Agonizing for Souls

       Unfortunately, the majority of Christians do not share their faith regularly, if ever. Most modern day disciples of Christ would rather sit back and watch a movie than obey the Savior by seeking and saving the lost. In fact, that is what most professing Christians do. In a poll by George Barna it was found that the average “born-again” Christian in the United States spent sevenhours of their God-given time on entertainment for every one  hour that they gave to spiritual activities. That is, the average professing Christian in our nation proves by their actions that they see serving themselves as seven times more important than doing the will of the Father.

       As servants of Jesus Christ, we are to die to ourselves, and be alive to Him. If we are Christians, we won’t be self-serving because we won’t have a self to serve. We will be consumed by the reality that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb and that most of the world has not. That understanding will consume us. We will be driven to our knees in prayer and then up on our feet and out into the streets with an uncontrollable zeal and compassion. Every day we will die more and more to the lusts of the world around us and be driven closer and closer to complete and selfless submission to “our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

       If we know Christ, then we are his possession. If we do not know Him, then it will be natural for us to live for our own pleasure. We must examine our hearts to see whom we are truly serving (2 Cor. 13:5). One way to do this is by looking to see how we spend our spare time. Those who live their lives primarily for their own desires and pleasures prove themselves to be slaves of the flesh and friends of the world, and not of servants of Christ. If we are Christians, then we should be able to say boldly and unashamedly above all things that our heart¡¯s desire is to know God and make Him known!

As Charles Spurgeon so urgently stated,

“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that!¡±

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies, and if they must perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions and let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for!”