Last Chance

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, Acts 16:31

It’s been 111 years since Titanic, the greatest ship of its time, sank on its maiden voyage, killing more than 1,500 passengers. The “unsinkable ship” had done the unthinkable. One of the unforgettable stories of the fateful event is of the Titanic preacher John Harper and his passion for saving souls.

On Sunday the 14th of April, 1912, the day when the iceberg was struck, Harper attended the church service for the passengers. His niece reported that later that afternoon she saw her Uncle speaking individually to people about their souls. It seems he was in the habit of seeking out the lost sheep wherever he went.

The Titanic struck the iceberg at 11:40 P.M. on April 14, 1912. One survivor distinctly remembered hearing him shout, "Women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats!" Harper knew that believers were ready to die but the unsaved were not ready. Harper then ran along the decks pleading with people to turn to Christ. As the ship began to lurch, he jumped into the icy waters and swam frantically to all he could reach, beseeching them to turn to the Lord Jesus and be saved.

Harper swam to the people one by one and asked them, “Are you saved?” One man later testified that he replied, No, I am not,' He replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,' The waves bore him away; but later the waves brought him back and asked, 'Are you saved now?' ‘No,’ I said, ‘I cannot honestly say that I am.’ He said again, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,’ and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.

Finally, as hypothermia set in, John Harper sank beneath the waters and passed into the Lord’s presence; he was 39. In the Hollywood movie of the Titanic, nothing was said about John Harper, but he was truly one of the great heroes of the Titanic.  In the face of death and drowning, he was concerned about the souls of men.

People R Us

 

Years ago I pastored a small church and to supplement my salary, I took a second job with Publix Supermarket. ( Great company to work for.)

During orientation, we were taught that Publix was in the people business, not the food business. Great attention was given to customer service. When a customer entered the store, they were to be greeted within 45 seconds.

I think the local church sometimes forgets they are in the people business as well. The church must not look at people as a means to build a large church but rather as an opportunity to serve. Philippians 2.4

I have often heard people say they are looking for a church that would meet "their" needs. That's the wrong focus. Jesus came not to be served but to serve Mark 10.45 and we should have the same attitude.

Jesus the Magnet

 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him... Matthew 8:1

We read throughout the New Testament that everywhere Jesus went He drew a crowd but He never intentionally drew people to Himself. In John 6 we have the account of Jesus attracting a crowd of over 5,000. I have been thinking a lot about why people are not drawn to me [or churches] like they were Jesus. Why are churches closing by the hundreds even though they are using a host of venues to attract people? What was Jesus 'secret' in drawing people?

• Jesus loved unbelievers People called Him the "Friend of Sinners."The command to love is the most repeated command in the Bible. We need to love people where they are.
• Jesus attracted people by meeting their needs. Jesus frequently asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Many churches are more interested in meeting their own needs rather than meeting the needs of others. They need to know that they will be loved and accepted.
• Jesus' teachings were relevant. Jesus usually taught in response to a question or problem from someone in the crowd. Jesus' goal when teaching was to transform lives. We do not have to make the Bible relevant - it already is. When people understand how the Bible can affect and change their lives; they will be drawn to that church.

Some churches become like the world. Some isolate themselves from it. A third option is better - infiltrating the world! Jesus walked among people, in their world.

 

Ripples

Have you ever thrown a stone into a lake and watched the ripple effect? No matter the size of the stone, they all make a ripple. So it is with our witnessing for Christ. Just a simple word will cause a ripple effect in people's lives.

Early one Sunday, a young man dragged himself home from a night of partying. He collapsed into bed, setting his radio alarm for mid-afternoon. When the radio came on, he was jealous awake by the preaching of Donald Barnhouse, who was asking: " Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and he asked you, what right do you have to enter into my heaven - what would you say?"

That's the moment the Holy Spirit touch James Kennedy, one of America's eminent pastors, who is now with the lord. At the time, however, no one knew the results of that broadcast. It was unknown to Dr. Barnhouse, to the producers of the show. To the supporters who had given their gifts to put it on the air, or to the workers in the studio. Only heaven can tabulate the result of that Sunday afternoon broadcast.

Do not ever underestimate the handful of stones you're throwing into the pond whenever you say a word for Christ.

Following Jesus In Today's World

 

The Bible says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8. When Jesus was calling the 12 disciples; He asked them to follow Him. Matthew 4:19

Since Jesus never changes; the invitation to follow Him still applies to us today.

To 'follow' someone you must know where they are going. You need to know their destination. So where was Jesus going? Why did He come to earth? Luke 19:10 clearly states He came to 'seek and save that which was lost.'We Jesus often used stories to convey spiritual truth. Each parable had a different meaning but He was told three parables in Luke 15 that all had the same meaning: The lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. If we are to be true followers of Christ, this should be our purpose in life, seeking the lost.

The Apostle Peter followed Jesus and had an intimate relationship with Him. But something changed that relationship. When Jesus was arrested and was being taken prisoner, Matthew 26:58 "Peter followed him at a distance..." Peter made the mistake of allowing a distance in his following. His safety and security were threatened. Technically, he was still following Jesus but from a distance. Later on, Peter was asked if he knew Jesus and he swore with an oath he did not know Him. When you follow Jesus from a distance, it will affect our relationship with other people will change. We are more focused on ourselves than lost people.

