Are We Trying to Win Souls to Christ?

The Lord has been stirring me to win more souls! I have been reading about soul winners and stumbled onto several things I have written and preached in the past. I have read myself into condemnation, but I am determined not to say there!

I often come under conviction while reading of men and women that have given all to follow the call of Christ and to spread the Gospel of Christ. It is so easy for me to get caught up in my little world and my little struggles until I lose sight of the price others have paid and are paying for their faith.

That is not to diminish my very real problems in spreading the Gospel but my difficulties are so "First world." Most of the obstacles I face involve logistics, transportation and provisions along with more personal items related to health and family.

I have never had to consider there might be cannibals in the place God has sent me or that the people in the next state over that have killed every missionary that has ever tried to reach them. I have not buried my wife and my children because they were cut down by strange diseases in pursuit of souls for the kingdom of God.

I have never sailed on a ship for months to a foreign field, hacked my way through the jungle, been threatened by the people I was trying to reach or labored for years without ever going home.

I am thankful I face a different set of problems. I do not feel guilty for never having to flee to avoid being boiled and eaten for lunch. 

Yet I do not want to forget what others have done, what others have faced and what others are enduring even today. I must not grow complacent and over confident and reach the place that I feel that God some how owes me more than it seems He has given others.

I try to stay up to date on some of what Christians are going through today by reading Voice of the Martyrs. I was reading a few years ago and came upon an article concerning missionary James Chalmers. I was cut to the heart.

As a young man he answered the call and gave himself to win souls. God blessed him. God rewarded him for his labor. God gave him converts. Yet something stirred in James Chalmers to win even more. When others would perhaps have settled and enjoyed the fruit of their labor, he pressed on in pursuit.

My prayer since reading the short synopsis of his life has been,

O, God, give us a hunger for souls. Do not allow us to become comfortable in our victories but give us courage to look beyond our current borders that we might win others to Christ.

Now, God may not send you to Africa, friend. God may not send you to the foreign mission field at all. God may not send you to evangelize or lead a church. Young person, God may not call you to a pulpit ministry. But rest assured God has called you to win souls. God has called you to look beyond your own borders.

Doing that may be as close as reaching across your back yard fence with a hand of love and fellowship to your neighbor or helping that couple load their groceries at Walmart or praying with the waitress that is crying in the corner. You could visit the family that is grieving, slip a piece of money to the family that is struggling or pray with the young person that is drowning in despair.

The point is, there is something for each one of us to do. Let's go do it. Let's win some one to Christ this month. Let's spread our faith. Let's break out of our comfort zone. Let's take a chance for Christ. 

You need some inspiration for the task? Read the story of James Chalmers below. He never lost his thirst for souls. It may seem as if it ended badly for him but he has been in Heaven for over 100 years and I would say he feels like his life ended just fine.

Thanks for reading.

Davy

He Has Joined a Great Assembly

James Chalmers was a carefree, high-spirited Scottish boy. “I dearly loved adventure,” he later said, “and a dangerous position was exhilarating.” Perhaps that’s why he listened carefully one Sunday when his minister read a letter from missionaries in Fiji. The preacher, tears in his eyes, added, “I wonder if there is a boy here who will, by and by, bring the gospel to the cannibals.” Young James said quietly, “I will!”—and he wasn’t even yet converted.

In 1866, having been converted and trained, he sailed for the South Pacific as a Presbyterian missionary. Chalmers had a way with people. “It was in his presence, his carriage, his eye, his voice,” a friend wrote. “There was something almost hypnotic about him. His perfect composure, his judgement and tact and fearlessness brought him through a hundred difficulties.” Robert Louis Stevenson, who didn’t like missionaries until he met Chalmers, said, “He is a rowdy, but he is a hero. You can’t weary me of that fellow. He took me fairly by storm.”

In 1877 Chalmers sailed on to New Guinea. His ministry was successful there. Packed churches replaced feasts of human flesh. But as the years passed he grew lonely. He was delighted when young Oliver Tomkins came to join him in 1901. The two men decided to explore a new part of the islands, and on Easter Sunday they sailed alongside a new village. The next morning, April 8, 1901, Chalmers and Tomkins went ashore. They were never seen again. A rescue party soon learned that the men had been clubbed to death, chopped to pieces, cooked and eaten.

