“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20
Whenever I have read this verse I’ve always tried to find some reason why this is an invalid scripture. It’s not so much that I think it is not true, but that somehow there was some loophole that I could find in this statement.
This month my team and I are staying in the city of El Cercado in the Dominican Republic. We are involved in a ministry called “Dominican Rising” which is an organization that is trying to raise up Dominican missionaries to bring the Gospel to their nation.
We are the first team they have partnered with that is specifically there for evangelism and not construction or medical missions. What it looks like for our team is door-to-door ministry….
Hold up…
When I first heard that we were going to be doing door2door… I literally pictured my team in our Sunday best soliciting Jesus to people who didn’t really want to hear it. In all honesty it sometimes looks like that in the states, so it’s not a wonder that I cringed inside when I heard the phrase.
Well in this first week of ministry it hasn’t looked anything like what I originally imagined. When we arrive to a house whoever is there will immediately go inside to grab more chairs for us to sit and join them. It’s not uncommon to meet someone at a house that is not their own. Once we are seated it’s just a matter of having a conversation with them. We talk about family, work, and all the niceties of first meeting someone.
“How do I direct this conversation towards the Gospel?”
…That is the question I ask myself at every home. So here I am trying to figure this out and then I hear the Lord saying, “Just ask them. It doesn’t have to be fancy; I’m the one doing the work.” (Moe translation of God’s words)
Obviously I came there for a reason and they already know what I’m there for so why not just move forward.
So I began asking…After several visits, you come to this realization that all the people believe in God and know that He is their provider and is in control of all things, etc. They are also grateful and thank Him all the time.
One woman literally said, “If someone does not believe in God then they are mental ill.” Wow….ok no room for misunderstanding there. If you haven’t noticed they are also VERY open to talking about it.
Saber – to know or have knowledge of
Conocer – to know like a friend; intimately knowing
Herein lies the disconnect, for them and really for most people as well. That whole head/heart knowledge thing. Also, a large majority of them don’t know or understand who Christ is and what role He plays.
While all this is important…what really stuck out in my mind is that although there is no church sitting on the corner of their community they still have an understanding of His sovereignty, power, and all His invisible attributes are plain to them. Why is this? “Because God has shown it to them…”
So…the question I can’t help but to wonder is… what is our excuse?
Just a t h o u g h t. . .
SN: Please be praying for God to help them understand the need for Jesus as we present it to them and that God would bridge the gap in their hearts.
