Category Archives: Evangelism

Rescue

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bj.jpgAMERICA WAS RIVETED to their television sets in October of 1987 as rescuers worked feverishly to save “Baby Jessica,” a one-year-old girl from Midland, Texas who found an abandoned well shaft in her aunt’s backyard, fell into the 8-inch hole, and plunged 22 feet down the pipe…
As word spread of “baby Jessica’s” plight, the residents of Midland literally stopped what they were doing to offer whatever assistance they could in the rescue operation, or to just stand by and offer moral support. Millions of Americans were riveted to their television sets as rescue crews and volunteer citizens joined hands to dig a shaft parallel to the one that trapped Jessica.
The rescue effort was hampered by a layer of super-hard rock. However, the rescuers were spurred on by the sound of the cry of baby Jessica which could be heard from beneath the surface. Her moan from beneath served as an encouragement to rally the troops to do whatever was necessary to save her. For 58 1/2 long hours, they worked and worked. When paramedics finally covered a terrified Jessica with gobs of petroleum jelly and slid her out of the pipe into freedom, and the flood of bright television lights, an entire nation cheered in unison as her salvation.
THOUGHT; Although we cannot rescue souls who have already died and gone to torment, we can be motivated by their anguished moans to work diligently to keep those who are still living on earth from going to that awful place. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). Consequently, we need to unite together to save some, “snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23 ASV). (BJ Clarke)
KneEmail: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Lost

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lost2.jpgSEVERAL YEARS AGO, my family was camping in the mountains of Colorado…
We have arrived there late in the afternoon, and we picked out a nice spot close to a beautiful river. While I was attending to the chores of setting up and organizing our camp, the children went off to play.
As the sun began to set, we started rounding up the children and hustling them back into our campground before it got completely dark. Our four-year-old son, Scott, was missing. The river was making so much noise that my calls were drowned out, and its roar was a constant reminder of danger.
Panic began to build. Where was he? Had he wandered out of the campground? Had he wandered up or down the river? The last time I saw him, he was playing at the edge of the water with a little boat he had made.
By now you could barely distinguish the camp as the rays of the setting sun were further blocked by the forest. A chilling reality gripped me. I only had a few minutes before darkness made my search nearly impossible.
What should I do?
First, I want to tell you some of the things I did not do.
I did not organize any classes on how to find lost children.
I did not hold any rallies to enlist volunteers to help me.
I did not wait until someone came along with was better qualified than I to search.
I did not fail to do anything for fear of doing the wrong thing.
Now, I want to tell you what I did do.
I acted immediately.
I ran around the campground.
I dashed up and down the river.
I called Scott’s name, in spite of the roaring river.
I searched the churning waters.
I stopped total strangers to describe him, and they joined in the search.
Nothing else mattered for that period of time. Finding him was my top priority.
After running all over the campground and up and down the river, I still could not find him. Not knowing what else to do, I decided to go back to camp to figure out what to do next. Scott and I arrived at the same time. He was walking nonchalantly into our campground, oblivious to everything; I was still on a dead run.
THOUGHT: An old preacher once said, “If a man has a soul, and he has, and if that soul can be won or lost for eternity, and it can, then the most important thing in the world is to bring a man to Jesus Christ.” (Don Humphrey)
KneEmail: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Evangelism

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abcross.jpg
A WELL-KNOWN preacher once gave the following advice to a group of churches concerning their approach to evangelism:
“Don’t tell people about the cross, it doesn’t work. Too many evangelistic efforts fail because they focus too much on the cross. Just tell them God loves them and has a plan for them.” He continued, “The message of a crucified Jew is ridiculous to the modern mind. So move onto something better. A crucified Messiah is stupid, but promise them prosperity, give them emotional experiences, provide them with self-esteem and then you’ll fill the pews.”
THOUGHTS: Avoiding the cross and catering to people’s external needs might “fill the pews,” but they will be pews filled with people still dying in their sins. Without the cross, the Bible is just another neat story book. Without the cross, Christianity is no more than a self-help seminar. It was the cross that God displayed His wisdom and power. (Mitchell Skelton)
KneEmail: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).