Hearing the Gospel

“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?” Romans 10:14
In Romans 10:14-15 Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions that describe the natural progression by which someone hears the gospel. First, someone needs to be sent. Then that someone needs to preach, so that people hear the message. If the message isn’t heard (because it isn’t preached), then people can’t believe and call on the Lord for salvation.
Believe it or not, there are still people we will meet in our day-to-day lives who have not heard the Gospel message. They may have grown up in a completely secular environment; or they may have grown up in a denomination that does not teach the simple truths of salvation by believing, repenting, and confessing your sin (see Rom. 10:9-10).
We shouldn’t assume that everyone knows the Gospel message. Instead, we should realise that we are called to be witnesses, to be salt and light to the people around us. We don’t need to preach from a soap-box, but we do need to ‘preach’ through our lives and our example – and when the opportunity comes to share, to grab it with both hands (1 Pet. 3:15).