A NEW BEGINNING
ARE YOU A 'WEEPER OF SOULS'?
Exclusive: Greg Laurie urges Christians to join Harvest simulcast this weekend
People can tell if you really care about them. It’s true. Your neighbor knows it. A child knows it. Even a dog can tell. So I begin with this question: Do you care about people who don’t know the Lord?
Far too often we view people outside of Christ as the enemy when, in fact, they are under the control and influence of the real enemy, Satan. They don’t need you to criticize them or judge them; they need Jesus to rescue them. Scripture says we are to be patient in our dealings with nonbelievers.
“Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants” (2 Timothy 2:26, NLT). Effective sharing of one’s faith, then, really begins with a concern or burden for the person you are speaking with.
Before the apostle Paul delivered the Gospel to the pagans of Greece, Scripture tells us that “he was deeply troubled by all the idols” (Acts 17:16). It’s no wonder. Athens was “Idol Central” of the planet at that time. Another way to translate Paul’s reaction to this idolatry is, “He was irritated and aroused to anger.”
Have you ever looked around at our culture today, seeing so many trapped by sin and poor choices and found yourself getting angry? Not at the people, but at the one who is doing this to them? We usually think of anger as a negative thing, but did you know there is a place for anger? It’s often called righteous indignation.
In Paul’s case, that feeling of being troubled and angry motivated him to come up with an action plan. And that’s the way it will be for any of us. Any effective attempt at sharing one’s faith must begin with a God-given burden. Paul later wrote, “Just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me – I couldn’t keep from preaching if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t” (1 Corinthians 9:16, TLB).
Do you feel that way? Charles Spurgeon once said, “Winners of souls must first be weepers of souls.” If we want God to work through us to reach people who don’t yet know the Lord, it must start there: with a real concern in our hearts for men and women outside of Jesus Christ.
In Luke 15, we are given a perspective of how God views those who don’t know Him. Is He angry and disgusted at them? No, He longs for them. In three quick metaphors, Jesus conveys how much God loves people … like a shepherd who lost a sheep … like a woman who lost a coin … and like a father who lost a son.
In that final story, Jesus gives an account of a young man who leaves his home and his father, cashes in his inheritance, heads for a far country and plunges into a wild, reckless life, quickly burning through his money and his so-called friends. The grieving dad waits and waits for his son to come to his senses and return home, sitting every day on his front porch and staring as far as he can down the winding road into the distance.
Then one day it happened. Down the long road that led to the family estate, the father saw his prodigal boy. He was not as young as when he had left. Long gone was the bloom of youth, as sin had taken its toll. Perhaps his health was ravaged from poor choices. But at least he was going the right direction now: toward home.
And when that father saw his beloved boy walking toward him, he couldn’t contain himself. Old as he was, he bolted out of that chair on the front porch and sprinted to meet him. Jesus said, “And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20, NLT)
Jesus is telling us that God the Father is like the father in this story. When we or other sinners are apart from Him, He misses us; He longs for us to return because of His love for us.
Would you be willing, like the father in that story, to “lose your dignity” for a moment and engage someone with the Gospel message? Would you be willing to leave your “comfort zone” and take a little step of faith? Would you be honest enough to say that you don’t care as much as you should about people who don’t yet know the Lord?
Ask the Lord to give you His heart and His compassion for people who don’t know Him and haven’t received His gift of eternal life. And then, as God brings someone specific to your mind, ask them to attend the March 6, 2016, Harvest America simulcast with you at a nearby location. This will be a nationwide event beginning at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, at 5:30 p.m. Central Time, and streamed live to thousands of host locations including churches, theaters and living rooms. The event will feature top Christian artists including Chris Tomlin, Lecrae, Switchfoot, and MercyMe, and I will be on hand to offer a clear Gospel message. To find a location near you, simply go to our website, harvestamerica.com.
This may be your opportunity to show the love of Jesus Christ to someone who might very well be open to His offer of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. All you have to do is invite them to come along with you to the event. You ask,
“But what if they turn me down?” They might! But then again, you really never know what’s going on in someone’s heart and life. God may have been preparing your loved one, friend, or neighbor for that very moment when you put your fears aside and show them the compassion of Jesus.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/03/are-you-a-weeper-of-souls/#WPJXlOfhQUDIvvFV.99
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