Saving people from death
It's the job Jesus came to do, and he wants us to be involved too!
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” Ephesians 2:1-2
With no plane or pieces of plane, Malaysian authorities declared that jetliner MH370 with 239 lives on board crashed at sea. Based on the few pieces of technical information available, primarily from a satellite, experts made a best-guess estimate that the plane crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean with no survivors. The result thus far of the massive but unsuccessful search leads to speculation the plane and its passengers may never be located. This news crushed what little hope families and friends held for their loved ones to be found alive, or even dead. There was great wailing and devastation of hearts. Death is an irreversible separator in the here and now, and normally great, great sorrow accompanies it. Lives, families, businesses will most likely be permanently rearranged and redirected because of these deaths.
Physical death vs. Spiritual death
Death is a fact of our lives. We cannot escape it; but we can overcome it. It is a reality the Bible never ignores. But God's Word speaks of two kinds of death, and it describes the “dead” in two states: physical and spiritual.
Have you ever seen a dead person, one who is physically dead?
- They do not move
- They cannot speak or see
- The breath of life has left them
- Their colour changes
- Their blood no longer carries oxygen and life’s nutrients to all parts of the body.
The Bible describes the spiritually dead in a graphic fashion too:
- Their future apart from Jesus is more than grim, its unspeakable
- Their understanding of spiritual truths is dulled
- Their senses are calloused and becoming more so
- Their can be rigidly proud
- They do not grasp the truly important things of this life, and certainly not the next.
So what do we do to bring life to those in whom spiritual death reigns? We love as Christ loved us (Matthew 22:39), persevere in witnessing, teaching, and communicating the good news to them (Romans 10:14-15). We pray for them and never give up (Luke 18:1), and we acknowledge the Holy Spirit of God must introduce life in them - so we implore Him to do so.
Only God can save people from death
If you think it is all up to you, and your efforts are not producing the result for which you yearn, you will grow weary and give up at some point. But with God, all things are possible. Death in each state is horrible; but the Bible tells us “not to fear those who can kill the body, but fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell.” (Matthew 10:26) Spiritual death is infinitely more important than physical. If you claim Christ as your Lord, then He has called you to be an instrument of His peace to those who are presently dead in their sins. We need to be committed to this task until He comes or we go to meet Him.
Used with permission from payh.org
Stay in the loop