Confession is good for the soul. I needed to confess that I have seen my desire to focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ drift away during this time of great controversy concerning the 2008 election.
I know what readers are probably thinking - that's the understatement of year! Ha!
However, I do not think that such a focus was entirely wrong. I do think that I need to keep posting additional blog posts that lift up the name of Jesus and urge people towards repentance and salvation at the foot of the cross.
The Great Commission was the last command that Jesus gave his disciples before he ascended into heaven. Of course, this is not by accident - it is by design.
The rigor of spreading the gospel that is written about in the book of Acts was tantamount to the success of Christianity at that time in history. If we are honest with ourselves, such rigor does not seem to be evident (much) in our nation today. Don't get me wrong, many churches are doing a wonderful job of spreading the gospel. However, I do think that there is a fear to "not offend" when it comes to preaching in public.
Recall what had happened to that 80-yr.-old woman who appeared at a "No on Prop. 8" rally. You can read about the incident here or at my Protect Biblical Marriage blog.
The anchors of the news show got one thing wrong. They claimed that there was a "lot of hate on both sides."
Nope!
A lot of hate from the rabid, homosexual activists - yes.
If you look closely at one point in the video, the 80-yr.-old woman can be seen mouthing the words to those who were attacking her, "I love you." Of course, it was so noisy because of the rabid hate being spewed by the demonstrators, no one could hear her words.
Crazie Lefties Attack Old Lady At "No on 8" Protest
She is certainly a brave woman to show up there and try to minister the love of Jesus Christ and what He did for ALL sinners at the cross.
We are witnessing Biblical prophecy right before our very eyes!
Jesus told us to watch for the signs of his return. In Scripture, he said that the world would be, "as in the Days of Noah, and, as in the Days of Lot."
In the November issue of Dr. David Jeremiah's Turning Points magazine and devotional, the title on the cover reads "The Urgency."
Inside, there is a true story about Cody Thorpe and his team of emergency responders.
They hovered in the storm over Lake Saint Clair on the Canadian border. It was just after 2 a.m. on the morning of May 25, 2008. A fishing boat had sunk several hours before, having been sideswiped by a large cruiser. Because of the frigid waters, there was scant hope for any of the three victims - father, mother, or daughter. Spying a dim light, Cody rappelled from the helicopter into the lake. When he saw the form of a man waving a dying flashlight, Cody swam over to him and suddenly found himself fighting for survival with the hysterical man.
Though Thorpe's suit was breached, he was able to drag the struggling man to the rescue bucket of the helicopter before he became completely waterlogged. He then grabbed the daughter, who was floating face down in the water and performed CPR on her. She didn't survive. The mother's body was found not to far away.
Maximum survival time in the 50-degree waters of Lake Saint Clair was only two to four hours, depending on body type.
Still, Thorpe and his buddies are troubled by the thought they could have done more. "If we would have got the word sooner," said one of them, "got out there sooner, maybe we could have saved one more life. If, if, if..."
I am reminded of another man who expressed his own sense of urgency. When Pastor Rick Warren's dad was dying, he told his son, (paraphrased because I can't locate the book at the moment) 'reach one more for Jesus.' Warren's dad said this over and over again until he passed away into eternity. It had such a tremendous impact on Warren that he has now built a massive church and following. [Note: as regular readers know, I don't agree with some of Warren's teachings. My main concern was his omission of the need for repentance (which relates to this post and will be subject of an upcoming post) before asking Jesus into one's heart for salvation. However, the urgency that his dad expressed was relevant to this post.]
Although I don't know the 80-yr.-old woman's background and history, the video of her carrying the large cross to the "No on Prop. 8" protest and seeing her mouth the words - "I love you" - while blowing a kiss towards all of the homosexual activists that were screaming and raging against her, spoke volumes about the reason for her presence there. I think that she had her own "sense of urgency" to witness to the people at that protest.
Have you ever noticed that many times, it is older American Christians who venture out and do such brave acts as that woman did on that day? I think that it is very true that the older we get (as Christian believers) the more we realize that no matter what, our very own personal day with destiny to meet the Lord (if he tarries) is at hand! Therefore, that sense of urgency is redoubled for us.
Think about how many people have seen this incident. It has been broadcast everywhere. Some may not have noticed what I have described above about evidence of her true intentions for being there. But I'm sure that many others DID NOTICE.
That woman has a divine sense of urgency.
Dr. Jeremiah writes:
Rescuers live with a sense of urgency. As we saw in the previous article, Jesus is the Ultimate Rescuer. At just the right moment, He rappelled into history, descending from the Ivory Palaces of heaven into a dark, dangerous, and despairing world. He came to rescue the perishing.
After His resurrection, rather than remain on Planet Earth for the next 2,000 years, He commissioned His followers to go in His Name, seeking the lost and making disciples. That mission has made its way down to you and me, and we need a divine sense of urgency. We don't know how much longer before Christ comes again. We're living in the last days, and if there was ever a generation that needed to be faithful, it's us. You and I are God's Ultimate Rescuers - bringing people to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it should be our constant burden.
The entire article is wonderful and worth the read. You can subscribe to this monthly devotional free at Dr. David Jeremiah.org
To sum up:
1. Rescuers live with a sense of urgency.
2. To be rescuers, we need a deep sense of burden.
3. Sometimes we load our lives with so much "cargo" that we have little room left for souls.
The Christians who have changed the world are those who are compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). They say, like Paul, "Woe is me if I do not [share] the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:16). They say with Peter, "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).
HT: Dr. David Jeremiah.org