When you are burdened for
the lost, you never know how the Lord may use you. The blind hymn writer Fanny
Crosby was speaking to a crowd in Cincinnati many years ago. She felt an
overwhelming burden that some young man in the audience needed to be saved. She
felt the Spirit urging her to make a plea, “Speak what I tell you, it’s now or
never!”
Fanny announced to the crowd,
“If there is a dear boy here tonight who has wandered from God and his mother’s
teaching, would he please come to see me at the end of the service?”
Afterward, a teenage boy
approached her. “Did you mean me?” he asked. “Before she died, I promised my
mother to meet her in heaven, but the way I have been living, I don’t think God
will accept me.” Fanny presented the Gospel and had the joy of leading the
young man to Christ. Returning to her room that night, all she could think
about was the theme, “rescue the perishing.” That night she was inspired to pen
the words to the classic hymn.
Many years later, while
speaking in Lynn, Massachusetts, Fanny recounted the story behind her hymn “Rescue
the Perishing.” After the service, a man approached her. “Miss Crosby,” he said,
“I was that boy who told you more than thirty-five years ago that I had
wandered from my mother’s God. I am grateful that you showed me Jesus. Since that
night, I have found peace and have tried to live a consistent Christian life. If
we never meet again on earth, we will meet up yonder and I will introduce you
to Mama.” Choked up with emotion, the man turned away, unable to say another
word.[1]
If I could set this
article to music I would, “Rescue the perishing/care for the dying/Jesus is merciful/Jesus
will save.” When was the last time you shared your faith? We’re not responsible
for who grabs on to the life saver and who doesn’t, but we are responsible for
casting it out into the sea of lost humanity. Are you burdened for the lost? Are
you concerned for the soul of someone you love?
If not, there are two ways
to change that—prayer and proximity. Evangelism begins on your knees. Talk to
Jesus about your friends before you talk to your friends about Jesus. When you
spend quality time with Jesus, His burdens will become your burdens. Jesus
declared His life's mission in Luke 19:10: “Indeed, the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save people who are lost.” Jesus was all about people, and the
closer you get to Him, the more His passion for souls will consume you and
become the driving force in your life.
The second key ingredient
to developing a passion for souls is proximity. Jesus was always around sinners,
tax collectors, prostitutes and poor. Closeness with people releases compassion
for people. Jesus had such a great impact on unbelievers because He was a
friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). The closer you get to people, the greater your
impact on them will be. As Rick Warren explains, “You build a bridge of love
between your heart and theirs, then you let Jesus walk across.” -DM
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