Our Call, Nay Our Duty

Genesis 1:26-28

I have read those verses many times and received many messages from them.  However, this past week I received a truly different message from these verses and I feel it is what God wanted you to hear this morning.

We often think of these verses as the creation and beginning of man, and it is.  However, I see it as God’s mandate for Humans when He made them.  We are to multiply.  We are be fruitful.  God revealed this is His command even today, but in every sense – especially in the spiritual.

You see when God sent His Son Jesus He let Jesus walk with us and talk with us and he was able to clarify to man exactly what God wanted us to do.  When Jesus came to the end of His life here on earth He had the disciples together for one last word of commission.  Here is what he said found in Matthew 28:18-20, “And Jesus came and said to them, “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 observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Be Fruitful and Multiply.  This is why we were born physically and this why we were reborn in Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave this commission in so many different ways.  For instance He said, Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We must turn on the lights and share our faith! Sometimes we must not let our fears hold us back!

During World War II at Mid-Way the famous battle was won by pilots from the USS Hornet.  The pilots from HORNET were the first to attack, scoring lethal hits on Zuikaku-class carrier. It was long after dark when the returning aircraft arrived over the Task Force. All were critically low on fuel, many badly shot up and their pilots wounded. From flag plot aboard Lexington (CV-16), Admiral Mark Mitscher gave his famous order to “turn on the lights”, thus risking the submarine threat, but allowing the exhausted aviators to find carrier decks upon which to land.

We are called to turn on the lights.  It may be a sacrifice and it may be a risk, but can we do anything else?

We sing hymns about reaching the lost.  One of the old ones is “Rescue the Perishing”

Fanny Crosby, the blind hymn writer, wrote so many hymns we love to sing. When she was up in years, she visited the Macaulay Rescue Mission in NYC. She stood before a crowd of homeless, drug-addicted, alcoholic men. She said, “is there a young man here who doesn’t have a mother?” One young man timidly raised his hand. He explained that his mother died when he was very young.

Fanny Crosby asked the young man to come to the front. She gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. It touched her heart so much that she went home that night and wrote these words, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave, weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the Mighty to save.”

Years later, Ira Sankey was singing for D.L. Moody in St. Louis. He rose to sing that song, but before he sang, he told that story. As he told the story, a middle-aged man jumped up and shouted, “It was me! I’m the young man she wrote about. She kissed me. I could never get away from that moment.”

As a result of one simple kiss…..a young man came to Christ and his entire life was changed

Illustration-  General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once told his students, “If I had my choice, I wouldn’t send you to school, I’d send you to Hell for five minutes, and you’d come back real soul winners.”

I believe it is our call, no our duty to be fruitful and multiply as born again Christians.  But How?  Here are just a few pointers on our duty.

First, for there to be a birth there must be a seed planted.  Now Jesus used the illustration of the seeds and the soils.  Your remember He said there was a farmer who spread seed.  Some fell on rocky soil, some in the weeds, some on the path, and some on the good soil.  We are not called to evaluate the soils just sow the seed and let the Father of the Harvest take care of the results.

Too many Christians are waiting for the perfect soil before spreading the seed.  “Well I don’t want to waste my seed, so I’ll wait on the sure thing.  No I think the illustration Jesus used was to say you need to spread the seed around, you cannot know what is rocky soil, what is weeds, what is the path and what is good soil.

Illustration-  Frank was a yankee from Pennsylvania who came south during World War II.  He thought Southerners were country bumpkins.  When he arrived in Charleston, SC he was especially wary of the Bible Belt Christians and their Churches.  He was a educated Roman Catholic and He did not want the influence of Southern Redneck Christians.

He was invited one night to go to a Baptist Fellowship Night at the Gospel Center for Military personel. He refused.  They then decided to make a joke of it and they told him if he didn’t go they would dress him out of uniform and take him.  He feared they would so he said, “Ok, I’ll go”.

Frank  enjoyed the evening and soon looked forward to going each Thursday night.

