This post is part of a devotional series based on our 2020 Bible Reading Calendar.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 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? ~ Romans 10:13-14
In a way, salvation is easy to obtain. In some ways it is hard. Our own pride and arrogance get in the way. We’d rather cling to our traditions than to recognize our need for change. We stubbornly hold onto our idols. Those things can make it hard, but if we are willing to let go, then salvation is easy to obtain.
Jesus will not turn away any who trust in him. This is why Paul said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
But, as Paul went on to say, they won’t call on Jesus if they have never heard of Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) but people cannot know the way, the truth, and the life unless they’re told.
So, who is to tell them? Who are the preachers who are sent?
Every follower of Jesus. We are all called to be everyday preachers.
But wait? Isn’t preaching a task of pastors? Yes, pastors are to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2) but they also equip “the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Telling others the good news about Jesus is not limited to the pastors.
But don’t we send missionaries? Yes, missionaries go with the gospel. The reason we send them is we can’t all be everywhere at once. Missionaries are trained and equipped to go to places with the good news of Jesus, where we can’t ordinarily go due to personal constraints. Telling others the good news about Jesus is not limited to missionaries.
In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all that he commanded. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a disciple; and as a disciple you are charged to obey all that Jesus commanded, which includes going and making disciples.
That is the call to all of us to be everyday preachers. The world needs Jesus. Our neighbors need Jesus. Our coworkers and classmates need Jesus. Our families need Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we have the message of hope and joy, so let us tell them so they can hear and so they can believe.
All Scripture quotations taken from the Christian Standard Bible.
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