Eaten By Now

HoHum:

An American was visiting in a 3rd world country. While walking down the street, he was surprised to see a native reading the Bible. “My good man,” he said. “In my country, that book is considered out of date.” The native responded, “My good man, if that book is considered out of date in this country, you’d be eaten by now.”

WBTU:

Always been a debate about what happens to the people who have never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ when they die. Paul talked about this Romans: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20, NIV. They are without excuse, even though they have never heard the gospel, they are without excuse. The Philistines captured the ark of the covenant. They took the ark of God and set it in next to the idol of their god Dagon in Dagon’s temple. “When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.” 1 Samuel 5:3, 4, NIV. Pretty funny stuff, I went through this in my devotions but I was referred to a song written years ago that expressed the seriousness of the situation. Called Far Away by Alonzo Abbey (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/f/a/r/a/far_away.htm)- I often think of heathen lands, where many an idol temple stands; and there each hapless child is led to bow to heathen gods, their head; while many a muttering charm is said, far away, far away. Oh, how I pity children there; although the clime be passing fair, I would not leave my humble home, midst fields of richest flowers to roam, if there no gospel sound should come, far away, far away; But I will pray that God will send, some tidings of my Savior friend, and every little I can spare shall go to send the Bible there, and men of God the truth to bear, far away, far away.

Think of it, children are taught about God (or gods) when they are youth and they never stop doing or believing what they are taught. No teaching about the gospel of Jesus so no changes. Faith promise Sunday where we pledge to give an offering to missions more than tithes

Some ignore the teaching found in Romans 1 and say that God is a merciful God and he will not hold anyone accountable for something they have never heard. Some mix this teaching to the idea of the noble savage, the idea of the happy heathen. Theirs is a culture of simple innocent childlike existence which should have never been spoiled by civilization, by the white man’s religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. The one word that best describes the condition of the primitive peoples of the earth without Jesus Christ is darkness. Psalm 74 describes the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. Asaph asks hard questions of God after seeing all the devastation. The worst part was that the pagans destroyed the temple. “They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling-place of your Name.” Psalms 74:7, NIV. Asaph is praying for the defeated nation of Israel. “Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.” Psalms 74:20, NIV. What a description of areas that have limited gospel influence. We are seeing more of it in this land, the haunts of violence. Without the gospel of light in Jesus Christ the dark places will grow even darker.

Thesis: Talk more about the dark places of the earth and about the light for those dark places

For instances:

The dark places of the earth

Whether in Africa, Asia, San Francisco or New Orleans cruelty and fear characterize heathenism. Went to New Orleans and on many street corners have voodoo or occult symbols. Get a cold and dark feeling from such things. I am sure that Job can talk about this even more. Voodoo is rooted in the worship of nature and ancestors- and the belief that the living and the dead exist side by side. Animal sacrifices are an important part of voodoo ceremonies. Much of voodoo has been dramatized by Hollywood over the years but the persistence of that faith has not helped Haiti out of being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Heathen are so happy!

When the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez and his men arrived in the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan in 1521, they described witnessing a religious ceremony. Aztec priests, using razor sharp blades, sliced open the chests of sacrificial victims and offered their still beating hearts to their gods. Not just in Indiana Jones, in real life. Many modern historians dismiss this account as fabricated, we all know that the Spanish conquistadors were after gold and that is why they murdered the emperor and destroyed the capitol city, it had little to do with the Christian gospel. Come to find out in 2018 an excavation site in Mexico City discovered widespread human sacrifice among the Aztecs- as many as 80,000 at that site. Oh, come on, heathen are so happy!