Perhaps we are now sitting comfortably in our cozy living rooms. We may have just returned from a wonderful service at the church. Such inspirational singing, and such a good message, we enjoyed it so much. If there are little ones, we have said prayers with them, and put them to bed. The lights are turned low.
We are now ready for a time of wholesome, quiet relaxation, as we turn on the music before retiring. Meanwhile, in the jungle by the river, there is no one to tell them about Him. I have stood by those rivers, where entire villages of needy people live and die, without ever as much as hearing the wonderful name of Jesus.
Listen to these words of an atheist:
Were I a religionist, did I truly, firmly, consistently believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and the practice of religion in this life influences the destiny in another, the Spirit of truth be my witness, religion should be to me everything. I would cast aside earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as less than vanity. Religion should be my first waking thought, and my last image when sleep sunk me in unconsciousness. I would labor in her cause alone. I would not labor for the meat that perisheth, not for the treasure on earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and thieves break through and steal; but only for a crown of glory in heavenly regions. Where treasure and happiness are alike beyond the reach of time or chance. I would take thought for eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained to heaven worth a life of suffering. There should be neither worldly prudence nor calculating circumstance in my engrossing zeal. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand or seal my lips. I would speak to the imagination, awaken the feelings, stir up the passions, and arouse the fancy. Earth, its joys and its griefs, should occupy no moments of my thoughts; for these are but the affairs of a portion of eternity, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly miserable or everlastingly happy. I would deem all who thought only of this world, merely seeking to increase temporal happiness, and laboring to obtain temporal goods, pure madmen. I would go forth to the world and preach to it, in season and out of season; and my text should be, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (A.S. Ormsby, in Alone with God)
There is no mockery more sad and inconsistent than that of believing and speaking of the blessed hope with folded hands and a selfish heart.” No man can rightly believe in the coming of Jesus without expending all the strength of his being in preparing for it by sending the Gospel to all nations. We say that we love Him, we sing: “Oh, how I love Jesus,” and “Oh for a million voices to tell the story.”
But in reality, we eat, drink, and go on our merry way, while billions of people grope in the pagan night. The last words that Jesus spoke before He ascended into heaven were that they should be witnesses unto Him, after receiving the Holy Ghost, and that they should preach His Gospel to the world… even to the uttermost parts of the earth. (
Acts 1:8) The disciples did not forget this. (Tradition says that most of them died a martyrs death in distant lands.)
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