Natural and man-made tragedies fill the headlines every day. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and wars all bring a sudden and violent end to the lives of so many. One minute people are living life as usual, and the next, they find themselves in an eternal Hell. There are no do-overs or second chances. Those who have rejected Christ in this life will spend eternity without Him. Life without Jesus in the physical realm is, at best, meaningless.
In the spiritual realm, an eternity without Jesus is unbearable. Each soul in Hell will forever experience darkness, evil, separation, and despair. Think about that every time you watch or read the news. When people die, it should break our hearts. It should strengthen our resolve to tell everyone about the love and hope of Jesus Christ.
Sadly, death and murder are so commonplace these days that we have become numb to the stories. Headlines speak of disasters that cause us to shake our heads, but we’re quick to move on to the next story. Casualty numbers of war are only numbers so long as they don’t hit too close to home. Death is all around us, but we callously go about our day. These are people created in the image of God for the purpose of worshipping Him and spending eternity with Him. They made the wrong choice and will spend eternity bearing the consequences. In the blink of an eye, they realize their mistake, but it’s too late.
Brothers and sisters, we should ache for these souls. As heralds of the gospel, we must never hesitate to share it. When a single person is rescued from the rubble of an earthquake, there is great rejoicing, although thousands of others are still trapped or dead. In the same way, if we can help just one person turn to Christ, we must rejoice (Luke 15:7). It’s not about how many we don’t reach, but how many we do. Each of us can play a part in rescuing someone from the depths of Hell simply by speaking the truth to them. That’s all we have to do.
The headlines should motivate us to open our mouths and speak. What are we so afraid of? If we don’t tell them about Jesus, who will? And who knows, their very lives may be demanded from them this night (Luke 12:20). How will we feel if we hold back from sharing the gospel with someone, only to discover they died later that day? We have a responsibility to tell others about Christ (Matthew 28:19-20). It is our mission and we must be about it with great urgency.
I’m reminded of the old hymn, “Rescue the Perishing”. This is our job. We have the truth, and we must share it. Our time here is short. Don’t squander it by never telling someone about the hope you have in Jesus. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit by being ashamed of the Father. We have the greatest truth and hope. We have Jesus. The headlines prove every day people are going to Hell, so many of whom have never had someone love them enough to tell them about Jesus. We cannot silently stand by. We must speak up and reach out. Don’t let someone go to Hell because you were too afraid, too busy, or too selfish to tell them about Jesus.