Part one of an important question...

So. Friends.

I have an important question for you.

First off, I am aware that "tonight" has come and gone. :) Sorry about that...things just get really hectic sometimes!

So, my question.

How many of us have more than one (sometimes a lot more than one) unBelievers in our families?

And I'm not talking brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, etc. I'm talking each and every one of our immediate and distant relatives.

I, for one, have very few family members that have repented of and turned away from their sins, and trusted Jesus Christ with their entire lives. This grives me deeply, and I'm praying for opportunities to speak to my family, to let them know what's up, and where they're heading. Even my own brother and sister are not Believers -- and this makes me extremely sad. I hurt for them, and I so desire to have my brother and sister as my Brother and Sister in Christ, which means so much more than the fact that we are blood relatives. Do you agree?

Okay, so a lot of us have family members that aren't Believers. Let's go a little further. How many of us have friends that aren't Believers? (I trust that those of us that are truly walking in Holiness with the Father obey His command in Scripture to (granted, this is a paraphrase) not be "buddy-buddy" with those who are not born again, and so I speak of friends as...oh...neighbors; those of us in small towns (like me) who are "friends" with cashiers in the grocery stores, fast-food restaurants, our doctors, etc.; these kinds of people.) How many of us know people, people that we see very often (maybe even every day), that are not realizing the path they're heading down, and don't see that their sin is, according to Romans 7:13, "exceeding sinful". How many?

Did you know that statistics prove that their are 150,000 people whose spirits depart from this world every 24 hours? That's one hundred and fifty thousand people. And the majority of that 150,000 every day is entering hell. Matthew 7:13-14 says (emphasis added), "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Okay, let's get radical. Not that it should be radical, but unfortunately, for many in the contemporary Christianity scene, it is.
How about your enemies?
How long will it be before one of your enemies' souls "enters the road to destruction", as thousands upon thousands of people do every day? Do you want their blood on your hands, because you were too stubborn, proud, afraid, angry (whatever your excuse is) to forgive them, when you've been forgiven so much, to let them know where they're heading?

Ok. One step further. What about all the people you don't know, in the very least, but that you pass by in the streets, the stores, come across on the internet, talk to on the phone, etc., every single day? What about them?

We take seriously the commandment in Exodus chapter 20, verse 13, that says, "You shall not murder." But we justify our sin of ignoring His command in Mark 16:15, where He says, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."

My question is, how can we, how DO we, obey one command in Scripture and ignore the other, or if not ignore it, justify our lack of obedience with lame excuses like, "I'm too afraid to share my faith" or "I'm too afraid of 'rejection'" or "I don't want to be pushy" or "I don't feel ready" or "I'm afraid I'll say something wrong and drive them away"? How can we do it?

• "I'm too afraid to share my faith" -- Well, the Lord has two things to say about that. First off, He says in Matthew 10:32-33, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." And to go hand-in-hand with that command, He gives a solemn promise in Isaiah 41:10: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." So the Lord blew the cover on that excuse, didn't He?! :)
• "I'm too afraid of 'rejection'" -- The Lord says in Matthew chapter five, verse ten (emphasis added), "BLESSED are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Amen?!
• "I don't want to be pushy" -- Again, the answer -- and the problem with your excuse -- is in the living and active Word of the Lord. "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)
• "I don't feel ready" -- "'For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; for I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,' declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 41:13-14)
• "I'm afraid I'll say something wrong and drive them away" -- "'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'" (Exodus 4:11-12)

And the exciting, amazing thought is that there are SO many more promises, just like this, in the Word of God.

Let me leave you with this beautiful thought -- and stay tuned for part two of this post!

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

For me, this is enough! :)