En Casa Como En El Cielo, Mayo 31, 2026

Here we go. Good morning, Fellowship Español. My name is John Blackman and I'm an Elder and Pastor of Operations here at Fellowship and I am so happy to be here with you today. It's a joy to gather here with you today, not just as a church family, but as a church family called Across the World. That's the heartbeat of our series, Across the World as it is in Heaven. It's not a slogan. It's not a vision statement. It's a divine assignment. It's rooted in the character of God, the mission of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Our text this morning takes us to Romans 10, where the Apostle Paul asks questions that still stir our hearts to this day. We'll begin in verse 14, Romans 10, 14. And it reads, how then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him in whom they have not 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. These are not hypothetical questions. They're relational realities. They show us a beautiful truth. The gospel doesn't spread on its own. It's carried, shared, and lived out by people. And that truth brings us face-to-face with a dilemma and a design and ultimately a decision. So this morning, we'll walk through four anchors, anchors, emphasis, that will help us understand God's glorious plan for the nations and for us. My first point, the dilemma. Faith cannot flourish in silence.

In Romans 14, 10, 14, it says, again, it says, how then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him in whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Now, Paul uses a chain of logic here. No hearing. No believing. No calling. No salvation. Think about it. A drowning swimmer cannot grab a lifeline thrown outside of their sight if they can't see it. And a soul cannot embrace Jesus, the only name given under heaven and earth to which we might be saved, if his name is never reached their ears. In the same way, a lost soul will never be able to clasp or embrace the name of Christ without someone throwing that name at it. That's the dilemma. How will they believe unless they hear, and how will they hear unless someone tells them? This is personal. Let me explain why. Right now, in a village in northern Kenya, a grandmother is praying to ancestors she's never been told that are silent. Because no one has yet brought the good news to her doorstep. The silence is not neutral, it's costly. And the weight of that silence doesn't fall on God, it falls on us. We're the ones that have heard and believed and been sent. So the dilemma is not meant to shame us, it's meant to awaken us. Because the very question Paul asks, how will they hear, is our first step to obedience. We're the ones that are sent to tell them. Which brings me to my second point. The design. God's good news is meant to move, it's meant to move. Again, in verse 15. It says, how are they to preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, how beautiful of the feet are those who preach the good news. So thank God that the dilemma doesn't end in hopelessness. It leads us to our design. We were designed to move. Our bodies, if we don't move, they will stop working. The gospel is the same way. It must move. It doesn't stay with us. We share. How beautiful are the feet of those that bring the good news. Notice something. It doesn't say how beautiful are the lips. Though words matter. It's not how beautiful are the plans. Though strategy matters. It's how beautiful are the feet. Feet that walk. Feet that cross borders. Feet that step into discomfort. Feet that go. Why? Because the gospel is not still. It's not stationary. It's sent. It's not a statue or a museum exhibit. It's a rescue mission. Paul makes it clear in verse 17. So faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. That word. Word of Christ.

The word word means Ramah. Rema, in the Greek language. And Rema means that which has been spoken by the living voice. This living means moving. We serve a God of life. How do you know something is alive? How do you know? It moves. It's breathing. It moves. Right? It moves. It moves. If my body doesn't move, likelihood I probably am not alive. We must move. The gospel moves. God's design is relational, alive, and unstoppable. His people move. So we have to move. Which brings me to my third point. The reality, the good news will be rejected, but that's okay. In verse 16, it says, but they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? Paul doesn't sugarcoat it. He said, but not all the Israelites accepted the good news. Just like when we take the gospel to the world, we take the gospel to the nations, not everyone will accept the good news. But it doesn't make it any less great news, and it's worth our lives to tell it. Even after the resurrection, after the spirits pouring out, after clear signs and bold proclamations, all of the great miracles of Jesus Christ that people saw with their very eyes, some

still rejected him. We're no greater than he is. Some will reject the gospel from us. But that's actually good news. Because now we know that their salvation is not dependent on us. Their accepting the gospel is not dependent on us. Only the spirit can move on that person. We're simply charged to take it to them. We're simply told to preach the gospel. And you don't have to be a preacher to preach the gospel. We're all preachers. We all proclaim. We all share. We all go. So when someone doesn't accept the gospel from you, that's not a failure. That's fulfillment. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24, 9 and 10, then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death. Maybe I added that one. What was the verse again? Matthew 24, 9 through 10. So rejection is part of the harvest. It's not exception, it's the expectation. Why does this matter? Because it frees us. It frees us from needing to convert people. It frees us from measuring our success by numbers or immediate results. It frees us to speak the truth in love and then release the outcome to God. Our job is faithfulness, not force. Our call is clarity, not coercion.

