Amen. If you would, please take your Bibles and open them up to the book of Matthew chapter 9 this morning.
We're finishing our mini-series on our mission and vision this morning.
We've been going through our mission and vision in the month of January, specifically the past three weeks,
discussing our vision in terms of the theme of prayer.
And so we've come to our last E, enjoy, equip, evangelize, this morning.
So we'll discuss that the task of evangelism cannot be accomplished apart from prayer.
So if you would, please turn to Matthew chapter 9 and listen along with me as I read verses 35 through 38.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom
and healing every disease and every affliction.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Lord, that we pray now as we consider the great task of evangelism.
We pray as we hear your call to us to pray for laborers.
We ask, Father, that you would stir our hearts with a heart of compassion for the lost.
Would you lead us to pray and to ask you to move?
And would you lead us to go and to proclaim?
We ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Amen.
I was reading some missionary stories this week, and I came across the story of a missionary named Hudson Taylor.
You may be familiar with Hudson Taylor.
Taylor was a missionary to the lost in China, and he was a man deeply committed to the gospel and deeply committed to the power of prayer.
I read an excerpt from a book called Heroes of the Faith on Pioneer Trails.
It was a missionary biography book, and it told the story of a sailing vessel that was struggling for control near the shores of New Guinea.
Seeing the captain's anxious face, Hudson Taylor, he asked him what the issue was,
and the captain told him that a four-knot current is carrying us swiftly towards some sunken reefs over there.
Our fate seems to be sealed.
To make matters worse, on the shore, waiting for them were cannibals lighting their fires and eager for them to crash so that they might have their next meal.
And so the captain said, again, we have done everything that can be done.
And Hudson Taylor looked at him, and he replied, no, captain, there's one thing that we have not done.
There are four of us on board the ship here who are Christians.
Let each of us retire to his cabin, and in agreed prayer, let us ask the Lord to give us a breeze immediately.
This was agreed upon, and it was done.
And after a few minutes, Hudson Taylor came out of his cabin, came up on the deck, confident that his petitions had been granted.
He found the first officer, and he asked him, would you let down the corners of the mainsail?
Well, what would be the good of that, asked the officer.
Taylor told him that he and the other three men had been asking God and praying that the Lord would send a wind,
and that it was coming immediately, there's not a minute to lose.
Let down the sail now.
And the officer replied, nonsense.
You cannot pray up a wind.
Well, just a few moments later, they noticed that the topmost sail was beginning to tremble a little bit.
And so again, Hudson asked the captain, would you let down the sail?
And they did.
They let down the sail, and within a few moments, the breeze came just as they asked.
And they were sailing away from the dangerous reefs, away from the cannibals on the beach,
and the Lord had answered their prayers.
As he later reflected on this experience, Taylor wrote down in his journal, he said,
Thus God encouraged me, air landing on China's shores,
to bring every variety of need to him in prayer,
and to expect that he would honor the name of the Lord Jesus,
and give the help which each emergency required.
What I'd like for us to see this morning from our passage,
as we look to Matthew chapter 9, verses 35 through 38,
is that the world that we live in is in a state of emergency.
And there is a problem facing us that's far greater than most of us tend to realize
is a problem that's more dangerous than a sinking ship,
is more dangerous than cannibals on the shoreline,
is a problem that faces each and every one of us every single day,
and it's a problem that you and I, we as Christians, are called to address.
And the solution that the Lord gives us to this great problem,
it begins with prayer.
So what I want us to see this morning is the problem,
I want us to see the problem clearly as it is,
and then I want us to see the perspective that we ought to have regarding this problem,
and then we'll close with the solution that the Lord prescribes,
which is prayer.
The problem, the perspective, and the prayer of evangelism.
That'll be our outline for us this morning.
First, let's consider the problem.
Look there to verse 35 with me.
Matthew tells us that Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and every affliction.
See, Jesus' ministry, it was one of miraculous demonstration of the power of God.
He healed the sick.
He cast out demons.
