I know of no one who has an equal concern for everyone. As Christians, we say love all, and we pray for people to be saved in foreign lands and at home. We send missionaries around the world so they will hear of Jesus and, hopefully, ask Him to forgive them, repent of their sins, and ask Him to be the Lord of their lives. This is the desire of every Christian who is seeking God with all their hearts. However, it is not a passionate, consistent cry for the average Christian in America. We know John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This verse and many others teach us that He came for all. Yet, we will not walk across the street to tell a neighbor about Him. We have a problem, and it seems to be getting worse, not better.
It is easy for us to look around and feel outnumbered. The media shows us the growing division, and we understand that a spiritual dryness seems to permeate our culture. When Jesus walked the earth, He looked out at the crowds and didn’t see an enemy to retreat from; He saw a harvest waiting to be gathered. In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus proclaims that the “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” He was talking to His disciples then, and He speaks these words to us now. The problem then was a lack of interest in the harvest. The priority of lives, then and now, is to focus on our own comfort and desires. This did not please Jesus then, and it does not please Him now.
Jesus sacrifice on the cross was not exclusive. It was not for any group of people. His sacrifice is enough for all who will believe and trust Him as their Savior. It is not governed by the color of our skin, the education we have attained, or the amount or lack thereof, of money we possess. His grace is not in short supply; it is sufficient for everyone. The reason more people are not coming to Christ has never been the availability of His grace or the readiness of the harvest. The problem is us!
We are resting when we should be reaping. Sometimes we treat our faith like it is a safe place to hide away from the world until Jesus returns or until we die. If we are committed, we study His word, pray for those in need, attend church services regularly, and support the church and missions with tithes and offerings, but we stop short of doing the most important thing we can do: telling others about Him. We enjoy all the benefits of being a child of God, but we neglect the duty of seeking the lost.
Have we been Christians so long that we have deceived ourselves into believing everything is ok as long as we are not living a sinful life? We are silent for fear of rejection or discomfort. We keep the most life-changing truth to ourselves. Often, we are complacent, assuming the pastor, a missionary, or some form of social or electronic media will share the gospel. I have often heard people say that if anyone in America goes to hell, it is their own fault because the gospel is everywhere. This is a smokescreen for disobedience. It may appease your conscience, but God knows the truth. Maybe your excuse is distractions. You get so caught up in life and the building of your earthly kingdom that you forget our purpose while here is to live for eternal things.
Before Jesus left to go back to Heaven, He gave us our marching orders. In Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” We are not to wait out the clock; He commanded us to go. No one is excluded if you have been saved. There are many ways to witness, using whatever abilities you have. I know a man who is on a ventilator, with a feeding tube; he cannot speak or write, but with technology, he is able to use a computer to convey his thoughts. He is totally dependent on others for everything, but he writes a devotional every day and gives a great witness for Christ. When we pull back and do not go, tell, and then disciple others, we leave the harvest to spoil in the field.
Sharing Jesus doesn’t require a formal theological education. It doesn’t need an organized method or group of people. It starts with seeking the right way to love and serve the people directly in front of you. It means being a loving friend, speaking words of truth in love, and living with a godly character that makes others ask where your hope comes from. It means asking the Father daily to give you opportunities, being creative, and having a desire to snatch people from the brink of hell.
We have been given direct access to the Father and a command from the Son. It is time we started loving like Jesus instead of acting like bystanders in a harvest for which Jesus died. Be creative, get out of your comfort zone, and stop making excuses and start obeying.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
