SERVICE PART 2
I arrive fresh and rested back at the crossroads and ready again to serve my Lord and Saviour! After prayers and requests to God, I begin handing out invitations to those on the broad road. I'm not standing very long when I meet JOE-FORNICATOR. JOE is very typical person in these Christless last days. He lives his life for immoral pleasure. His goal is to satisfy himself with many different sexual partners. He does not like the narrow and restrictive way of Christianity. JOE believes in his own way to God. He gets angry if presented with the Gospel. He will worship God the way he wants. His way of worshipping God does not limit his fornication in any way. God on my terms is the motto. His theology is dictated by his morality. He chooses a god that will be acceptable and approving of his immoral lifestyle. JOE visits the doctor and medical clinics quite often. He has had several bouts with venereal disease. Joe also has two forms of venereal disease that cannot be cured. All the doctors can do is give him medication to ease the symptoms and pains of the diseases. He doesn't know it yet but he also is HIV positive with the AIDS virus. As he fornicates he also infects his partners with terrible deadly disease. But Joe doesn't care as the only thing that is important is "his" personal pleasure. Joe will die a young man before his time. It will not be a pleasant death for him or for others who have joined with him in his fornication. Here is what the Bible says about all those that follow the dead end pathways chosen by JOE.
Prov 5:
1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;
As JOE approaches he takes a invitation.
JOE: Hey man, how's it go'in? Thanks for the paper... what's this? An ad for a new bar or something? Say, do you know where I can find me some chicks? I'd kind of like to 'get-it-on' tonight .... If you know what I mean!
ANDREW: These invitations are about the Gospel which tell people their need for a Saviour and how they may receive forgiveness and eternal life through the Lord Jesus.
JOE: OOOHhhhh... One of those huh. Well I believe in God too! I just believe that God doesn't want us to live as monks and not have any fun.
ANDREW: What you call 'fun' the Bible calls sin.
1 Cor 6:
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
JOE: That's just your opinion. God is a God of love and He would never send anyone to hell. Hey, I'm a good guy I like to help people when I can.
ANDREW: You are right that God will not send anyone to hell. Actually people chose to go to hell on their own. God did everything He could so men could be saved, forgiven and go to heaven. However, Christ rejecting men choose to go their own way and reject the Lord Jesus. The penalty for sin is hell. The price for sin must be paid. Either you pay the penalty for YOUR sin yourself in hell or you allow the Saviour (Jesus) to pay your penalty. To receive Jesus as Saviour repentance from sin is necessary. Repentance is a hatred of sin and a willingness to turn away from it. Here is what the Bible says about hell:
Matt 10:
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Rev 20:
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
JOE: Why should I listen to YOUR opinions and YOUR interpretation of the Bible. I worship God my way and I don't like anyone telling me otherwise.
ANDREW: It is your decision. You must make the choice between an eternity in heaven vs an eternity in hell.
JOE: I'm tired of hearing YOUR interpretation of the Bible. Do you really think you have cornered the market on truth? Bye guy... and I hope you get a life someday! I'm off to have me some fun!
With that last comment JOE hands me back the invitation and heads back into the crowd going down the broad road. I notice that he quickly begins to walk beside a pretty but improperly dressed girl. As I looked at the girl a thought came to my mind.
Proverbs 11:
22 As a jewel of gold in a swines snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.
So many girls like to be fair game for the likes of JOE. They dress in an immoral way and actually encourage men to come their way. Can you see what the above verse means? It says a girl with no morals is like taking a precious ring and putting it in the nose of a pig. Just like the ring does not belong in the nose of a pig, so a girl should not be fornicating. The girls who fornicate can easily get a deadly disease and will die very young. They should have enough self respect not to get involved in such sin. But those on the broad road certainly love their sin!
Watching a couple of minutes, I noticed JOE struck up a conversation with the girl. They immediately began laughing as they walked on the broad road together. I prayed that God would speak to JOE's heart so that he would see his sinful state and recognize his need for a Saviour.
