43 Sermon Illustrations on Action

One person can make a difference.

Jack Eckerd, founder of the Eckerd Drug chain, became a Christian in 1983. He called the company president and urged him to take out adult magazines. The president protested that millions in profits would be lost. Eckerd persisted and eventually all 1,700 Eckard's stopped carrying them.

He wrote to other chains, and the National Coalition Against Pornography started picketing and boycotting stores. 7-11 removed magazines from its 4,500 stores. Altogether, nearly 12,000 stores stopped selling them.

Playboy, shocked by declining sales, blamed the Meese Commission on Pornography, but the individuals who took action gave the real impetus.

(Taken from Colson's "Kingdoms in Conflict")

Sermon on "Schindler's List." Exodus 32:31-34

CHRISTIAN'S LIST

================

I. Never again?

II. The power of the gun and gas chamber.

A. Nazis held the power of life and death.

B. Christians have the power to forgive.

C. God has the ultimate power. Luke 12:5

III. Incongruence - things that don't mix.

A. Soldier stops to play piano during extermination of ghetto.

B. A sinful saint.

C. The world needs more bold sinners.

D. The courage to go against the flow.

IV. People are worth it.

A. Schindler bribed officials with booze, women, diamonds.

B. Modern people put value on life in a negative way.

C. Our lives are valuable, our souls invaluable.

V. Making lists.

A. Schlinder made a list of Jews he wanted to save.

B. Christians should have lists.

C. God has a list. Exodus 32:31-34

A Christian who was called on often to pray always concluded his prayer, "And now, Lord, clean all the cobwebs out of our lives." You know what he was talking about, all the little unsightly words, thoughts, and deeds, that he had let accumulate all week. Finally it got to be too much for one of the brethren who had heard him say that prayer often. So on Wednesday night, just after hearing those words again, he jumped to his feet and shouted, "Don't do it, Lord. Kill the spider!"

Nathan Chapman was the first American soldier killed by hostile fire in Afghanistan. He was one of America's elite Green Berets, on a strategic mission in dangerous territory when he died. I had a chance to watch some of the memorial service in his honor. The chapel was crowded with grim-faced Special Forces soldiers and many who loved this man. He had been there, serving his country, in some of the most difficult assignments of the last decade, including Panama and Haiti and Afghanistan. During the service, he was greatly praised by those who knew him, including references to the fact that he was a follower of Jesus Christ. Several of them cited Nathan Chapman's personal motto - one he lived by volunteering to go where he felt he could make the greatest difference. His motto was only five words, but still very challenging: "Stand up and do something!"

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Stand Up And Do Something."

This authentic American hero issued a challenge to all of us with those words - don't be content to just be a spectator. There's too much to do. Get in the game! It's the kind of challenge that comes from the One who is Commander-in-Chief for every follower of Jesus Christ. Except God puts it in the form of a bold question in our word for today from the Word of God.

In Isaiah 6:8, the prophet says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' He said, 'Go and tell this people...'" Well, apparently, things were pretty much the same with God's ancient people as they are with His people today - there were lots of people willing to sit and watch, but not many who were willing to go and tell.

The Lord has so much work to do - in your church, in your community, in the lives of people who don't know Jesus died for them, among the hurting, the hungry, the helpless. But as He surveys all the massive needs in our broken and sinful world, He cries out today as He did in Isaiah's day - "Whom shall I send? Who will go for Me?" Perhaps people like you and me are God's only plan for getting His work done on this planet. But too many of us are only willing to be spiritual consumers -taking all the blessing we can get - but we don't want to be spiritual producers - getting involved, taking responsibility, making a real difference. In Nathan Chapman's words - stand up and do something!

Jesus has all the fans He needs - Christians who are willing to sit in the stands, cheer for His cause, watch the show, occasionally criticize those who are actually in the game, and passively play church. But a passive faith is a boring faith ... an unsatisfying faith. Jesus talked about a heartbreaking shortage that can cost people heaven - "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." So much to do, so few people who will get in the game. Then He said, "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers." (Matthew 9:37-38) Now, that word "send out" actually means to "forcibly expel." It may be that your Lord is even now trying to pick you up and throw you into an assignment for Him -something eternal you can do with your life. The only right answer is Isaiah's answer, "Here am I ... send me!"

Maybe it's time for you to say, "Lord, I've been a taker for a long time. I've been a taker long enough. I'm ready to be a giver now. I've put other agendas ahead of Your agenda, but no longer. It's time for me to stand up and do something!"

