The Three-Fourths—Friends, Family, Neighbors, Strangers, Co-Workers, & Enemies—The LOST!
Early this morning, I read this statistic—“About three-fourths of the population of the world needs to be set free by the gospel of Jesus Christ.” This caused a question to form deep inside my heart: What am I doing to reach the three-fourths? Am I showing compassion? Am I sharing my testimony of how Jesus changed my heart? Am I inviting those who do not know Jesus to sit with me at church where they are sure to hear the gospel preached? Am I down on my knees asking God (every day) to lead me to someone who needs Jesus?
Do I even care about the three-fourths? OR
Do I care more about the already redeemed one-fourth?
Jesus came to earth to provide the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Jesus came to die upon the cross of Calvary.
Jesus came to resurrect to new life, to provide the ONLY WAY to God the Father.
Jesus came for you and Jesus came for me & Jesus came for the three-fourths still lost.
Jesus came for them because they will die and go to hell.
If we only make the three-fourths feel a little better as they journey through life (on their journey to hell), what good is that?!!!!!!!!
Today, Let us be like the early Christians, the ragtag group of individuals, men and women who assembled after the ascension of Jesus. Let us preach the gospel & Let us reach the world of lost souls for Jesus.
SEE WITH ME THE WORD OF GOD.
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew,
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon the Zealot
and Judas the son of James.
These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and he said,
“Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”
(The Acts of the Apostles 1: 12-16)
What must we gain from reading this passage of Scriptures? The greatest need in the world is not a new strategy to implement BUT that we will be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit has already placed inside our being, what the Holy Spirit of God has already led us to be doing.
Are we serious about evangelism?
Are we serious about sharing the gospel?
Are we serious about reaching out with compassion to reach the three-fourths?
Are we? Are you? Am I?
And if we are, what does that look like in our lives?
And if we are, what will this look like in our today?
- These 120 were the first Christians—the Church at Antioch. They had been re-born, transformed by the gospel, and they were committed to discipleship.
- We (who are believers in the world today) are Christians—the church. We have been re-born, transformed by the gospel, and we must be committed to discipleship.
We must be intentional.
We must be praying, asking God for opportunities to witness.
We must stop being afraid.
We must not be intimated.
We must live, showing the world that we have been changed.
We must live, giving our lives to Almighty God.
We must be a witness of His resurrection.
We must because people are dying and going to hell.
We must because Jesus came to die, to resurrect to new life, to provide a way to know God.
We must take our command to evangelize—Serious!
“Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
(The Acts of the Apostles 1: 21-22)