A HEART FOR MISSIONS

Neal Pollard

I just sat through one of the most enjoyable half-hours of my life, listening to Tony Johnson talk about his first year of work as a missionary in Tamale (TOM Uh Lee), Ghana.  While I listen as one who considers Tony a dear friend whom I had the blessing of teaching "Preacher And His Work" while he was in school, the thrill came from who Tony is and what he is doing.  He has a superior understanding of what it takes to do missions, a rare intellect and knack for analysis, and a heart for soul-winning.  He would excel in a pulpit anywhere in America, but he has chosen to help evangelize, edify, and extend benevolence to the almost entirely Muslim areas of northern Ghana, western Togo, and southern Burkina Faso.  He joins other excellent workers in that region like Steven Ashcraft, men of ability, intellect, and integrity who are faithful to the Word.

As I sat there, this thought occurred to me.  Wherever you and I find ourselves, whether in lesser or greater fertile fields, we need to have a passion and fervent heart for our Lord's mission.  While listening to Tony made me want to make plans to go to a third-world nation, I was made aware of how diligently God wants me working in the field where I have been planted.  Wherever we find ourselves on this earth, our heart must beat for the purpose for which God has us on this earth.  It meant so much to Jesus that He left these as parting words to the disciples before His face and those who would thereafter read them:  "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

Doesn't that stir your heart to missions? To His mission?

HELPING YOUR OPPONENT WIN

Neal Pollard

Those within professional golf did not raise an eyebrow, though some outside observers found the gesture baffling.  Before the just completed WGC-Cadillac Championship tournament at Doral, Florida, Steve Stricker helped Tiger Woods work on his putting game.  While Stricker's putting was the best in the tournament, Tiger's was second-best.  The improved putting helped Woods to the victory.  While no one will feel sorry for poor Stricker, who finished second to Woods and nabbed a purse of $869,852.94, Woods by winning pocketed $1,441,176.47.  Once you have finished staggering at such incredible "earnings," consider the magnanimity of Stricker.  He helped his opponent win.

While you do not hear of that very often among those in the world, the Bible commands Christians to do that every day.  Certainly, Jesus shows the attitude a Christian ought to take in his or her relationships with those from the world he calls "opponents" (Mat. 5:25; Lk. 12:58).  Paul says that the Christian, through soundness of speech, can put the opponent to shame (Ti. 2:8).  But, listen to what Jesus says later on in the Sermon on the Mount.  It defies worldly wisdom.  

He says not to seek revenge (Mat. 5:38-39), to treat enemies charitably (Mat. 5:40-42), and to love them (Mat 5:43-47).  What He does not say here is "why" to do this, except that in doing so we "are perfect" like our heavenly Father is perfect (Mat. 5:48).  The Greek word translated perfect here means "Finished, that which has reached its end, term, limit; hence, complete, full, wanting in nothing" (WSNTDICT, elec. ed., 2000). So, the idea is of not being found wanting or lacking.

In evangelism, to be a complete, finished product as a soul-winner, we must be willing to reach out to those who are God's enemies and even those who may in some way be our "opponents."  We are seeking to help them overcome their shortcomings and reach the prize.  It is not debasing or undignified.  It does not deprive us of our prize.  It only helps add stars to our crowns.

Are You a Hero?

 

Are you a hero?  I don’t mean are you superman.  What I mean is, how do you react during an emergency?  Do you freeze up or jump into action?  Some of us have never been in a situation like this and can only speculate.  This was not the case for Stephen St. Bernard, a 53-year-old bus driver.

Last month at his Brooklyn, N.Y. apartment building, he arrived to see a crowd outside.  They were all looking up at a 7-year-old girl who was dancing on top of an air-conditioning unit hanging from the window.  St. Bernard hurried up to the building.  All that was on his mind was, “Maybe I can catch her.”  As he moved under the window, the girl slipped and fell.  St. Bernard caught the girl, but not without consequences.  It is estimated that the falling girl brought 600 pounds of force onto Stephen’s arms.  The force tore muscles, tendons, and nerves in his arm and needed surgical repair.  Despite the pain and discomfort he was in, he selflessly stated, "Not a scratch was on that baby."  Stephen St. Bernard is definitely a valiant hero.

Most of us have probably not been in a situation like this.  However, this does not mean we are not and cannot be heroes.  It is one thing to save someone’s life; it is another to save someone’s soul.  What could be more heroic than saving someone from an eternity in hell?

Think about the last time you could have shared Christ with someone.  Did you jump into action, or did you freeze up?  Did you prove to be a hero under the pressure, or just another face in the crowd?

Here is a reminder of Jesus’ command to us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This command is not just for preachers, elders, and evangelists.  This command is for me and this command is for you.  We all would like to think we would jump into action and be a hero like St. Bernard if someone’s life was on the line.  Yet sometimes we cannot even talk to others about the hero that saved our own souls, Christ the Lord!  Now is the time to show what we are made of.  It’s time we step up and be spiritual heroes.

Please Help Us Pursue The World!

In Jack Hoagland's prayer yesterday morning, he said something that struck me!  While I will not be able to quote it verbatim, in essence he said, "Please help us to pursue the world, not that we would be like it but that we would make it like Jesus."  What a beautiful, biblical thought.  How many times have we preached and taught that we should not pursue the world.  In one sense, that is definitely true.  Some pant and long for the world.  They pursue its ways, its praise, and its gaze.  Thus, it is wrong to pursue the world in order to be like it.  But, at least as far back as Jonah, we find God commanding His servants to pursue the world to bring the world back to Him.

We need a revival of Christians pursuing the world in order to make it like Jesus!  We need to create and foster relationships with non-Christian co-workers, neighbors, and friends, with whom we can share Jesus!  That was what the early church did.  Even when scattered from their homes, they "went about preaching the word" (Acts 8:4).  They even managed to "turn the world upside down" with their teaching (Acts 17:6, NKJ).  Their pursuit led to the gospel being preached to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23).

A couple of weeks ago, CHP officer Roman Gardia was sitting at his desk in East Los Angeles when he heard about a speeding motorcyclist who refused to pull over for police.  The pursuit went several miles, through multiple jurisdictions.  When he heard that the speeder was coming into his area, Gardia jumped on his motorcycle and went out onto the highway.  He slowed traffic, waiting for the suspect to approach. The suspect wove into the right lanes and Garcia positioned himself on the shoulder with his own motorcycle in the bike's path. The suspect had to stop and get off the bike, and Gardia jumped off his own bike and tackled the suspect.  Dramatically and even heroically, Gardia pursued his man in the name of the law.

We are not police officers, trying to coerce or strong-arm people into following Jesus.  Yet, should we not imitate the spirit of this man, going after the lost with the same energy and determination?  May our daily prayer indeed be, "Please help us pursue the world!"

Who'll Go?

Neal Pollard

The Master calleth through the word,

"Get in the harvest field!"

He says, "Go plant the precious seed,

And I'll provide the yield!"

To whom saith He, "Go plant the seed"?

Who hath th'eternal task?

Who must give answer, "Here am I"?

For, sure, the Lord doth ask.

As we are going, we must strew

The seed in the hearts of neighbors,

With kindness and firmness and love of God,

We must be about such labors.

And, with our substance from our toils,

We must give a liberal yield,

To send our brothers and our sisters

To the worldwide mission field.

For those who tread the narrow road

In strange and foreign lands,

Who lay down luxuries and give up ease

To dirty their own hands.

By planting seed in new ground,

Where yet God's word must go,

Pray for these harvest laborers,

Who all over the world seed sow.