Motivating the Church

By Larry Rosenbaum

Recently, a Christian showed me a video on “You Tube” of Penn Jillette, of the well-known magic, comedy duo Penn and Teller. Penn is a self-proclaimed atheist, who frequently ridicules God, the Bible, and Jesus in his routines. In the video Penn tells of the meeting he had with someone who had been watching his show the previous night. The man complimented Penn on the show and said nice things about Penn as a person. Penn talked about how nice the man was, how sincere he seemed, and how he looked him in the eye as he talked.

Then the man handed Penn a pocket edition of the New Testament and told him that he was proselytizing. Penn said that he felt the man knew that Penn was an atheist and that he was trying to save his soul. Penn said he has always believed that if you are a Christian and you don’t proselytize that you are not to be respected.

He said, “If you truly believe that there is a Heaven and Hell and that someone is going to go to Hell that it is your moral responsibility to try to save that person from Hell. I have no respect for an atheist who feels that a Christian should not proselytize. How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”

In his best-selling book, The Purpose-Driven Church, Pastor Rick Warren wrote, “There are only two things you can’t do in heaven that you can do on earth: sin, and witness to unbelievers. Which of these two do [do you] think Christ has left us here to do?” Over the years, I have found a major difference between those Christians who consistently witness and those who don’t. Those who regularly witness — almost without exception — are very conscious of the reality of Heaven and Hell, and have an intense burden to save people from eternal torment in Hell. Those who rarely witness don’t think very much about the fact that the unbelievers they encounter every day are heading for eternal torment.

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once wished that all his workers could spend 24 hours in Hell so that they would obtain the burden for souls needed for effective ministry. In Luke 16, the rich man suddenly developed that burden as he was tormented in Hell. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers “lest they also come into this place of torment.” An experience of Hell’s torment is sufficient to give even a wicked sinner a burden to evangelize the lost. While we cannot visit Hell, what we can do to develop a greater burden for souls is to spend time meditating on scriptures concerning God’s judgment and eternal punishment.

Sadly, most churches are preoccupied with their potlucks and other social activities while the world is going to Hell. Modern Christians face lots of pressure and need times of rest and relaxation. And married people need to spend time with their families. But we must find time in our busy lives to reach those who are headed for eternal torment in Hell.  Few Christians are too busy to commit a few hours monthly to evangelism. Pastors can stir up their congregations by preaching regularly on the need for evangelism and the reality of Hell, praying continually for God to send forth laborers, starting some ongoing outreaches and setting an example by participating in them.

The Greek word “ekballo,” used in the expression “send forth laborers into his harvest” in Matthew 9:38, is used in the next verse for casting out demons. Apparently, it is as hard to get a Christian to witness as to drive out a demon. If you’ve ever tried casting out demons, you know how stubborn they are! In Acts 8, we are told that after the persecution led by Saul, the church was scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (v.4). It took persecution to force the church to do what Jesus had commanded them to do. We feel secure in our church buildings, but need to be cast out into the harvest field.

Christians often tell me, “You have to have a special calling to witness like you do.” But if you saw a child drowning in a swimming pool, would you think “I’m not called to be a lifeguard” or “I don’t have any special training in lifesaving”? No, you would make every effort to save that child! Once you see the urgency of the task, the question of “calling” becomes irrelevant, even foolish.

Although we are concerned about unbelievers are heading for Hell, the subject of “Hell” should not be the main thing we are preaching. Repeatedly screaming to unbelievers “You’re going to Hell” is not an effective way to evangelize. While we do need to talk about sin, repentance and God’s holiness, we do not necessarily need to discuss Hell in every witnessing conversation. If we do discuss the subject, we need to do so with great gentleness and love. Until an unbeliever appreciates the seriousness of his sins, he will not think it reasonable that God would send him to Hell.

I pray that God will use this teaching to open your eyes to the ways Satan seeks to keep you from witnessing, and that you will be given a renewed desire to witness for Jesus — both in your everyday life and through special outreaches. Please pray with us that God will cast out laborers into the harvest fields of this world, including the San Francisco area.

We have the Words of Life that can change the eternal destiny of those we meet. We need to use every hour we have left to reach as many as possible for Jesus. Will we keep silent or will we open our mouths?