He did many miraculous signs.
And it was one of powerful teaching.
It was a ministry of proclamation.
He was not just healing for healing's sake.
His deeds had a message attached.
He proclaimed with word and deed the gospel of the kingdom of God,
meaning that the rule and reign of God can be seen,
and can be known,
and can be entered into in Jesus Christ.
That was his message.
He proclaimed a message that sinners like us
don't have to belong to the kingdom of this world anymore,
but rather through faith in Christ,
sinners like us can be transferred from belonging to this earthly kingdom,
and now belong to the rule and the reign of God
as citizens of the kingdom of God.
He came proclaiming good news.
And he did this because of the bad news.
There's a problem here.
Look there to verse 36 with me.
It says,
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them
because they were harassed and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd.
I don't know if you know much about sheep,
but they are not intelligent animals.
And without a shepherd,
they wonder about,
they easily get lost,
they're at risk of being harmed,
they have nobody there to feed them,
to provide for them,
to guide them,
to lead them,
to protect them from dangers,
from predators of wolves
and others that would seek to do them harm.
They're weak,
they're vulnerable,
they're at great risk to themselves
without a shepherd.
They're harassed and they're helpless,
as our passage says this morning.
But Jesus,
he looks out at these crowds of people
and he says that
these crowds of people
are like sheep without a shepherd.
This is a description of lostness.
They are aimless,
helpless,
harassed,
because they don't belong
to the good shepherd,
Jesus Christ.
They're lost.
What I want us to understand
is that this is the state
of everyone outside of Christ.
And this is the greatest problem
in the world.
Now think about it with me.
What do you think the greatest problem
in the world is right now?
If your answer goes to poverty,
that's a problem.
That's too small.
Bad politicians in Washington,
bad leadership,
bad decisions,
that's a problem.
It's too small.
Cancer,
disease,
sickness,
that's too small.
War,
violence,
people killing each other
here and there
and everywhere,
that's too small.
The greatest problem
that the world faces right now
is lostness.
There are people
in every place
of the globe
who are spiritually harassed
and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd
because they do not know Jesus.
And we should understand
that this is an eternal issue,
church.
I realize it may be going out of style
to speak about hell,
but I want to be clear with you,
church,
that hell awaits all who are lost.
This is the bad news
of the gospel.
The only way that sinners
can escape the wrath of God
that we have earned ourselves
for our sin,
the only way that we can escape
the punishment
that we are owed
for our sin
is for sinners
to hear the message
of the gospel,
the good news
that Christ Jesus
came into this world
to save sinners,
the good news
that Christ Jesus
has paid for our sins
so that we don't have to,
the good news
that Jesus defeated death
so it's no longer
an enemy for us,
the good news
that Jesus conquered the grave
so that it won't conquer us,
unless you hear that message
of the good news
of the gospel
and believe it,
you will die in your sins
and go to hell.
Does this sound like bad news
to you?
Does that sound like a problem
to you?
Paul Chitwood,
he rightly says,
every other problem
will end the day you die.
There is no addiction
in the grave,
no family conflict
in the grave,
all your problems
end but one.
The magnitude of that problem
sets in the minute you die.
The greatest problem
the world faces right now
is that men and women
all over the globe
do not know the name of Jesus,
do not love Jesus,
do not honor Jesus,
do not worship Jesus,
they're lost.
And what they desperately need
more than anything
is to enter into
the kingdom of God
by faith in Jesus Christ.
And the only way
they will enter into
the kingdom of God
by faith in Jesus Christ
is if they hear
the message of the gospel
spoken to them
so that they might believe
and be saved.
Let me give you
a little perspective
on this,
church,
globally.
Globally,
the issue of lostness
globally is profound.
You may have heard me
pray for unreached
people groups
and maybe you've
heard that term
and you don't know
exactly what that means.
Unreached people groups.
This definition comes
from global frontier missions.
