MISSION MASCOUTAH: FIRST PRIORITY August 16, 2026

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Beautiful Feet on Dusty Roads

The gospel moves through ordinary people willing to walk into messy places. Just as sandaled feet kicked up dust on ancient roads, modern believers carry good news into schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Salvation reaches "everyone" not through grand strategies, but through simple obedience: showing up, speaking truth, and trusting God to use cracked voices and imperfect efforts. The call isn’t to polish our methods, but to prioritize presence over comfort. [30:38]

“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 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 10:13–15, ESV)

Reflection: Where is God asking you to walk this week so others might “hear”? What dusty road or unlikely place have you avoided due to fear of messy feet?

Day 2: The Sweeper’s Invitation

A fifth grader named Hoyt became a catalyst for revival by sweeping peers into classrooms to hear Jesus. His nickname reminds us that evangelism isn’t about eloquence, but urgency. Like a broom gathering scattered fragments, Hoyt’s persistence turned apathy into awe. Youth aren’t the church’s future—they’re its present warriors, unafraid to invite boldly. When we empower the young, we unleash a force hell’s gates cannot withstand. [42:17]

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
(1 Timothy 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: Who is the “Hoyt” in your life needing encouragement to lead? What practical step can you take this week to affirm a young person’s spiritual boldness?

Day 3: Raw Testimonies, Leaking Eyes

Kate’s unvarnished story of rescue drew 90 students and 29 salvations. Her tears mirrored the ache of a God who pursues rebels. Authenticity disarms; vulnerability dismantles walls. The gospel thrives not in polished presentations, but in scars displayed and chains broken. When we stop hiding our cracks, Christ’s light spills through, turning auditoriums into altars. [45:24]

“And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
(Luke 23:42–43, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your story have you sanitized to avoid “leaking eyes”? How might sharing your rawest redemption moment open someone’s heart today?

Day 4: Unceasing Anguish for the Unreached

Paul’s sorrow for the lost was visceral—a gut-punch compulsion to plead for the spiritually dead. This isn’t guilt-driven duty, but love-sick desperation. The Metro East’s 52,000 students aren’t projects; they’re image-bearers inches from eternity. Until our hearts break like Paul’s, programs remain empty. Revival begins when statistics become faces, and apathy morphs into holy anguish. [01:01:18]

“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
(Romans 9:1–3, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last lose sleep over someone’s salvation? Pray for one unreached person until your heart aches with Paul’s “unceasing anguish.”

Day 5: From Terrorist to Trophy of Grace

Saul murdered Christians. God made him Paul, the church planter. No one is beyond redemption—not school shooters, addicts, or prodigals. The man who once silenced preachers became Christ’s megaphone. Our pasts don’t disqualify; they amplify grace. Every salvation story whispers, “If God can use him, He can use anyone.” [01:00:41]

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
(Acts 1:8, ESV)

Reflection: Who seems “too far gone” for God to use? How can your story of transformation disarm someone’s disbelief this week?

Sermon Summary

Romans 10 sets the whole thing in motion with a plain word: “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Everyone means everyone, Jew and Gentile, old and young, the person in the back row with white knuckles and the thief hanging beside Jesus. The requirement is not cleaning up first, getting religious first, or having everything figured out. The requirement is calling on the name of the Lord, and salvation is instant because Christ saves.

Paul gives a reverse chain for how salvation happens. Calling requires believing, believing requires hearing, hearing requires someone speaking, and speaking requires being sent. The gospel does not happen in a vacuum and it does not stay inside the confines of a building. Matthew 28 says “go,” not sit, and the church is the body of Christ reaching into the community.

The image of “beautiful feet” sounds strange because feet are usually dirty, covered up, and not all that pretty. Biblical sandals would have carried dust, mud, and grime, but God calls those feet beautiful when they bring good news. Beautiful feet are not beautiful because they look clean. Beautiful feet are beautiful because they carry the gospel to people who need to hear about Jesus.

First Priority’s mission takes that text right onto school campuses through students reaching students. Adults can train, encourage, coach, and pray, but students can speak to classmates in ways adults cannot. Kate shared how God rescued her, and over 90 students came to hear, with 29 students calling on Christ. Hoyt, a young student without even having his own Bible at first, became “the sweeper,” gathering friends into the room so they could hear about Jesus.

Paul’s sorrow in Romans 9 puts heat under the whole mission. Saul had been a bad dude, a terrorist against Christians, but Jesus met him on the road and handpicked him. That same Paul carried great sorrow and unceasing anguish for his own people, even wishing he could be cut off for their sake. The gospel creates that kind of burden, not a casual interest, but a holy ache for neighbors, schools, campuses, and whole communities to know Christ.

