Why Should We Bother to Witness

My message friends before we go to a time of prayer is why should we bother to witness? I wish I could go back and all the times in my life through the years and Redo the times where I failed to witness for the Lord even after the prompting of the Holy Spirit Never forget the time I had some men come work on my house They were three construction workers and one man out of the crew the youngest one Always seemed to show up early before his other Coworkers he'd arrive about 20 minutes early and I had to stand out there outside in the driveway and talk small talk with him But I was just too busy to really talk to him about anything spiritual In fact, I never bothered to even witness to that man Well about a month after the work was completed on the house I was reading the obituary columns in the newspaper and there that young man's face stood out at me My heart sunk like a ton of bricks there It was a young man who'd been cut down quite suddenly and tragically and there I had failed to witness to him Oh, why didn't I witness to that man? It was because I was too busy Why should we bother the witnesses the question? Today the church is too busy to witness. She's too busy building her campuses How can you call yourself a church if the carpet in your sanctuary? Isn't wet with the tears of the brokenhearted Saints crying over the lost Praying over the unsaved in your community But we just don't go out and ring doorbells anymore knock on doors and share the gospel with folks We're too self-centered Well, I want to relate a story to you and then I want to read a story to your friends before we go to our time of prayer I was down in Atlanta several years ago preaching in a conference and When I was through preaching at the back of the church There was a well-dressed elderly man sitting there and his son came up to me and said his father would like to meet me And I walked back there and this man had a set of my Whitfield biographies with him And he wanted me to sign them and the first words out of his mouth were that his name was Marian price And I said well now Are you the Marian price who wrote the little book never quit praying for your loved ones? And he said he was and I said well that book had had a strong impact on my life because of its Testimony to prayer and it's simple gospel witness That story is remarkable friends and I want to read that story about Marian price to us at this time because it shows us how important it is for us to Swallow any fear we have and to make up for all the lost time. We've missed and not witnessing enough Listen to this story of never quit praying for your loved ones It's an account of the Lord's working in the life of Osborne and bound senior the son of Ian bounds Marian price had the privilege of leading the son of Ian bounds to the Lord Listen to the story as told by Marian price Years ago I was introduced to the works of Ian bounds through the ministry of an evangelist and dear friend Leonard Ravenhill Mr. Ravenhill was ministering in our area and for a week.

I sat under his preaching. He referred often to master bounds Ravenhill was so well acquainted with the Writings of Ian bounds that he used them in compiling the book Treasury of prayer I once I read this book I was hooked Several months thereafter. I searched for everything.

I could find that was written by bounds I later discovered that the earth the remains of this dear Santa God were buried in Washington, Georgia Not more than two and one half hours from where I lived at the time in the summer of 1976 I went to Washington to search for the grave After looking through the city cemetery for some time. I could not find bounds rest in place as a last resort Search the telephone directory for any families with the bounds name to my surprise I found an Osborne and bound senior listed When I called the number a young lady answered the phone I asked if Osborne bounds might possibly be a distant relative of the old Methodist preacher EM bounds Yes, Osborne is his son the lady replied his son Responded in startled amazement Yes, he's 84 years old and I am his granddaughter and Reynolds She said I told and that I was a Baptist pastor and that I would like to visit with mr Bounds if it were at all possible She said he would be delighted to see me When I arrived at the bounds home, no one was there at first I thought perhaps I had misunderstood the directions and had ended up at the wrong address Then a car entered the driveway a thin frail Oh white haired gentlemen exited the car and began walking toward me Taking half steps with the help of a young lady. It was Osborne bounds and his granddaughter and They had run an errand before our appointment Osborne made his way to a rocking chair on the back porch and sat down Looking up he smiled and apologized for taking so long to get up the steps After we had chatted with each other for a few minutes another car rode into the driveway Outbounded in aristocratic and spry southern lady who seemed to have more energy than I at 37 She was Mary Willis bounds Armstrong Osborne's 81 year old sister as the conversation between the three of us continued I sat in absolute awe as I realized I was talking with two living children of EM bounds I asked question after question about their father and they graciously and patiently answered Telling me everything they could remember about him after we talked for a short time Mary offered to take me to the cemetery and show me where their father was buried I knew that it was getting late and I should be leaving But before when I had a strong impulse to ask guys born bounds about his spiritual condition All of our conversation to this point had been about their father and what a good man.

He was Mr. Bounds, or are you a saved man? I asked Osborne dropped his head and momentary silence then as meekly as a man can answer such a question He said oh, I don't know. I hope so But I'm not sure about this time Mary with her strong southern accent Interrupted why Reverend price eyes is one of the best men in the county. Oh, why is help more people? You won't find a better man anywhere Immediately she rose from her chair and said let me take you to the cemetery on the way She told me that her father would rise at four o'clock each morning and pray until breakfast at seven in his later year She said he would rise at three o'clock.

