28th Dec 25 ~ Living what we Believe

Devotional

Day 1: A Vulnerable Yes in Risky Times

These in-between days remind you that God often meets people in ordinary moments and invites them into costly obedience. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men each stepped toward God with courage when reputation, safety, and comfort were on the line. Their trust wasn’t naïve; it was rooted in the conviction that God was doing something greater than their own security. The same God calls you to a brave, obedient yes that may feel risky but is held by His faithfulness. Your yes becomes the place His power is made visible. [05:22]

Luke 1:38: Mary responded that she belonged entirely to the Lord and welcomed His word to take shape in her life, whatever it would cost.

Reflection: Where might God be inviting you to a courageous “yes” that risks comfort or reputation, and what single step could you take this week to begin living that yes?

Day 2: God’s Rescue Chain: Sent, Speak, Hear, Believe

God has designed a gracious sequence for salvation to reach people: someone is sent, someone speaks, someone hears, and by hearing the word about Christ, trust is born. This means your voice matters, not because you are persuasive, but because God delights to work through ordinary people. He sends; we speak; He awakens hearts. It is not about winning arguments but sharing Jesus with clarity, love, and prayerful dependence. Ask Him for open doors and a willing heart today. [12:09]

Romans 10:14–17: How can people call on the One they do not trust? And how can they trust if they’ve never heard? How will they hear unless someone announces the message, and how will anyone announce it unless they are sent? Scripture celebrates the messengers who bring good news. Not all welcome it, yet trust springs up when the message about Christ is heard.

Reflection: Who is one person God is placing on your heart to hear the word about Christ, and what simple, loving conversation could you initiate in the next seven days?

Day 3: Beautiful Feet Across Streets and Nations

Isaiah pictures a runner racing over hills with news that the battle is won and peace has arrived—those feet are called beautiful because of the message they carry. Some are sent far; many are sent across a corridor, a garden fence, or a staffroom table. God arranges moments, prepares hearts, and gives you courage to move toward people rather than away from them. Beauty is not in the polish of our words but in the kindness, humility, and hope we bring. Go gently, go boldly, and go with the good news of Jesus. [14:21]

Isaiah 52:7: Imagine a messenger appearing on the hills, breathless with urgency, declaring peace, announcing rescue, and proclaiming that God reigns; the feet are deemed beautiful because they carry news of salvation.

Reflection: What “across the street” place or relationship is God highlighting for you, and what specific act of peace-bearing could you do there this week?

Day 4: Ordinary People, Unstoppable Gospel Through History

From Pentecost to persecuted believers, from roads of the Roman Empire to fishing towns on the Moray coast, the gospel has run on the legs of ordinary people. Opposition never silenced the message; it often amplified it. Think of faithful witnesses like Mary Slessor or David Livingstone, and countless unnamed neighbours and parents whose quiet obedience changed communities. The same Spirit who strengthened them strengthens you today. If God has done this before, why not again—through your simple, patient faithfulness? [21:57]

Acts 1:8: Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would empower His followers so they could speak of Him, beginning where they lived and stretching outward until the whole world was reached.

Reflection: Which story of gospel courage most stirs you, and how could you imitate one aspect of that faith in a small, concrete way over the next month?

Day 5: Grounded, Gathered, Growing, Going Together

To share Christ well, you must first be rooted in His word—grounded. You need companions—gathered—who pray, encourage, and send. You grow in clarity, love, and boldness—growing—so that when the moment comes, you step out—going. We do not control results; we offer ourselves in obedience and trust the Lord to work. As a new year begins, imagine what God might do through a community that lives what it believes, together. [32:54]

Isaiah 6:8: The Lord asked, “Whom can I send, who will represent us?” and the prophet volunteered, “I’m here—send me.”

Reflection: Of the four words—grounded, gathered, growing, going—which is your weakest right now, and what single practice will you adopt this month to respond?

Sermon Summary

In the quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year, attention is turned from a sentimental nativity to the daring faith at its core: Mary’s costly yes, Joseph’s countercultural obedience, shepherds proclaiming what they saw, and wise men bowing before an infant King. That same vulnerable, risk-taking faith is shown to be the engine of gospel advance. Romans 10 reveals the divine pattern: those who call on Jesus must first believe, belief requires hearing, hearing requires a herald, and heralds must be sent. God could have written the gospel in the sky, yet chose ordinary people—ordinary voices, ordinary relationships—to carry a royal announcement with authority. Salvation is God’s work, but he dignifies people by making them participants in his rescue chain.

