Nobodies Telling Everybody

My primary text for today is from the apostle Paul’s letter to those in the church at Rome. Many of you will recognize the text. Many of you will have memorized the text years ago: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)

 

And that text reminds me – as it might remind some of you – of what the Lord Jesus told His disciples just before He ascended back to the Father:

 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

 

The gospel: The story – the promise that the Holy God makes to penitent sinners like you and me and every person in this building and every person on this planet. It is the promise of the Holy God to always accept our repentance, the promise to always forgive our sins, to wipe them from His memory, to change the trajectory of our lives, to replace our spiritual darkness with His light, His promise to spare us from His wrath and give us an eternal future with Him.

 

That’s the gospel message in only a few sentences. It’s the message of God’s unmerited, undeserved, and unearned love for each of us.

 

Before I get into the heart of my message, let me tell you about two people I’ve known from my ministry here during the last ten and a half years. The first is an 85-year-old woman. A gentle soul. For years she faithfully attended our bible studies and church services. But, sadly, dementia slowly took control of her mind. And yet, it was always apparent that she loved the Lord Jesus. It was also evident that her love for the Lord sustained her in the increasing fog of her dementia. Eventually, her family moved her to a higher level of care.

 

The other person I knew was in his early 80s. He was also a nice person, and I enjoyed talking with him whenever we were able to sit and talk. But unlike the woman I just told you about, this man didn’t have time for Christ. He made that clear to me on several occasions over the years. He was content with his life without Jesus. And then the day came when he was found dead in his apartment upstairs.

 

So, did God love each of them so much that He sent His only Son to Calvary to pay the penalty for their sins and to offer them eternal life? Of course He did. But of the two, only one accepted God’s offer through Christ. As far as I know the other rejected Christ and went to an agonizing eternity.

 

Those two people serve now as a backdrop to the theme of my message today, the title of which is, “Nobodies Telling Everybody.” Please listen to these words from Isaiah:

 

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” . . . .Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

What do we know about Isaiah? Not much, except that he was a ‘nobody’ in the history of Israel until he responded to the Lord’s call, “Here I am. Send me.”

 

‘Nobodies’ telling everybody. What is it the Lord Jesus commissioned His disciples to do? If you know your Bible you know what He said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” Matthew 28:19-20

 

Why that commission? Why that COMMAND? Because a joyous eternal life or an agonizing eternal death hang in the balance for everyone. Everyone. You, me, pastors, priests, deacons, person in the pew, our parents, siblings, cousins, friends, neighbors, presidents and prime ministers, kings and queens.

 

Everyone.

 

And I will assure you, on the solid foundation of Scripture, a degree in theology is NOT a prerequisite to make disciples and be a co-labor with Christ to save people from eternal death. What IS required is obedience to Christ.

 

You may remember the story of the demoniac in Mark chapter five. After Jesus cast out the demons, the townspeople begged Jesus to leave their city. As the Lord got ready to go, the formerly demon-possessed man pleaded that he might go with Jesus. But the Lord said this to him: “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19

 

In other words, Jesus told a ‘nobody’ to tell everybody about the Somebody who can save their souls.

 

Think for a moment of Jesus’ disciples – not just the 12, but all those who followed Jesus? They were all virtually unknown in their communities. They were day-laborers. They were fishermen. They were hated tax collectors. Some were prostitutes, others were disabled beggars.

 

They were Nobodies telling everybody.

Here are only a few more Biblical illustrations of ‘nobodies.’ There was Elijah. St James tells us in his epistle that Elijah was a man with a frail human nature just like ours – an imperfect man who nonetheless was committed to God. (James 5:17). And when this ‘nobody’ heard God call him to Mount Carmel to contend with the 450 prophets of Baal, he went.

 

He went even though those hundreds of false prophets had the full support of the godless government run by Queen Jezebel and King Ahab. (1 Kings 18) But after Elijah saw the great miracle God worked on Mt Carmel, what did he do when Jezebel threatened his life? He ran in fear for his life.

 

Yes, Elijah was a man with a frail human nature, just like ours.

 

What about Peter?  He also was a ‘nobody’ before he obeyed God’s call to be a fisher of men. The apostle clearly had his faults, didn’t he? He publicly denied knowing his best friend and Lord – three times. And it was Peter who, years later, was guilty of hypocrisy in his relationship with Gentile Christians.

 

And while the apostle Paul was certainly not a ‘‘nobody’’ in his Jewish culture, he also had his share of frailties that didn’t end after he met Christ. You may remember he confessed in his letter to the Christians at Rome how wretched a sinner he was – doing what he didn’t want to do and not doing what he wanted to do. And then there was that thorn in his flesh – what it was no one knows – but it dogged him until the day of his death.

 

We could spend two college semesters examining the lives of so-called ‘nobodies’ throughout Scripture who turned their world upside down for the one true God.

 

And we could spend entire college semesters examining the so-called ‘nobodies’ in church history who turned their world upside down for Jesus; People like Monica, the mother of Augustine of Hippo, or of Francis of Assisi, or John Wycliff, Fanny Crosby, George Mueller, John Newton, Amy Carmichael, William Wilberforce – all former ‘nobodies’ who simply said “Yes” to God’s call to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Nobodies just like you and me – who can do great things for God, if only we’d say, ‘Yes’ to His call.  

As I prepared this message I thought of the song by the Christian group, Casting Crowns. Here are some of the lyrics of their song titled: “‘nobody’”:

 

“Why You ever chose me/Has always been a mystery/

All my life I've been told/ I belong at the end of the line
With all the other Not-Quites/With all the Never-Get-It-Rights
But it turns out they're the ones/ You've been looking for all this time
“'Cause I'm just a ‘nobody’/Trying to tell everybody/All about Somebody who saved my soul.

