Romans 10:13-15 “For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"”

I want to take this time to consider most likely the four most potent questions of our day. When the Holy Spirit brings you to this passage of scripture in Romans 10 and presents these questions to you the impact it makes on ones life is both answerable and enlivening. Jesus says in His “Sermon on the Mount”, life is more than the clothes we wear, the houses we sleep in and the food we eat (Matt 6:25-34). Coming to the realization that maybe life has been diminished do to the blinding of eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4). Having the light of the gospel of glory of Christ shine on us is both our purpose and privilege.

Unless these questions, How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?, are answered the world will not experience the great love God has for them nor we enter into the fullness He has for us. Let me qualify this with the John 4 passage.

This is often spoken of in terms of worship because of the verses 23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. “ and 24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." I agree that this is probably one of the most defining worship passages in scripture but disagree that Jesus is referring to what we define worship to be in terms of service.

What is happening in this text? First of all this text says that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John the Baptist. Then notice that in parenthesis it says, (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples). Something is being said by this. It is not just and accident that these words are placed in the text. John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”(Matt 3:11). This is why Jesus allowed the disciples to do the baptizing because what he came to do couldn’t be done until he was the redeemer of mankind. His work at the cross had to be finished and His victory over the grave had to be won, then He could give to man this new baptism into the Holy Spirit and into fire (see Ezekiel 36:25-38).

John 4:31 tells us the disciples encouraged Jesus to eat. This is such an important part of this story. This is why Jesus went one way and the disciples the other in verse four. The disciples had been baptizing and had developed an appetite doing so (John 4:8). This brings us to the lesson of this text. What is food? and What is drink? Jesus comes to the women at the well and asks for drink but only to make a point, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." Notice the passage keeps referring to Jesus as a prophet because he is telling her of what is to come. Then jump down to verse 32 "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Once again Jesus is showing us something beyond “flesh and blood”(Matthew 16:17, Galations 1:16) it is what the Spirit is speaking to the church(Revelations 2:7,11,17,29, 3:6,13,22).

John 4:34 is the the point Jesus is making about drink, food and worship. “Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work”. What is it then He is referring to? He would go on to say, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”(verse 35). Worship is more than a song or carried out in more than just an experience it is a life of labororing in the fields. This is the culmination of this who text….souls. My friend Gary Dyer, Pastor of evangelism at Seymour Harvest Church in Seymour IN always says “there is no greater gift we can bring to God than souls!”

Verses 36-38 Jesus once again prophesies that one would so but then another would reap. He would sow His life and we would reap a harvest! His life would become for us living waters and food that would stop our hunger. We are the reapers, the laborers in the fields that are ripe for harvest. This is the high call of worship! This is the spirit worship that Jesus refers too in both this text John 4 and with Nicodemis in John 3:3-8, “You must be born again.. of the spirit.”

Doing the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work is what the questions in Romans 10 are all about. It is followed up by the scripture we love to sing, quote and refer to “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” This is not a literary device it is literal! Transportation in the first century was not trains, planes, and automobiles. These didn’t exist until mid 19th to early 20th century. There were horses and boats but the most formable means of travel were scandals, yes people walked and this is what Romans 10:15 is referring to. In Matthew 28:19-20 the text tells us that your life will take you down man roads to many different places and as you go make disciples and baptize them.

A new way of walking! 1John 2:6, a Jesus walk. This is doing the will of Him who sent me and completing His work. Why? John 3:16 For God so loved the world. Why? Because the price that was paid (Jesus Christ) is worth every soul on the planet. Why? Because God deserves to be honored and worshiped and this is the greatest way to worship!