Who would “They” be?....the lost.

If I could choose only one prayer for our church and our community, it would be this: loving and passionate evangelism. We will never see revival without passion. Name one great leader in the church who doesn’t or didn’t have passion for the lost. I’m not sure one exists. Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, Jonathan Edwards, and the Apostle Paul were passionate—not to mention Jesus. Jesus would flip tables and sit with the children a moment later. These leaders would not cave in one inch when it came to scriptural truths but had an overwhelming desire to see regenerate hearts. Obviously we shouldn’t bible thump people to the point of frustration either, but nonetheless we should be passionate about the neighbor, family member, or co-worker who doesn’t know Jesus or who has a misguided view of what true saving faith is.

Our culture today is so enthralled with the latest celebrity news, wealth accumulation, and popularity (and the list goes on and on) that it’s no wonder why even Christians can’t stop to think about others. There are so many distractions in our life, and I’m not talking about family and work. That has been at the cornerstone of history since Adam and Eve, so we need not make that an excuse. How much TV do you watch? Can you say no to a college football game on Saturday when your team is playing? It is understandable why people keep up with the news and politics, but how important is it really if some candidate gets elected when we have people all around us perishing? If you want to fix the political system or problems that our country/world faces (which are many), then show people Jesus, and you get it all.

I struggle with all the distractions listed above, which is why it is so troublesome to my own heart and unfortunately why it was easy to write them out. Charles Spurgeon said this: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” And Jesus said this in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Is there anything wrong with watching the news, sports, or TV or with participating in any other leisure activity? No, but we can’t make disciples by sitting around watching the Georgia Bulldogs lose yet another big football game. An idea: Ask a lost person to come with you to watch the Dawgs lose.

Go Gators!

Matt