God keeps opening doors, raising up student leaders, sending coaches, and changing lives. The call stays simple and urgent: do not miss the moment, do not leave Christ unnamed, and do not assume another day is promised.

Key Takeaways

1. Everyone really means everyone [30:17] Romans 10 leaves no hidden fine print on the invitation of Christ. The word “everyone” pulls in the religious kid, the back-row Baptist, the thief on the cross, the 80-year-old, and the 8-year-old. Salvation rests on calling upon the Lord, not on a résumé of religious achievement. That truth keeps the gospel both wide open and deeply urgent. [30:17]
2. Beautiful feet go outside [31:55] The feet that carry good news may be dusty, awkward, tired, and unnoticed. God calls them beautiful because they move toward people who have not heard. The beauty is not in polish or comfort, but in obedience. A church that stays inside misses the very direction of the command to go. [31:55]
3. Students can carry the gospel [38:31] First Priority’s heartbeat is students reaching students, not adults replacing their witness. A student’s testimony can open a door among peers that a platform never could. Kate’s story and Hoyt’s boldness show that youth is not a spiritual handicap. God delights to put real gospel weight in young hands. [38:31]
4. Anguish sends people toward neighbors [01:00:41] Paul’s sorrow was not sentimental sadness from a distance. His anguish bent his life toward the salvation of his people. Real burden does not stop at concern, it becomes prayer, speech, sending, and sacrifice. A community becomes a mission field when lostness is felt in the heart, not just counted on a slide. [60:41]
5. God flips the switch [01:02:21] Saul became Paul, an introvert can become a bold witness, and a life spared can become a life sent. God does not need ideal personalities before He uses people. He calls, changes, redirects, and keeps saying, “not done yet.” Obedience begins when a person stops arguing with weakness and starts trusting the One who sends. [62:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:18] - Greeting and First Priority Introduction
[28:36] - Romans 10 as the Main Text
[30:17] - Everyone Who Calls Will Be Saved
[30:38] - The Chain of Calling, Hearing, and Sending
[31:55] - Why Gospel Feet Are Beautiful
[35:09] - The Command to Go
[38:31] - Students Reaching Students
[42:17] - Hoyt Receives a Bible and Leads
[45:04] - Kate’s Testimony at Mascoutah High School
[49:30] - New Coaches and Open Campuses
[50:09] - Hoyt the Sweeper
[54:28] - First Priority’s Mission and Vision
[60:15] - Saul, Paul, and Holy Anguish
[67:32] - A Final Call to Obedience and Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 10:13-15
“For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' 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!'” [30:17] [30:38]

Matthew 28:19-20
“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.” [28:30] [35:09]

Romans 9:1-3
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” [01:00:41]

1 Timothy 4:12
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” [54:28]

Observation questions

In Romans 10:13-15, what is the sequence Paul gives from salvation back to sending, and which words in that chain stand out the most? [30:38]
What details help explain why Scripture would call feet “beautiful,” even though feet are usually dirty, covered, and unimpressive? [31:55]
What examples were given of students taking initiative to help their peers hear about Jesus? [50:09]
In Romans 9:1-3, what words does Paul use to describe his burden for his own people, and how strong is that language? [01:00:41]

Interpretation questions

Romans 10 says “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What does that reveal about who the gospel invitation is really for, and what wrong assumptions does that correct in the church? [30:17]
Matthew 28 says to “go.” How does that shape the way a church should think about its life beyond Sunday gatherings and beyond the walls of the building? [35:09]
If God calls the feet of gospel messengers beautiful, what does that suggest about how God measures beauty, usefulness, and faithfulness? [31:55]
Paul’s anguish in Romans 9 is intense and personal. What is the difference between casually caring that people are lost and carrying a real gospel burden for them? [01:01:13]

Application questions

“Everyone” really does mean everyone. Is there a person or type of person that is hard to imagine coming to Christ? What might need to change in the heart so that the gospel is offered as freely as Scripture offers it? [32:17]
Jesus commands His people to go. Where is the clearest place right now to step outside of comfort and move toward people who need to hear about Him—at work, in the neighborhood, at school, or in the family? [37:21]
A simple question can open a real spiritual conversation: “In your personal opinion, what does it take to go to heaven?” Who could be asked that question this week, and what makes that feel easy or difficult? [40:44]
Young believers can set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. How can this group better encourage teenagers and children to speak openly about Christ instead of assuming they are too young to matter? [54:28]
God often uses ordinary voices and very personal testimonies. What part of the Lord’s work in life could be shared with someone else right now, even if it still feels raw or imperfect? [45:30]
Paul speaks of great sorrow and unceasing anguish for people who do not know Christ. Is there anyone being carried in prayer like that right now? If not, what might be dulling that burden? [01:01:18]
No one is promised another day. If someone in the group has never truly called on the name of the Lord, what would keep that person from doing so today? [01:08:23]

Sermon Clips

52s

#HeartForTheLost

“That's an emotional raw plea for his own people. He has great sorrow and unceasing anguish in his heart. Let me ask you church, do you have that same unceasing sorrow, that great that sorrow, unceasing anguish for your community, for your neighborhood, that you want them to come and know Christ. Paul's willing to give up, to be cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people. Now, we know that's not gonna happen because once Jesus has you, nobody can snatch you out of his hand. No one can snatch you out of God's hand.”

