The Strengthening Power of the Always Advancing Gospel

There's something profound about legacy. When a church maintains a missions conference for over fifty years, it raises an important question: Why? Why gather year after year to hear from missionaries, to pray for distant nations, to support work happening in places most of us will never visit?

For many Christians, global missions can feel like receiving National Geographic in the mail. It's exotic, interesting, even inspiring—but ultimately disconnected from the reality of everyday life. We flip through the pages, enjoy the glimpses of faraway places, and then set it aside. After all, we have bills to pay, marriages to preserve, children to raise, and parents to care for. What does missions to unreached peoples have to do with getting through a difficult Tuesday?

This question deserves a biblical answer, not just a traditional one.

The Gospel at the Center
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, structures his opening greeting in a fascinating way. He uses a literary device called a chiasm—a pattern that places the most important truth at the center, with supporting truths wrapped around it like layers.

At the very heart of Paul's introduction stands this declaration: Jesus Christ, descended from David according to the flesh, declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.

This is the gospel. This is the reason for everything.

If Christ has not been raised from the dead, our faith is futile and we remain in our sins. If Jesus is still in the tomb, we should pack up our Sunday gatherings and go home to face our guilt and mortality with despair. But he has risen. The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated.

This truth cannot be displaced. Nothing—no matter how good, how helpful, how compassionate—can take the place of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. We can do many good things as the church. We can relieve suffering, meet needs, and bless our neighbors. But if these things replace the gospel rather than serve it, we've lost our power and our purpose.

A helpful diagnostic question: Would I still do this if Jesus were still dead? If the answer is yes, we may have allowed something other than the gospel to creep into the center of our work.

Ancient Promises, Present Power
Paul doesn't leave the gospel standing alone. He wraps it in layers of confirmation designed to strengthen our faith.

First, he reminds us that this gospel was "promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures." The death and resurrection of Jesus wasn't a random event in 30 AD. God has been at work since the Garden of Eden, unfolding his redemptive plan across thousands of years of history.

When we study Scripture and see God's faithfulness in keeping his ancient promises, it fuels our confidence in his promises to us today. The same God who preserved a people, guided history, and sent his Son at exactly the right time is the God who promises us:

• That the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies
• That all things work together for good for those who love God
• That nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
• That the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet

This is why we preach the Bible, study the Scriptures, and constantly point back to God's Word. We need to see his track record of faithfulness to believe he'll be faithful to us.

The Nations and Your Faith
Here's where it gets interesting—and where missions becomes deeply personal.
On the other side of Paul's chiasm, balancing the ancient promises of the prophets, he places something surprising: "through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations."
Paul is placing these two things on equal footing. The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in Christ and the present advance of the gospel to the nations are both meant to strengthen our faith.

This means that in order to receive the full encouragement God intends for us, we need both Bible studies and mission reports. We need to look back at God's faithfulness in Scripture, and we need to look around at God's power going forth to the nations right now.
When we hear about a church being planted in a place where Christ has never been named, when we learn about people coming to faith in hostile territories, when we see the gospel breaking through cultural barriers and spiritual darkness—these aren't just interesting stories. They're evidence that God is still powerfully at work.

Why This Matters for Your Hard Tuesday
Whatever you're facing—financial pressure, relational conflict, health concerns, uncertainty about the future—the advance of the gospel to the nations speaks directly to your situation.
When you hear about God bringing spiritually dead people to life across the world, it reminds you that the same power is available to you. When you see the gospel overcoming obstacles that seem insurmountable in distant places, it strengthens your confidence that God can handle your circumstances.

It's like Jesus asking the doubting scribes, "Which is easier—to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?" He might ask us today: "Which is easier—to say to the paralytic, 'Rise and walk,' or to say to the nations, 'Bow to King Jesus in saving faith'?"

But that we may know he has power to fulfill his word, he says to the nations, "Rise, take up your bed, and believe." And as they do, our faith is strengthened.

Something beautiful happens when we embrace this truth. The more we're encouraged by what Christ is doing around the world, the more confident we become in what he'll do in our lives. The more confident we become, the more we want to see the gospel reach others. The more we support and pray for that work, the more we hear testimonies of God's power, which further strengthens our faith.

It's a glorious, self-reinforcing cycle of encouragement.

This is why Paul concludes his letter with this doxology: "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ...to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ. Amen."

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, that worked through ancient prophets, that is bringing dead souls to life across the nations—that power will strengthen you.

Don't shortchange yourself by thinking missions is a luxury for the comfortable or a distraction from real life. The advance of the gospel to the nations is fuel for your faith. It's evidence that God keeps his promises. It's proof that his power is real and active.

And that truth will carry you through whatever hard thing you're facing this week.