Bring Them In!

Some friends were fishing by an ocean pier one evening, when they spotted a fishing boat in the distance that was in trouble.  Recalling how they had been rescued from a similar situation, they knew they had to bring the drowning fishermen in.  They found a motorboat and sped toward the sinking vessel.  After making a few trips, they brought all the fishermen safely back to shore.

The men decided to build a rescue station to help save other fishermen caught in a similar predicament.  They bought the pier, built a station, and purchased rescue boats.  They also acquired life-saving equipment.  In the following months, they rescued many more fishermen.

Then the media found out about their work.  They were featured in the papers and on TV.  The publicity attracted visitors interested in the rescue operations.

The owners renovated the station to accommodate the visitors.  They carpeted the floor, set up cozy bunks and a cafeteria corner.  To keep visiting families engaged, they organized activities, showing videos of past rescue missions, fishing expeditions, and snorkeling for the kids.

One evening, after a successful rescue mission, the fishermen dirtied the carpet and messed up the place.  To preserve the ambience, the owners decided to build another small hut some distance down the shoreline so that dirty fishermen could be stationed there instead.

More visitors came. Soon the owners could not keep up with hosting the visitors and conducting rescue missions at the same time.  They decided to give up the rescues, because they were so time-consuming, exhausting, and dirty.

Are we making a similar mistake by not passionately reaching out to unbelievers?  Are we spending more time "playing church" instead of actively loving people into it?

Believers in Jesus are called to reach out to those who don´t know Him.  It´s our primary mission!  Let´s continue to preach the gospel (2 Timothy 4:2) and bring the "drowning fishermen" in.

-Lim Chien Chong

bottom line: Our Situation: RESCUED! Our Mission: RESCUE!

Let us journey on... with THE mission...