The next person to stop by to talk wore thick glasses and seemed to squint quite a bit. His name is BRUCE-THE-DRUG-USER. BRUCE is a man who loves his drugs. He has extensive experience with both the light and harder types of drugs. He likes the feeling he gets when his mind is wiped out. His friends are all drug users as well and they all have great enjoyment in having drug parties together. BRUCE is a sociable person and like most drug users enjoys the company of others as he does his drugs. BRUCE prides himself on what he considers his sharp mind. When BRUCE is tripping out on drugs, he comes up with all kinds of interesting observations that no one else would really notice or think about. For example the other day BRUCE was analyzing the curves made in a fork and came up with a few ideas as to how the color and shape of the fork could be changed. He liked the idea of a fork with a straw built in so he could eat the big pieces with the fork and drink the smaller moist items with the straw. Yes, BRUCE feels the world is a better place with him and his observations. All he needs now is a job. But BRUCE finds getting up early in the morning is very difficult if you are stoned the night before. Since BRUCE gets high every night then mornings are a definite problem for him. BRUCE also likes to laugh. He finds that drugs enhance his sense of humor. The other day BRUCE just cracked up laughing as he made an observation on a bench at a bus stop. The bench had the paint peeling off, looked a mess, and had all kinds of weeds growing. As BRUCE and his drugged up friends drove by, BRUCE wondered out loud who ever would want to sit on that bench! Well everyone thought this was the funniest thing they had ever heard. They all laughed so hard that their stomach muscles hurt. BRUCE is not really interested in the Gospel. He realizes that turning to Jesus means turning away from his drugs. That is a commitment he is not ready or willing to make at this time.
BRUCE: Hey man...far out! How's it going tonight?
ANDREW: I'm fine thanks. Here take one of these. It is an invitation to the narrow gate and the salvation offered by the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.
BRUCE: Wow... that's heavy stuff man! Sure I'll take one. Did you know that I really like the Bible. I can remember taking some drugs and staying up all night reading the book of Revelation. I must have read that book about 6 times! That's quite a trip, ...man. You should try it sometime!... Awesome!
ANDREW: The Bible is God's Word. It is God communicating to people like you and me. The Bible is not some kind of esoteric book that requires drugs to understand. The simple truth of the Gospel is that we are all sinners and we all need a Saviour! Since we are all sinners those sins MUST be paid for. Either we pay for our sins ourselves (in hell) or we allow the Saviour to pay for our sins by His finished work on the cross.
Rom 6:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
BRUCE: Do you want to hear something really awesome man? God can do anything...right? Yea, right! So can God, like, make a rock so big that He cannot move it man? That's a real heavy thought isn't it? We talk about that kind of stuff when we smoke up. You know... things that a person really can't answer.
ANDREW: It's not really that "heavy" of a thought. A "heavier" thought would be repenting of your sins and humbly accepting the Lord Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Saviour. Anyway your answer is simple. Yes it is true that God has the power to do anything but in reality God CANNOT do anything He wants. For example it is impossible for God to lie. It is also impossible for God to change His nature. God "could" create something that he cannot do ... I mean He has the power but in reality He cannot do it. In order to create something He cannot do then God would have to change His nature. He will not do that and He has limited Himself by His own nature. So in light of that the answer is: No, God cannot create a rock so big that He cannot move it. He has limited Himself by His own nature.
BRUCE: Wow man, I didn't think anyone could answer that one. That really flips me out! I'm going to have to think about that one. I'll fire up my bong and me and some friends will have a long talk about that answer!
ANDREW: More important, why don't you repent of your sin and accept the Lord Jesus into your heart. Turn right now from the broad road and go through the narrow gate!
BRUCE: Can I still take my drugs?
ANDREW: Repentance is an attitude where you agree that you are a sinner and a willingness to turn away from sin. You have to make a choice between Jesus and your drugs.
BRUCE: Well I'll think about it, man. You've said some really deep things here and I have to think about it. However I know at this time I have no plans whatsoever to stop taking drugs. They are really good and they certainly enhance my thinking ability!
ANDREW: Anything that keeps you from the Lord Jesus Christ has to go. You don't know what may happen today. You could walk across the street and get hit by a car and be instantly in the presence of God... ready to be judged! You never know when you will die and your eternity depends on what you have done with the Lord Jesus. Did you receive Him or did you reject Him... There is no middle ground. You either accept or reject the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 9:
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
BRUCE: See you later, man! I gotta go meet some friends. We are going to do some new drugs tonight! Can't talk any longer. Thanks for the rap session man!
