Oh That God Would Give Us the Ability to Reach Every Man!
Scott Cornwell
“AND THIS IS THE confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (I John 5:14-15).
My prayer is simply this: “God, me the ability to reach every man.” It’s troubling when the gospel is preached and sinners have no idea what they have heard. Paul prayed for utterance to be given him so he could speak shamelessly and make known the mystery of the gospel. Our hearts should be moved for the souls of men. Knowing the outcome of their lives, we must share the gospel of Christ Jesus in a clear manner. We must be the light shining in the darkness so those blinded to the truth will know there is still hope.
Paul admonished us to abide in faith, hope, and charity, with charity being greatest among the three. Loving with no strings attached lends a loud voice to the gospel. How can we say we love people and not tell them about Jesus? He is the “no greater love” all people need to break the spirit of hate and violence filling our nation.
In Jesus’ parable of the great supper, the master sent invitations to friends and acquaintances, but all made excuses why they couldn’t come. So busy dealing with their blessings they no longer considered this man important enough for them to stop and fellowship with him and the other guests. Angry, the master commanded his servants to go find the poor, disfigured, destitute, and blind to fill the house. The servants reported back that the house was still not full. Again, the master told the servants to go into the highways and hedges, inviting people to supper so his house would be full. Again, there was still room. Many are traveling the highway leading to destruction, and our Master is saying to compel them to come to His house. Highways are full of all kinds of people and revival is on the highway!
Our Asian ministry has taught me food is a language all people understand. When I get hungry while traveling, I start looking for food advertisements and exit the highway to find a place to eat. While in Little Rock, Arkansas, recently, my wife and I saw a place called “The Flying Fish.” Though it was late they were open. As we approached the restaurant, the aroma of fried catfish filled the air. The place was packed with all kinds of people. I still have dreams of eating that catfish and hush puppies. Customers can tell when food is served with love. Like this restaurant, we have the best “food” in town. It’s called “the truth” but we must serve it in love. The Master desires for us to reach everybody on the highway, and compel them to come to His house. It’s time to let the aroma of succulent truth made with love seep out of the four walls of our churches. The delicious smell will cause the hungry to come in. Get to cooking! Seek God for a fresh word! Blow the dust off the Bible study chart and do some catering. Just like “meals on wheels,” it’s time for “the Word on wheels.” Door-knocking and teaching Bible studies still work!
It is common for athletes who play team sports to focus on only one aspect of a sport. This may be alright for an individual, but it wouldn’t work if the whole team had only one kind of player. For instance, what if the entire team could rebound the basketball, but not one could shoot the basketball? Or if the entire team could play offense but no one was good at defense? It’s not enough to enter God’s house, have worship time, and the preacher ramble for an hour and go home. We need to add some compelling to our self-indulgence. It’s time to let the aroma of the “fried catfish” of truth from the Master’s table waft outside and compel everyone that is hungry to come in. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Door-knocking and teaching Bible studies still work!
The servants told the master, “There is still room.” You can never overfill the house of God. Everyone should be welcome. It’s not time to downsize our churches; it’s time to grow our churches. I pray the heavenly Father will give us the ability to reach every person. I pray He gives us a heart of love that we may look beyond the fog of fear of failure and rejection. I pray we will compel those who have been neglected because of their circumstance. If we do our part, I know the power of the Word will do the miraculous for the neglected and will cause them to be prosperous servants for the Kingdom.
SCOTT CORNWELL
Senior pastor/First Pentecostal Church of Wichita, Kansas
Kansas District NAM director and MCM director/UPCI
The above article, “Oh That God Would Give Us the Ability to Reach Every Man!” was written by Scott Cornwell. The article was excerpted from www.PENTECOSTALHERALD.com. August 2016.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