________________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. 'Practical Answers to Real Life Issues'

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Several years ago, I heard the story of Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man who decided he wanted to see his neighborhood from a new perspective. He went down to the local army surplus store one morning and bought forty-five used weather balloons. That afternoon he strapped himself into a lawn chair, to which several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons. He took along a six-pack of beer, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and a BB gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.

Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air, was caught off guard when the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky -- smack into the middle of the air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons, he stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon, causing long delays in flights from across the country. Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police, reporters asked him three questions:

"Where you scared?"

"Yes."

"Would you do it again?"

"No."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because," he said, "you can't just sit there."

___________________

Leadership, Summer 1993, Page 35

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Another version:

Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly. When he graduated from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him. So when he finally left the service, he had to satisfy himself with watching others fly the fighter jets that crisscrossed the skies over his backyard. As he sat there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying.

Then one day, Larry Walters got an idea. He went down to the local army-navy surplus store and bought a tank of helium and forty-five weather balloons. These were not your brightly colored party balloons, these were heavy-duty spheres measuring more than four feet across when fully inflated.

Back in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair, the kind you might have in your own back yard. He anchored the chair to the bumper of his jeep and inflated the balloons with helium. Then he packed some sandwiches and drinks and loaded a BB gun, figuring he could pop a few of those balloons when it was time to return to earth.

His preparations complete, Larry Walters sat in his chair and cut the anchoring cord. His plan was that after he enjoyed some flying time to lazily float back down to earth. But things didn't quite work out that way.

When Larry cut the cord, he didn't float lazily up; he shot up as if fired from a cannon! Nor did he go up a couple hundred feet. He climbed and climbed until he finally leveled off at eleven thousand feet! At that height, he could hardly risk deflating any of the balloons, let he unbalance the load and really experience flying! So he stayed up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a loss as to how to get down.

Eventually, Larry drifted into the approach corridor for Los Angeles International Airport. A Pan Am pilot radioed the tower and told the air traffic controller that he had just passed a guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet who had a gun in his lap.

Eventually, a Navy helicopter dropped a rescue line over Larry, and gradually hauled him back to earth. As soon as Larry hit the ground, he was arrested. But as he was being led away in handcuffs, a television reporter called out, "Mr. Walters, why'd you do it?" Larry stopped, eyed the man, then replied nonchalantly, "A man can't just sit around."

Larry's statement has a message for us. We can not sit around any longer. We need to get out of our comfort zone and go make a difference in the lives of others.

_____________________

Stories For The Heart

Alice Gray, Multnomah, pp. 99-100.

[see also HolwickID #1677]

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Subject: A Matter of Due Diligence

Date: For the Week of July 5, 1999

It's an old story that bears repeating. A country parson was making his rounds, visiting the souls under his care. As he neared the farm of one of his newest members, he could not help noticing the improvements the hardworking man had already made in what had once been a poor piece of farm acreage.

Where there had been dilapidated outbuildings, there were now a new shed and a freshly painted barn. All the equipment was obviously being maintained well. The animals were healthy, and the fields were under cultivation. The place could hardly have looked better. So the preacher was determined to praise the farmer's hard work -- being careful, of course, to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in it all.

"Russell, you and the Good Lord have worked wonders with this place!" he allowed. "I've not seen a better looking farm anywhere in the county this spring."

"Thank you kindly, parson," said Russell, "but you should have seen the place when the Lord had the whole thing to himself. It was a disaster."

The fellow meant nothing irreverent by his comment. He took his partnership with God seriously, believing that it really mattered -- and affected the outcome.

By his precious grace, God gives human beings the power to identify with him in exercising sovereignty over Planet Earth. And he wants us to be as earnest in our part of the task as he has been in his. Thus the Bible's Book of Proverbs is filled with counsel about diligence. "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (10:4). "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied" (13:4). "A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing" (20:4).

Work is not a curse, but unemployment or idleness is. Adam was to tend, subdue, and master the Garden of Eden. Yes, sin made Adam's task harder by virtue of the "thorns and thistles" it introduced into his environment. But work was part of the original and ideal arrangement of paradise.

Cervantes said, "Diligence is the mother of good fortune." In spite of the pronounced tendency in our time to doubt such a maxim, it is true nonetheless. Rather than envy the person who somehow manages to get by without hard work, pity him instead for having failed to develop a primary habit that is necessary to virtue.

God saves us by his lavish grace; that affirmation is good theology. People saved by grace partner with God in productive work; that behavior is noble character.

