“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’” (Luke 16:19-23, 27-28)
Over the years, as we have served the Lord and been involved with His work in China, we have seen how people in ministry (including us) can so easily be sidetracked away from the things that matter to God. We can get too busy dealing with life’s problems and challenges, and our focus can easily come off the things that matter most. Of course this is not just something that happens to people in “ministry,” but to all Christians. As we travel to various places we have seen how busy Christians have become, especially those living in Western nations. Many people hardly seem able to slow down and enjoy the Lord or their families. This is a real trick of Satan, and is designed to sidetrack us from what is important.
So what should be the most important things in our lives? Of course fellowship with the Lord Jesus must always come first, and our families next. When it comes to our interaction with the world, we must seek to cultivate a heart of action for the lost people around us. Reaching the lost must be a key motivation and aspect of any Christian’s life. Tragically and ironically, we can get so wrapped up in church life that our hearts become dulled to those things that are the heartbeat of our Heavenly Father.
In the account of the rich man and Lazarus that Jesus told in Luke 16, we read how the rich man, who was being tormented in hell, begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the horrible place of torment he now found himself in. This should be a sober warning to us all. Could it be that people suffering in hell, like the rich man, have more passion to see the lost saved than we do? Is it possible that the lost are perishing all around us, while the devil has many of God’s children focused on infighting, petty church politics, and arguments about the color of the church carpet?
Reaching the lost was always the driving force of Jesus’ ministry here on the earth. He spoke about it, demonstrated it, and taught His disciples that God’s heart is such that He would leave 99 sheep that are safe in order to pursue the one that is lost. Lots of Christians want to talk about signs that the world is coming to an end, yet they somehow miss the one main sign that Jesus said would take place before His return: ”And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14).
The heart of Jesus is always towards pursing the lost and bringing them into the Father’s kingdom. Only when the harvest has fully come in will our Lord Jesus return. We should also note that the very last instructions Jesus gave to His disciples before returning to heaven were, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:15-16). Aren’t you glad somebody shared the Good News with you?
Our adversary is skilled at taking our focus away from the lost and onto our own needs and problems. It seems that first and foremost the devil does all he can to prevent people from being saved by the precious Blood of Jesus. If that fails, he then works at making the Christian lukewarm for God’s kingdom and ineffective at reaching the lost. He hopes to deceive us so that we lose all sense of urgency, and cause us to give the majority of our time to things that are of no consequence, and little time to those things that count for eternity. We live as though we will be in this world forever, even though David reminded us, “They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.” (Psalm 144:4)
If this brief message has spoken to you, we encourage you to stop what you are doing and talk with our loving God. Ask the Lord to give you His heart, and to refocus your life so that the things that are a priority to the heart of God also become your priority. Cry out to God, and pray that he will reconfigure your life and busy schedule. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
China - in His image 