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
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