The townspeople were in

total despair. A fire which started in a diner was

threatening to burn down the entire shopping district. They seemed

helpless to

do anything about it. Suddenly, a truck filled with farm workers came

speeding

down a hill toward the fire. The crowd moved back as the truck drove

into the

flames. The workers jumped out and beat at the fire with their coats,

miracu

lously bringing it under control. The city fathers were so grateful

for the

men's heroism that they gave to each a plaque and a $1,000 reward.

After the

ceremony, a newsman interviewed the driver and asked him what he was

going to

do with the money. Without a moment's hesitation the man replied, "You

can be

sure the first thing I'm gonna do is to fix the brakes on my truck."

Brian L.

Harbour, RISING ABOVE THE CROWD, (Nashville: Broadman, 1988).

A young man had been

seeing a girl for several months. He wanted to ask her to

marry him but he couldn't get up the nerve. Finally, he asked his

father.

"Dad," he said, "I want to marry Jane but I haven't the slightest idea

of the

right way to ask her." "Son," said his father, "just ask her. There

isn't any

wrong way."

In the movie "PAINT YOUR

WAGON," Lee Marvin plays a philosophical drunk named

Ben Rumstead. During the closing scene, Ben Rumstead is standing in

the rain

of a muddy street talking with the proprietor of a local store. The

store

owner looks at the passing wagons, loaded with people and furniture

moving out

of town, and says, "There are two kinds of people in this world. There

are

those who move on and those that stay. Ain't that the truth, Ben

Rumstead?"

"No, that ain't the truth," Ben Rumstead replies, with a swagger

enlarged by

the half-empty bottle in his hand. "There are two kinds of people in

this

world. Them that is going someplace and them that is going no place.

That's

the truth." Herb Miller, EVANGELISM'S OPEN SECRET, (St. Louis: CBP

Press,

1984).

Many of us recall from our flannel-graph Sunday school classes the story of the short, little man who climbed into a sycamore tree to get a glimpse at Jesus. As I revisited this story recently, I noticed that Jesus calls Zacchaeus a “son of Abraham,” and I was struck by how discordant this title would have seemed to all who heard it. Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel was called by God to leave his homeland and follow God into a land that God would show him. Scripture tells us that “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). How then could Jesus count a scheming, conniving, tax-collecting swindler as a “son of Abraham”? What was the great demonstration of faith by this much-hated man that would prompt Jesus’s commendation?

But as we examine the details of the story, we begin to get glimpses into the faith of Zacchaeus. Understanding his place in society as a chief tax collector gives us our first instance of faith. As a chief tax collector Zacchaeus would have had many “junior” tax collectors working for him. In a town like Jericho, which was quite prosperous and large, Zacchaeus would have been very rich. Yet, even though he was a prosperous businessman, Zacchaeus was a hated man. Chief tax collectors contracted with the Romans to collect taxes in a particular town or region. It’s as if he purchased a franchise from the Roman government at a substantial price, and then subcontracted the actual collection of the taxes to a group of men who worked under him. His profit was the difference between the fee paid to the Roman government and the amount of taxes he collected. The system was prone to abuse, and rewarded tax collectors for excessive collections.(1) Thus, the Jews saw tax collectors as mercenaries and thieves, and for one of their own to be in business with the Romans meant utter ostracism from the Jewish community.(2) So we can understand why all who heard Jesus invite himself over to Zacchaeus’s house reacted with grumbling. Zacchaeus was not a popular guy in his society.

But hearing the news of Jesus’s arrival in his town, this much-maligned man pushed his way through the crowds, hoisting up his garments in a most undignified manner just to get a glimpse. Zacchaeus had obviously heard the stories about Jesus -- his healings, his radical love and acceptance, and his remarkable, authoritative teachings. Now his curious faith compelled him to see for himself if all that he had heard was really true. His faith and desire to meet Jesus compelled him to disregard what would have been acceptable for his social status and station in life.

We also glimpse Zacchaeus’s faith in action in his response to Jesus inviting himself over for dinner. Jesus extends gracious acceptance to one despised. In response, Zacchaeus overflows with generous gratitude. “Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor” (Luke 19:8). Jesus has asked for nothing but hospitality from Zacchaeus, and in response, Zacchaeus, the very rich man, willingly surrenders half of his wealth. This is not an attempt of Zacchaeus to earn Jesus’s favor by works, but rather a faith-motivated response to Jesus’s love and acceptance. The tax collector’s willingness to let go of half of his wealth demonstrates a faith that trusts in God’s gracious provision. God’s graciousness towards him prompts his faith-fueled donation.

