Do Lost People Bother You?

The thought of people being lost in hell bothered Jesus Christ. It bothered Him enough, in the words of Luke 19:10, to "come to seek and to save that which was lost." J. M. McCaleb recognized people are lost without Christ. That bothered Him enough to go to Japan as a missionary in 1892. In 1921 he penned the beautiful but challenging words of the song, "The Gospel Is For All." It includes these lyrics: "Say not the heathen are at home, Beyond we have no call; For why should we be blessed alone? The Gospel is for all." I read a story about a church deacon helping with a special collection for mission work. A member refused to give and hissed, "I don’t believe in mission work." The deacon pushed the collection plate at the man and said, "Then take some. It’s for the heathen." A church member and / or congregation that is not mission-minded is a mission field.

The apostle Paul was bothered that people are lost without Christ. He knew the gospel was God’s sole power to save souls, and so he said,"as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel . . ." (Romans 1:14-16). Paul spent himself trying to make the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ available to every lost sinner this side of heaven or hell. In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he expressed a sentiment no longer present in many pulpits and pews in churches of Christ – "necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." His specific goal cannot be missed in the verses that follow – "that I might win the more ... win Jews ... win those who are under the law ... win those who are without law ... win the weak ... that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). Now, the point of this is not to shame us for not being an apostle Paul. He played a unique role for Christ as a "chosen vessel" in spreading the gospel (Acts 9:16). The point is to shame us when we are not bothered that people around us are lost. And for not being bothered enough to do more to save them. Preachers and church members who care about being like Jesus will minister to the physical and emotional and social needs of people around us. We cannot do less than that and be like Jesus. But we must do more. Feeding the body, while good and necessary, is not the same thing as feeding the soul (cf. Matthew 4:4; John 6:27). Praying and spending resources to save people from being cold and hungry and sick is not the same thing as saving their souls from the ravages of sin. Those unsought and untaught and not yet won to Christ are, whatever else they have or don’t have, "without Christ ... having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). The apostle Paul loved Christ and he loved lost people. Just how much he loved them can be seen in these startling words in Romans 9:2-3: "I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh." Paul knew he couldn’t go to hell in somebody else’s place, any more than he could go to heaven for them. But he deeply cared people were lost in sin. He was bothered enough to do what he could to bring them to Christ. Does it bother you that people you know and love are lost? How much does it bother you? What are you trying to do about it? Just asking.

  By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Don’t Wait – Make Hay While the Sun Shines!

Make hay while the sun shines – words needing no explanation to those who grew up on a farm! Even with modern techniques and equipment, it’s too late to "make hay" if you don’t get to it before the rain sets in. To "make hay while the sun shines" is to make the most of an opportunity, to take advantage of favorable conditions. Bale hay too soon (before it dries) and it will rot even in a barn. But wait too long to bale and you run the risk of rain ruining it in the field. When it comes to baling hay, there is a definite "window of opportunity." Wait too long and it closes.

The concept of "making hay while the sun shines" has an urgent spiritual application for all of us, whether you grew up on a farm or not. Our time on Planet Earth is temporary, bookended by two events common to all – birth and death. Though life itself doesn’t really begin at birth (think about it), our life on Earth begins the moment we are "born," the time recorded on the birth certificate. From that moment a timer begins to tick and winds down to the moment we call "death" – the moment physical life on Earth ends. For some people the timer ticks for a hundred years or more after birth. Sadly, for some it never begins ("stillborn"). The Biblical declaration about an "average" lifespan is found in the words of Psalm 90:10 – "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow." Seventy years seems a long enough time for the clock of life to tick – plenty of time and sunshine to "make hay," especially to someone who is two or ten or twenty or maybe even thirty. But Moses was quick to add, "For it is soon cut off, and we fly away." Time never really "speeds up" – but at some point it definitely feels like it does (can I get a witness?!). Moses was right. That’s why learning and obeying God’s will is important no matter what stage of life you are in, whether young, middle-aged, or well into the sunset stage of life. Even Jesus Christ was gripped by a sense of the temporary and fleeting span of time He had to do God’s work on earth. On one occasion He declared, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). Concerning God’s will and work, Jesus made hay while the sun shined. Though His earthly life was only about 33 years, the night before He died He said to His Father in John 17:4, "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do." Compare that statement and the priority it highlights with these sad words describing God’s people some 600 to 650 years before Christ came – "The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved" (Jeremiah 8:20). Time to get right with God was rapidly running out in Jeremiah’s time. How about you? Do you need to repent and be baptized into Christ for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)? Do you need to pray more; read the Bible more; love and forgive more; come back to the church or get more involved in it; reach out to someone with the gospel; or otherwise adjust priorities in your life? Do it now! "Why do you wait dear brother/sister?" For your soul’s sake, make hay while the sun shines!

