Who Will Tell Them? • Oak Community Church

Paul grounds the purpose of human life in knowing God and enjoying him forever, then presses the hard question of those who have never heard the name of Jesus. The gospel’s power is not a private comfort for a few people who happened to grow up around church. The gospel is life changing news for a world where billions still have little to no access to it.

Paul makes salvation wonderfully clear. Faith declares with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in the heart that God raised him from the dead. The resurrection proves that Jesus is who he said he is, that his death truly atoned for sin, and that sinners can be reunited with the God of the universe. Jesus did not die for an idea or a brand. Jesus died for people personally, including children whose parents may know him but who must still trust him for themselves.

Paul also refuses to leave faith in the private realm. The confession “Jesus is Lord” stood against a world that casually said, “Caesar is Lord,” and that confession could cost Christians their freedom or even their lives. Faith in Christ is deeply personal and unashamedly public. That truth guards against treating Jesus as somebody’s own little version of religion, but it also guards against wearing Jesus on the surface without being changed by him.

Paul then opens the door wide: the same Lord is Lord of all, and everyone who calls on his name will be saved. God does not play favorites. Christ, though rich, became poor so that sinners from every people, language, and place might receive the riches of his grace.

Paul’s chain of questions exposes the urgency: people cannot call on Christ without believing, cannot believe without hearing, cannot hear without someone telling them, and no one can go unless someone is sent. The good news does no one good if nobody tells them. The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.

The Judsons put flesh on that costly call. Adoniram and Ann went to Burma knowing hardship, disease, persecution, and death could be waiting for them. Their suffering did not make their obedience meaningless. God used their faithfulness to establish churches, translate Scripture, raise up thousands of believers, and send missionaries far beyond their own lives.

The call, then, is to get personal with Christ, live missionally wherever God has placed a person, and stay focused. Public faith is not performative, and boldness should never be confused with bullying. Christ calls his people to walk with him privately, speak of him publicly with gentleness and respect, and trust God with the results.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The gospel must become personal Faith cannot rest on family history, Christian culture, or a casual opinion about Jesus. Christ calls each person to surrender fully, to rest all the weight of hope on him, and to abide in him like a branch in the vine. The mission of God begins not with outward activity, but with a life that has truly been captured by Christ. [54:17]
• 2. Jesus is Lord, publicly confessed The confession that Jesus is Lord places Christ above every rival loyalty, cultural pressure, and public idol. Faith is personal because Christ knows and saves people personally, but faith cannot be merely private because Jesus reigns over all of life. Public witness carries weight when private obedience has already formed the heart. [37:53]
• 3. Good news must get there The gospel is objectively true, but unheard good news cannot bring comfort to those still living without its hope. Paul’s questions reveal God’s ordinary means: sent people tell, hearers believe, and believers call on Christ. The church therefore cannot treat missions as somebody else’s concern. [42:49]
• 4. Mission is costly, never wasted The Judsons faced loss that would make most people question whether obedience was worth it. Christ used their costly faithfulness to bring churches, Scripture, and generations of believers to Burma. The fruit of obedience often stretches far beyond what a person can see in a lifetime. [51:25]
• 5. Boldness is not obnoxiousness Public faith does not mean performative religion, cultural bullying, or using Jesus to win arguments. Missionary living means being ready to give a reason for hope with gentleness and respect. Christ’s mission is strengthened when his people reflect his character while speaking his name.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [21:45] - Family Sunday and Serving Together
• [30:30] - Why Are People Here?
• [31:39] - Billions Who Have Not Heard
• [34:05] - Romans 10 and Saving Faith
• [35:38] - Personal Faith in the Risen Christ
• [37:53] - Jesus Is Lord Publicly
• [40:30] - Salvation Is for Everyone
• [42:49] - How Will They Hear?
• [45:15] - Sent as Christ’s Ambassadors
• [47:37] - The Costly Call of the Judsons
• [53:32] - Life Is Short, Share the Gospel
• [54:17] - Get Personal With Jesus
• [55:53] - Live Missionally Where You Are
• [57:29] - Stay Focused on Christ’s Mission

Bible Reading

Romans 10:9–15
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” [34:22] [35:00] [42:48]

2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” [41:59]

1 Peter 3:15
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” [56:16]

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” [55:02]

Observation questions

1. In Romans 10:9–10, what two actions does Paul connect with saving faith, and how are the heart and mouth both involved? [35:38]
2. What sequence does Paul give in Romans 10:14–15 that moves from a person being sent to a person calling on the Lord?
3. What does Romans 10:12–13 say about who may call on the Lord and receive his blessing? [40:30]
4. In John 15:5, what does Jesus say happens both when a branch remains in the vine and when it is separated from the vine? [54:51]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does belief in Jesus’ resurrection matter so deeply for a person’s confidence that Jesus’ death truly dealt with sin and makes reconciliation with God possible? [36:42]
2. How does confessing “Jesus is Lord” challenge the idea that faith can be only private, hidden, or limited to church activities? [38:16]
3. Romans 10 says people need to hear in order to believe, and messengers need to be sent. What kinds of “sending” might a local church and individual believers take part in today? [45:15]
4. According to 1 Peter 3:15, why must a believer’s readiness to speak about Christ be joined with gentleness and respect? What can be damaged when boldness becomes harshness or bullying? [57:50]

Application questions

1. Is your trust in Jesus mainly based on family history, church culture, or what you personally believe about the risen Christ? What would it look like for you to rest the full weight of your hope on him? [54:17]
2. Where is it hardest for you to live openly as someone who believes that Jesus is Lord—at home, work, school, with friends, or online? What is one simple, honest way you could make your faith more visible this week? [55:53]
3. Think of one person in your life who may know little about Jesus or may only know a distorted version of him. What would it look like to pray for them, care for them, or begin a natural conversation about hope? [43:42]
4. Jesus calls his people to remain in him because apart from him they can do nothing. What rhythms help you stay close to Christ personally, and which rhythm needs attention right now? [55:02]
5. How do your time, money, abilities, and relationships currently reflect the purpose of knowing God and making him known? Is there one resource God may be inviting you to use more intentionally for his mission? [57:04]
6. Have you ever avoided speaking about Jesus because you feared being seen as pushy, or have you ever spoken in a way that lacked gentleness? How can you grow in both courage and Christlike respect? [58:01]
7. The fruit of faithful obedience may not be fully seen in one lifetime. What costly act of faithfulness—small or large—might God be asking you to take without demanding immediate results? [51:47]