But his faithful response goes even beyond gratitude as he seeks to restore justice to those whom he has defrauded. It wasn’t enough for Zacchaeus to give away half of his wealth in response to Jesus; he insists on repaying those he has defrauded. Now, the Old Testament requirement for restitution is for the amount defrauded plus one-fifth.(3) But Zacchaeus doesn’t simply meet the letter of the law; he offers to repay four times as much as he has defrauded others! Four-fold restitution will impoverish Zacchaeus, as he’s already committed to give away half of his wealth. Yet in response to Jesus’s gracious acceptance, Zacchaeus parts with his wealth as a sign of his salvation. Jesus declares, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham” (Luke 19:9).

Like Abraham, Zacchaeus responds with belief that prompts action. Voluntarily impoverishing himself, Zacchaeus shows that he, too, will live by faith -- faith that demonstrates its true character in action. Thus, Zacchaeus’s faith also benefits the community around him. At some point after Jesus invites himself to the tax collector’s home, Zacchaeus rises -- un-coerced, un-admonished and un-prompted -- and commits himself to doing justice. His faith prompts repentance, and his repentance demonstrates itself in righting the wrong he has committed against his community. For Zacchaeus, justice rolls down like waters from the hospitality of Jesus, and it flows into his own faithful demonstration of hospitality towards others: he shares his wealth and restores what was ill-gotten.

Has your faith motivated you to action lately? Has it filled you with gratitude so that you abundantly give of your time, your talents, and your resources? Has it shown up through visible and tangible demonstrations of love and justice? Or, is faith a random, disjointed collection of ideas that make no claim on the way you live your life? Will it be said of you and me: “Today salvation has come to this house, for he, too, is a son of Abraham?”

________

1. Research from the website www.lectionary.org/luke

2. The Tosefta TOHAROTH notes, “When [tax] collectors enter into a house, the house [is considered] unclean.”

3. See Leviticus 6:5 and Numbers 5:7.

________

Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #4414]

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can."

Sydney Smith (1771 - 1845)

Clergyman and writer

Cited in BITS & PIECES

“Fiddler on the Roof” - it has to be one of my favorite plays. The story is virtually a modern classic, telling with incredible charm and warmth the story of 19th Century Jews in Russia. All the joys of Jewish faith and Jewish family are there, along with the pain of persecution for being Jewish. Tevye the milkman is the colorful father of the family - a man who is forever arguing with himself. If you're familiar with the play, you'll remember how his conversations with himself - and even with God - will go back and forth as he talks himself in and out of opposite viewpoints. Tevye will present one view - and then, inadvertently, he will say, “On the other hand...” - and he'll talk himself out of it. He doesn't actually reach many conclusions!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Paralysis of Analysis.”

There are a lot of folks who have a little bit of Tevye in them - always analyzing, often not reaching any conclusion. I'm a data-based decision maker, and I like to weigh all the information I can before making a decision or a commitment. And that's a good thing. Until it paralyzes you. Until it keeps you from exercising the one thing the Bible says you have to have to please God - faith.

In John 6, beginning with verse 7, we see an example of the disciples going as far as analyzing could take them - and nearly missing a miracle. Jesus and His disciples are facing a very hungry multitude of at least 5,000 people. Sizing up the situation analytically, in our word for today from the Word of God, Philip gets his calculator out and tells Jesus, “Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” OK, so much for earth math. Jesus is about to do something that earth math could never anticipate.

Andrew's calculation is simpler but it leads to the same human-sense conclusion. He said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” But, using miracle math instead of earth math, Jesus instructs His men to, “Have the people sit down.” You probably know the rest. Thousands were fed from that one small lunch, and the disciples “filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over.” Don't you just love it - one basket of leftovers for each disciple. So much for earth math.

When Jesus went to his hometown of Nazareth, all the people there could do was analyze Jesus' history - and the Bible says it was the one place Jesus could do no miracle because of their unbelief. Endless analysis - intellectual, theological - ultimately takes you in a futile circle and it often costs you the miracles that come only to those who risk everything on a great Savior.

“We walk by faith, not by sight,” Paul says. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Now, some people need to think a little more and they need to use their God-given mind to seek out the truth. But there's only so far thinking and analyzing can take you. Those who try to figure out the science of stepping out of a boat when Jesus says to, will never know what it is to walk on water.

