Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the God of salvation. He is not willing that any should perish, and He offers the invitation to all who would come.
Sadly, not all accept that invitation. It is not simply because they do not hear the truth. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). These people heard God’s truth, but it did not transform them, because it was not mixed with faith.
As humans, we want to be able to understand and explain everything. There is an element to salvation that we cannot fully make sense of from a human standpoint. We can’t see what happens in the heart and the will. We can’t confirm the reality of heaven through eyewitness accounts. Salvation requires that we leap off a cliff and put all our trust in the safety net that will catch us. It demands that we stake everything on our belief that God will save us through our trust in Christ’s finished work alone. That leap requires faith.
How many people have heard the Word and have rejected it? How many have had it explained over and over again? As of yet, they have not accepted it. The gospel has not profited them. There might be various aspects included in their rejection, but in the end, it comes down to faith. The hearing and understanding must be mixed with faith. Faith is a spiritual work, and it is a volitional act of choosing to accept and trust what cannot be fully proven.
Today I am praying, as you share the Word in various settings, that people would respond on that most important level. That after the facts are given and understood, they would be mixed with faith on the part of the hearers. That people would be ready and willing to make the jump – throwing everything on what cannot be seen.
Perhaps there are some with whom you have labored long. Some who have been earnest observers and questioners. Or some whose lives have just fallen apart and they are now beginning to look for answers. Whatever the scenario, may you see today and this week some in whom faith is mixed with the hearing of the Word, so that they come to the place of salvation. May God through His Spirit work in hearts in that way.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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