I have been asked, “Why do you go out and do outreaches? Why do you travel to different areas of the county, why do you go into these dangerous areas in San Antonio? What’s your motive?”
Why do I go out and do this?
It's not the thrill of speaking in front of large crowds. No, I can’t say that’s because, in many cases, the crowds is one, two, three, or even up to 25 people.
Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had 100 sheep and one went astray. What did the shepherd do? Did he say, “Win a few, lose a few. Too bad”?
No, he left the 99 and went after that one sheep. You see, God doesn’t just value multitudes; He values individuals. He values the human soul. He values the one.
Several years ago, a woman called me about her son named Danny who lived in our neighborhood. Danny had a very serious drug addiction, and there was nothing more that clinics and therapy could do for him. So he had been discharge from a drug rehab and was basically sent home to do what he liked to do.
Danny's mother said to me, “Danny has never known Christ as Savior but he has been to a Christian church twice. Maybe you should try and talk to him.”
One morning, I met with him in my office as we talked, it became clear that Danny was not a believer, though he had a lot of questions.
I gave Danny a copy of Outcry in the Barrio an autobiography by Freddie and Ninfa Garcia and a brown New Testament Gideon's Bible which presents the gospel message.
I encouraged him to take the book home and read it and then asked if we could talk again.
Danny came back the next day and said, “I read the whole book.” He had more questions. We talked a little bit more, but Danny still did not seem ready to make a commitment to Christ.
One day I saw him reading the Bible at a bus stop as I turned around and parked my car I sensed it was time. So I walked up to him and said, “Danny, let’s talk a little more.” As we talked, I said, “Danny, I think you need to settle this right now. You need to get right with God. Why don’t you pray right now and give your life to Christ?”
He said, “I’m ready to do that.”
“Great,” I said. So we prayed, and Danny asked the Lord to come into his life.
The next morning, we saw Danny. He had a big smile on his face. He said he had just been singing “Jesus Loves Me.” Every time we saw Danny, it seemed like he had grown a little more.
His mother told me later that Danny went to his whole family and announced, “You are looking at a brand-new Christian right now!”
“What if I had been too busy?” We can make up so many excuses. But God had provided me with a wonderful opportunity to talk with Danny.
So why take the time to share the gospel and do street outreaches? The answer is obvious: It’s the value of a soul.
God values the Danny's of the world. He values you. And He values me. Yet in our culture today, we often place the greatest value on that which, for the most part, has no value.
Meanwhile, we completely ignore that which has the greatest value.
Is anything worth more than a soul? The answer, obviously, is no. God values the human soul. And so should we.
Comments