62s

#GoAndMakeDisciples

“How can they call on the one they have not believed in? We we walk around our society today and and sometimes we look at people and we maybe label them with something, a term, a name, or whatever it might be. But we we are the ones responsible for going out and and sharing God's good news with them. And I just would like to share with you that's not an option. That's what God caused us to do. That matter of fact, you look at Matthew 28, it he tells us he tells us to go, not to sit and I'm not peeking on any church anywhere anyhow. He doesn't tell us to sit in our pews or in our chairs. He says to go. It's a commandment. That's what pastor Ronnie and miss Carey do. Wednesday afternoons at 01:30, they go to Mascouta High School, and they're there to share the gospel along with the student leaders. That's what they're there to do.”

46s

#YouthLeadMiracles

“There was one there was one meeting, I was in Alton having a meeting and pastor Bob just finished up his club meeting and he called me and goes, Larry, you're not gonna believe what happened. I said, Bob, what happened? He said, Hoyt gave the invitation today and 16 of his friends came and know Jesus. In one junior high classroom, this little, at the time he was a fifth grader, he led 16 students to come and know Jesus. What does Timothy four twelve say to us? Do not look down on the kiddos. Do not look down on the youth. Students can do anything. When they believe in Jesus Christ, we need to encourage them, to support them, say, go, send them out, and watch God do miraculous things.”

65s

#KateTestimonyImpact

“I'd like to mention one particular student from Mascuta High School, and if I get these numbers wrong, you're more than welcome to correct me. I will not take any offense. But there's one young lady that I met last last year, and she's done an incredible job of sharing her testimony and her life, and she's changed a lot of students' lives. She her name is Kate. And last fall, she shared her testimony at Mascoota High School. That club was running about 40 to 50 on average at the time. And she just, on social media, just shared with her campus, hey, I'm sharing my testimony on this Wednesday afternoon. And on that Wednesday afternoon, over 90 students showed up to hear Kate speak. And during that time of testimony, there was an invitation given, and 29 students came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. At Mascouta High School, at your high school, came to know Christ. Just that one time, that's what God can do to a student.”

34s

#GospelForEveryone

“And it says that the gospel is for all. Whoever means salvation is accessible to everyone, Jew and Gentile. Okay? Jew and Gentile, for everyone. No one is no one at all. So what's the requirement? What's the requirement for someone for everyone to come and know the Lord? What's the requirement? That they call upon the name of the Lord. They call upon the name of the Lord.”

68s

#CalledOnTheLord

“I was 18 years old before I ever came and called upon the name of the Lord, senior in high school. And I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was I was a back row Baptist, literally the very back row. And I was holding on to that seat that's in front of me, and my knuckles were white. And mister Roy Fudge, he walked over to me. He was a sound technician, a good friend of my dad dad, and he just touched me on the shoulder. And all he said was, are you ready? That's all he said. I don't even remember walking down the aisle and taking pastor Boyd's hand and saying, wanna give my life to Christ. I don't remember that. But I remember Roy touching me on the shoulder and he said, are you ready? Are you ready? So that's when I called on the name of the Lord. And it says that you you will be saved. man, just call out to him and you will be saved. It's instant. There's nothing that you have to do.”

57s

#AskAboutHeaven

“is that hard to do, to share God's word? A lot of us would say, I'm kind of afraid to do that. I understand that a little bit. But there's one question you could ask people, and you could ask people, in your personal opinion, what does it take to go to heaven? That one single question can lead to more questions and more discussions. Just that one simple question. There's other questions. That's just the one that I use. Because when I was a young baby youth pastor, we used to take our students door to door, and we'd knock on somebody's door and we'd ask that question. In your personal opinion, what does it take for someone to go to heaven? You can you imagine what the what the number one answer to that question was? Just be good. Just be good.”

32s

#GospelBeyondWalls

“So Paul's desire here is to enlist the church at Rome as a partner and his task, and it's the primary reason for making this lengthy epistle, making sure that they understand the gospel. We we've he has been called to declare that the gospel is not just for the Gentiles, but also for the Jews. calling of the Lord does not happen in a vacuum. It doesn't happen right here just in the confines of First Baptist Mascouta. It has to go outside these walls.”

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