This is an except from a article I read about the Tititanic
"Even before Titanic arrived on the big screen in 1997, people have been fascinated by its story, perhaps because there is so much to it. Clearly, many mistakes were made that led to its sinking. Although it was called the unsinkable ship, it sank. And it sank relatively easily.We know that 1,500 people perished in an icy grave. We know there were not enough lifeboats
on board. We know that many of them went out half-full, some with only four or five people when they had the capacity to carry at least 60. But one of the greatest tragedies about the Titanic is the fact that while there was room in the lifeboats, no one went back to save anyone else.
They had rowed out a distance from the sinking vessel because they were afraid of its suction.
Survivors said they could hear the screams of the people as the Titanic finally disappearedbelow the surface.Here were people in lifeboats that had room. They could have rowed back and pulled others in. Yet they did nothing about it. They waited for about an hour, and then they went back. By then, they were only able to save a handful of people. They waited until it was too late".
The point I have to say about this account of the Titanic is that history often tells us so much,they say hindsight is a wonderful thing.
But my question is what have we learned from the tragedy of the titanic?
Right now, there is a lost world around us. People are going down, and we have room in our lifeboat.
Do we care enough to go and pull them on board?
Do we care enough to do something for them?
Or will we say, "They should have gotten into the boat when there was time"?
Do you have a burden for lost people? That is where it starts
Ask God right now to help you be a rescue boat to rescue those that are lost
May 11, 2007
Pleasure Ship or Rescue Boat?
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2 comments:
Hey Jeremy!
Seems I'm not the only one to have got out of the blogging habit after Pursuit! Was just re-reading this post and your last comment about having a burden for the lost caught my attention. My experience is that generally people DON'T have a burden for the lost. If asked about how they feel for the lost they will respond positively about wanting to see them come to know Christ but thats all there is. A shallow superficial desire with no substance to it. I must admit that is the way I have lived the majority of my life - in fact before attending Eastside the thought of witnessing to others as an urgent important task really hadn't even crossed my mind as something up to me.
How do we encourage people to develop a passion for reaching out to the world? How do we make this a daily priority? For those who are primarily church focused expecially how do we emphasise the need of balance? What steps do we need to lead them through so that a 'burden' becomes a substantial conviction and awareness of individual calling?
Having a burden may be a start but how do we develop one in the first place???
Hi Cat -Great commentand one that needed to be asked
I look to describe a burden as "having an intense desire"
but the desire is not driven by emotion its more comes from a chice of will and
Adopting a mindset that says I am going to share Christ.”
. It’s intending to win others to Him. It’s setting your face and your life toward that activity. It’s making a total commitment to Christ and His kingdom purposes. It’s deciding to become a faithful witness.
And you may Hundreds of great books, classes programs –better educated to share the gospel does not mean you will
Because effective evangelism does not does not begin with a program it begins by going to god in prayer and praying that God will give you his burden, his vision, so that you can love people the way Jesus does and see people how Jesus sees them .
Matthew 9:35-36 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
2 Corin 5.14 The love of Christ compelled him to go to tell others
through my own experience i have learnt that desire always needs something attached to it to make that desire last -this is true with good and bad desires
with that in mind -to keep my desire to reach the last the lost and the least -i need to attach that desire to something that will make it grow ,prayer is the answer -if you pray and ask God to use you as a signpost to point people towards him ,that desire will grow -once that desire grows all we have to do is guard against the things that will want to try to attach itself to that desire to weaken it -in evangelsim that is things like busyness,apathy,complancency,fear of people ,indiffence,feelings of inadequacy etc
hope this helps,its a church wide problem -but we urgently need to sort it out -I am running some teaching on "sharing faith workshops" in a few months
I would love you to be part of this
Jerery
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