What Does It Take?

Title: What does it take?

Scripture: Romans 10:8-17

8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

14 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?

15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

To be a good marathon runner doesn’t just happen overnight! It takes years of preparation and conditioning to not only compete competitively but to finish the race in the top 100!

To be a praise singer, or a computer programmer, or an accountant, or a bus driver, or a teacher, not only takes skill but also a little bit of studying and dedication.

To do anything, to be anything, to pursue any career takes careful planning and studying to ensure success. And, the number one reason people don’t pursue a higher career, or try to move up in a company is that they are afraid of failure. Yes, there are many people that are happy and comfortable in those positions that God has placed them in, and they will continue to be happy and continue to stay in that position until God calls them to another position. However, there are those that are miserable right where they’re at now because God has something else for them and they refuse to move.

Our first verse in our scripture for today tells us that the Word is right there near you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, but are you listening to it? When God says, “Go here!” do you go? When God says, “Do this!” do you do it?

I may say some things today that, though we all need to hear, some might take the wrong way, or take offense at. Rest assured, I am talking in general terms, but, if you feel the conviction of the Spirit on you to deal with an area of your life, then, you’re not taking offense at what I’m saying, you’re taking offense at what the Spirit is trying to do in your life.

We’ve got two parts to look at today. Us and them, or,

On our part

We need to be a Christian, true and through.

We need to be willing

We need to be preaching

We need to have faith

On their part

The Word is nearby

The Word is heard

The Word is followed

On our part

We need to be a Christian, true and through.

8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Just what does it take to be a Christian? Are there any criteria, is there a set of rules? Is there an apprenticeship or internship program that we have to undergo? Just what does it mean to be a Christian? What is a Christian?

A Christian is a believer and advocate of Christ; one that is committed to Christ; one that is a follower of Christ. Did you know that the word Christian is used just three times in the New Testament.

The first instance occurs in Acts, chapter 11. There we see where Believers "were called Christians first in Antioch" because their behavior, activity, and speech were like Christ.

(Acts 11:26) … and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.