News flashed around the world. “I cannot believe it!” exclaimed Dr. Joseph Parker from the pulpit of London’s famous City Temple. “I do not want to believe it! Such a mystery of Providence makes it hard for our strained faith to recover. Yet Jesus was murdered. When I think of that side of the case, I cannot but feel that our honored and noble-minded friend has joined a great assembly.”

Eastern Indiana Pentecostal Camp Meeting

Tuesday I worked a little on the house but I am mostly at a standstill until the plumber is finished and the roof is installed. The metal for the roof should be delivered early next week and Mitch Boggs Jr. and Jason Fellers should arrive with their families a week from today to put it on. 

The plumber told me that he thought the plumbing would be ready for inspection Tuesday morning but I was pretty sure he was dreaming a little. He was.😀 He must have been busy elsewhere so I locked up the house about 4:30 and left for Indiana.

We drove to the Eastern Indiana Pentecostal Camp Meeting on the west side of Connersville, Indiana. We wanted to attend this meeting at least one service and yesterday was our best opportunity. Bro. David Webb is preaching the nights and we had a great time singing with them before and after the preaching. He preached great and God helped some folks.

We also enjoyed great fellowship with a bunch of friends. It was good to see folks we had not seen in a while and meet a few new folks along the way as well. I wish we had time to visit the meeting a little more this week.

Here are a few pictures from Tuesday night at Eastern Indiana Pentecostal Camp Meeting.

Thanks for reading today.

Davy
Scott Hines Plumbing, Inc.  Plumbing in Lebanon, Ohio  Warren County Ohio Plumbers

A House Update - Framing, Electrical and HVAC Inspection

Last Friday I finished up the high electrical work while Dad put the finishing touches on the panel and switches. For some reason we did not get many pictures.

It is a long way up there. More importantly, when I am up there, it is a long way down!

The ladder that Kelly Jo is standing on to hand me the can light is a 12' ladder so that gives you some perspective.

The light near the upper right in the pictures below was the very last of 51 recessed can lights to be hung and wired in the house. Men love darkness because the deeds are evil. We love light!

I am planning to do a wood treatment on the tall ceiling in the living area and kitchen so I will be very acquainted with the top of that scaffolding before it is finished!

I mentioned the other day that Duke Energy installed a new pole across the road. The next day they put one on our side of the road and the next day finished wiring them up. They installed a new transformer across the road. The old one was overloaded from trying to handle several houses. We hope that will solve some of our erratic voltage problems.

Monday was scheduled to be inspection day on the house. The same inspector examines the framing, electrical and HVAC. In Warren County you call the building department on the previous business day and I did that Friday. Then if you want to know a more specific time, you call between 8:00 and 9:00 the day of the inspection.

The inspector told me he would arrive around lunch and he was right on time. One thing that I did not know was that the roof must be completed before the framing inspection can be completely approved. Oops!

I apologized for bringing the inspector out without the roof on but he was cool with it. He went ahead and completed a thorough inspection and will come back after the metal roof is finished.

He gave me a small list of things to correct and that list was knocked down in very short order. Here are most of the items from memory.

-There was one place on the base plate of the framed walls that needed and additional anchor into the slab. That was the only framing item. Not bad at all.

-The main electrical service cable needed to be moved over about six inches as it exited the garage so it would not be near a 2x4 an attract a stray drywall screw or exterior siding nail.

-There were three places where it looked like electrical wires might be laying on he metal gussets of the trusses. On closer inspection, they were all fine but I stapled them over a bit anyway to remove the "very appearance of evil."

-Two pieces of PVC going into the panel needed metal protection plates inside and out, again to protect from screws and nails. I should have seen that one.

-I needed to put 2x4s next to wires running near the attic access to prevent someone (me) from stepping on the wires in the future. Dad had reminded me of that and I forgot! I am a lot like those "Three German Police Dogs" Wendy Bagwell told about. (That is probably an obscure reference for some of you.😀 Look it up.)

-The bathroom exhaust fans are vented to the outside. I had run the flexible duct about one foot above the ceiling and strapped it to the uprights of the trusses. The inspector said they needed to be insulated to R-4 if suspended above the ceiling but did not need insulation if laying on the ceiling. No problem, done.

I think that is about it. He said everything else looked good and was sufficiently impressed with the neatness of the work. Dad's work in the panel and every where else looks great and I am thoroughly impressed myself!

The plumber's helper was here a big part of the day Monday and I am hoping they will be ready for inspection very soon.

That wraps up today's post. Thank you for stopping to sit a spell with us.

Davy