This question has many aspects and I do not claim to have all the answers. I have one thought, though, which I am convinced should not be overlooked as we explore the reasons. I am convinced that one of the main issues is our unwillingness to pay the cost for reaching more souls. Our spiritual forefathers believed the gospel could spread only with the reality that lives would be lost and blood might be shed. Too many of us today think that this kind of commitment and sacrifice as just "a bit over the top." When Jesus called his disciples, he always let them know that they were going to have to pay a high price. Jesus told Paul (though Ananias) how much he would suffer for the name of Jesus for the sake of the gospel. It appears today that we do everything we can to convince people to go out and share the gospel, without expecting them to pay the ultimate price. Not surprisingly, then, we inspire very few and many who go think of it as a really "cool" way to spend our time, that is if they have nothing else "cooler" to do at the time. I doubt seriously that the early disciples would have thought of their ministry and the price they paid as "cool." It might just be that if we were to hold ourselves to same expectations of the early disciples, and call others to the same, we just might see the kind of results which they saw. May God guide us to become faithful followers willing to pay any cost for the sake of the gospel.
No comments:
Post a Comment