"The Forgotten MANY!"
“…The harvest truly [is] great, but the labourers [are] few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2
WARNING: Today’s devotion may be hazardous to religious hypocrites and those caught up in false spirituality; but if received properly, it will cause SPIRITUAL GROWTH and a fresh love for LOST humanity!
As the years roll by, it seems that many have forgotten that they were once lost and have been found by the LOVE of JESUS! Many have not spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to others who are in a LOST state (don’t know Jesus). Yet, ALL OF US were in some manner exposed to the message of Jesus Christ – thus resulting in our salvation.
What state were you in when Jesus came into your life? Wealthy (but spiritually poverty-stricken), a prideful self-achiever, possibly an alcoholic, drug addict, prostitute or something else. BOTTOM LINE is, when you met JESUS, your state and status before God was LOST (you didn’t personally know JESUS).
This message (devotion), given to you today, has burdened my heart for months (even years). It is hard to put into words, but I will give a humble and frail attempt to do so.
I am afraid that many of us have forgotten the MANY people who still do not know Jesus. We have JESUS and have now internalized our salvation by hanging around with ONLY those who are fellow Christians. After all, we need fellowship and we don’t want to become contaminated by the world.
IN OUR ATTEMPT TO FELLOWSHIP AND STAY UNCONTAMINATED BY THE WORLD, WE HAVE, IN ESSENCE, BECOME RELIGIOUS DEAD BEATS LETTING A LOST WORLD SLIP INTO HELL!
In today’s devotion, you will see that we are missing a big part of the plan and purpose of God for our lives on earth AFTER we have been saved (delivered from death to life in Jesus).
While compromise is out of the question in my Christian life (a daily decision), I must, in an UNCOMPROMISING MANNER, GO OUT to share the message of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him.
What does “GO OUT” mean? Well, for starters it doesn’t mean expecting those who do not know Jesus to just come pouring into the churches. Most won’t! Just get that clear in your thinking, most people who do not know Christ WON’T COME TO CHURCH! Yet, we spend so much time (and money) to get them into a church service. We’re missing it! If you want to reach the lost, go to where they are found! This is exactly what Jesus did!!!
“The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, BEHOLD A GLUTTONOUS MAN, AND A WINEBIBBER, A FRIEND OF PUBLICANS AND SINNERS!” Luke 7:34 (also read Matt. 9:10-12)
This was the accusation brought against the LORD. They didn’t like that Jesus hung out with such people, but this is where Jesus desired to be!!! Regardless of what others thought!
Then as we read on, it says:
“And, behold, a woman in the city, WHICH WAS A SINNER, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, AND STOOD AT HIS FEET BEHIND [HIM] WEEPING, AND BEGAN TO WASH HIS FEET WITH TEARS, AND DID WIPE [THEM] WITH THE HAIRS OF HER HEAD, AND KISSED HIS FEET, AND ANOINTED [THEM] WITH THE OINTMENT. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw [it], he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman [this is] that toucheth him: for SHE IS A SINNER.” Luke 7:37-39
This religious Pharisee couldn’t believe Jesus would allow this SINNER to wash His feet with her tears and hair and kiss His feet! He accused Jesus of NOT being a prophet because he allowed this SINNER TO TOUCH HIM! Yet, this “sinner” who touched Jesus, left him FORGIVEN (v. 47, 48).
This is what Jesus is all about, LOVING those who need him, no matter what reputation it gives him with others!!!
It’s these self-righteous religious leaders that Jesus had the most problem with, and who, without a true understanding of their sinful state, would perish in hell.
Are you that person who would wash Jesus’ feet with repentant tears, or are you that self-righteous religious person who will have nothing to do with the “sinners” of society?
While we know friendship with the WORLD SYSTEM is wrong (James 4:4), to befriend those who don’t know Jesus is the very thing we need to do if we are going to see many come to Christ! It is the very thing Jesus did!!!