Unreached people groups
are defined as
an identifiable group
of people
distinguished by
a distinct culture,
language,
or social class
who lack
a community
of Christians
able to evangelize
the rest of the people group
without outside help.
That's key.
Without outside help.
So in other words,
the only opportunity
for the people group
to hear about
salvation in Jesus Christ
is through
an external witness.
Somebody else
coming in
from the outside
bringing the gospel
to them.
Most missiologists
they consider
2% of the population
becoming Christ followers
as the tipping point
at which the group
is now considered
generally reached
with the gospel.
Just 2%.
How many
unreached people groups
are there?
Let me give you
some numbers.
There are now
8 billion people
alive in the world today.
3.4 billion
of them
live in unreached
people groups
with little
to no access
to the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
That's
42.5%
of the entire
global population.
Now
approximately
85%
of these
unreached
people groups
they live in
what's called
the 1040 window.
Now I'm going to
take you all the way
back to elementary school
when you learn
latitude and
longitude.
The 1040 window
is the
rectangular area
of North Africa
the Middle East
and Asia
that is approximately
between 10 degrees
north latitude
and 40 degrees
north latitude.
two thirds
of the world
lives there.
Many of them
unreached
with the gospel.
They have never
heard the name
of Jesus.
And this is a
shocking number.
Less than
3%
of all
known
missionary work
is done
in this area.
What are we doing?
Why?
Well it's
dangerous.
It's incredibly
dangerous.
This message is
not well received
there.
It's costly
to go there.
It's difficult
terrain.
It's hostile
territory.
It is not
safe for you
and your family
to go.
There are a
million reasons
not to go
but someone
must go
or they will
die in their
sins and they
will go to
hell.
Church,
Romans 10.
The message
of the gospel
is so simple
and profound.
Romans 10
it tells us
that everyone
who calls
upon the name
of the Lord
will be saved.
How beautiful
is that?
But then Paul
goes on
and asks
some questions.
How then
will they call
on him
whom they
have not
believed?
And how
are they
to believe
in him
of whom
they have
never heard?
And how
are they
to hear
without
someone
preaching?
And how
are they
to preach
unless
they are
sent?
As it
is written,
how beautiful
are the feet
of those
who preach
the good
news.
It's a
problem
globally.
Lostness.
But it's
not just
a problem
out there.
Let's zoom
back in
to where
we are
here
all in
all
South
Carolina
because
think
with me
it's
not just
an
out
there
problem
there's
a problem
of lostness
right here
in our
neighborhood
right here
in our
community
right here
where we
live
locally.
Most of
us here
where we
live
are familiar
with the
name of
Jesus.
Most of
the people
where we
live
know the
name of
Jesus.
But I
am convinced
that many
have confused
familiarity
with faith.
It is not
enough to be
familiar with
the name of
Jesus.
To know who
Jesus is
is not enough
to save
anybody.
Just like
if you
are drowning
to know
what a
life jacket
is
is not
enough to
save you.
Not unless
you take
hold and
grab and
grasp and
cling to that
life jacket
wrap it around
you so that
it preserves
your life.
To know
intellectually
what salvation
is is not
enough.
You have to
cling to it.
to know
who Jesus
is is not
enough to
save anyone
apart from
personal faith
in Jesus
Christ as
Lord.
Our problem
here is not
that we
have not
heard the
name of
Jesus.
It's that
we think
knowing his
name is
enough.
To have
gone to
church as
a child
and to be
familiar with
the stories
of Jesus
is not
enough to
save you.
To know
the old
hymns.
to have
a copy
of the
Bible
and the
glove
compartment
of your
truck.
It's not
enough to
save you.
The only
thing that
can save
anyone is
personal faith
in Jesus
Christ as
Lord.
As I look
at the
landscape here
where we
live I
think it's
clear that
we have a
lostness
problem right
here.
The latest
religious data
that I could
dig up was
from 2010
I realize
that's 14
years ago
now lots
has changed
in 14
years but
as of
2010 43
and a half
percent of
Charleston
County residents
claimed no
religious affiliation
whatsoever.
