Honduras

  • Derek Staples
  • | Jun 29, 2009
  • | Series: Monday Morning Manna

“HONDURAS”

 “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!" (Romans 10: 14-15)

Honduras, in the north-central part of Central America, has a Caribbean and a Pacific coastline, with Guatemala to the west, El Salvador to the south, and Nicaragua to the east. Honduras is the second-largest country in Central America and is about the size of the state of Tennessee. Generally mountainous, the country is marked by fertile plateaus, river valleys, and narrow coastal plains.

As I was reflecting on our trip, I couldn’t help but wonder: What is involved in bringing people to a place where they cry out to God in a sense of need and desperation and are saved? Romans 10:14-15 is a great text to remind us of the mission mandate God has set before us. Notice what Paul states:

People Have to Believe. (14)

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?”

Salvation has to come to this end: Jesus. It is to call on Him, to believe in him. Salvation is found in no one else. Acts 4:12 clearly identifies the name of Christ as the only name given among men whereby we must be saved. Someone explained: “Our words make the gospel understandable, but our lives make it believable.”

People Need To Hear. (v. 14)

“How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?

People have to hear! People won’t be saved unless people care enough to tell them the gospel. A survey was given to those attending training sessions for the Billy Graham crusade in Detroit. One question asked, "What is your greatest hindrance in witnessing?"

1. 9% said they were too busy to remember to do it.

2. 28% felt the lack of real information to share. None said they didn’t really care.

3. 12% said their own lives were not speaking as they should.

4. 51% whose biggest problem was the fear of how the other person would react!

People Need To Share. (v. 15)

“And how will they hear without a preacher?”

Not preacher as we understand the word. Some make this their life verse as an excuse that only the “preachers” are called to the evangelism task. The term “kerusso” means “to announce or proclaim something.” All of us can be a voice for God. Am I sharing my faith? Am I being a voice for God? Am I telling the world that Jesus is meaningful to me?

People Need To Send. (15)

“And how will they preach unless they are sent?”

Sharing the gospel demands the involvement of the entire body of Christ. We should be excited to be part of so wonderful a process. Acts 4:20 says, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

Sharing Christ in Honduras,

Dr. Derek