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I think on one hand the human soul is valueless, but on the other it is
priceless. Looking at what awaits us in the afterlife is something that is
truly worth looking forward to, but while we are on this earth, we should be
concerned more with what God has intended for us down here, than with the
afterlife. Hence, the valueless/priceless analogy. I guess I am of the mindset
that if we worry so much about where our souls are going, it may take away from
some of the stuff God has planned for us. If we believe in Him, try to follow
and be like Him the best we can, do His Will, the outcome will be there for us.
But if we spend our time worrying about it, we could miss out on a lot.
Glen
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| I think the main point I was trying to make in the root mail has been
lost somewhere along the line. The aim of my note was to encourage us
all to realise the value that Jesus set on saving souls (ie it was
worth shedding His blood for) and how that should motivate us to
realise that behind every face out in the world there is a soul that is
either going to Heaven or to Hell (and let's face it, the majority are
going to Hell).
I believe the church of today needs to realise afresh the
responsibility we have in the world today:- Keith Green said "This
generaation of believers is responsible for this generation of souls".
It often seems that christians today are so concerned about their
"personal" walk with God that they lose the realisation that there is a
world outside that is going to Hell. I believe it's time for every
Christian to realise that just as Christ left the comfort of Heaven for
the sake of the lost so we should be prepared to leave our 'confort
zones' for the sake of the lost.
Paul says "How will they hear without a preacher?"
Our response must be "Here am I, oh Lord send me"
Love
Ben
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| Ben,
This reminds me of an article I wrote recently. Below is an extract of
part of it.
Several years ago I was involved in a one day crusade outreach at an
amphitheater in Dayton, Ohio. We advertised through all the local
churches and passed out flyers on street corners. The main speaker,
though not widely known, had a powerful conversion testimony from a
life of crime and drugs to his new life in Christ and a thriving prison
ministry. The evening of the crusade we set up the sound system, tuned
the instruments, prayed and prepared for the meeting. There were
several hundred in the crowd that night. Several people did special
music, including Sarah [my wife] and I. The speaker gave his testimony
and then an altar call. Nobody came forward. Not one person. I went
out next and taught briefly on divine healing and gave another altar
call. The results were no different. Nobody came forward. Nobody got
saved. Nobody was healed. Well, this might be a pretty depressing
story if it stopped right here. But, then again, if it stopped here I
wouldn't be telling it. As we were tearing down the stage I began to
question why nothing had happened. All the work that had been done.
All the money that had been spent. I expected great numbers. In
typical melancholic fashion I blamed myself for the obviously poor
results. But as I was wrapping up some speaker cables a car drove up
and stopped near where Sarah was standing. I didn't notice at first.
I probably would have panicked if I had since this wasn't the best of
neighborhoods. Sarah went over and began to talk to the woman who had
gotten out of her car and shortly called for me. A half mile away,
across the river, this woman's husband had heard the music and, touched
by the Spirit of God, came to give his heart to the Lord. They had
deliverately waited until they were sure the service was over before
coming because they felt ashamed by their appearance and thought that
they would be unwelcome. Alone he and I sat amid thousands of empty
chairs. I shared with him the plan of salvation and then knelt with
him as he accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
What is the value of one man's salvation? Thousands of dollars were
spent on that meeting so that one man could be saved. Incalculable man
hours were spent in preparation and prayer so that one man could be
saved. The eternal value of that single soul can not be measured in
dollars or in hours. It can only be measured in drops of blood, the
price of our redemption. It can only be measured in the anguished cry
of the One who was rejected by God for our sake. God began to reveal
to me just how precious one life is to Him. For many years I witnessed
out of a sense of duty to God. I believe God honors that but I believe
that when we press in and take hold of God's heart we will be compelled
to move, not from obligation but because our heart will not allow us to
do otherwise. It will simply be too grievous. God help me to value
another man's salvation as precious as my own.
[...] I challenge you to begin today... to set aside no less than one
day each week for prayer for the lost. Allow God to break your heart.
I believe that, if we do, God will break forth in our midst as we have
never seen before, as we have desired for a long time.
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