Right now, God may be asking you to take a step that doesn't quite add up. All your analyzing cannot show you how you're going to get from here to there. The bridge over that gap is called faith. Don't miss some wonderful things God wants to do because you're suffering from the paralysis of analysis. You belong to a Lord who loves to do, as the Bible says, “immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine!” (Ephesians 3:20)

________________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #1490]

What buck did President Truman say "stops here"? Surprisingly, it had nothing to do with money. He was referring to a knife with a buckhorn handle. While playing cards, players would move the dagger around the table as a means of keeping track of whose deal it was.

When the buck "stops here," it's time to pick up the cards and play.

"Buck," used to signify money, comes from buckskins, which trappers used to use as payment in lieu of currency.

Though cards gave Truman his buck, it should be noted they that did not give us a phrase that is commonly attributed to them. Winning something "hands down" did not come from placing winning cards face-down.

As a matter of fact, it comes from horse racing. If a horse was well ahead of the pack, the jockey would release the reins and put his "hands down" on the horse, thus giving the animal free rein ... and us another expression.

"You lose with potential. You win with performance."

Bill Parcells

Pro football coach

Cited in BITS & PIECES

“Make rest a necessity, not an objective.” — Jim Rohn

“If you pump casually, you will pump forever. Pump hard to begin with and keep it up until you get that water flowing. Then a great deal will happen.” — Zig Ziglar

“Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.” — Benjamin Disraeli

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” — Thomas Edison

“Fast tempo is essential for success; do it, fix it, try it!” — Brian Tracy

“All human beings are born with the same creative potential. Most people squander theirs away on a million superfluous things. I expend mine on one thing and one thing only: my art.” — Pablo Picasso

Questions to Ponder

• How do I use my potential, creative or otherwise?

• What can I do today to better realize, use or enhance my unique potentials?

The sign on the stage proclaimed, “The Motionless Man: Make Him Laugh. Win $100.” The temptation was irresistible. For three hours boys and girls, men and women performed every antic and told every joke they could dream up. But Bill Fuqua, the Motionless Man, stood perfectly still.

Luis Palau in his book HEALTHY HABITS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH tells about Fuqua, the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS champion at doing nothing. Fuqua, says Palau, appears so motionless during his routines at shopping malls and amusement parks that he’s sometimes mistaken for a mannequin.

Fuqua discovered his unique talent at the age of fourteen while standing motionless in front of a Christmas tree as a joke. A woman touched him and exclaimed, “Oh, I thought it was a real person.”

Doing nothing is really impossible — even for the Motionless Man. Fuqua attributes his feigned paralysis to hyper elastic skin, an extremely low pulse rate, and intense concentration. He may not laugh at your jokes, but he readily admits that he still has to breathe and blink — occasionally.

I read about Bill Fuqua, the motionless man, and I thought about so many churches. So many congregations have mastered the art of doing nothing.

__________

(Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishing, 1994)

*

Sermon in Nehemiah series. Nehemiah 2:9-20

RECOVERY FROM RUIN

==================

I. With power and a plan.

A. Rumsfield vs. Nehemiah.

B. With power and a plan, we can turn our own lives around.

II. He inspected the damage.

A. Nehemiah wanted to know exactly what he was facing.

B. We also need to do honest self-examination.

III. He gathered support.

A. Nehemiah stated the obvious. 2:17

B. Nehemiah motivates them with disgrace. 2:17

C. The people respond.

IV. He prepared for opposition.

A. Sanballat and Tobiah mock them. 2:19

B. Opposition serves a purpose.

V. Now is the time to act.

A. Recovery is not something that should be put off.

B. "Now is the day of salvation." 2 Cor 6:2

In 2003 Aron Ralston was hiking alone in a narrow slot canyon near Moab, Utah. As he climbed over a boulder, it shifted, pinning his right arm against the canyon wall. He tried to move the 800-pound rock but it wouldn’t budge.

Ralston had not told anyone of his hiking plans and he knew no one would be searching for him. Assuming that he would die, he spent five days slowly sipping his small amount of remaining water. He carved his name, date of birth and presumed date of death into the sandstone canyon wall. Then he videotaped his last good-byes to his family.

After five days of trying to lift and break the boulder, the dehydrated and delirious Ralston took a drastic step. (If you are squeamish, now is a good time to plug your ears) He put a small stone between his forearm and the canyon wall, and forced the arm against the stone until the bones broke. Using the dull blade on his multi-use tool, he then cut the soft tissue around the break.