At this point I saw BRUCE sway down the broad road toward his drug party. So many hear the Gospel and say "NOT NOW", or "I'LL THINK ABOUT IT... BUT NOT NOW". Little do they realize that they could die within the hour and perish forever. Your own eternal soul is NOT something to take lightly! I heard a pastor give a testimony once about a lady who came to church every Sunday. They lived in a big city and had streetcars and bus service. This lady came night after night to hear the Gospel. One Sunday evening the pastor gave a strong salvation message. He specifically prayed that the lady would come forward. However she sat solid in the pew like usual and did not come forward to receive the Lord Jesus. One night after service there was a commotion down the street from the church. As the pastor was going home he saw police and medical people huddled around a lady who had been hit by a streetcar. Upon closer inspection the pastor could see that it was THAT lady who sat in his church service week after week. Not just one hour ago she heard the Gospel message and could have received Jesus as her Saviour. Little did she know that this was her LAST CALL! Little did she know that she would be dead within the hour! Now she is in eternity, lost without the Lord Jesus Christ! That is a great tragedy.
I bowed my head and said a prayer for BRUCE. I asked God to open his drug induced mind and convict him of sin. I asked that BRUCE one day would become a Christian!
As I stood there wondering about BRUCE, I noticed a lady approach. She was nicely dressed in a business suit. She carried a laptop PC and obviously held a position with responsibility. She quickly walked up to me and took a tract. Her name was: TOO-BUSY-TODAY. She is a very busy lady! Her attitude toward the Gospel is that I'm too busy, I'll consider tomorrow (If I can find the time)! She can't consider salvation now as she is just too busy. She took the invitation and put it away in her purse and promised me to read it.
TOO-BUSY: Thank you for the invitation. I'll read it when I have the time. However I'm very busy. I work 60 hours per week and have 2 children. I get up early to get the kids ready and off to the baby-sitter's place. At the end of the day either myself or my husband picks up the children. I then rush home, prepare supper, have a 1/2 hour quality time with my children and then put them to bed. Then I'm free to do some housework before bedtime. Next morning I do it all over again. I'm on pills for high blood pressure and get the occasional migraine headache. Life sure is a rat-race!
ANDREW: Boy! You sure are a busy person! However your eternal soul is something to slow down and consider. Did you know that Jesus is God in human flesh and He came down from heaven, became a man, died on the cross, and purchased a place in heaven which He now offers as a gift?
TOO-BUSY: Yes, I've heard all that before. But I can't stay to talk. I'm in a hurry! I promise that sometime I'll look at the invitation you gave me....maybe tomorrow. However, I've got work to do at my job, family commitments, and projects on the go. I may find time tomorrow or the next day to consider the Gospel. But not today as things just keep coming up and I've got lots to do!
Prov 29:
1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
As TOO-BUSY rushed down the broad road I realized an important thing about her. Tomorrow NEVER comes! If she is too busy for the Gospel today then why does she think tomorrow will be any different? She is caught up with all the cares of this world that is passing away. Her busy life has blinded her to the fact that she needs salvation. Eternity in heaven or hell is a very serious subject and is not something that may be pushed back constantly on her busy schedule.
As I mull on these thoughts I realize it's getting late and I've been at the crossroads for awhile now! Time to go home for the day. As I was packing up to leave a man approached me. He showed me a well worn invitation that he kept in his pocket. About a year ago he was walking by the crossroads. At the time he was too drunk to talk as he just left one of the bars on the street. However he took an invitation as he walked by and stashed it into his pocket. The next morning he emptied his pockets. He noticed the invitation and sat down to read it. God touched him and opened his eyes and he saw his need for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He repented of his sins and accepted the Lord Jesus into his heart as Lord and Saviour. Since that time he gave up drinking and now attends a Bible believing church that is actively involved in getting the Gospel out to the lost and dying. He told me his testimony for an encouragement to keep on serving the Lord of the Harvest. I thanked him for stopping by and giving me his testimony. Only in heaven will it really be known what good things God has done here at the crossroads. I'm going to be excited to find that out one day. However it is always a blessing to see one person come to the Lord in light of the fact that most people openly reject the Lord Jesus.