That's almost
half.
Does that
number surprise
you?
And so if
you're wondering
where you can
go find a
lost person
to talk to
go find
two people
and between
the three
of you one
of you needs
to hear about
Jesus.
That's what
the numbers
say.
14 years
ago and I
don't know
that they've
made positive
trends since
then.
That's just
a guess.
Just 22.2%
identified as
an evangelical
Protestant
and I have
no idea of
that category
how many of
those are
what I just
described.
People who
grew up in
church are
familiar with
church,
familiar with
the gospel,
familiar with
Jesus but
do not have
personal faith
in Christ.
Lostness is a
problem right
here in our
neighborhoods,
in our
families,
in our
places of
work.
How many of
us have
lost people
in our
families?
How many of
us in our
own neighborhoods,
on our own
streets,
within a
five minute
radius of
where we
live,
where we go
about our
day to day
lives,
have people
within our
reach who
are lost,
harassed,
and helpless
like sheep
without a
shepherd?
What are we
going to do
about this
problem,
church?
Well,
the first
thing we
need,
point number
two,
the first
thing we
need is to
share Jesus'
perspective on
the problem.
This is the
perspective,
point number
two.
I want you
to notice
Jesus'
perspective on
the problem
of lostness.
Look there
to verse
36 again.
It says,
when he
saw the
crowds,
he had
compassion
on them.
He had
compassion
on them.
That word
there,
compassion,
you know
what it
literally
means?
It means
a movement
in the
bowels.
Okay?
It's not a
potty joke,
all right?
It's not what
you think when
we hear that
language.
In this
culture,
in this
time,
the bowels
were thought
to be the
place of
love,
and pity.
In other
words,
what it's
saying is
he felt
this in
his gut,
deep down
within him.
This wasn't
a fake,
superficial,
surface-level
pity.
This was a
movement within
him of
genuine,
heartfelt,
yearning,
and compassion
for the
lost.
It's the
same language,
same word
that's used
in the
parable of
the Good
Samaritan.
You know
the story.
Everybody
else went
about their
business.
They saw
this man
struggling
on the
road,
hurt,
needy,
and they
went on
about their
business,
but the
Good
Samaritan
felt compassion,
was moved
with compassion
to love his
neighbor in
need.
He felt
compassion.
We have to
ask whether
or not we
share that
same movement
within us.
When we
think about
the lost
around us,
do we
feel compassion?
compassion.
So many
Christians,
unfortunately,
if we're
being honest,
we don't
feel compassion.
We feel
indifference.
We are
too busy
with our
business,
too busy
going about
our day,
too occupied
with our
own lives
to actually
look out
and care
about the
world around
us that
is perishing.
I wonder
if that
describes you.
If we're
not indifferent,
sometimes we,
act even
worse than
that,
sometimes we
actually feel
anger and
frustration towards
the lost.
They don't
act like
Christians.
Well,
should we
be surprised?
They don't
think like we
want them to
think or act
like we want
them to
act.
They act
like lost
people,
so instead
of having
compassion on
them,
we get
frustrated with
them.
Why can't
they get
themselves
together?
Church,
this ought
not be.
If we want
to reach the
lost in our
community,
it has to
start within
our hearts.
We have
to view
them as
Christ views
them.
We have
to be moved
with compassion
for them.
We have
to love
them as
Christ has
loved us.
Aren't we
glad that the
Lord had
compassion on
us?
Aren't we
glad that the
Lord was not
indifferent towards
our need?
Aren't we
glad that the
Lord was not
angry towards
our sin?
That the
Lord came
down to
us to bring
us a message
of hope,
to pay for
our sin,
to love
us by
laying down
his own
life for
us?
Aren't we
glad that
the Lord
had compassion
on us?
As we
think about
bringing the
gospel to
the lost,
we don't
have to
extend to
them anything
the Lord
has not
first extended
to us in
the gospel.
Jesus sees
the lost
with a
perspective of
compassion.