Ralston was finally free, but he wasn’t home. He had to rappel down a 65-foot sheer wall, then hike out of the canyon in the hot midday sun. It was eight miles to his truck. The truck had a stick shift. He didn’t have a cell phone.

Before he got to his truck, he ran into a Dutch family who gave him water and two Oreo cookies. They called emergency services and he was airlifted out. As a nice touch, the rescuers retrieved his arm and gave him the cremated remains. A few years later a movie based on his experience was released. They say the amputation scene is really cool.

Would you be able to do what he did? Maybe not, but I know a lot of you have been in desperate situations and some of you are right now. As a pastor I have dealt with people about to be evicted, people who have no heating oil, people who have been without work over a year. You find yourself between a rock and a hard place and you don’t know what to do. When you are crushed by the rocks of life, you need to cling to the Rock that is higher than you - God.

It is said that Napoleon, while looking at some papers, let slip the bridle of his horse, which reared so that the Emperor was in danger. A corporal of the grenadiers leaped forward and caught the bridle, bringing the horse under control. Napoleon saluted the corporal and said, "Thank you, CAPTAIN." "Of what company, Sire?" asked the corporal. "Of my guards," replied Napoleon.

The young corporal picked up his musket, hurled it aside, and walked across the field toward the Emperor's staff, tearing off his corporal's stripes as he went. When he took his place among the officers, they asked him what he was doing. He replied that he was a captain of the guards. "By whose order?" queried one of them. "The Emperor's order," he replied.

A man of less faith might have picked up his musket, stepped back into the ranks, and boasted for the rest of his life that Napoleon had called him captain. This describes the difference between mental assent and true faith, which takes God at His word and acts upon it.

During the days of World War I, the United States was having trouble with German submarines. We did not know how to deal with them. Will Rogers offered a solution. He said, "What we need to do is to boil the ocean. This will create such a pressure that it will force the submarines to the top. Then it will be as easy to destroy them as shooting ducks on a pond."

A reporter replied, "That’s a good idea, Will, but how are we going to boil the ocean?"

Will Rogers answered, "I’m just telling you what to do. It’s up to you to work out the details."

This approach is often used in talking about evangelism. We talk about it in such vague generalities that when we get through everybody knows what to do but nobody knows how to do it.

Jesus told us that He came to seek and to save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). Later, He said, "As My father hath sent Me, even so send I you" (John 20:21). Christ’s call to commitment is a call to be a witness. It is a call to reach out after the lost and attempt to bring them to the Saviour. To fulfill our mission we must know how to do this well. Jesus, the Master evangelist, not only told us that we should evangelize the world, but He also showed us by His own ministry how to do it.

The Gospels tell us about a few of the active days in the life of Jesus. He kept busy traveling about the cities and the villages teaching, preaching, and healing. As He went about this work, the sight of the multitudes moved Him to compassion. The word compassion means to "suffer with, to feel the same thing as." As Jesus moved among the people, He was moved by the people. He felt what they felt. He suffered as they suffered. He entered into and shared their deep hurts and distresses.

These experiences led Jesus to point out to His disciples that the harvest was abundant but that the workers were few. Then He told them to pray that God would send more workers into the fields. Jesus had hardly finished telling His disciples to pray for more workers when He called His 12 apostles, instructed them, and sent them out to meet the very needs He had just pointed out.

In this encounter the Lord shows us the essentials of evangelism. In it we see the practical things that we need to do to carry out our basic mission. Three things are necessary to win our world to Christ: Insight! Enlistment! Infiltration!

SEE THE NEED

The first essential to evangelism is insight. We must see the world as Jesus saw it. Scripture says, "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd" (Matt. 9:36).

The evangelistic efforts of Jesus began when He saw the deep spiritual needs of the people. What He saw moved Him to action.

What did Jesus see when He looked at people? The words "fainted" and "scattered" tell us. These two words indicate that Jesus looked beyond the external and outward appearances of people and saw the deep agony of their souls. The word translated faint means "to grow feeble." It suggests the idea of falling out as a result of weakness. When Jesus saw the multitudes, He saw them beaten down, defeated, and whipped by life. Does this remind you of anybody you know?

The word translated scatter means to "break one’s unity or completeness." A shepherd holds his flock together. Jesus saw the multitudes in His day as having no shepherd. They had lost the integrating center of their lives. They had lost that which holds life together, so their lives were fragmented and falling to pieces. Does this sound familiar? Every day a good counselor sees people like that.

