:1-3). The Church has a commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:16-20) and the Spirit’s empowering to bear witness to Jesus Christ--from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). So, the simple answer is: God calls the Church to participate in God’s mission to tell the world about Jesus and his good news.
In Romans 10:13-15, the apostle Paul gives us a sequence of how people might hear the Good News. In preparation for worship, read this instructive passage. Note in particular the verbs (call on, believe, hear, tell/preach, send). Ask the kids in your life what they think these verbs mean for us today. Ask yourself too!
Finally, ask yourself what opportunities do you see for yourself to be a witness or ambassador for Jesus and the Kingdom. Our young people are heading to Tennessee this weekend to “show and tell” the love of Christ for families who have suffered from hurricane damage. Let’s pray for them. And let’s pray for refugees and those suffering in the midst of war, famine and disease. A church on mission is a church “on its knees.”
Genesis 12:1–3
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Romans 10:13–15
…For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”