“There are only two things you can’t do in heaven that you can do on earth: sin, and witness to unbelievers. Which of these two do [do you] think Christ has left us here to do?” Pastor Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Church p. 116.

Over the years, I have found a major difference between those Christians who consistently witness and those who don’t. Those who regularly witness ‑‑ almost without exception ‑‑ are very conscious of the reality of Heaven and Hell, and have an intense burden to save people from eternal torment in Hell. Those who rarely witness don’t think very much about the fact that the unbelievers they encounter every day are heading for eternal torment.

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once wished that all his workers could spend 24 hours in Hell so that they would obtain the burden for souls needed for effective ministry. In Luke 16, the rich man suddenly developed that burden as he was tormented in Hell. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers “lest they also come into this place of torment.” An experience of Hell’s torment is sufficient to give even a wicked sinner a burden to evangelize the lost. While we cannot visit Hell, what we can do to develop a greater burden for souls is to spend time meditating on scriptures concerning God’s judgment and eternal punishment.

Sadly, most churches are preoccupied with their potlucks and other social activities while the world is going to Hell. Modern Christians face lots of pressure and need times of rest and relaxation. And married people need to spend time with their families. But we must find time in our busy lives to reach those who are headed for eternal torment in Hell. Few Christians are too busy to commit a few hours monthly to evangelism. Pastors can stir up their congregations by preaching regularly on the need for evangelism and the reality of Hell, praying continually for God to send forth laborers, starting some ongoing outreaches and setting an example by participating in them.

The Greek word “ekballo,” used in the expression “send forth laborers into his harvest” in Matthew 9:38, is used in the next verse for casting out demons. Apparently, it is as hard to get a Christian to witness as to drive out a demon. If you’ve ever tried casting out demons, you know how stubborn they are! In Acts 8, we are told that after the persecution led by Saul, the church was scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (v.4). It took persecution to force the church to do what Jesus had commanded them to do. We feel secure in our church buildings, but need to be cast out into the harvest field.

Christians often tell me, “You have to have a special calling to witness like you do.” But if you saw a child drowning in a swimming pool, would you think “I’m not called to be a lifeguard” or “I don’t have any special training in lifesaving”? No, you would make every effort to save that child! Once you see the urgency of the task, the question of “calling” becomes irrelevant, even foolish.

What is the difference between this drowning child and the people who are dying in their sins? For one thing, the child’s situation is undeniably urgent. If the child is not rescued in a few minutes, he will die. There is no time to wait around wondering if someone else will rescue him. What about the unsaved person? Does he have plenty of time? That is the excuse many unbelievers use to postpone their decision regarding Jesus. Many say they’ll turn to Jesus when they get older, not realizing they may die at any time, or will harden their heart as they continue to reject Him.

If I don’t witness to an unbeliever, perhaps someone else will later. On the other hand, this could be his last opportunity to be saved. My witness could make the difference between Heaven and Hell for him. This is an awesome responsibility. I could take this to an extreme and think I cannot let a single unbeliever walk by without trying to witness to him. If I did, I would become a nervous wreck. I cannot take upon myself the responsibility of saving the world singlehandedly.

However, one rarely sees a Christian go to this extreme. The problem is that almost all Christians have gone to the opposite extreme ‑‑ they hardly ever speak with anyone about their eternal destiny. If you look for witnessing opportunities and regularly witness to people, I believe that God will use you to change the eternal destinies of at least a few people during your lifetime.

I pray that God will use this teaching to open your eyes to the ways Satan seeks to keep you from witnessing, and that you will be given a renewed desire to witness for Jesus ‑‑ both in your everyday life and through special outreaches. Please pray with us that God will cast out laborers into the harvest fields of this world, including the San Francisco area.

God has called this ministry to reach an area with five million people, yet we have but a handful of workers. I believe that God wants many more of you to join us on a regular basis. Satan does not want any of us to witness, and sadly, his efforts to stop us have been highly successful. All he has to do is whisper some excuse in our ear, and we think we have a good reason not to witness.

A London prisoner once told a preacher, “Mister, if I believed this Gospel you say you believe, I’d crawl across England over broken glass to get the message out.” People around us are dying and going to Hell. Over one person each second is entering eternity without Jesus. We need to do everything we can to save them.

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