Not only
this,
he also
sees the
lost with
a perspective
of hope.
Perspective
of hope.
Look there
to verse
37.
As Jesus
looks out
and sees
the crowds,
he says
to his
disciples,
the harvest
is plentiful.
The harvest
is plentiful.
See,
the metaphor,
it changes
here from
a shepherding
illustration
now to
a farming
illustration.
He says
the lost
people in
the world
aren't just
shepherdless
sheep.
Jesus
says they're
also like
wheat,
ready and
waiting to
be harvested.
The harvest
is plentiful,
he says.
This isn't
the only
time that we
see this
sort of
illustration,
even in
the book
of Matthew.
And typically
as we think
about harvest,
as we hear
that language
of a harvest
being reaped,
speaking of
end time
language,
end time
language,
the end
of the age
when Christ
returns and
he saves
all of his
people all
over the
globe,
every corner
of the earth,
every tribe,
tongue,
and nation.
There's a
harvest of
those coming
to the
Lord.
Just a few
chapters later,
Matthew 13,
Jesus tells
a parable
called the
parable of
the weeds,
and he tells
the disciples
that there
is coming
an end
time harvest
where the
weeds of
the world
will be
burned up,
but the
wheat will
be gathered
into the
barn.
Matthew
chapter 3,
John the
Baptist,
he warns
the Pharisees
and the
Sadducees
that judgment
is coming.
He says his
winnowing fork
is in his
hand,
he will
clear the
threshing
floor and
will gather
his wheat
into the
barn,
but the
chaff he
will burn
away with
unquenchable
fire.
See,
Jesus looks
out at the
lost world,
at the
lostness of
the world,
and he sees
what only he
can see.
He sees with
complete clarity
the wheat that
are ready to be
harvested.
He sees with
perfect sight
future believers
from every
tribe,
tongue,
and nation,
all of
God's elect
from every
nation on
earth.
He sees
the harvest.
All those
who will
certainly come
to faith in
Christ when
they hear the
message of
the gospel.
That's Jesus'
perspective on
the lost.
And if that's
his perspective,
we should know
that the
problem that
we face is
not hopeless,
church.
there is a
harvest to
be had if
we would go
and share.
The problem
of lostness
is an
incredible
opportunity to
bring glory
to King
Jesus.
Could you
just imagine
it?
That 1040
window with
all the lost
and unreached
people groups.
Could you
imagine men
and women
from the
Ansari
people of
India
hearing and
believing the
gospel for
the very
first time?
The very
first people
from their
people group
to hear the
name of
Jesus.
For them to
come to
faith in
Jesus.
For that
faith to
spread throughout
their family.
For it to
spread throughout
their community.
For disciples
to be made.
For the church
to be built.
For the gospel
to spread in
areas where
it's never
yet come.
For men and
women of the
Bambara people
in Mali.
People who
are made in
the image of
God who have
never heard the
name of
Christ.
Church, there
is work to
be done.
The church
isn't meant to
just be a
gathering place
where we come
together and
worship as
significant and
important as
that is.
I pour so
much energy
into this
one hour a
week.
I hope you
know I
value it.
This is not
the end of
what the
church is
meant to be
and do.
We gather
here that we
might scatter
with a message
to proclaim
to the lost
who don't
have what we
have by the
grace of
God.
church, there
is a harvest
to be reaped.
Can you
imagine it?
What would it
be like if
our neighbors
who don't
know Christ
right now
heard the
message of
the gospel
from your
lips, came
to faith in
Christ?
If our
family members
who don't
know Christ
right now,
currently,
heard the
message of
the gospel
and came
to faith,
could you
imagine the
potential for
eternal impact
that sits
in this
room right
now?
Every day
we have
these opportunities
to impact
someone's
eternity for
the glory
of God,
but there's
another problem
here, isn't
there?
Jesus says,
the harvest
is plentiful,
but the
laborers are
few.
The harvest
is plentiful,
church,
but the
laborers
are few.