We are so unaware of the 'lost' people all around us. Romans 3:23 says 'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,' Everyone was has not trusted Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins, is lost. Doesn't matter if they attend church or are good moral people; without Christ, they are lost.

Tomorrow as you follow Jesus, follow His example and invite someone to follow Jesus with you. It may be at school or at work. It may be at church. Yes, there are lost people who attend church!

Don't follow Jesus at a distance!

The Second Disaster

 

In my last blog, Following Jesus in Today's World, we saw that following Jesus means to follow His example in seeking the lost. Luke 19:10. Unfortunately, most Christ-followers have not made this a priority in their lives. Most go through life never sharing their faith with an unbeliever.

Most of you are familiar with the tragic story of the Titanic. The Titanic was the largest man-made object at its time. During its maiden voyage, it struck an iceberg and started to sink. It took a long time for the ship to go down. About three and a half hours between impact and totally going under. There was a lot of time for lifeboats to be placed in the ocean. But what I found out was that though the lifeboats had the capacity to save 70 people, they were only half full when lowered in the water. It is clearly documented that there were only between 12-30 people in each lifeboat, with the capacity to save more people. When the ship finally went down there were all these lifeboats all over the ocean. There were hundreds of people in the water screaming for help.

And here is where the Second Disaster of the Titanic happened. It was the fact that there were so many lifeboats with seats to space, everyone started to row away from the disaster. They managed to shut out the fact that all these people could be saved but they were happy with the fact that they had been saved. Only ONE lifeboat returned to pick up survivors. This is a picture of todays Christianity where we are just happy we made it! We know Jesus, we are on our way to heaven but our "lifeboat" is only half full!

Today, you are either in a lifeboat or you are in the water! If you are in the water; do not refuse when someone offers to rescue you. If you are in a lifeboat; don't ignore those in the water!

Are You Going It Alone?

 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them. Matthew 18:20

For many men, our default is go-it-alone. We prefer to work alone, make decisions alone, power through struggles alone, get credit for doing it alone. Nothing is more macho than bein a Rambo-type! Showing the world you can handle life, alone if necessary.

The problem is, our Savior, Jesus Christ does not think it's a great idea. He didn't go-it-alone during His ministry' He doesn't go-it-alone now. Mark 3:13-15 And when He sent followers tp preach and do miracles, He sent them in pairs, so they wouldn't go-it-alone either. Luke 10:1 But, why are pairs or groups better than one person?

There are several reasons:

* Jesus is uniquely present when two or more people join together in His name Matthew 18:20

* When two or more people join together who know one another, pray for one another, and pray with one another there have a better chance to succeed in their mission. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

* You receive more support and are protected from sin and opposition. Having a partner provides accountability from temptation and having someone to "watch your back."

You were never meant to go it alone. Remember; even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.

Power of Influence

When I was in Bible College, one of my professors taught me an invaluable lesson. He said, "The very first thing you need to do a a new pastor is to identify the person of influence in your congregation!" That is the person you need on your side. When a church is making an important decision, they look to THAT person to see what THEY think. That person does not necessarily need to be on the church board or be a staff member but the congregation values that person's opinion.  People need to realize that they do not need to hold a position of authority to influence people. 

India has a population of 1.4 billion people of which 966 million (78%) are Hindus. Hinduism owes much of its beginning to Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi was not a political figure but his thoughts influenced the course of India's direction. In his early adulthood, he was impressed by the Gospels of the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

To that end, one Sunday morning he visited a Christian Church and ask the minister how to become a Christian. However, when he entered the building the usher refused to give him a seat, and suggested that he should worship with his own people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. He said to himself, “If Christians have caste differences also, I might as well remain a Hindu.” Gandhi later said, "I like your Christ; I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

That usher’s prejudice turned a person away from trusting Him as Savior. I am sure that usher did not realize his action may have prevented India from becoming a Christian nation. 

Every person has the power of influence to some degree. A teacher has influence with their students. A Sunday School teacher could affect a student's future. Who are you influencing? 

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.---Napoleon Hill 

Sitting? or Sent?

 When pastors get together, it isn't long until they ask how their home church is doing. Nothing wrong with the question but is interesting how pastors answer the question. The majority will answer something like, "We had 260 in attendance!" But do numbers actually tell how a church is doing or how healthy the church is? 

Most of the churches I have pastored were small churches and I have to admit I sometimes felt intimated when in a social gathering with pastors with larger churches.

Many churches think in terms of sitting capacity. How many people can fit inside the building. But churches also need to ask about their sending capacity. How many people are leaving Sunday, heading into Monday sent on a mission?

Being a Christ-follower means we are also fishers of men (Matthew 4:19) but that does not mean we just invite the fish [people] to come to the aquarium [church building] where the chief fisherman [the pastor] casts the bait [the gospel] and lands the fish [conversion]. 

The church I was raised in was small but it sent out several people: Pastors, missionaries, and Christian School teachers.

God is sending each of us to reach someone with the Good News that Jesus Christ came to earth to provide a way to heaven and provide eternal life.