What was the reaction of Jesus to all of this? He was moved with compassion. He literally felt what they felt. He entered into their experiences with them. What He saw moved Him to action. There is no greater motivating force in the world than compassion. To see human needs through eyes of love is to be moved to action.

Many others saw the same multitudes that Jesus saw, but they did not see the same thing. The Pharisee’s saw the crowds only as chaff to be burned in the furnace of God’s judgment. The disciples saw them too but they saw them only as a nuisance to Jesus. But when Jesus looked at them, He saw beyond their outward appearance. He saw their spiritual needs and longings. He saw their lostness.

Many years ago a shoe salesman was sent to Africa to sell shoes. He had been there only a few weeks when he wired his home office: "Send me a ticket for home. Nobody over here wears shoes." The home office brought him back.

Then they sent another man. He had been there only a few weeks when he wired back: "Send me more shoes. Everybody over here needs shoes."

The two salesmen saw the same bare feet, but they viewed them differently. One saw obstacles and impossibilities; the other saw opportunities and needs.

There is a lot to be said for the way you look at things and people. Look around you. What do you see when you see the multitudes? Don’t be fooled by those Hollywood suits, Ralph Lauren dresses, and plastic smiles. In and behind many of them are people who are hurt, heartbroken, lonely, and lost. Like the multitudes of Jesus’ day, a sizable percentage are beaten down and defeated by life and their lives are falling to pieces. Unless you see these deep spiritual needs, you will never do anything about meeting them. You will never be moved to compassion. You will never do a great work of evangelism, for evangelism begins with this kind of spiritual insight.

"What can I do," you ask, "to improve my spiritual sight or insight?" For one thing you can walk in close fellowship with God. You can get so close to the Lord through prayer and Bible study that you begin to see the world through His eyes. Secondly, you can move among the multitudes as Jesus did. To see people who are lost or who have heartaches and illness will move you to want to do something about it. And you will do something, unless your heart has become cold and callused. But if you just sit in the comfort of your home and church and do not move among people, you will not be moved by the people.

ENLIST THE PEOPLE

The second essential to evangelism is enlistment. We must recruit people to meet the needs. Once we see the needs of unconverted people, we realize that the job is too big for any of us to do alone. We must have help. Jesus saw the multitudes and was moved to compassion for them. But He realized that the crowds were too vast and the needs were too great to be met by one person. So He urged His disciples to pray that God would send forth more people to help meet these needs (Matt. 9:38). The first inclination of our hearts ought always to be to pray. Prayer ought not to be a last resort. It ought to be our first response.

Jesus had hardly finished urging His disciples to pray when He called them and trained them and sent them out to meet these needs.

Look at the 12 men Jesus chose. There was not a seminary-trained man in the group. None of them was a religious professional. Four of them were fishermen. Who can do anything with a fisherman? One was a tax collector. Israel was occupied territory at this time. It had been conquered by Rome, and now Roman legions were garrisoned in every major city. They were there to enforce Roman law and to protect Roman property. Wherever Rome ruled, it taxed the people heavily. Taxation was usually carried out through local officials. Local citizens were hired by Rome to collect taxes on a percentage basis. These tax collectors were considered traitors by their own people. They had turned against their own nation and had gone to work for the enemy. Many of them were unscrupulous, greedy, dishonest men. Matthew was one of these despised and hated tax collectors.

Then there was Simon the Zealot. The word zealot describes his political affiliation. He was a member of a nationalist party which had sworn to throw off the Roman yoke. These political fanatics were one-man guerrilla bands that opposed Rome.

These were three of the kinds of men Jesus called to be His disciples. These were men Jesus trained to be evangelists. They were not extraordinary men. They were men from different walks of life. They were from different economic positions and different political persuasions.

It was as if Jesus were saying, "Give me 12 ordinary men who will obey Me and follow Me, and I will turn the world upside down." If Jesus did not try to meet the needs of the world by Himself, neither should we. If He needed to involve other people, so do we.

Elton Trueblood said that we have projected the idea today that the church is a group of people streaming to a shrine to make up an audience for a speaker. Nothing could be farther from what the church is supposed to be. It should never be just an audience. The church should be a laboring crew charged with the responsibility of gathering in harvests of lost souls.

Somebody else has said that we have raised up an army in which nobody fights but the generals. If he’s right, what a tragedy! We must awaken to the fact that the fields are ripe unto harvest. We must realize that they are so vast and the needs are so great that no one person and no few people can meet those needs alone. The "average" Christian must be enlisted in the task of gathering in the harvest of lost souls for God. The pastor must be looked on as a foreman who helps train, equip, and prepare people for the work of evangelism. Unless we enlist many more Christians in meeting the needs of the lost world, those needs will never be met.

