READ: Luke 16:19-31
“…it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” – 1 Corinthians 1:21
Why don’t we have the same passion for the lost as this rich unbeliever had when he went to Hell? I challenge you to believe in the reality of Hell whilst you are on earth. I challenge you to preach about it as though you have seen it. I challenge you to stop being silent on this important topic. I challenge you to make it a vision that is before your eyes all the time. It will galvanize you into fruitfulness.
The rich man wanted Lazarus to rise from the dead and go speak to his brothers. Abraham knew better; if they did not listen to preachers they would be the first to ridicule any stories about someone rising from the dead. They would accuse people of being dim-witted, superstitious, ignorant, stupid and unintelligent for believing in something as far-fetched as people rising from the dead.
God has chosen that people should be saved by preaching. Abraham told the rich man that his brothers would have to listen to Moses and the other prophets who were preaching all the time. Why would I give up my profession as a medical doctor to become a minister of the Word? My Bible tells me that the souls of men are more important than their physical bodies. “…what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). A soul is more valuable than all the cities of London, New York, Paris, Copenhagen, Lagos, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Accra. If I lose my opportunity to win souls now that I am on this earth I will regret it for the rest of eternity. If I win souls today, I am doing the most valuable thing on earth.