All too often the cry from hell is completely and totally ignored by those who should really know better. Unfortunately, apathy has gripped the Church to the point that professing evangelical Christians are anything but evangelical. The good news that should be being preached among the world has instead been kept from the world, leaving the world to be plundered and pillaged by the unmerciful wolves of the cults. I am extremely saddened that the men who do actually take Christ’s commission to go forth throughout the nations seriously, are the very ones who believe and fervently spread the heresies of the false religions. How convicting this should be to us who hold fast to the truth of God’s Word, that we of all people, who have been made alive by the Almighty, awoken from our spiritual deadness by hearing His glorious Word, are the very ones who do not go forth ourselves and share such eternally important truths. Instead of being fishers of men, who actively get in their boats and purposefully cast the nets in hopes of catching those whom Christ preordained, we sit. We quietly go about our business instead of that of the Fathers, waiting for lost souls to ask us questions. Why is it that we no longer have a heart for the lost? Shouldn’t we, of all people, who have been born again by the imperishable Word of God understand and know the importance of preaching to those who are perishing so that the Holy Spirit may convict them and bring them about to repentance and a saving faith?
Luke 16:19-31
“Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
“Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, ‘Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”
The cry from hell that I want you all to see, is the cry from hell that is all too often ignored by those who would call themselves Evangelicals…Send...Send, lest they also come to this place of torment. 
If we truly have a heart for the lost, then how could we so callously ignore this cry? How on earth could we justify turning a deaf ear to the multitudes of voices crying up from the very depths of hell itself to send someone…to send anyone out whose feet are beautifully shod with the Gospel of Peace, lest one more poor soul should enter into that place of torment. O’ how I have heard the arguments…or should I say…excuses. Some would say that the Great Commission literally says, “in your goings” rather than the way it is rendered in our Bibles saying, “Go forth”. I am not here to debate words, how could I? I am not a Greek scholar. Instead, I ask you to look at the example laid forth not only by our Lord, but by His Apostles and disciples. Did they sit idle, waiting for someone to approach them, waiting for some direct question, waiting for an “open door”, or did they just go? Just incase you don’t know the answer, they went forth. So I ask you who are not going forth, aren’t we supposed to be following Paul’s example as he follows Christ? But, some would object, God has preordained good works that we may walk into them. Although this is true, does that somehow negate following Christ and the Apostles example of going forth? Shouldn’t that instead give us all the more confidence as we go forth? Shouldn’t that instead provide us with boldness in proclaiming the offensive Word of God to the lost world? As anyone who has read this blog should know, I completely believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in calling and drawing sinners to Himself, but this in no way stopped Christ, the Apostles, me or should it stop you from going forth as a light in this dark world and proclaiming Christ and Him crucified to the very ones who need to hear it.
If we truly have a heart for the lost, then how could we so callously ignore this cry? How on earth could we justify turning a deaf ear to the multitudes of voices crying up from the very depths of hell itself to send someone…to send anyone out whose feet are beautifully shod with the Gospel of Peace, lest one more poor soul should enter into that place of torment. O’ how I have heard the arguments…or should I say…excuses. Some would say that the Great Commission literally says, “in your goings” rather than the way it is rendered in our Bibles saying, “Go forth”. I am not here to debate words, how could I? I am not a Greek scholar. Instead, I ask you to look at the example laid forth not only by our Lord, but by His Apostles and disciples. Did they sit idle, waiting for someone to approach them, waiting for some direct question, waiting for an “open door”, or did they just go? Just incase you don’t know the answer, they went forth. So I ask you who are not going forth, aren’t we supposed to be following Paul’s example as he follows Christ? But, some would object, God has preordained good works that we may walk into them. Although this is true, does that somehow negate following Christ and the Apostles example of going forth? Shouldn’t that instead give us all the more confidence as we go forth? Shouldn’t that instead provide us with boldness in proclaiming the offensive Word of God to the lost world? As anyone who has read this blog should know, I completely believe in the absolute sovereignty of God in calling and drawing sinners to Himself, but this in no way stopped Christ, the Apostles, me or should it stop you from going forth as a light in this dark world and proclaiming Christ and Him crucified to the very ones who need to hear it.Matthew 9:27-31
“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: ‘See that no one knows about this!’ But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.”
“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When He entered the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: ‘See that no one knows about this!’ But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land.”
I want to direct your attention to the fact that Jesus miraculously healed them, then told them not to tell anyone about it, yet what did these men do? They told the news about Him throughout all the land. I don’t, not even for a split second, think that these men were blatantly defying Jesus, but what I do think is that they were so overwhelmed with the excellence and gloriousness of Christ, that they couldn’t help themselves but to go around and tell everyone throughout the land the good news about Him. Now, take a long look in the mirror…why is it, that you who have also experienced the miraculous healing power of Jesus, in which He brought you from death to eternal life, can go day by day, month by month keeping your mouth shut? How is it that God could do such an awesome and marvelous work as separating your sin from you as far as the east is from the west, and remembering it no more, and promising that He will do that for anyone who repents and believes, and yet we sit. We argue with others about whether we should go forth or not. Wouldn’t you say that is terribly shortsighted? Wouldn’t you say that by doing so we are acting quite peculiar and drastically different from every single person who was touched by the miraculous hand of Christ…because every single one of them went forth! They couldn’t help themselves! So what in the world is wrong with us?
If you have received the truth, and if you have been resurrected from your deadness to everlasting life, and if you have had all your iniquities and transgressions washed white as snow, and if you have loved ones, whether family or friends who remain in unbelief… how, with a clean conscience, can you honestly sit idle and not actively go forth proclaiming and preaching the Word of Christ by which men are saved. I beg you, just as those in hell beg you…Go! Lest one more soul should enter that place of torment.
Lastly, if you are still sitting there with your arms crossed thinking, “it says, ‘in your goings’”, know this, not every single Scholar is in agreement with that rendering, nor totally convinced of that interpretation. John MacArthur says it means, “having gone”…so according to him, going forth is just expected…and why wouldn’t the Almighty expect it from us, I mean, we have the audacity to go forth and tell people where to find a good mechanic, or a good deal on milk, or whatever mundane pointless and arbitrary good thing we may come across, yet we have the nerve to sit on the Gospel until someone approaches us? We really do go out of our way to inform others of all sorts of temporal things, so how is it that we neglect sharing with them the eternal good news of Christ? I beg you, think about it, repent, and go forth.
Lastly, if you are still sitting there with your arms crossed thinking, “it says, ‘in your goings’”, know this, not every single Scholar is in agreement with that rendering, nor totally convinced of that interpretation. John MacArthur says it means, “having gone”…so according to him, going forth is just expected…and why wouldn’t the Almighty expect it from us, I mean, we have the audacity to go forth and tell people where to find a good mechanic, or a good deal on milk, or whatever mundane pointless and arbitrary good thing we may come across, yet we have the nerve to sit on the Gospel until someone approaches us? We really do go out of our way to inform others of all sorts of temporal things, so how is it that we neglect sharing with them the eternal good news of Christ? I beg you, think about it, repent, and go forth.
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Evangelism,
Shawn
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