Each One…Reach One
…“Quickly, get out
into the city streets and alleys...and bring them here.’” Luke 14:21b…
Experts say that 3
people die every second. If this fact is true, then 180 people die every minute,
10,800 people die every hour, 259,200 people die every day, and 94,608,000
people die every year. Of the six billion people on earth today, experts also
sayt that 2/3 of them have never heard the Gospel one time. If these
percentages hold true, then 63, 103,536 people die every year without ever hearing
the Gospel one time! 54,000 in the US alone today will move toward an
eternity with Christ or apart from Him.
God loves lost people, spiritually confused people,
irreligious people. Jesus always
revealed that. One time, the Pharisees
were trying to insult Jesus. “What is
the most hurtful, vicious and mean thing that we can possibly throw at Jesus?”
They said, “Jesus…you, you, you….friend of sinners.” Jesus thought, “Thank you
very much…can I have another?” While they tried to insult him…they gave him the
greatest compliment. In Luke 19:10,
Jesus declared that as his agenda. “The
Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”)
If you are a follower
of Jesus Christ, and your goal is to be more like Jesus, then we need to
have compassion and care for sinners.
Our mission should be to communicate his message to a hurting world.
When we look at other people through heaven’s eyes, we can see them as people
who are loved by God (valuable to him and we can show love and compassion).
As a young boy, Saint
Patrick lived a comfortable life near an English coastal city where his
father was a deacon in their church. But at the age of 16, all that came to an
end. Irish pirates attacked his village,
abducting Patrick and many of the household servants. After arriving in Ireland,
Patrick was sold as a slave to a Druid tribal chieftain who forced Patrick to
work with a herd of pigs. In the midst of all that pig filth, God began to
transform Patrick's heart. In his Confessions he wrote, "I was sixteen and
knew not the true God, but in a strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving
eyes, and I was converted." Patrick
became convinced that the kidnapping and homesickness were actually
opportunities to know Christ better. "Anything that happens to me,"
he wrote, "whether pleasant or distasteful, I ought to accept with
[serenity] giving thanks to God ... who never disappoints."
After serving as a
slave for six years, Saint Patrick escaped, boarded a boat, and found his way
back home. Finally,
he was back on British soil, warmly embraced by his family and his community.
In his own mind, Patrick was finished with Ireland for good. Patrick was
adamant: "It is not in my nature to show divine mercy toward the very ones
who once enslaved me." But once again, God changed Patrick's heart.
Partially through a dramatic dream, Patrick knew that God had called him to
return to Ireland--not
as a slave, but as a preacher of he gospel. His family and friends tried to
stop him, telling him, "Why does this fellow waste himself among dangerous
enemies who don't even know
God?" Despite their objections,
Patrick used his own money to purchase a boat and sail back to Ireland
in A.D. 432.
Patrick then spent
the rest of his life preaching the gospel in Ireland, seeing many people come
to Christ.
He also passionately defended the human rights of slaves, writing a letter of
scathing protest to King Coroticus after his soldiers had raided a village,
slaughtered the men and sold the women into slavery. Patrick never got over
what God had done for Him. In his Confessions he wrote, "I was a dumb
stone lying squashed in the mud; the Mighty and Merciful God came, dug me out
and set me on top of the wall. Therefore, I praise him and ought to render him
something for his wonderful benefits to me both now and in eternity." Like
Patrick, we too were dumb stones lying squashed in the mud, but our Mighty and
Merciful God came, dug us out, and put us into his magnificent, holy temple so
that together we could bring Him glory the rest of our lives. He wants to help us value others
Just as Christ was
passionate to reach others with the message of salvation, He wants to put that
heart in each of us. The greatest thrill will be one day in heaven
when someone says, “I am here because of you.”
Our love, Our reach. Our care. All pointing to Christ and His love for
us.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) Who needs to be reached in your life this
year?
2) What is one way we can extend this month to
build a bridge?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright
2014- Terry Risser
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