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2 Corinthians 6:2 “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” John Phillips relates the story of a hard lesson learned by the great 19th century evangelist, D.L. Moody. In 1871, Moody began a series of messages on Bible characters at Farwell Hall in Chicago. Large crowds were soon attending the meetings. On the fifth Sunday night, he preached to the largest congregation he had ever addressed in the city. He preached on the text, “What shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ.” At the end of the service, Mr. Moody did not call for an immediate decision. He said, “I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sabbath we will come to Calvary and we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth.” He later considered that to be one of the greatest mistakes of his life. For between those two Sundays the great Chicago fire broke out. Even as Moody went home from the service that Sunday night, he saw the glare of flames and knew it meant ruin to Chicago. About one o’clock, Farwell Hall, where he had just preached that evening, was destroyed. Soon afterward, his own church on Illinois Street went up in flames. When he arrived home, the family retired for the night, but within an hour a loud call summoned everyone on their street to flee for their lives. The fire had leaped across the river and was bearing down on them. Only what could be carried in their hands was saved. On the twenty-second anniversary of the great fire, Mr. Moody was again addressing a large Chicago audience. “I have never dared to give an audience a week to think of their salvation since,” he said, recalling the fateful previous occasion. “If they were lost, they might rise up in judgment against me.” Then later, in his anniversary speech, he confessed, “I have never seen that congregation since, I have hard work to keep back the tears today. I have looked over this audience, and not a single one is here that I preached to that night.” Finally, Moody came to the statement I want to drive home today. He said, “I want to tell you of one lesson I learned that night, which I have never forgotten, and that is, when I preach, to press Christ upon the people then and there, and try to bring them to a decision on the spot. I would rather have that right hand cut off than to give an audience now a week to decide what to do with Jesus.” As a preacher, I fully understand what he meant. This is why the Bible says “Today is the day, the time is now” to receive Christ Jesus or to accomplish His will for our lives. There is always a measure of urgency and immediacy in God’s call to men. Yesterday has gone forever. Tomorrow may not come. All we have is today. The present is the living instant through which the ever-oncoming future becomes the endlessly receding past. The present presents us with that precious fleeting moment of time when we can transact business with God. We have now. That’s it. I recently made a statement while preaching one Sunday morning: “The devil’s favorite word is ‘someday.’” Someday I will accept Christ. Someday I will serve Him. Someday I’ll yield to His calling. Someday, someday, someday. But someday never comes for too many. Pilate never had another opportunity to decide for Christ. Blind Bartimaeus recognized that it was now or never for him. Jesus of Nazareth was passing by (Luke 18:37) and would never come that way again. Felix imagined he could make a decision for Christ at any time he pleased. “Go your way for this time,” he said to Paul, “when I have a convenient season, I will call for you” (Acts 24:25). That “convenient season” never came. As my all-time favorite pastor, Howard Conatser, lay dying, he said to the handful of men in the room, “Whatever you’re going to do for Jesus, do it now.” I’ve never forgotten those words. They ring in my ear to this day. I often recall them when making future plans. What is the Lord asking of you today? Do it now. |
Gracie Aguirre makes this comment
Monday, 28 November 2011