Dealing With The Lost (3 Of 5)

There are a lot of misunderstandings about God’s church, but one of the biggest misunderstandings is about the purpose of the church.

There is a reason that churches all over this nation, week after week, month after month, and year after year never win any souls to Christ.

WHAT IS THE REASON? The reason is because God’s church has been side-tracked. Churches are all caught up in good things, such as:

• Big buildings

• Big budgets

• Big programs

• And a lot of activities

Listen, there is nothing wrong with these things, we need them, but that is not the ultimate purpose of the church. God’s purpose for the church is for THE CHURCH TO REACH THE LOST!

In Rom. 10:15b, we read, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

God sees Christians that are using their feet to carry this gospel, as having beautiful feet. God rates a church that is trying to REACH THE LOST as having beautiful feet.

Illus: Today we have a way of rating pretty women.

For example, they are normally rated on a scale of 1 to 10. If a woman is really pretty, she might be rated as a number 9 or 10.

Today we also have beauty contests where gorgeous women parade before judges to win the privilege of wearing the title of “Miss America!”

We live in a society that is fascinated with beautiful women.

• They are plastered on almost every magazine cover

• They are plastered on the billboards

• They are plastered in every television commercial imaginable

• They are anchors on the evening news

Illus: Two beautiful women are playing golf on a sunny afternoon, when one of them slices her shot into a foursome of men. To her horror, the ball landed on the head of one man and he collapsed in agony. She runs to him apologizing profusely, and kissing him on the top of the head where the ball had landed.

After several gentle kisses on the top of his head, she said, “Are you all right now?” He said, “Well, my lips are really hurting a lot!”

Much is said about the beauty of a woman. But today I want to show everyone how they can have beautiful feet.

“…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

God’s Word teaches that the CHURCH THAT WILL CARRY THIS GOSPEL TO THE LOST has beautiful feet.

The Lord Jesus said, in Matt. 18:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, [Mark’s version says, “...preach the gospel to every creature”] baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

There are several verbs in these verses about having beautiful feet.

I. THE FIRST VERB IS “GO”

Do you realize how difficult it is to get people to GO to reach the lost? Every day opportunities knock and Christians can’t hear them knocking

Illus: God was dealing with a Christian man about witnessing to his family and friends. He was praying one day and he told the Lord that if he would give him a sign to witness to the next person that was lost, he would witness to them.

The next day he was on a train, and a man came on that looked very depressed. There were many empty seats, but he sat beside this Christian man.

They started talking and the man said, “I am so miserable. I can not keep living like this.” Later the man said, “I wish I knew how to find some happiness. I am so miserable.”

Later on the man said, “I wish I knew what the Bible said about salvation.” Then he said, “I wish I knew a Christian that could show me how to be saved.” The man fell on the floor and started crying saying, “I can’t take anymore of this, I am so miserable.”

The Christian man got on his knees and started praying and he said, “Lord, is this a sign?”

Every day, opportunities confront Christians to witness for the Lord. The Lord tells us we are to GO with the purpose of telling people about the Lord.

Illus: We have too many Christians that want to operate like a lawyer. They want to hang out a shingle, “If anybody wants to get saved, inquire within.”

We have to GO WHERE THEY ARE! When the Lord said we are to be fishers of men, He used that illustration for a purpose. If you are going to catch fish, YOU HAVE TO GO WHERE THEY ARE!