However, one Sunday night the same soldiers told him they were going to go to the Gospel Center and He got dressed and jumped in the jeep.  When they got to the church building, not the fellowship center, and he realized it was Sunday night, he refused to go in.  Staying outside Frank listened to the service over the loud speakers.  Then a few weeks later he returned by the invitation of the same group of guys.  As he sat and listened to this rough and tumble Southern preacher preach he became mad.  These fools they listen to him rant and rave.  Then the preacher  said,  “If you don’t believe me you can read it for yourselves.”  To himself he said, “Yeah, right”  Then the preacher said, “you can read can’t you?”  He was ready to come up out of his seat.  This redneck hayseed preacher was questioning my reading ability.  So he went home and read the scripture references he had written down.  Amazingly they were in there and he was telling the truth.  He continued to go back and soon accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and married that redneck hayseed pastors daughter and became a Baptist minister.

Who are you to evaluate who you are to plant seed in?  We are to be ready to plant seed at any time, to anyone, on any occasion.

Second, we are to cultivate that seed.  We are to nourish and encourage that seed’s development.  We need to insist they come with us to church.  Send them cards with Bible verses on it.  Text them, Facebook them, Blog them, and use every form to encourage that seed.

Third, never give up.  You can never know what it will take for that seed to germinate.  But just trust God.  He says, “And I will be with you to the ends of the earth.”

Why should we be worried or concerned.  It’s not that big of a risk after all.

Recently  a television show on The History Channel called, “The Man Who Predicted 911, got my attention.” Long before September 11th, Rick Rescorla, the 62-year-old head of security at the Morgan Stanley Bank, developed an evacuation plan for the bank. The bank’s offices were situated high up in the South Tower at the World Trade Center. Rescorla was convinced that Osama Bin Laden would use jet planes to try and destroy the World Trade Center. The plan and its preparation were hugely unpopular with the Morgan Stanley staff, many of whom thought Rescorla was mad.

On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 11 hit World Trade Center Tower 1 at 8:46 am. Rick Rescorla ignored building officials’ advice to stay put and began the orderly evacuation of Morgan Stanley’s 2,800 employees on 20 floors of World Trade Center Tower 2, and 1,000 employees in WTC 5. Rescorla reminded everyone to “be proud to be an American … everyone will be talking about you tomorrow”, and sang God Bless America and other songs over his bullhorn to help evacuees stay calm as they left the building. Rescorla had most of Morgan Stanley’s 2800 employees as well as people working on other floors of WTC 2 safely out of the buildings by the time United Airlines Flight 175 hit WTC 2 at 9:07 a.m.

After having reached safety, Rescorla returned to the building to rescue others still inside. He was last seen heading up the stairs of the tenth floor of the collapsing WTC 2. His remains were not recovered. As a result of Rescorla’s actions, only 6 of Morgan Stanley’s 2800 WTC employees were killed on September 11th, 2001, including Rick and three of his deputies who followed him back into the building.

The remainder of this very moving broadcast focused on Morgan Stanley Bank employees who now in tears were praising and acknowledging Rick Rescorla for saving their lives from total destruction that day. Many felt so guilty and apologetic they had thought Rick foolish to keep preaching and standing for what he believed would happen if they were not ready. Those interviewed said they would never forget Rick Rescorla. He was their hero.

Mr. Rescorla left behind a widow, Susan Rescorla, and two children that day. Since 911, a memorial stone was erected in Rick’s hometown of Hayle, Cornwall, to commemorate his life and the sacrifice he made to save others.

Sadly, many Christians today have a “Cain Attitude” when it comes to rescuing the perishing and having a consistent witness. Unlike Rick Rescorla, they say by their actions: “I am not my brother’s keeper.” How this must grieve the heart of Almighty God who has left us here as His Beloved Children to share the Good News of Jesus Christ so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Christians must not respond like the young man applying for a position as an usher in a movie theater when asked what he would do if there was a fire. He responded to the job interviewer, “Don’t worry I would be able to get out of the theater.” Many Christians feel this way about the lost people around them whom are about to perish in the eternal fires of hell without those who know the way to safety to point the way.

Remember the Good Shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep and went after the one that was lost. Today ask yourself, “Am I passing the buck or the baton when it comes to affirming others in word, deed and witness?” Why deny someone the very news that saved your soul and led you to safety in Jesus? Christians must not remain in their inner circle. They must replace the “Cain Attitude” so prevalent today with a “Rick Rescorla Attitude” and reach out with the Good News of Jesus Christ to save those who will otherwise perish in the fire.

What will you do this day with the call nay duty of the Born Again Christian?