Our heart posture is humility, not conquest. When we understand that rejection is woven into our mission, it's not a sign that something is wrong with us. It's a part of the story. And we don't shrink back. It pushes us forward. Because just like some rejected Christ, they will reject us. But that's okay. Because it's a part of God's glorious plan. Because He's good, but He's sovereign. He's in control. We can trust Him. Which brings me to my last point. The decision. Should I stay or should I go? Jesus says in Matthew 24, 14, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. And then the world will end. Notice, it's not if. It's will be. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world. Not maybe, if enough people volunteer. But will be because Jesus Christ, the King of kings, is sovereign. But will be preached because Jesus, the King of kings, is sovereign. The Spirit is active. And the church is His instrument. And we are that church. We are that instrument. He uses us. We, it is our job to say yes.

In Matthew 28, 18 through 20. It says, And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. So the question, should I stay or should I go, is actually a trap. So the question, should I stay or should I go, is actually a trap. The decision, should I stay or should I go, is the wrong question. It implies that it's either here or there, us or them, comfort or calling. But God's glorious plan is and both. It's sending and sustaining. It's going and growing. It's short-term teams and long-term disciples. It's missionaries on the field and prayer warriors in the pews. It's financial partners and story sharers on social media. It's the student who's called to the nations and the retiree who finances and prays for the nations. So the real question isn't, should I go? It's how is God inviting me, right here, right now, to participate in His glorious plan for the nations? Maybe it's packing a suitcase for a short-term mission trip. Maybe it's packing a prayer journal and committing to pray for an unreached people group this month. Maybe it's packing your courage up and launching off on a long-term mission assignment. God doesn't need our perfection. He needs and wants our obedience. He needs your yes, not someday, today. Let's take a pause just to remember, not just to remember, but to realign.

There's a photo up here. Yesterday our first summer mission team launched. Our Honduras medical team. They didn't go because they had all the answers. They went because they trusted the one who holds all the answers. They carried stethoscopes and Scripture, bandages and boldness, compassion and Christ. I would like to pray for them, if you don't mind. Let's pray. Father, loving and sovereign God, full of mercy and grace, we thank you for the gift of your Gospel. Thank you that it is not ours to hoard, but it's ours to preach. It's ours to share, not ours to hide or to hold high. We lift up our Honduras team. We pray that you guard their health, their minds, that they stay unified. And Lord, that You keep their hearts full of joy. Let every bandage they place point to the real healer. That every word that they speak carry the weight of Your love. Give them eyes to see people, not projects, and hearts that beat with Yours. We lift up every team going out this summer to Costa Rica, to Kenya, Ghana, and beyond. Go before them Lord, prepare their hearts, break down walls, stir up holy boldness with a deep humble heart for You. And Lord, stir us up, not just with admiration, but with obedience. Not with applause, but with action. Leaders of long-term labors, and steadfast prayer warriors, generous givers, and everyday witnesses. Lord, we recognize that You are the Lord of the harvest, and the harvest is plentiful. So send Your Spirit upon us, on them, and stir in our hearts to seek Your will for what You're wanting to do in our lives. Where should we go? We thank You Lord to make this clear to us.

In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen. So now, we've been talking about going, and how God wants us to go, and how it's not a question of should I go or should I stay, it's a question of when Lord and where, right? So I pray that God is stirring something in your hearts right now, that you're thinking about ways to go, to take the gospel to the nations. Well we're going to help you with that. We have some serving opportunities and short-term mission trips coming up. If you look up, you can see all of the opportunities that you all have to go. Now I will admit, I'm convicted by this myself. Did you know that Elder John has never been on a mission trip outside of the country? So I wasn't just preaching to you, I was preaching to me. So guess what? I've been convicted, so this year I'm going on a mission trip. Now who's going to join me? Pray, let the Lord stir up your heart. Pray about each and every place and say, Lord, where do you want me to go? And if your place is not up there, where God is sending you, it's okay. But guess what? We want to help you, so we're going to give you somewhere to start. But when the Lord says go… What do we say? Yes. Send me. Send me. Send me. Alright. These are the ways that you can sign up for it. Do we have that slide? Oh yeah, at the bottom. I'm sorry. Thank you.

Alright, so go on. Look, pray. Go, pray over it. And see what the Lord would have you to do. Alright. I'm going to close this out in prayer. And that's our worship team now. Make their way this way. Let's pray. Lord, we receive your plan, not as a burden, but as a privilege. Lord, this is not some distant dream, but it's a daily calling. Lord, shape our feet. Lord, help us to hear you clearly. Soften our hearts. And make us your church. Truly, across the world as it is now. Truly, across the world as it is in heaven. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.