Passion: An Awakening Experience (3)

“For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 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.”

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.” (Romans 15:18-24)

It is a GOOD thing to have a HOLY AMBITION. But, not a vain/worldly ambition. Paul has an ambition to preach the Gospel. We should have a holy ambition like that!

I’m going to be mainly talking to “twenty-somethings” people. I am speaking to MYSELF. We need to grow up! We are way to lazy and we take too long to grow up. People think we can not do anything responsible. Well, I got news for them. Through Christ, 20,000 “twenty-somethings” raised over $600,000 this past weekend at Passion 2010 for social justice causes throughout the world. We have work to be done people! The younger we start, the more we can get done (through the help of Christ, and only through Him)

One of the main characteristics of “growing up” is getting a holy ambition.

Where does a holy ambition come from? (v.20-21)
From Christ. Period.

But, we should have an ambition to share the Gospel where it has never been shared before, where Christ has not been shared before. You might ask, “There are people groups that have never heard the Gospel??”. And I might answer, “YES. Go here: http://www.joshuaproject.net/”.

Ask God to burn something on your heart. Ask Him to give you a holy ambition, to show you what He wants you to do. Get in the word, God speaks through the Word.

Will these people (these unreached people groups) go to Hell if they die and never hear the Gospel? Yes. They will. Is it fair? Well, let’s take a look at Romans 1:18-23.

v. 18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

I think that pretty much sums up the answer to whether it’s fair or not. God can not be around sin. He can not be around ungodliness and unrighteousness. We, as human beings, are totally depraved sinners without Christ. We are without excuse, the entire world. We all suppress the truth. Christ HAS to be preached or the people are lost. (Romans 2:12)

We still have a thing in this world called “pioneer missionaries” because we still have unreached people groups in the world. When Paul says in the latter part of the chapter at the beginning of the post that he has no work left there, he means his calling is for where there is NO gospel, where the unreached peoples are. He puts various people in charge of the areas he is leaving behind to pastor. He doesn’t just leave it unattended.

We are not all intended to go reach unreached people groups in the world. But, I do believe some of us are. So, as I am praying, I pray you will pray also. Pray that God will show you the calling He has on your life. God has called me to church planting/pastoring. But, he is still “working on me” about where that is to take place. It could take place in multiple locations.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

In Christ,
Andrew