GET IN THE BOAT Do not let us be a church that rows away into eternity covering our eyes and ears so we can’t hear the screams of the people who are lost and dying around us. Let’s be a church that pursues them, that loves our neighbor in such a way that we can look at them and say, “There is plenty of room for you. Get in the boat.” Matthew 13:1-9.
The Great Commission. Matthew 28:16-20.
When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, He didn’t hang around and wait for their answer. He said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” He kept on walking. They had to act at that moment or the opportunity would be gone. Audio: Michael Gossett; Transcript: David O. Dykes.
The members of the church in Jerusalem had such a positive impact on their community; it says they enjoyed the favor of all the people. The word favor means these healthy believers were a blessing to the people around them. Once they came to know Christ, they wanted others to experience the abundant life and joy they were enjoying.
There are two extremes that must be avoided if we are going to make wise evaluations about people. At one end of the judgement spectrum is a harsh, condemning attitude. But the other dangerous extreme on the judgement spectrum is an attitude of total permissiveness—no judgement whatsoever. The motto of total permissiveness is “Live and Let Live.” Today this attitude is often concealed within the politically-correct cloak of tolerance. Tolerance has become the catch word for “anything goes.” Tolerance means you can’t disagree with me because if you do, you’re intolerant—and the only people we DON’T tolerate are those like you Christians who are intolerant. What a double standard!
As Christians, we don’t have to make our lives extraordinary, we are extraordinary. Jesus Christ lives in us, and that makes us different. We are naturally supernatural and supernaturally natural. Every day, we have opportunities to show people how we are different. We turn the other cheek. We go the second mile. We pray for our enemies. We don’t have to act different, we are different.
Telling others about Jesus must be our top priority. How can we be content to go to heaven when there are thousands around us who haven’t yet trusted Christ? It’s as if we have been rescued from drowning and we’re sitting in the lifeboat of salvation while all around us the water is full of drowning people who are calling out for help.
The Bible teaches many religious people will be surprised on Judgement Day. These are people who go to church, give their money, and speak the right religious jargon. Some of the most staggering words to ever proceed from the lips of Jesus are found in Matthew 7: Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.'” (Matthew 7:23)
If you stood before Jesus Christ right now, could He say, “I know you?” Do you have a personal relationship with Him, or do you just have an occasional habit of being religious?
Life is tough by itself, and sometimes people wish they could erase their memories like they erase a video tape. That’s why so many people commit suicide: they want to erase the memories. There is no Alzheimer’s in hell. Everyone will have a crystal-clear memory. Hell will be a place of eternal remembrance and regret. Have you ever bought something on a whim and later regretted it? It’s called “buyer’s remorse.” Fortunately, you can take a lot of things back for a refund or an exchange. In hell there will be what I call “invitation remorse.” It won’t be over something you did, but it will be remorse over something you didn’t do: accept Jesus.
WWhen we think about the 3 billion people on our planet who don’t know Jesus Christ, we can get overwhelmed. We wonder how we can ever convert these multitudes to Christ. The job of global missions is NOT to convert people to Christ; only God can truly convert people. Our job is to communicate the good news to these people without Christ. Millions of people don’t know how much God really loves them, and they must be told.
It’s easier to steer something when it’s moving. Do you remember the old cars before power steering? Sometimes when the battery was dead, you could get somebody to push the car and then you could pop the clutch and get the engine cranked. You could hardly turn the steering wheel when the car was sitting still, but if somebody was pushing it, it was easier to steer. God can steer you in the right direction if you are already moving forward toward obeying him, but when you are an object at rest, remaining at rest, it’s difficult for you to know God’s direction. So get moving in the direction of sharing Christ.
If I was your neighbor and I saw your house was on fire, and you didn’t know it, what would be the kindest, most loving thing I could do? I would run to your door and warn you to get out quickly–your house is burning! We know there is a heaven and we know there is a hell. We have a sacred obligation to lovingly warn others about the danger of eternal judgement. I fear hell will be populated with people who ask for all eternity, “Why didn’t David warn me about this?” We have an obligation to tell them about the grace, love, mercy, and forgiveness of God. This should be something we do gladly and eagerly because Jesus has saved us, and we love Him.
The problem with many American Christians is that to you Christianity is just such a personal thing; you don’t ever want to share it. You have your ticket to heaven, you have your eternal fire insurance, and frankly, you don’t really care whether anybody else goes to heaven or not. We’re like a bunch of people using first aid on ourselves, when there are hurting people all around us. If you’re content to hang on to the gospel and not share it with anybody else, you don’t share the missionary heart of the Apostle Paul.
