Increase Outreach – Part 2

Consider the churches ability to outreach within the following metaphor.

God created us to sail pleasant waters, in a perfect, majestic ship designed by His own hands. However, Adam and Eve were the only two people who ever sailed this majestic vessel. Due to the torrents of Adam and Eve’s sin, now knit into every one of our lives, upset and caused this perfect vessel to sink.

Now every man and woman who has ever lived or will ever live, has been cast into the open sea of sin; this world that we now reside. Thankfully, through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, we have been given a vast supply of life-boats.

This fleet of life-boats form the universal church, His bride.

Your church is one such lifeboat.

For some of us, upon first sight of these life-boats, we swam swiftly to safety; before the seas of sin had opportunity to cause us great harm. Some of us, after being numbed by sin’s cold sting, had to be convinced that the life-boat (the church) was stable enough.

Worse still, some of us, for many years, refused the safety of a life-boat for a long time. Instead, we clutched onto some piece of drifting sinful debris; convinced that it was a better option for our salvation.

Finally, through the storm, we saw and heard the outreach of the other survivors, now residing in the life-boats. Exhausted, we grab one of the outstretched hands, letting go of our sinful debris.

We embrace salvation through Jesus, climbing into the safety of the life-boat. Then, embracing the other survivors and becoming a part of His church.

The Saved. The Redeemed.

Now, in this life-boat we sit, but we can see the beautiful land in the distance; our eternity with the provider of this life-boat, His church. However, we ought not sit with arms crossed, but outreach to the many other victims of sin, surrounding our life-boat.

It is our responsibility to reach out to them and bring them into the safety and security of this life-boat. Bring them into salvation through Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately there are many life-boats, churches who will and have neglected to outreach. They give a variety of excuses like “we’re too full, they’ll use up all our resources” or worse still, “that person is too far gone to be saved.”

So that life-boat, that church, refuses to rescue anyone else. That life-boat remains silent, refusing to cry-out to remaining survivors. None of their hands, none of their oars, none of their on-board resources are ever out-stretched.

They remain silently still.

They’re simply waiting to reach the shores of heaven without ever adding to their number.

What type of life-boat is your church? Does your congregation sit, silent and still, ignoring the sea of sinners that surround the building to which you reside? Or, have you chosen to a life-boat of outreach for life-saving evangelism?

Join the Conversation, Leave Your Thoughts

How would your ministry change, in the view of the church as a lifeboat?