Rescue the Perishing
Doing your bit of the work
The call to rescue souls
The book is No Man Cared for My Soul1. I could spot it from across the room, standing boldly on the shelf amid hundreds of titles. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, my eyes kept finding it. A hardback, big print, voluminous—like the years of a man’s life—I saw it almost daily because I had to use the study.
Every day, it stared at me with millions of invisible faces printed all over it and with voices calling out for help. It was eerie yet concerning. More concerning was that I could see the title on hundreds of faces on the street, schools, business places and cathedrals. It was an unavoidable burden. I read everything from fiction and non-fiction to motivational and spiritual books, but not this one. Now I realise, somehow, I must have immersed myself in it, walking through life and learning what the bible taught about the soul of man.
There is a cry in the city, and you’ve been called up. The mission is straightforward (not simple). It says go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature... for “a voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children”2. “For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed”3.
It’s your call. Now make it your mission.
The challenge of taking up the call
“Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.'”
The text above will make you shake your head at Samuel, but we’re like him in many ways.
In the heart of every believer is a voice. Some call it the voice of destiny, while others call it the voice of God. What is this voice? Is it our inner awareness? Is it the voice of destiny or God’s voice? There is always that initial confusion about what life is meant to be. We want to make the most of it, so a voice is not enough. There has to be a conviction — the power of a prevailing voice aligning with our being. It seems we’re close, but we know we’re not quite there yet. This is peculiar to all believers. We care about the work, yet we’re not immersed in it. We loiter around our purpose4, nap here and there and make some big splashes once in a while, but the work is not done. Bitter cry and turmoil prevail in the land, but we don’t know how to act. There is confusion, there is deep sleep.
“Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”. Mark 4:38,39
When we’re awake, we run in the wrong direction. We go in the direction of our ‘glorified leaders’. We take up an assignment that is not given to us. Passionate, we bear the cross for which we are not called to bear. Not until it feels like someone’s call are we satisfied with it. No! God has a call for everyone. It’s unique. It could be the same assignment, but it’s still unique.
Our assignment on earth is to answer this call and focus on it. This is the challenge, and more. Mr Angel Mark(no offence to the Angel Marks) does this and that; that’s his call. Find yours and focus on it.
We should live our lives such that we can boldly say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”.
And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, "We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty." Luke 17:10 (CEV)
Rescue the Perishing
You’ll be surprised how much work remains undone. We often think a lot has been done, while in reality, the need grows greater with each passing day. We crowd into already cultivated areas and turn our faces away from the 'dirty work'. Millions are perishing—and we have been called not to compete, but to search and rescue.
We must focus on our calling, not on what we fancy, desire, or find easy.
The calling of a man is to a people. We’re not called to do all the work, but rather to do the work (assigned to us). ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Acts 22:21.
We must magnify our ministry, understanding that it is God’s direct demand on our lives. Whether prison outreach, church planting, evangelism, or discipleship, all are meant to bring men to Christ.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; Matthew 9:37
“The labourers are few” — lots of people but few labourers. In Christ's days, the Pharisees could be termed ‘believers’, but many of them were not labouring right. There are lots of ‘believers’ today under the roof of the church, but again, very few labourers. How can the work be done if we do not labour? How will people feel the urgency in our hearts for their spiritual condition if we do not plead with them?
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:14-15
We can not merely share the gospel, we have to feel the doom of humanity without Christ. We talk, but sinners don’t feel our hearts. The gospel that has not moved us can not move sinners—no matter how hard we labour. We can not separate our life from our ministry and expect it to bear fruit. There is no shortcut to reaching the lost but through intense labour.
We must labour in the field of our calling. Let the preacher preach, the writer write, the encourager encourage, and the singer sing. Everyone must play their part in love.
If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:7-9
Now is the time. The Lord waits—not for another voice, but for yours. Will you answer the call?
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