The Weight of the World

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left,  Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  Matthew 25:41 ESV

I have the privilege to meet with men who are Chinese scholars each week to study the Bible.  Many have never seen a Bible before or heard any of the great stories in the Bible.  Most have been told all of their lives that there is no person as God and that science is the only truth that can be believed.

So, much of our interaction involves sharing some of the core beliefs of a Christian worldview.  God created the world and everything in it.  God desires to have an intimate relationship with all people. All men are separated from being able to have that relationship because we violate God’s standards for living purely. The consequences of those violations are death – a separation of life with God.  Jesus died in our place.  We must individually accept his right to his Lordship over our lives because he became our death substitute,   Those who reject his offer will spend eternity in a place of torment called hell.

Recently, we were studying the temptations of Jesus as recorded in Luke 4.  I took a few minutes to share the creation and concept of the devil who was tempting Jesus.  I voiced out loud of his impending defeat and his ultimate destination.  “God, created a place of torment called hell.  It was created for the devil and the other fallen angels….but, also, those who reject Jesus will spend eternity in this place.”

For one moment the impact of those words were heavy upon my heart.  These men in front of me…represented all of China.  They represented all the lost who have never heard of the good news that Jesus offers mankind.  I realized the importance and urgency of the last statement regarding eternity.  I realized the hypocrisy in my beliefs and my actions.  For one brief second…I felt the weight of the lost world.  I regained my composure and finished the lesson.  But the damage had been done…Jesus had pricked my conscience with the conviction that people are lost and dying.  Their death is on my watch…during my lifetime.  What am I doing about this knowledge of what I say is a core belief of Christianity?

Don Francisco wrote a song entitled, “I Gotta Tell Somebody”.  The chorus says, “I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me”.  When I was in my second year of college I met a freshman wondering the campus about 10:00 at night during our first week of the new school year.  He seemed to be looking for someone.  I stopped him and struck up a conversation.  He was a Christian and told me of a commitment that he had made.  “I ask God to give me an opportunity everyday to tell someone about Jesus.  I still haven’t shared with someone today.  So, I am walking around campus looking for that person.  I believe God will lead me to them.”  Thanks for the example Steve Wilson.

What about you?  Do you believe that God loves the lost so much that He will bring them across your path?  Maybe, not every single day, but on a regular basis?  Do you have an answer to describe the hope of the good news that you carry?  Do you believe that God can impart his love for the lost into your heart?  Paul says that the love of Christ had so captured his heart that he was imploring others…be reconciled to God.

When we share about Jesus, we may not “scare the hell out of them”.  But the reality of hell should be a very weighty motivation for those who are followers of Jesus to share His invitation to a new life. 

Let’s imitate Jesus and spread the good news often and to many people.  Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News.^[f] 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”  Mark 1:14-15 NLT