The Beautiful Feet of the Bringer of Good News (Romans 10:11-17)

Beloved brothers and sisters of City Center Church. Actually the titles “brother” and “sister” could be a little burdensome for us to call each other. Though I call you “brother”or “sister,” in fact, I only met most of you last week for the first time. So how is it that I can stand up here today and call you my “brothers” and “sisters?” What makes strangers who have just met for the first time be able to call each other “brother” or “sister?”

During the past 5 months, my wife and I went on a missions training program through a missions organization called, “OM.” We actually just returned on July 12th, which is only about 2 weeks ago. At first, we were stationed in the UK for about 3 months, listening to lectures about missions and took part in practical missions training. And after that, we did our short-term missions in Belgium for about 2 months, as we helped the long-term OM missionaries there. During our time in Europe we were able to meet a lot of people, and though we had met many people for the first time, there was a sense of “brotherhood” with these Christians. Where then does this sense of “unity” or “brotherhood” come from?

When Paul wrote the letter to the Romans, the early Christian community living in Rome were a mix of Jews and Gentiles. And of course like any other community, there was sometimes conflict amongst them. For example the Christians who were of Jewish backgrounds did not eat certain foods because of their adherence to Jewish customs. However, Gentile Christians, who had no background for such traditions, could not understand the strict practices of the Jewish Christians. Thus, it was difficult for both groups to discern what was in fact the right thing to do. Paul wrote the letter to the Romans in this context, in order to explain to the Christians of the Roman church what in fact was the essence of their faith. That is why Romans is considered to be not only the longest letter of Paul’s, but also as the most theologically important one.

Verses 12 and 13 of today’s passage reads as the following, “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.”

In fact, the reason why all of us here today can call each other “brother” and “sister” is because we have the same Lord – that Lord being Jesus Christ. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all.” Whether you are Filipino, Korean, or American, Jewish, or a Gentile, if you call upon Jesus as your Lord, then all of you are “brothers” and “sisters” in Christ.

The Apostle Paul also says in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The ultimate reason why we can be one and call each other “brother” and “sister” is because of Jesus – who is our common denominator. That is why we are able to share the same hope that only Jesus can give. Also, verse 13 of today’s passage says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Paul is saying that whoever confesses that Jesus Christ is their savior and Lord of their life, receives salvation.

Including today’s passage, Romans Chapters 9 to 11 is talking about the salvation of the Israelites. In Romans 10, where today’s chapter can be found, Paul is specifically emphasizing that salvation cannot be attained by keeping all the Jewish laws; rather, salvation is gained only through faith in Jesus Christ. No one – even if that person is a Jew – will be able attain salvation without having faith in Jesus. On the other hand, even if the person is a Gentile, if that person believes in Jesus and calls upon his name, he or she will be saved.

Beloved brothers and sisters of City Center Church. The very thing that unites us is our faith in Jesus Christ. It is not our human love between relationships. It is not the goodness of our hearts or compassion towards other people. The reason why I can stand up here and dare call all of you “brothers” and “sisters” is because through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we have become one. And because of this oneness, we can enjoy together the everlasting life that is given to us. I hope that all of us here today will be able to remember this truth that all of us have truly become one in Jesus Christ.

Let me read Romans Chapter 10 verses 14 and 15 again. “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?”

Apostle Paul mentions in verse 13, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And in verses 14 and 15, Paul explains to the Christians in Rome how an unbeliever comes to know Jesus and calls upon his name.

This is what Paul is pretty much saying : “Hey everyone. whether it’s a Jew or a Gentile, that person will not be able to call Jesus as their Savior, if they do not have faith. And without hearing the gospel, they will not be able to have faith in their hearts. And if there is no one to go preach this gospel, no one will be able to listen to the gospel. Finally, if the church does not send anyone to preach the gospel, the gospel won’t be preached at all.”

As Pastor Shin preached last week, the initiator of missions is God our Father. God’s mission starts from God, and we get to participate in on His mission. However, we must not forget the fact that God uses His Church and His people to carry out His mission.

Don’t get me wrong. God doesn’t need people to do His work. God is not dependent on anyone or anything in this world. He is an almighty God. But at the same, God delights in working through His Church and His people, and He has decided to carry out his mission through people like you and me. The reason for this is because though God is an almighty God, at the same time He is a God of love. He wants to bring us aboard and have us participate in His Kingdom-building work. He wants us to see and experience His glory as we join Him in his work.

I told you awhile ago that in the past 5 months, my wife (Somang) and I took part in a missions training program in the UK and Belgium. In the beginning, I wondered why God had sent us to the UK to learn about missions. I thought to myself, ‘How are we going to learn about missions here?’ ‘Is the UK a mission field?’ Honestly, when people think of the country of UK or the continent of Europe, they do not think of these places as “mission fields.” It’s as if people think that only poor countries that needs our help should be called as “mission fields.” So in the beginning I also could not connect the word ‘mission’ with the country of the UK.

During our time in the UK for 3 months, we received our training in the city of Birmingham. I realized only after arriving in that city why it was God had called us to do mission training there. In the city of Birmingham, more than 43% of its population were from non-British backgrounds. Many of these people were from Muslim countries or countries that were not primarily Christian.

As I saw how multi-cultural the UK had become, many thoughts crossed my mind. Back in the day, missionaries had to cross the open seas and travel long distances in order to share the gospel. There was a time where those who had the gospel had to go to those who didn’t have the gospel. But in our age, people from non-Christian nations are voluntarily migrating into the UK. And many of these migrants are coming from India, Pakistan, and from all over the world.

