Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Blood On My Hands?

While I write these words there are people I know that don’t know Jesus and my choosing to write this instead of share the Gospel will result in one of two things. Either they will continue living a life that is Hell on earth, or they will die and go to Hell.

Later on this evening while I go watch Godspell people I know and love will continue living lives in such that is completely unaffected by the Gospel, and the radical love of Christ.

In a couple weeks when I walk across a stage to receive my degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College people I know and love will be battling with depression, drug addiction, sexual abuse, identity confusion, with absolutely no solution or answer to their issues.

While I enjoy light, they will continue living in darkness.
While I bask in God’s love, they will continue to search, and search, and search for true love.
While I experience God’s grace, they experience the wrath of a God who has let them chase their own desires.
While I sit in the library of my Christian college doing absolutely nothing to change the present circumstances or destiny of people deeply loved by God, people will read this and then move on with life.

A couple of months ago I heard a sermon on evangelism that convicted me to begin praying for ten unsaved friends/loved ones… just ten. So I went to my apartment, got my journal and began my list of ten people I would begin praying for, and eventually talking to about how Jesus has changed my life. I began writing my list of ten names… but got stuck at three names. So I started looking through Facebook friends… and I got to five names. I’ve been stuck at five names ever since. Every couple days or so I glace at the list, I think about those five names, but that’s it. I haven’t prayed for those people, I haven’t spoken to them, and really if I was to be really honest with myself – my actions have shown that I don’t really care. And I think that breaks God’s heart more than the fact that they don’t know Him.

Last night I saw Hillsong United in concert and as they sang “Mighty To Save” I began to think of those five names. I remembered that God is actually mighty to save those names on my list, but it requires me to step out of the boat and talk to them. All it takes is simply sharing what Jesus ha done in my life… that’s it.

I have come to the painful realization that, the hearts and souls of people matter.
They matter to God, and for the first time they matter to me as well.

I will make a difference.
I will not be ashamed of the Gospel.
I will not watch quietly while people I know and love pave their roads to Hell.

This may seem radical to some, but it is simply reality.

Reality is that WE are God’s “Plan A” – His only natural means of sharing the Gospel message with people. We are His “Plan A” and there is no “Plan B.”

Reality is that we are commanded by God to be witnesses (not apologists) of his love, and peace, and grace, and power, and freedom. If we aren’t witnesses than we’re disobedient.

Reality is that we don’t have forever. Satan’s grip on people’s lives and minds will tighten the longer we wait.

Reality is that one glorious day we will see Jesus face to face, and abide in God’s presence where there is fullness of joy forever while the people we love and care about…

Read this and go bear fruit.
Please.

(Thanks Tiff)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

youre welcome

Anonymous said...

Powerful thoughts. In a world of non-chalance and escapist "it's not my problem," your words speak convicting the truth: in one respect, I AM my brother's keeper. pb

StacieLynn said...

good stuff Manny. definitely convicted me. being aware of how fast time goes by and how this life on earth is but a vapor, how can I continue to waste my time and keep my God to myself? thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

YES!!!! what more can I say than that i wholeheartedly agree..man, I love this post, its so true and so hard..but so real. Its like we forget what God has done for us and get into a normal way of living in which we neglect his power and the reality that he wants to use us. Neglect that regardless of how people might initially take what we share that we still MUST share...and Pray...love it!

http://journeythroughthehills.blogspot.com/

weird said...

wow, that is a goood one Manny. Thanks for postin it. well yesterday at church, we had a greatand wonderful summon on TESTIMONY. our preacher kept on asking us "do you have a testimony?" and if you do,"do you share it with others?" He mentioned that sometimes people give fake testimony[they arent real] becoz they want to be seen by the world that they believe in Christ Jesus! Christ is real, and the only way we can let the others know about his reality is by testifying His love and what He has done in yo life! These testimonies move us and inspire us to believe more in God and Jesus. Thanks Manny for letting others know about His Grace, it is a blessing always.