Personal Work

When we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, we will give and account of the life we have lived (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12). It doesn't matter how much work someone else has done (or is doing) to teach people to obey the gospel. What are you doing to save lost souls? How many souls have you taught to obey the gospel? Remember we are going to be judged by what we do.

Cancer is a dreadful disease and kill many people each year. If you had a book that told how to cure the disease, would you tell your friends and neighbors (if they had cancer) about it? Why, you know you would. You would be aggressive about telling everyone you knew with the disease. But, what about the disease (sin) of the soul, are you as interested in telling others about it? We have the cure for the soul and the people around us are lost and dying. Why are we not telling them how to save their soul? Any disease of the body is only temporary for the short time we are here on earth. But the disease (sin) of the soul is much worse. It will effect one's eternal destiny.

The church as a body has work to do. Yet, the action of the church as a group does not rule out the duty of individual Christians to act in the matter of evangelism. There are some duties we have, not just because we are part of a group, but because of our personal relationship to God. Any attempt to shift upon a collectivity a duty that is private is displeasing to God. Jas. 4:17

There are people all around us that are lost. Most of them have never one time in their lives even heard the true gospel and have no concept of what it takes to go to heaven. They are alien sinners. An alien is the opposite of citizen. Many aliens do not know that they are aliens. Many are religious, many are members of denominations and are deceived into thinking they are saved when they are lost, not having heard and obeyed the pure gospel of Christ. Brethren, can you not see why we need to be aggressive with the gospel of Christ? If we don't tell these people the truth, who is going to do it? These will be lost forever unless we can bring them to repentance.

The gospel is God's remedy for man's sin. Someone says, I don't know how to start teaching the lost. Write down the following passages and show them to those you are trying to teach. These show why one must obey the gospel to be saved.

• Rom. 1:16,17. God's power to save.
• l Cor. 15:1-4. Saved by the gospel.
• Acts 11:14. Words to save Cornelius.
• John 15:3. Cleansed by words of Christ.
• Luke 8:11. Word of God is seed of kingdom.
• 2 Tim. 1:10. Life and immortality brought to light through the gospel.
• 2 Thess. 1:7-9. Those who know not God and obey not the gospel shall be punished with everlasting punishment.