“And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” Missionaries in the past were challenged by these words of Paul, and they risked their lives to go to unreached areas– leaving their homes to distant lands which most of them new nothing about. However, today millions of people who don’t know Jesus are scattered throughout different cities across the world. When I saw this reality in the UK, I realized that we were living in a world, where it had never been this easy to share about the gospel to those who were from non-Christian backgrounds.

Before returning to Korea, Somang and I had the opportunity to visit a missionary family in Greece who was doing a feeding ministry for refugees. The missionary there mentioned that throughout his 20 years of feeding ministry, more than 300 people from Afghanistan had accepted Jesus and was baptized. And he added that if he were to go to Afghanistan to do missions, it would have been difficult to share the gospel even to 1 or 2 Afghani person. However, due to the heavy migration of Afghani refugees, God had granted the ministry to prosper.

During our missions training, we were also given the opportunity to visit and observe various churches and ministries. We noticed that most of these organizations were using creative means to reach those who needed to hear the gospel. Instead of waiting in an old church, these organizations were trying to identify people’s needs and present the gospel by solving their needs. This approach of engaging in ministry in an “up-close and personal” manner, is what people refer to as incarnational ministry.

As Jesus had come down to us in human form, Christians need to declare the gospel to those who still don’t know the good news - not just by our words but also by our deeds. Many of the staff and pastors we met served others not for fame nor for money, but to obey Jesus’ teaching to love those who were in need. There were staff who served the homeless by feeding them and praying for them. There were businesses helping ex-criminals and drug addicts so that they could resettle into the community. There were pastors serving members who were mostly in their 70s and 80s. Through these experiences, we learned that a “successful” ministry is not determined by the number of church members or by the scale of the work. I realized that it was necessary for Christians to go to places where there were those who didn’t know Jesus and present the gospel to people who were in various circumstances in their lives.

In verse 15 of today’s passage, the Apostle Paul describes the people who go out to those who don’t know the gospel as the following, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” This wonderful news! Yes, it’s the gospel. Why did Paul call the feet of those who preach the good news as “beautiful?” What kind of good news is this?

If you look at the original meaning of the word “gospel” it actually has a nuance of “it’s too good to be true.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you grew up in the church like me, this verse of John 3:16 might feel like a clichè. However, to many Muslims and those from different religions and worldviews, this is truly in fact good news that is “too good to be true!”

During our missions training in Europe, we met many Muslims. Most Muslims believe that in order to enter heaven, one’s good deeds must outweigh their evil ones. And on Judgement Day, all people must stand before God to be evaluated on whether their good deeds had outweighed their evil deeds. That is why Muslims strive to do good works obsessively, so that they can earn their salvation. And though they strive with great fervor, no one is certain that they will go to heaven until Judgement Day when they will stand in front of God.

However, the Christian gospel is different. As the Apostle Paul mentioned in today’s passage, our salvation does not depend on our good works. As verse 13 says, ““Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It is not our own strength and power that saves us. Our sins are forgiven because Jesus has paid for our sins as he was crucified on the cross. And he defeated death as he resurrected from the grave in three days. Jesus had solved our sins once and for all. If you admit of your sins and truly believe and confess that Jesus is indeed your Lord and Savior, then you can “call on the name of the Lord.”

How great and wonderful is this news? That is why Paul calls the feet of those that preach the good news as “beautiful.” Paul is speaking to not only the Christians of Rome from 2000 years ago. This message is for you and me as well – for all of God’s children. Once again Paul is speaking to us. “If a person has no faith, he cannot call Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If they have not heard the gospel they cannot have faith in Jesus. If there is no one who preaches this good news, no one can hear the gospel, and if the church does not send people out, then the gospel cannot be preached.

Yes, the main agent of missions is God. But as mentioned a little earlier, God calls upon His people and uses them for His Kingdom-building work. You’ve probably heard of William Carey, who is known as the “Father of Modern Missions.” In the late 1700s, the British Baptist denomination – in which Carey was part of – believed that God would carry out His mission even if His people didn’t do anything. Carey believed that this kind of thinking led to the lazy attitude of Christians towards missions. So in challenging the leaders of his denomination at his time, Carey published an essay titled, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, which was used to mobilize the Church and Christians to actively participate in God’s mission work. And in the same year he left the following famous quote in one of his sermons, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God. At the end of his missionary career, William Carey had spent 40 years of his missionary service in India translating the Bible and various gospel-related works.

Beloved brothers and sisters of City Center Church. Many people see this trend of globalization as a result of the development of technology and communication. This is true, but I also believe God is doing an amazing thing right now through this unprecedented time in history. People that don’t know Jesus, whom missionaries had to cross the ocean and travel far distances to meet back in the day, are gathering in various cities across the world. We probably won’t be able to find a city that is not “multi-cultural” anymore.

Some of you here today might have lived in Korea and even in Ulsan your whole lives. Maybe some of you have left your homes for various reason to come work and live in Ulsan. Whatever the case, Paul’s words that were written under the inspiration of God 2000 years ago, still rings true today for you and me. All of you sitting here today are “preachers of the good news.” If we do not tell the good news to our friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances, how will they have faith in Jesus Christ? And without faith, how will they call upon Jesus as their Lord and Savior? I pray that all of us who have gathered here today can be deemed by God as having “beautiful feet” who brings good news to our family and neighbors.