Romans 15:20-21 - Taking the Gospel to the Regions Beyond

Today, Wednesday April 21 Taking the Gospel to the Regions Beyond Romans 15:20-21 “And thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” You cannot help but notice, as you read through the Book of Acts and the Letters that Paul wrote to his friends and the churches, that he had a tremendous passion and burden to share the Gospel especially with those who had never heard. Remember in these last two chapters of Romans the emphasis is on ministry. The ministry of the Gospel. When I was ordained forty-six years ago in a barn that had been converted into a meeting place for a newly planted church (Shenandoah Valley Baptist Church in Stephens City, Va), I was “ordained into the Gospel Ministry”. Dr. Jerry Falwell preached the message that evening and he and several other pastors laid their hands on myself and Gary Byers as they recognized God’s calling on our lives and set us apart to share and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as we could in our lifetime. We were not ordained to a position as a pastor or a teacher but to be a minister of the Gospel in whatever position the Lord might lead us. Now the truth is, every believer has a calling to this ministry. Jesus said this in John 15:16; “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” How can you be a part of taking the Gospel to the “regions beyond”? First, you need to realize that there are still over 2 billion precious people alive today on planet earth who have still never heard the good news of God’s great salvation through Jesus Christ even one time. Second, it is the responsibility of every believer to be a minister in sharing this Good News. Then there are several things each of us can do. We can pray for an unreached people group. We can go ourselves to share if the Lord so leads. And all of us can also give of our resources so others can be sent. At Rainbow Forest and GPPD we are actively engaged every day in praying, in giving and going to seven different specific unreached people groups. If you want more information on how you can personally get involved please don’t hesitate to contact me! God bless!