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 “In my country, that book is considered out of date.” The native responded, “My good man, if that book is considered out of date in this country, you’d be eaten by now.”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!
Oh, this was years ago, the world is much more civilized. Oh really, a story came out in 2019 from Uganda that said, “Child sacrifice is real- it is not a myth. It’s a reality and it’s happening on a huge scale in Uganda. Witchcraft has long been practiced throughout Uganda, and traditionally involves the sacrificing of animals like goats or chickens. But witch doctors now claim their work is “more powerful when you sacrifice the blood of a child.” Uganda is seeking to prosecute those who do this practice, difficult but trying. From Bob Berry- “Where we work in Uganda the child sacrifice is not prevalent. However, in the northern sections of Uganda, near the Sudan and Congo border there is a very militant tribe known as the Karamoja. My friend Nicholas has visited that area and he says you better do what they say or else. But he has gone to evangelize among them. What you heard described about their practices does exist. There are times when some of those will make their way to central Uganda and as a result there have been some instances of children being kidnapped and mutilated and sacrificed. It is a place where the works of the Gospel of Christ needs to be forwarded wherever, whenever, and however possible.” Abortion, Child abuse, beating deaths, drunkenness, drug addiction, drive by shootings, bombings, human trafficking, slavery are epidemic in many areas even in US. Dark places. “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” Romans 1:29-31. Taught from youth
The Light for these dark places
“Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” John 8:12, NIV. “I have come into the world as a light, so that no-one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46, NIV.
Charles Gabriel is the writer of a hymn that applies today called Send the Light. Mr. Gabriel considered his first successful song to be Send the Light. This hymn, written in 1890, is considered to be one of the best missionary hymns every written. At the church where he served in San Francisco, the Sunday school superintendent asked him for a missionary hymn to highlight their golden offering (faith promise offering). In response Gabriel wrote this song. A visiting missionary heard it and loved it so much that he carried it back east with him and the rest is history. I remember this hymn being sung at every missionary conference and report while growing up. The words of “Send the Light” remind us that as Christians we live in a world of darkness, “among whom we shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16). The 1st verse reminds us that “there are souls to rescue, there are souls to save.” And we need to send the light to those living in this dark world. The 2nd verse talks about the golden offering (faith promise) that is given to support those who go. So are we busy sending the light? Are we active in praying, giving and going? The last verse reminds us not to grow weary in doing this. There are so many in our neighborhoods, in our places of employment, in our country and around the world who need the light and message of the gospel.
Reflections on this light
If those without this gospel light are saved, then the Great Commission of Christ to his disciples is the most heartless, hateful order every given. And if we go and share this light with them and they reject, then they are certainly condemned and we are at fault. If by our refusing to go they remain innocent (noble) and saved, as some allege, then we do them a great disservice by telling them the truth. Furthermore, if the heathen can be saved without Christ, then our neighbors down the road can too- and the whole foundation of the Christian faith regarding the necessity of conversion (plan of salvation) is ruined.
“All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.” Romans 2:12. Sinned without law- shall perish; sinned under the law- judged by law. In both cases result is everlasting loss unless we offer the pardon through Jesus Christ. Send the light the blessed gospel light, let is shine from shore to shore, evermore
So what?
Thakombau, King of Fiji, told missionary John Hunt that white men made good eating- they tasted like ripe bananas. Around his throne, when the missionaries first approached, were strewn the remains of the bodies of 80 people. After a few years, the chief was converted to Jesus Christ. He then announced, “I have been a scourge to the whole world, but I am a new man now,” and taking a new name he ruled as King Ebenezer (the Lord has helped us), for 29 more years. At his death 102,000 out of a total population of 120,000 had become Christians.
“There’s a call comes ringing over the restless wave” Sing send the Light
