The Tsunami of 2004 and Our Task of Evangelism
I recently watched video clips recorded by people who survived the devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka on Boxing Day 2004. An earthquake in the Indian Ocean set off tidal waves of water (some reaching 98 feet in height) that interrupted a calm Sunday, December 26th day with horrific destruction and death. Within a matter of an hour or so some 230,000 people died in the flood waters.
I was emotionally drained after watching about 50 minutes of video and narration of the disaster. I heard parents describe losing one of their children. I heard others who lost their entire family. I sat back in my chair and pondered the fact that so many people were taken from this earth and swept into eternity so quickly and without warning. A simple yet profound thought came to my mind, “The only thing that mattered about all those who died is were they ready to meet the Lord?” Another thought quickly followed. “Do I really care about lost people who are dying every day to enter a Christless eternity?
Natural disasters like the Indonesian tsunami are difficult to process and impossible to understand. But one thing is for sure. The tsunami is a reminder of how fragile life is and how urgent our task of fulfilling the Great Commission is.
We cannot protect the world from such acts of God. But we can do our part to let people know they can be protected from the eternal consequences of dying without a Savior. Death is inevitable. Eternal damnation is not. It is possible to be prepared for death and have full assurance of being with the Lord when we die instead of being separated from Him. And really, isn’t that the primary issue of life? Someone has rightly said, “You cannot really live until you’re ready to die.”
The Bible tells us the eternal truths about life, death and what happens after death. The man Jesus came from the eternal realm and invaded our earth existence with the light of Gods’ truth. “In Him was life and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). We who have come to know this Man Jesus as the Son of God and the Lord of glory have placed our faith and trust in Him. We have placed our eternal destiny in His almighty hands. We have found the peace that comes from sins forgiven and the security of eternal life possessed. For, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12-13).
We who know these eternal truths that have the power to change the eternal destiny of all who live on planet earth have the awesome joy and the heavy weight of responsibility to share these eternal truths with the lost and dying. It is the primary reason God has left us on planet earth. He wants us to love Him and become more like Him and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others. He loves the people of this world. It is His will that none of them perish but that they all might be saved.
Think about this task for it belongs to you and to me. Have you embraced this task? Do you take it seriously? Have you given your life over to Jesus that He might use you to influence others toward Him?
Open your eyes to see this world the way He does. Don’t go to heaven alone, take somebody with you!
Pastor Dan