INFILTRATE THE WORLD

The third essential to evangelism is infiltration. We must get out of our church and go where the people are. The Scriptures say, "These 12 Jesus sent forth" (Matt. 10:5). Sent forth where? Out into the cities and villages where the people were.

When Jesus spoke these words, there were so many priests working at the temple in Jerusalem that they had to take turns serving. When the angel appeared to announce the birth of John the Baptist, Zacharias was working the 3 to 11 P.M. shift at the temple. But while these priests were keeping the fires poked up, the brass polished, and the sacrifices burning on the altar at the temple, the world was perishing without God. The multitudes were no longer coming to the temple to worship. It had become a den of thieves instead of a place of prayer. Does this sound familiar? Not many lost are coming to our churches today either. So we too must go after them. If we just sit in our comfortable sanctuaries and wait for people to come to us, we will never do the work of evangelism. The lost simply are not going to come.

Many churches today remind me of a laboring crew trying to gather in a harvest while they sit in the toolshed. They go to the toolshed every Sunday and they study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and then get up and go home. Then they come back that night, study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and go home again. They come back Wednesday night and again study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and get up and go home. They do this week in and week out, year in and year out, and nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.

You can’t gather in the harvest while sitting in the toolshed. Somebody has to go out into the fields and work if the harvest is to be saved.

Some churches also remind me of the man who owned an oil well that pumped continuously. But his neighbor noticed that he never sold any oil. One day he got up enough nerve to ask the man why. He said, "I see your well pumping day in and day out, week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out. But I never see you selling any oil. How do you explain this?"

The man replied, "It’s simple. It takes all the oil that we produce just to keep the machine going."

Many of our churches are like that. They dissipate all of their energy and their effort on internal affairs. They spend so much time keeping all of the committees functioning and the bylaws up-to-date and the air conditioning running, and the services in proper order that they have no time or energy to get out in the fields to do the work of evangelism.

The greatest purpose of most organizations is to survive. It ought to be to produce. If they cannot produce, then they ought to be allowed to die natural deaths. We ought not to keep them alive by artificial means. To let some organizations die would be mercy killing in the best sense of the word.

I’m not suggesting that we ought to abandon all organizations. That would solve nothing. Activism is better than most any other heresy. And in every technique there is some waste. What we need is a new dedication and a new list of priorities. We need many people with insight enlisted in the kingdom of God, and infiltrating the world for Jesus Christ. This is the only way we will ever do the work of evangelism.

There can be no evangelism without infiltration. We must get out of the church and into the world where the people are. Then we must share with them face to face the Good News of Jesus Christ.

After I have said all of this, the real question is, "What are you going to do about it?" If you do nothing, then this will be just another session in the toolshed. It will be just another time when we have studied bigger and better methods of agriculture and then have done nothing about it.

Edward Everett Hale once said, "I am only one. But I am one. I cannot do everything. But I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." We must make that same resolve. Do what you can where you are today to win someone to Jesus Christ. This is a big part of what it means to answer Christ’s call to commitment.

-- Chuck Swindoll who said, in his book, Improving Your Serve:

“To make the value of obedience just a practical as possible, let’s play ‘Let’s Pretend.’ Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a new branch office gets established. I make all the arrangements to take my family and move to Europe for six to eight months. And I leave you in charge of the busy stateside organization. I tell you that I will write you regularly and give you directions and instructions. I leave and you stay.

Months pass. A flow of letters are mailed from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations.

Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival, I drive down to the office and I am stunned. Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the Receptionist’s room. She is doing her nails, chewing gum and listening to her favorite disco station. I look around and notice the wastebaskets are overflowing. The carpet hasn’t been vacuumed for weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned. I asked about your whereabouts and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, “I think he’s down there.” Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office, which has been temporarily turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas.

“What in the world is going on, man?”

“What do you mean, Chuck?”

“Well, look at this place! Didn’t you get any of my letters?”

“Letters? Oh yes! Sure! I got every one of them. As a matter of fact, Chuck, we have had a letter study every Friday night since you left. We have even divided the personnel into small groups to discuss many of the things you wrote. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two - Great stuff in those letters.”

“OK. You got my letters. You studied them and meditated on them; discussed and even memorized them. But what did you do about them?”

“Do? We didn’t do anything about them.”