The sweep of history confirms the pattern. From Pentecost to persecution, from Stephen’s martyrdom to Paul’s miles, the gospel outran threats and borders. It crossed cultures—from Samaria to Caesarea, from Rome to Iona—and down through Scottish revivals where fishermen, shopkeepers, and mothers could not stop talking about Jesus. Mary Slessor and David Livingstone embody the same thread: costly obedience, humble courage, persevering love. The point is not nostalgia but invitation: if God did this then, he can do it now—here.

Yet Romans 10 is honest: not all who hear will believe. The task is clarity with compassion, proclamation with integrity, prayer with perseverance. Arguments alone don’t regenerate hearts; the Spirit does, through the word of Christ faithfully spoken and embodied. Out of this conviction flows a simple, practical vision: grounded in Scripture, gathered as a real sending community, growing in witness, and going with beautiful feet to neighbors and nations. The call is not to eloquence but faithfulness; not to perfection but availability. Imagine a church so rooted in the Word, so knit together in prayer, so steady in everyday holiness, and so ready to be sent—that God’s power again turns ordinary obedience into extraordinary fruit. The Christ who came through a chain of human yeses continues his work through the same.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s rescue chain for salvation Salvation follows a God-designed sequence: calling on Christ, believing, hearing, a herald proclaiming, and a people being sent. This honors both divine sovereignty and human responsibility, without confusing the roles. God saves, but he delights to use ordinary people as royal messengers. Participation is not optional church activity; it is the structure of the mission itself. [12:09]
2. Proclaim boldly; arguments don’t regenerate Apologetics can clear obstacles, but it cannot create life; only God’s Spirit does that through the word of Christ. Faithful witness means clarity about Jesus, lives that match the message, and prayer that leans on God’s power. Boldness is not bravado—it is confidence that God opens blind eyes as the gospel is spoken in love. [24:52]
3. Ordinary courage fuels gospel advance From the apostles to Scottish revivals, the story is the same: ordinary people risked reputation, comfort, and safety because the gospel is worth living and dying for. Persecution did not silence the message; it amplified it. When everyday believers speak, pray, and serve with perseverance, the gospel runs faster than fear. [16:53]
4. The incarnation shapes our mission God did not drop a finished message from the sky; he came near through fragile yeses and embodied obedience. That pattern continues: the gospel moves along the paths of trust, sacrifice, hospitality, and presence. Mission is not a program added to life; it is a life offered to God for the sake of others. [14:21]
5. Grounded, gathered, growing, and going Depth in Scripture prepares hearts to speak when doors open. Real community sends and sustains courage. Growth in witness—clarity, compassion, readiness—meets a world that is actually listening. Going is not always across an ocean; often, it is across the street. [29:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:22] - Unsanitized Christmas faith
[07:31] - How the gospel spread here
[09:15] - Paul’s anguish and hope
[10:55] - Prayer and reading Romans 10
[12:09] - God’s rescue chain explained
[14:21] - Incarnation as mission pattern
[16:53] - Early church wildfire expansion
[19:32] - Scotland’s revivals and pioneers
[24:52] - Proclaim boldly; God saves
[26:53] - Word and Spirit birth faith
[29:10] - Grounded, Gather, Grow, Go vision
[31:11] - Imagine a sent church
[36:24] - Prayer for boldness and renewal
[47:28] - Doxology and send-off

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Romans 10:14–18

Observation questions

In Romans 10:14–15, what sequence does Paul lay out from “call” back to “sent”? Identify each link in order.
“God chose human voices… the Greek word is kēryssō—‘to herald with authority’” ([12:09]). What does this tell us about what Paul means by “preach”?
According to Romans 10:16, what sobering reality sits right next to the good news going out?
Romans 10:18 claims, “Their voice has gone out to all the earth.” How does the storyline described—Pentecost, persecution, Philip to Samaria, Peter to Cornelius, Paul’s journeys—match that claim ([16:53])?

Interpretation questions

What does the “rescue chain” (call, believe, hear, herald, sent) reveal about God’s sovereignty and our responsibility side by side? How does the choice to use “human voices” hold these together without confusion ([12:09])?
If “not all who hear will believe” (Romans 10:16), how should that shape expectations, tone, and perseverance in sharing—especially with people we love who have said “no” more than once ([24:02])?
What is the difference between bold proclamation and combative debate? If “apologetics matters” but “it is God’s job to bring salvation,” how should that change the way truth is shared in daily conversations ([24:52])?
If God advanced the gospel through embodied, costly “yeses” (Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men), how does the incarnation shape the method of mission today—proximity, hospitality, sacrifice, presence ([14:21])?

