One Last Thought
July 1, 2001
Remember Oskar Schindler's last emotional words to his Jewish workers? At a time when he might have basked in his heroic accomplishments, he cried, "I could have done more!" Meaning that he could have "purchased" more Jews from the gas chamber had he sacrificed his fancy car, expensive suits, and glitzy jewelry. This is not far from the feeling many of us have whenever we think about evangelism. As biblical people we affirm the "lost" state of humanity, the necessity of salvation, and the promise of abundant and eternal life to all who believe. We're obligated, by call, to proclaim these truths. But we are rarely satisfied with how much we've done. We identify with Schindler's wrenching cry. In a world so large, so spiritually empty, we all could do more. As a pastor I constantly struggled against an institutional system that relentlessly sucked me into its center. It was easy to go an entire week without one substantial conversation with someone outside the faith. Then too, I know the fears associated with inviting a person to follow Jesus Christ. What if he says no and rejects you, too! Often I have fought the temptation to downsize my allegiance to evangelism by rationalizing away the necessity for a person to meet the Savior. Occasionally I have consoled myself by arguing that I was not gifted in evangelism. Yet the memory of one man lingers with me. Pointing to a place at the front of the sanctuary he said to me, "Six years ago this week, you pointed me to Christ on that very spot." Gifted or not, our telling matters. Three things have helped me come to terms with evangelism. 1. I have been called to challenge all (repeat all) people to constant movement in their journey to God. Four markers in that journey stand out. From ...
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