I asked Mary what time he would go to bed each night early She replied before anyone else if visitors were at the house He would excuse himself by saying something like I have an early appointment We arrived at the grave site Again stood in awe there was the marker at the head of the grave Edward McKendry bounds DD August the 15th 1835 to August the 24th 1913 another stood at the foot chaplain McKenzie McKendry bounds Missouri Infantry CSA When we left the cemetery Mrs. Armstrong carried me by the old home place Which is now used by the Washington Wilkes Historical Society as a museum as we look through the home She showed me the room where dr. Bounds often resorted for private prayer Soon, we were back at Osborne's house where I thanked him and mrs. Armstrong for their gracious help and said goodbye I'm a drive home The Spirit of God burdened my heart with the thought that neither of these children of a dear man of God Though one was 81 and the other 84 years old was saved their answers to simple gospel questions revealed their true spiritual standing Pondering this terrible thought I cried like a baby I was a preacher with seven children These two older bounce children reminded me of two of my own who in the early teen years Had given me a few anxious moments and Reynolds Osborne's granddaughter had told me that she'd been praying for her granddaddy for some time Knowing his age and frail condition She was concerned about his soul Brother price when you walked up on that porch and I saw a gospel track in your shirt pocket I knew the Lord had sent you to talk to my granddaddy. She said Ants words humbled my heart.

I began to realize that I was involved in spiritual warfare For the souls of two children of a preacher who'd already been in heaven for 63 years after arriving home I Contacted 12 preachers in whom I had great confidence and asked them to help me pray for these two people Thereafter each time I went to Washington. I would go by the cemetery then to dr Bounce prayer room and then to visit with Osborne But each time I visited there were people around and I did not have the liberty to talk with him about the gospel Next to the last time I visited him. He was in the hospital.

His foot had been Amputated I prayed with him, but I still had no liberty to talk with him about the Lord Finally on what was to be my last visit to the Osborne's home Things were different a dear black lady in a nurse's uniform met me at the door Recognizing me from previous visits She ushered me into Osborne's room where he lay in a hospital bed as she was leaving She turned and smiled at me as if to say now is the time. I'll see that you're not disturbed. I Felt confident that the dear soul stood in the gap for Osborne and made a spiritual hedge to protect the two of us Talking with Osborne.

I lost sight of the fact that he was the son of Ian bounds I saw him simply as a man who seemed to have a hungry heart for the things of God Indeed, I was a preacher's son talking to a preacher's son on the mantle behind me Set a picture of Ian bounds who seemingly was overlooking our conversation More importantly, however, I sensed the presence of the Living Lord actually Overshadowing and directing the eternal affairs taking place When I asked Osborne if I could read the scriptures he replied Certainly, please do Then I shared with him the gospel story and the hopelessness of man without the Lord Jesus I told him that a man must come to God with a repentant heart confessing sin And then by faith receive him as Lord and Savior. I asked Osborne if he thought much about these matters He answered all the time Then with the boldness of a lion and yet with a holy trembling inside I asked are you Ready to call on the Lord and ask him to save you Yes, sir Would Osborne said as he began to pray without being coaxed like a little child He confessed his sinful condition and his doubting heart Asking the Lord to forgive him when he was finished. I asked mr. Bounds.

Did you really mean what you just prayed? He tried to raise up a little in the bed Looked me straight in the eye and said, oh, well, I guess that did Then with a peaceful smile on his face. He slumped on to his pillow Before leaving Osborne's room I read more scripture gave him some gospel literature and prayed with him in the days following I questioned whether Osborne bounds had been truly saved or I had talked him into a false profession The Lord reminded me that this man had been bathed in prayer His father had died praying for his children his granddaughter and had been praying for him Twelve preachers and I had prayed three months for him Besides these there might have been countless numbers of people whom we did not know who prayed for him after Osborne's death in 1979 his daughter Mrs. Rosemary Reynolds told me from the time daddy talked with you that last time he had more peace than it ever had before Praise the Lord that settled on heart one of the first evidences of genuine salvation is the peace God gives to the heart Hallelujah for the cross God answers prayers. He is still faithful to save any who will come to him John 6 37 says all that the father giveth me She'll come to me and him that cometh to me.

I will in no wise cast out The children of Ian bounds had the highest regard for their father They spoke of him and glowing terms Surely he had drilled them with the Word of God and their youth But the fact remains that Osborne bounds was an old man before he came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior We are assured that God will accomplish his purposes John 17 12 declares Though that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost God had chosen before the foundation of the world to save Osborne and if I had not obeyed the Holy Spirit's leading and witnessing to him the Lord would have sent someone else I'm so thankful that he used this servant Lest you become weary in praying for your loved ones Remember Osborne bounds the Lord surely encouraged my heart with this glorious experience The lesson for us is clear We should never quit praying for our loved ones We may not see the answer before we die But we can go to the grave with a prayer on our lips for their salvation and God is not limited to my lifetime or yours 63 years after we die. He can send a simple gospel witness to speak to those for whom we have prayed Well, those are the words of my good friend Marion Price Who was a simple gospel witness to the son of Ian bounds and had the great privilege of leading? Osborne bounds to the Lord We two friends need to bathe the ones that we know who are lost in prayer Intercede for them that the Spirit of God will touch their hearts and then be a simple gospel witness Ourselves and share the story the wonderful story about the Son of God who came down here So we can go up there Let us go now to this time of prayer