Application questions

Grounded: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” What is one concrete plan for the next 30 days to get the word deep in your heart (reading plan, one passage to memorize, one time of day)? Who will you tell for accountability ([26:53])?
Gathered: “How shall they preach unless they are sent?” Who are two or three in the church you will ask to pray for you by name as you seek to speak about Jesus this month? How will you keep each other encouraged and honest about actually doing it ([29:10])?
Growing: What is one real conversation you can seek this week—across the street, at work, or with family? What would “clarity with compassion” sound like in that chat? Write the first two sentences you might say out loud ([29:10]).
Going: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Where is God sending you right now? What small step will you take by Friday (a text invite, a meal, a walk-and-pray on your street, an offer to pray for someone) ([14:21])?
Prayerful dependence: Name one or two people you will pray for daily for 30 days. When and how will you remember? What one sentence will you pray over them each day (“Lord, open their eyes to see Jesus”)? Share those names with the group ([26:53]).
Integrity: Where does your life need to better match your message (speech, purity, generosity, honesty, peacemaking)? What one practice of everyday holiness will you pursue this week so the message isn’t undermined ([24:52])?
Availability over perfection: What fear most keeps you from opening your mouth (rejection, not knowing answers, time, awkwardness)? If God asks for faithfulness, not eloquence, what “ordinary obedience” will you offer anyway this week ([32:54])?

Sermon Clips

and it's similar to a pattern that we see at Christmas time isn't it because God didn't just drop Jesus fully grown into Jerusalem with a megaphone did he he chose through Mary's vulnerable yes through Joseph's obedience through the shepherds who spoke about what they saw through the wise men as they traveled to worship just as that incarnation required people to trust God and act in faith the spread of the gospel requires the same thing as God invites us into that same mission that brought him to earth from heaven [00:14:21] (40 seconds) #IncarnationInvitesMission

our job is to speak faithfully the word of Christ our job is to tell people what Jesus has done to share the good news with clarity and love and to trust God to do only what he can do to open those blind eyes to soften the hardened hearts and to birth faith in people's lives where there is none but also we have to live what we are prepared to say to be a people of prayer crying out to God for the lost to live lives that back up the things that we say to live lives marked by love and integrity and holiness and authenticity [00:25:08] (42 seconds) #LiveWhatYouProclaim

because we don't just argue for the gospel if we argue for the gospel yet our life is a mess then what does that really say about the gospel that we believe no Mary didn't have all the answers when that angel told her what to do but she lived in obedience the apostles were beaten for their preaching they didn't argue their way to Pentecost [00:25:50] (31 seconds) #FaithOverArguments

to grow you know Paul assumes every believer will grow in their ability to share their faith you know what if this year was the year that you grew to be able to share the gospel with somebody clearly to share your story of how you came to know Jesus to be able to answer those difficult questions that people ask you what if 2026 was that year for us to grow not just in our knowledge but in our boldness and in our love for the lost around us [00:29:53] (32 seconds) #GrowToShareFaith

in our readiness to give an account of our faith and go how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news you know where is God sending you and I heard as I was preparing some of us are sent across the ocean and others of us are just sent across the street to that neighbour to the co-worker to the family member where is God sending you I'm so challenged and convicted by my own sermon this morning [00:30:25] (39 seconds) #GoWhereGodSends

for all I know the Lord could return tomorrow I don't know what this year will bring for you I don't know what this year will bring for the church but what I do know is that we have the gospel and we have this truth and we have this message that has the power to transform lives and to change people for eternity [00:31:11] (25 seconds) #GospelTransformsLives

imagine what God would do through the church here as I say I love reading about the history of the church and our church as well but it shows me what God can do as ornery people are gripped by the reality of the gospel as people could not stop talking about Jesus as churches are planted as communities are transformed and lives are changed if God has done that why can't he do that today [00:32:22] (32 seconds) #ChurchCanChangeCommunities

people who are far and you might never expect to come to become followers of Jesus encounter him so that's my challenge for us next year not just to be casually reading our bible but to be rooted in God's words so that we're ready when the opportunities come to be people not just gathering for the sake of gathering but living as a community praying for one another sent out to be people who are growing together and to be people who think if God says here I am send me [00:33:28] (44 seconds) #RootedReadySent

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