The harvest
that we
long to
see,
we long
to see
lost people
coming into
the kingdom,
don't we?
Amen?
Don't we?
The harvest
will only
come in
as laborers
go out.
I don't
know how
much farming
you have
done.
Wheat
does not
walk itself
into the
barn.
Neither
do the
lost walk
themselves into
the kingdom
of God.
I don't
know if
you've
noticed,
that non-believers
are not
beating down
the doors
of our
church to
join us
for worship
on Sunday
morning.
That's not
how this
works.
The harvest
is plentiful,
but the
laborers,
the laborers
who will
go and
share the
good news,
who will
go and
proclaim the
gospel so
that that
seed of
the word
of Christ
might sow
deep into
the hearts
of the
lost and
sprout faith
in their
hearts.
The laborers
are few.
So,
what should
we do?
The answer
might surprise
you.
He says,
third,
pray.
Pray.
The harvest
is plentiful,
but the
laborers are
few.
Therefore,
pray earnestly
to the Lord
of the harvest
to send out
laborers into
his harvest.
Pray,
he says.
does that
answer
surprise you?
If you
and I
were given
the instructions
here,
you know
what we
would say?
The harvest
is plentiful,
there's a
harvest to be
had,
laborers are
few,
therefore,
go,
right?
Go out
there,
go,
go earnestly,
go,
get to work.
But he
says,
therefore,
pray.
Now,
of course,
the disciples,
they do
go.
This is
where context
helps us,
right?
They pray
and then
they go.
This isn't
pray and
don't go.
Look at what
happens just
in the next
verses here
in chapter
10.
Jesus sends
them out
into the
harvest field.
Chapter
10,
Jesus sends
out the
twelve,
telling them,
proclaim as
you go,
saying,
the kingdom
of heaven
is at
hand.
This is
not pray
for somebody
else to do
what you
are unwilling
to do.
The disciples
were about
to be sent
out as
laborers,
but before
they go
and as
they go,
Jesus commands
them,
pray earnestly
to the
Lord of the
harvest,
the one who
rules over
it all.
Pray earnestly
that he
would send
out laborers
into the
harvest field,
not other
laborers
beside you,
other laborers
alongside you.
More and
more and
more laborers
so that the
message of
the gospel
would be
heard and
would be
believed and
that we
might see
a harvest
for the
glory of
God.
Pray and
go.
Pray and
go.
That's the
game plan
for the
church.
Pray and
go.
Pray and
go.
Craig Tuck
is the
associational
mission
strategist for
the Charleston
Baptist
Association.
Some of
you know
that name.
He's
somebody who
cares deeply
about seeing
the gospel
spread throughout
our area
and the
Charleston
County area.
If you
go get
breakfast
with
Craig
at
938
you will
start to
hear this
beeping
noise.
Beep,
beep,
beep.
I'm telling
you right
now so you
know what
to expect.
938 is
going to
happen.
I just
assume it
happens in
the evening
as well
at 938
but every
day his
watch is set
with an
alarm to
go off and
interrupt
whatever it
is he's
doing,
whatever
important
meeting he
has,
Whatever it is, he will stop and he will be reminded to pray.
Matthew 9, 38.
Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Church, I want to ask you two questions as we consider how to apply this passage.
I want each of you to answer these two questions in your own heart and as you go from this place this afternoon.
Number one, are you praying for laborers?
Are you earnestly asking God to send out more evangelism-minded Christians into the world
that are ready to open up their mouths and actually share the good news of the gospel no matter the cost?
Are you praying for more laborers here in Charleston, here in Allendal, in Mount Pleasant and beyond?
Are you praying for laborers in the 1040 window all across the globe where men and women do not know the name of Jesus?
Are you praying?
And question number two, are you going?
The Great Commission is given to all of us, church.
Jesus says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you,
and surely I am with you even to the uttermost ends of the earth.
Are you going?
For some, that might mean packing up and going somewhere far away.
