Commission and Compassion

Give us a watchword for the hour,
A thrilling word, a word of power;
A battle cry, a flaming breath,
A call to conquest or to death;
A word to rouse the church from rest,
To heed the Master's high behest.
The call is given, ye hosts arise,
The watchword is evangelize!
To fallen men, a dying race,
Make known the gift of gospel grace.
The world that now in darkness lies,
O Church of Christ, EVANGELIZE!

An immortal soul is beyond all price

There is no trouble too great, no humiliation too deep, no suffering too severe, no love too strong, no labor too hard, no expense too large, but that it is worth it, if it is spent in the effort to win a soul.

Charlie Peace, condemned to death on England's death row, was being led to the gallows guided by prison guards and the chaplain who was casually reading some scripture verses. Peace was rather shocked at how the chaplain rather matter-of-factly read about hell. Could a man be so unmoved under the very shadow of the scaffold as to lead a fellow human there and yet, dry-eyed, read of a pit that has no bottom into which this fellow must fall? Could this preacher believe the words that there is an eternal fire that never consumes its victims, and yet slide over the phrase without a tremor? Is a man human at all who can say with no tears, "You will be eternally dying and yet never know the relief that death brings"? All this was too much for Charlie Peace. So he preached. Listen to his on-the-eve-of hell sermon.

"Sir," addressing the preacher, "if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worth while living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!" (Why Revival Tarries, L. Ravenhill).

God loves the soul more than all creation. He fashioned it after His own image, and made it like unto Himself. Every soul has departed from God and gone astray, but God has bought every soul back again with a price, the precious life and blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

God loves every soul with an everlasting love. But Satan hates the soul. In his enmity towards God, he is using all his energy, using every snare, his utmost cunning, and employing every means with the one single purpose of destroying the soul of each human being.

When a million million eternities have each lived their endless ages and have rolled by into the unthinkable past and time is no more, the soul will still be living. God has said in His Word, "He that winneth souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30). Daniel further added, "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3).

Helping Others Along the Way

A story came across my desk the other day. It told the story of an incident that occurred during the Special Olympics in Seattle a few years ago. Nine young people, all with some form of mental or physical disability, assembled together at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. Each dreamed of victory, of glory, of winning a medal, of having their name in lights.

At the sound of the gun, they started running, not exactly in a dash, but running as best as they could. Except for one. A young boy had tripped and fallen, and began to cry. Hearing his cries, the other eight stopped running, turned around, came back and gathered around him. One little girl with Down's Syndrome hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, "This will make it better," she said.

As the spectators in the stadium began to stand and cheer, all nine got up, linked arms, and walked all the way to the finish line. They ALL finished as winners.

Romans chapter 12 says we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. We are many members, but one body. When one member hurts, the whole body should hurt. When one member rejoices, the whole body should rejoice. When a member falls, we should go to them and help them to their feet. We should encourage them and pray for them. Arm in arm, we should help each other "press toward the mark," for it is important, not just that we win, but that we help others win along the way. The young people in the Special Olympics did not think of themselves. They did not think of the momentary glory they would receive for winning the race. They thought, instead, of their friend who had fallen.

Compassion was the heartbeat of Christ's ministry

When Jesus saw the multitudes of people, He was moved with compassion for they were weak and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd (see Matthew 9:36). The Psalmist said of God, "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." (Psalms 86:15). All of Heaven itself seems geared toward the salvation of souls, for there is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repents, than over the ninety-nine that need no repentance (see Luke 15:7).

Intercession is the way that leadsto the winning of souls. No church can prosper without it. No Christian can grow without it. The law of life demands reproduction - that kind should beget kind - that Christians should seek the lost and make disciples of all nations. You begin to care for a person spiritually when you begin to pray for them.

Jesus Christ left this command to us, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). With Christ came the emphasis of seeking the lost. The movement of Christianity in this world is scripturally based on making personal contact. Anyone who really knows and loves Jesus Christ will want others to know Him as well.

The search for satisfaction in a person's soul is completed in a living knowledge of Jesus Christ. Personal evangelism is sharing this discovery. How is this accomplished? Jesus gave us the answer, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19).

A love for Christ produces a love for mankind. Lives today are complex and complicated by sin. People do not need formulas, slogans, or the latest fads sweeping through the church. They need to meet Jesus Christ, and they need to see Calvary, where the blood flowed down that horrible hill, and where their victory was purchased. The cross of Christ is their answer, it has always been their answer, and it will always be their answer.

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