Four Beneficial-Rhetorical Questions To Help You Evaluate The Effectiveness

Four Beneficial-Rhetorical Questions to Help You Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Missions Ministry – Rom. 10:14,15

While the world hunts for Osama Bin Laden, many missionaries feel tempted to give up on a Muslim world that is becoming increasingly hostile to the gospel. Indonesia reports that nearly all missionaries are under such persecution that they have either fled the country or taken refuge in the capital city Jakarta. Yet, Christ has yet to revoke His great commission of Matthew 28:18-20 so we are still under obligation to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

The four rhetorical questions in this passage provide great incentives for sending missionaries to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Paul the apostle gives us four penetrating questions that seek to persuade and instruct his audience about a serious involvement in world missions. Paul knew that without Christ people are on their way to an eternity of agony in hell.

Let us examine the four questions of Paul to learn what we can about the motivations, methods and people that God still wants to use for the spreading of the gospel’s message. Use the following four questions as evaluative criteria for helping you and your church evaluate their effectiveness in spreading the gospel in the same manner that the apostle Paul would.

1. Paul asks, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? It was obvious to Paul that a Biblical knowledge of God was necessary before people could place saving faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Paul knew the desperate predicament that people without a scriptural knowledge of Christ are in.

Illustration: Every forty seconds of each day, approximately 100 people die. 32 know little or care not to know Jesus Christ because they come from traditional religious backgrounds, are secularists or agnostics. 20 of those people come from a Muslim background and know only about a god of judgment, but scoff at the idea that Jesus Christ is God. 15 of those people come from a Hindu background (mainly India) where they do not believe God is a personal Father but merely hope for some promotion to a higher reincarnated state. About 5 of those 100 come from a Buddhist background (Southeast Asia) where they are taught to worship millions of gods that can somehow help them to evolve to a higher level of oneness with the principle of the heavens. 28 out of the 100 represent all Christians but 16 of those come from a Roman Catholic background where most are taught to obey the rules, regulations and depend on the sacraments and the absolution of their priests for a way to heaven. 12 out of the hundred come from various types of Protestant backgrounds, but only 6-7% of the hundred are actually born-again Christians who have a personal saving faith and relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Even thought it is 2000 years since Christ walked the dusty roads of Palestine, there is still a need for missionaries, for preachers and for those who will take the gospel to those who need to herald the good news of Jesus Christ to those who are yet to believe.

The non-christians of the world cannot know and call on a Lord unless they know of Him. It is our obligation and privilege to be catalyst, mobilizers and messengers of the gospel to the approximately 93% of the world’s population who will go to hell with a knowledge of and a saving faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.

2. Paul also asks the question, “How can they believe in the one whom they have not heard?” Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We should not imagine that people will automatically turn to God when they are in trouble. Although it is true that all people are intuitively aware of a higher being they are ignorant of a personal God in Christ Jesus whom they can find salvation unless they are told about the gospel.

Illustration; We can thank God for those who are involved in radio and television evangelism around the world, but this is only a beginning step of getting the gospel to 6.2 billion people on the face of the earth. People do not find salvation unless they find it in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Illustration: Only 7% of the world’s population presently has a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ so there is much work yet to do. Those who have been raised in a Christian country like the United States may not realize that there are still more than 3 billion people who are yet to hear the gospel for the very first time.

Illustration: More than 8,800 ethnic groups of the world’s 18,000 people groups of the world do not have access to a gospel speaking preacher of the gospel. As a result many of the world’s population is lost in the kingdom of darkness with all its cruelty, evil and sinfulness.