Church, I pray that a Seaweed Bay Baptist Church might in some time, in some way,
be used of the Lord to send missionaries to the end of the earth.
That might seem like a big prayer for us right now.
Maybe it is.
I believe the Lord will do it in time.
I pray that the Lord would show us somehow, some way,
how we can support this missionary endeavor to the ends of the earth
to bring the gospel to places and peoples who do not know the good news of Christ.
But for all of us, it means beginning to see right where you are as a mission field.
Right now, right where the Lord has placed you in your homes, in your places of work,
in your neighborhoods, in your communities, in your route to and from the grocery store,
whatever it is that you do day in and day out,
to begin to see it as a mission field,
and to begin to see the lost all around you as Christ does,
with compassion and hope that the Lord will save,
if we would open our mouth and proclaim the good news of the gospel.
Who do you know that needs to hear the message of the gospel?
Who do you know that is harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd?
Who needs to hear the gospel?
I want to close this morning by sharing one more story about Hudson Taylor.
His life was an answer to prayer.
I don't know if you know his story very well or not.
His mother and his father, before he was even born,
committed him in prayer to the Lord
and prayed that their child might one day be saved
and might one day go and be a missionary in China.
Can you believe that?
And through prayer, their desires were answered.
Hudson Taylor became obsessed with bringing the message of the gospel to China.
He joined the Chinese Evangelization Society and set sail in 1853.
And the Heroes of Faith on Pioneer Trails book shared one more story I want to share with you this morning.
He said that while traveling one day on a boat,
Hudson Taylor met a Chinese man who had once visited England.
And the man listened to Hudson Taylor as he shared the gospel.
And he was emotionally moved by what he heard about the grace of God.
He was moved to tears at the message of the gospel.
But something within him, I don't know what it was,
he refused to accept the offer of salvation.
Well, a little while later, Hudson Taylor was watching.
And the man, Hudson Taylor saw the man distressed
and saw him throw himself overboard
and began to sink in the water.
Obviously distressed, Hudson looked around for help
and he saw a fishing boat that had a drag net close by
and so he shouted out to the fishermen,
Come over here, drag your net on this spot.
A man just jumped over here.
He sank, he's drowning.
And they responded and they said,
It's not convenient.
I said, Don't talk about convenience.
A man is drowning here, he cried.
We're busy fishing.
We cannot come.
Taylor urged them to come at once.
He offered to pay them
and they perked up a little bit about this offer.
They wanted to know how much they could get.
He offered $5 and they refused.
So he said, Y'all come quickly and bring this net.
I'll give you all the money I have, $14.
Finally, the boat was brought and the hooks were let down.
In less than a minute, they brought up the body.
But all efforts at resuscitation failed
and the man was dead.
Hudson Taylor, the incident obviously was sad in and of itself.
But in this incident, he saw an even greater lesson.
The book asked the question,
Were not those fishermen guilty of the death of the man?
And that they had the opportunity and the means of saving him,
but refused to use them.
Most assuredly, they were guilty.
And yet, says Taylor,
let us pause,
ere we pronounce judgment against them,
lest a greater than Nathan answer,
Thou art the man.
Is it so wicked a thing to neglect to save the body?
Of how much sorer punishment then is he worthy
who leaves the immortal soul to perish?
The Lord Jesus commands me,
commands you,
go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Shall we say to him,
No, it is not convenient?
Shall we tell him that we are busy at fishing
or other business and cannot go?
Oh, let us pray and let us labor
for the salvation of China's un-evangelized millions.
Let us pray and let us labor, church.
Let us pray and let us go.
Lord, we ask now in prayer,
would you send out laborers into your harvest field?
We ask, Father,
would you move this church to obedience
to the Great Commission?
Help us to see this is not optional.
Help us to see the harvest as you see the lost.
Help us to share your heart of compassion
on those who are suffering, harassed and helpless
like sheep without a shepherd.
Father, we pray,
would you bring eternal salvation
to the souls of the lost
through the lips of this church?
We ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.