                "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" - 2 Corinthians 6:2

      By: Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN

Song 4:7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. Song of Solomon 4 English Standard Version (ESV) Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty

¹ Behold, you are beautiful, my love,
    behold, you are beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
    behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
² Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
    that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
    and not one among them has lost its young.
³ Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
    and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
    behind your veil.
⁴ Your neck is like the tower of David,
    built in rows of stone;
on it hang a thousand shields,
    all of them shields of warriors.
⁵ Your two breasts are like two fawns,
    twins of a gazelle,
    that graze among the lilies.
⁶ Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
I will go away to the mountain of myrrh
    and the hill of frankincense.
⁷ You are altogether beautiful, my love;
    there is no flaw in you.
⁸ Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
    come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
    from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
    from the mountains of leopards.

⁹ You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
    you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
    with one jewel of your necklace.
¹⁰ How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
    How much better is your love than wine,
    and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
¹¹ Your lips drip nectar, my bride;
    honey and milk are under your tongue;
    the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
¹² A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
    a spring locked, a fountain sealed.
¹³ Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
    with all choicest fruits,
    henna with nard,
¹⁴ nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
    with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes,
    with all choice spices—
¹⁵ a garden fountain, a well of living water,
    and flowing streams from Lebanon.

¹⁶ Awake, O north wind,
    and come, O south wind!
Blow upon my garden,
    let its spices flow. 

Together in the Garden of Love

She

Let my beloved come to his garden,
    and eat its choicest fruits. 

This section describes the first intimacy of the maiden and the Beloved after the wedding. The bridegroom is seen here praising the beauty of his bride. Starting at the top of her body, he expresses how much he adores each part as he moves downward. 

After giving a seven-fold description of his maiden’s beauty, the Beloved summarizes his observations: “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you” (4:7). What a compliment! O what love! 

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee - Women tend to get very much caught up with “physical defects” and “blemishes.” But the beloved bridegroom assures his bride that she is perfect from top to bottom. Interestingly, she did have at least one “blemish,” given that her skin was dark and burned (1:5). But her Beloved wasn’t bothered by it. 

It is true that sometimes what women see as blemishes a particular man might see as perfect. So sisters, don’t be bothered if you have a flat nose or without double eyelids. Some men will like it and love you for just that. If you had gone under the knife to create a false sharp nose or a double eyelids, you may spoil everything. 

I don’t want to go into detail how the bridegroom describes the beauty of his bride. But one thing is certain: his bride is a virgin, symbolized by a locked garden, a locked spring, a fountain sealed, and a well of fresh water (4:12-15). 

This is where I want to emphasise: Sex is beautiful only for the married couple (Hebrews 13:5). A man or a woman who had experienced multiple sexual experiences before marriage cannot fathom the intimacy that God has designed for marriage. 

Sisters, be not deceived! You don’t have to prove your love for a guy by giving your body to him before marriage. Let him prove his love by his willingness to wait for marriage. The desire for sex does not prove love, even if he is a Christian because Christian men face the same challenges as non-Christians when it comes to sexual desires and lusts. Not even when you are engaged to be married to him, because by doing so, you are agreeing that sex outside of marriage is acceptable. Mary was betrothed to Joseph but they did not consummate before the wedding (Luke 1:27; Matthew 1:25). 

Young men and women: Reserve your body for your spouse: “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).  

Jimmy Lau