I like what Terry Wardle says in his book “One to One.” He states: “…Evangelism begins not by disengaging from society but by establishing a beachhead of LOVE among the unchurched.”
How do I do that without being contaminated?
I like the story Rick Warren shares in his book (Purpose Driven Life) on this very subject:
He stated: “…When I order a piece of swordfish in a restaurant, before I eat it, the first thing I do is to put some salt on it. Think about that. That swordfish has spent its entire life in saltwater; yet, before I eat it, I have to salt it. If God can keep a fish in saltwater its entire life without the salt permeating its body, GOD CAN KEEP YOU IN A NON-CHRISTIAN WORLD WITHOUT YOUR BECOMING INFECTED...” Amen to that!!!
Personally, what keeps me from becoming contaminated in the worldly environments is I go to them in the love of Christ and with a remembrance of the HELL hole I was delivered out of. Your life BEFORE CHRIST may or may not have looked like a "HELL hole," but it was!!!
God has helped me to see through all the false lies the devil has people believing in these worldly environments. It appeals to me as does vomit or dung – It doesn’t! But I do want to help as an instrument of God to reach out to those who do not know Jesus! This is God’s will!
I am personally big on friendship evangelism - loving those who do not know Jesus without snubbing my nose at them. If you want to see hearts open to the gospel, treat them with Christ’s love. Oh, some will not respond, but what a blessing when a heart is changed and follows Jesus, and sometimes it will take time!!!
As poet Edgar Guest put it:
“I’d rather SEE a sermon
Than HEAR one any day
I’d rather someone WALK with me
Than simply POINT the way.”
It takes time to develop relationships, but I believe it will produce true conversions to Jesus Christ!
We are soldiers of the LORD (II Tim. 2:3,4 and Eph. 6:10,11) as we go forth to defeat the enemy (satan) and bring people to a relationship in Christ. At times, we may grow tired or weak, and that is when we go back to other Christians and fellowship with them. But we don’t stay there! We get refreshed through fellowship, church, prayer, time in the Word (the Bible), and then return to the frontlines of the enemy (satan) to rescue some more souls from the kingdom of darkness (satan’s kingdom - hell bound – Col. 1:13) and bring them into the Kingdom of Light (Jesus/God’s kingdom - heaven bound – Matt. 5:14, John 8:12, Eph. 5:8). Also read Acts 26:18 & II Cor. 4:4
WE NEED TO GO TO WHERE THE LOST ARE!!! AND THEY ARE RARELY COMING TO CHURCH!
I play a pretty serious game of pool/billiards and have for 2 1/2 years. When God gave me the desire to play pool, I thought it was just a hobby. I got a table and played at home and would occasionally go to an upscale pool establishment where the owners did not allow smoking (I hate the smell), and the owner would usually correct anyone from loud cussing. It wasn’t exactly like going to church, but it was a fair environment for a "Christian." Then after playing for just a short while, I saw a mission field of souls who did not know Jesus; thus, the birth of Christian Pool Players Association (www.christianpoolplayers.com).
In the last 2 years, the LORD has had me meet many true followers of Jesus, who also happen to have a burden for the LOST. To reach out to the LOST in the pool world, has meant for me to go to places less than desirable compared to the first pool establishment. Now, I have a Christian pool team and a national outreach to pool players. I daily thank the LORD for keeping me focused (on my mission to share Christ) and for making the chains of sin so utterly clear and ugly. When I leave these spiritual dark places where many are lost and bound by sin, I am so thankful for Jesus delivering my soul. So blessed to not be bound by satan and the kingdom of darkness.
Where are you going to find most lost souls? Usually hanging out in spiritually dark places! But what better place to shine your light for Jesus!
I like this quote I read years ago:
“GO HERE, GO THERE, WHEREVER SOULS ARE PERISHING”
We need to stop shining our light only on other lights (Christians) and start shining our light of Jesus where it is dark - in a lost and dying world.
In His Service,
Jim (BibleFood@aol.com)
www.biblefood.org for over 70 devotions written by Jim.
