Beautiful Feet

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? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14-17 ESV). If there is one thing that can begin a debate among Christians it is the methodology of ministry and evangelism. Without digging too deeply into the theology of the atonement, let me merely reference the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8. Here we find the story of a foreign dignitary from Ethiopia. As the queen's treasurer, he was a powerful man who would have traveled with an entourage. He went to Jerusalem in search of God, but found a dead, lifeless religion instead. Somehow, he obtained a scroll of Isaiah while he was there. And as it happened, he was traveling through the desert, reading aloud about the suffering of the Messiah, when Philip finds him. Philip walked up to him and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man didn’t. Philip climbed up into the chariot, took the scroll, told him what it meant, and pointed him to Jesus. This is what people are still looking for today: someone to show them the way. So much of the time we are told how much we need to prepare to evangelize. We are given booklets or placed in study courses that will teach us the “sales method” of our faith. Listen, God doesn’t need sales associates; he needs people who will simply talk to others about what they have seen and heard. Often the privilege to do this isn’t even earned. Much of the time it happens “coincidentally” to our being in the right place at the right time. We are all missionaries to one degree or another. Whether you are a store clerk, physician, or minister, God has given each of us a unique story to tell of the impact of Jesus in our lives. Engage the people in your circle of influence with kindness. Treat them with respect. You will find them along that same road you travel. They will be looking for the answers you have already found. God has primarily chosen to reach people through people. So engage them, and most importantly, keep praying for them. You may have just a simple thought to share, a seed sown in the soil already worked by the Holy Spirit. Someone else may come later and water; and, someone else even later to harvest. But you will be a part of the plan of God to call his children. Give it a try, and you will discover what a joy it is to tell others about Jesus. You will have “beautiful feet.”