 3.
Evangelism -- Our Most Sobering Task
It was late in December, 1996. A large family gathered
in Los Angeles for the joyous occasion of wrapping Christmas
presents. It was a big family because it was the product
of two marriages. There were so many gathered that night,
five of the children slept in the garage. It was a converted
structure, kept warm during the cold night by an electric
heater which sat by the door.
During the early hours of the morning,
the heater suddenly burst into flames, blocking the
doorway. In seconds the room became a blazing inferno.
The frantic 911 call revealed the unspeakable terror
of the moment. One of the children could be heard screaming,
"I'm on fire!" The distraught father vainly
rushed into the flames to try and save his beloved children.
He received burns to 50% of his body. Tragically, all
five of the children burned to death. They died because
steel bars on the windows of the garage thwarted their
escape. There was only one door, and that was stopped
by the flames.
You are back in time. It's minutes before
the heater burst into flames. You peer through the darkness
at the peaceful sight of five sleeping youngsters. You
know that at any moment the room is going to erupt into
an inferno and burn the flesh of horrified children.
Can you in good conscience walk away? No! You must awaken
them, and warn them to run from that death trap!
The world sleeps peacefully in the darkness
of ignorance. There is only one Door by which they may
escape death. The steel bars of sin prevent their salvation,
and at the same time call for the flames of Eternal
Justice. What a fearful thing Judgment Day will be!
The fires of the wrath of Almighty God will burn for
eternity. The Church has been entrusted with the task
of awakening them before it's too late. We cannot turn
our backs and walk away in complacency. Think of how
the father ran into the flames. His love knew no bounds,
and our devotion to the sober task that God has given
us will be in direct proportion to our love for the
lost. There are only a few who run headlong into the
flames to warn them to flee (Luke 10:2). Please be one
of them. We really have no choice. The Apostle Paul
said, "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!"
(1 Corinthians 9:16).
It was the "Prince of Preachers,"
Charles Spurgeon, who said the words, "Have you
no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved
yourself. Be sure of that." A Christian cannot
be apathetic about the salvation of the world. The love
of God in him will motivate him to seek and save that
which is lost.
You probably have a limited amount of
time after your conversion to impact your unsaved friends
and family with the Gospel. After the initial shock
of your conversion, they will put you in a neat little
ribbon-tied box, and keep you at arm's length. So it's
important that you take advantage of the short time
you have while you still have their ears.
Here's some advice that will save you
a great deal of grief. As a new Christian, a friend
of mine did almost irreparable damage by acting like
a wild bull in a crystal showroom. He bullied his mom,
his dad, and many of his friends into making a "decision
for Christ". He was sincere, zealous, loving, kind,
and stupid. He didn't understand that salvation doesn't
come through making a "decision," but through
repentance, and repentance is God-given (see 2 Timothy
2:25). The Bible teaches that no one can come to the
Son unless God "draws" him. If you are able
to get a decision but they have no conviction of sin,
you will almost certainly end up with a still-born on
your hands.
In his"zeal without knowledge"
he actually inoculated the very ones he was so desperately
trying to reach. There is nothing more important to
you than the salvation of your loved ones, and you don't
want to blow it. If you do, you may find that you don't
have a second chance. Fervently pray for them, thanking
God for their salvation. Let them see your faith. Let
them feel your kindness, your genuine love, and your
gentleness. Buy gifts for no reason. Do chores when
you are not asked to. Go the extra mile. Put yourself
in their position. You know that you have found everlasting
life. Death has lost its sting! Your joy is unspeakable
-- but as far as they are concerned, you have been brain-washed.
You have become part of a weird sect. So your loving
actions will speak more loudly than ten thousand eloquent
sermons.
It is because of these thoughts that
you should hold back from verbal confrontation until
you have knowledge that will guide your zeal. Pray for
wisdom and for a sensitivity to God's timing. You may
have only one shot, so make it count. Keep your cool.
If you don't, you may end up with a lifetime of regret.
Believe me. It is better to hear a loved one or a close
friend say, "Tell me about your faith in Jesus
Christ," rather than you saying, "Sit down.
I want to talk to you."
It is important to realize that we should
share our faith with others whenever we can. The Bible
says that there are only two times we should do this
-- "in season and out of season" (2 Timothy
4:2). The Apostle Paul pleaded for prayer for his own
personal witness. He said, ". . . that utterance
may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly
to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I
am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly,
as I ought to speak," (Ephesians 6:19-20).
Remember that you have the sobering
responsibility of speaking to other peoples' loved ones.
Many times when you open your mouth for the Gospel,
you may be the answer to the earnest prayer of another
Christian. Perhaps he has cried out to God that He would
use a faithful witness to speak to his beloved mom or
dad, and you are that answer to prayer. You are that
true and faithful witness that God wants to use.
Never lose sight of the world and all
its pains. Keep the fate of the ungodly before your
eyes. Too many of us settle down on a padded pew and
become introverted. Our world becomes a monastery without
walls. Our friends are confined solely to those within
the Church, when Jesus was the "friend of sinners."
So take the time to deliberately befriend them for the
sake of their salvation. Remember that each and every
person who dies in their sins has an appointment with
the Judge of the Universe. Hell opens wide its terrible
jaws. There is no more sobering task than to be entrusted
with the Gospel of Salvation -- working with God for
the eternal well-being of dying humanity.
 The
next section is:
Prayer -- "Wait for a Minute"
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