 

Many Christians put people like Elijah and Isaiah and Peter and Paul on pedestals, surrounded by halos. We tend to think we could never be so valuable to God’s kingdom as they were. And it’s a terrible mistake to think that.

Certainly, those men and women deserve our respect, even our emulation. But to suggest they were super-Christians is something for which I am certain they themselves would rebuke us. Their spiritual strength rested squarely and exclusively on the Rock of Christ – just as yours and mine must always rest.

 

In our current culture where the gospel is mocked – and with increasing frequency Christians find themselves on the wrong end of political correctness when they proclaim God’s truths which contradict the culture’s version of truth. And in this current culture, God help us to never be ashamed of the gospel, to never compromise the gospel, to never dilute the gospel, because the gospel of Christ is the ONLY power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jews and to the non-Jews. There is no other name – no other road under heaven – by which we must be saved.

 

The year 2026 is not a time for Christians to be silent about the gospel. The night is rapidly descending when no one will be able to work openly for Christ. Charlie Kirk is only the latest American martyr who died because of his bold and unwavering Christian faith. And he will not be the last American Christian martyr.

 

A newly released report shows that in 2024 churches in the US were targeted in 415 separate acts of hostility including vandalism, arson, bomb threats, and gun-related incidents.

 

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins describes the trend as a sign of a deepening cultural hostility toward faith. He added, “The American ‘woke’ Left has been intentional in spreading its hostility toward the Christian faith throughout every corner of America.”

 

Another troubling statistic, this one reported by the religious advocacy group, Catholic Vote, found that of the hundreds of attacks against Christians and churches – only 30% resulted in arrests. Said another way, 70% of the perpetrators got away with their violent anti-Christian bigotry.

 

And just last week . . . Did you read about the mob that invaded a Minnesota church last Sunday during their worship service, terrifying both adults and children?

 

Let me now take us back to the healed demoniac – the ‘nobody’ to whom Jesus said, “Return to your people and tell them what great things God has done for you.”

 

Which ought to beg these next two question for application: So, ‘Nobody’ – what has Christ done for you? And how can you share Him with others? Here are four Biblically rooted strategies to make disciples of all nations.

 

The first strategy involves talking the gospel. Do our friends and acquaintances know we attend church, prayer meetings, or Bible studies? Do they ever hear us talk of our faith in Jesus? Do they even know we are a Christian? Are we silent when we should speak, and do we speak when we should be silent?

 

Second, the gospel message must also be more than talked. It must also be walked. Does our walk match our talk? Do we ignore or rationalize what the Bible calls sin – as we looked at last week – or are we quick to repent? Are we guilty of gossip, of complaining, of an unwillingness to forgive others? Do we compromise our lifestyle to be accepted by family, friends, or acquaintances? Do we place the approval of friends over the approval of our Savior? Do we vote for politicians who support laws and policies that would cause Jesus to publicly rebuke us?

 

The third strategy to fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission has to do with financial stewardship – to give our dollars to those who do His work in ways and places where we cannot. The apostle John, in his letter to a local church about the itinerant preachers who occasionally visited them, wrote: “Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers . . . Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. (1 John 1:5, 8)

 

I’ve included in your handout a list of charities and other organizations that I believe are worthy of financial support. Even if you can only afford a dollar a week, it is just as easy for God to multiply whatever we give as it was for Him to multiply the fish and loaves. But the point is – give what you can to the work of Christ. There isn’t time now to quote the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, but I urge you to read it in its entirety on your own. All three stories in that chapter are interrelated.

 

Finally, strategy number four: Prayer. Do not think lightly of the power of prayer. Neither walking nor talking nor giving can accomplish much if the much is not undergirded with prayer.

 

As you know from reading the gospels, the Lord Himself spent a lot of time in prayer to the Father. Matthew 14:23, Luke 5:16, and Luke 6:12 are only a few examples. And you remember He taught His disciples to pray – for example, Matthew 6 and Luke 18.

 

And among the disciples, we also know St. Paul believed in the power and efficacy of prayer. When you have time, look at 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 and Ephesians 1:16-19. And then read Colossians 4:2-4.

 

Please hear this: NO ONE is impotent who serves our omnipotent God. Never think prayer is a ‘small thing.’ Remember again what God did with two fish and some loaves of bread. It’s prayer that undergirds ALL the fruitful activities of anyone who strives to fulfill in himself or herself the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. There’s no other supernatural power in all creation more effective than prayer that can defend our family, our friends, our nation, or our church from the supernatural assaults of the devil.

 

Most people on earth do not have a clue of the ferocious and deadly supernatural war waged by Satan and his minions for our eternal souls. And the weaponry of our warfare is not of human strength but of God’s supernatural power. Paul talks of that power in 2 Corinthians 10 and Ephesians chapter six. We cannot turn there now, but I urge you to examine those divine instructions on your own.

 

Let’s go back for a moment to the two people I spoke about at the beginning of my message. It’s for people like them that God sent His Son to die on Calvary. And God has privileged every Christian – of whatever role or age or status in life – God has given us the privilege to work with Him to save others from a life of heartache brought on by sin, and to save them from an eternal agony in the Lake of Fire.

 

God has privileged us to walk and to talk and to give and to pray that others will choose to follow Jesus – before death or dementia robs them of that choice.

 

What has Jesus done for you? Then tell others. Walk the talk. Give.

 

And pray.

 

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)