Thursday, June 7, 2018
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Reaching the Lost # 6
Reaching the Lost
Try
to recall the last time you were extremely ill.
Perhaps your illness forced you to stay in bed for several days. Perhaps you were even hospitalized as a
result. As poor as your physical health
may have been at the time, try to recall that feeling of rejuvenation you felt
when the phone rang, and it was someone calling to check up on you. Try to recall how loved you felt when someone
showed up to visit and encourage you bedside.
One
of our duties as disciples of Christ is to provide care and assistance for the
physically sick, disabled, and disadvantaged, especially those who are of like
faith (Matt. 25:34-36, James 1:27, Gal. 6:2,10). But also consider the importance of providing
care, support, and assistance for those who are spiritually sick and weak. In reaching out to the lost, we must be
diligent and consistent in checking up on those who are in need of God’s
word. Most of us know from experience
that people don’t generally respond to the gospel right away; it often takes
time, patience, and loving support to help someone reach a point where they’re
ready to take some action regarding their spiritual condition.
I Corinthians 3:6 compares ministering the Truth
to planting and nurturing a seed. None
of us have planted a seed of any kind without returning to it from time to time
to at least check up on its progress. In
most cases, we do more than just check up; we, of course, water the budding
plant, provide nutrient-filled soil, make sure
it gets plenty of sunlight, keep weeds away from it, prune dying leaves, and do
anything else we can to regularly make sure that seed grows into a
fruit-bearing plant. We stay in touch
with that plant, knowing that neglect could lead to its demise.
Says
Paul in his letter to the church in Rome, “For God is my witness, whom I serve
with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of
you always in my prayers” (Rom. 1:9). In
his letters to the early congregations of God’s people, Paul demonstrates the
importance of staying in touch with those to whom we’ve presented the gospel,
as well as demonstrates the proper attitude for doing so. Consider Paul’s statements of care and
concern for those to whom he was ministering; it seems Paul had not, in fact,
even been to Rome, but his love for the developing church there abounded
nonetheless. He reminds them of the
faith (Rom. 1:1-6) He extends his
sincerest good wishes to them (v.7). He
encourages them in their good faith (1:8).
He lets them know he’s praying for them (v.9). And, of course, throughout the letter he
continues to teach them Truth, reminding them of what they already knew and
building on that firm understanding.
Even when Paul was writing to places that had abused Truth or seemed to
have strayed from it, he always spoke and acted in love and encouragement, and
always made ministering the gospel his top priority.
And
what about those who are already members of the body of Christ? Do we need to bother checking up on those
members, new and old, that miss services from time to time? If we see someone once a week on Sunday and
perhaps have a meal with them do we need to check up on them during the week
from time to time? Of course! Galatians 6:10 reminded us to “do good to all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
It’s
a wonderful moment when we’ve found a way to engage someone about the gospel
and their spiritual condition, but we need to remember to stay in touch with
that person as best we can. We need to
remember to allow time to do its work as we consistently demonstrate to others
that we care for their spiritual well-being, and as we break for them the bread
of life.
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Reaching the Lost
Do
you begin your day with a To-Do list?
Many people like to write down everything they plan to do throughout the
course of the day in order to focus on priorities. Disciples of Christ, whether they write it
down on a To-Do list or not, should always have reaching the lost as a
priority. Each day we venture out into
the world, we should have a mind prepared to share the doctrine of Christ at
every opportunity (I Pet. 3:15). But
this does not always seem practical in our day-to-day lives.In
Matthew chapter 15, a Canaanite woman seeks the help of the Son of God. “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David;
my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil,” (v.22) she pleaded. Here is an individual one who believed in
Christ, desiring to bring the healing power and love of the Lord into the life
of a loved one. Too often we get so
frustrated trying to find ways to engage strangers about the gospel that we
forget about those close friends and family members who may just as desperately
need the knowledge of Christ. We can
almost hear the anguish in Martha’s voice when she tells Jesus, “Lord, if you
had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, ESV)Consider,
for a moment, those closest to you.
Consider your own immediate and extended family members. Consider your closest friends, your
neighbors, the coworkers with whom you have good, friendly relationships. Consider the cousin, aunt, uncle, son, or
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