“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus…” – John 1:41-42
“Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”.- John 1:45
“….ye shall be witnesses unto me…” – Acts 1:8

“I didn’t know——- !”. I could add 1001 qualifiers to that statement and still not cover all the things that I didn’t know before becoming a Christian. But now, although still ignorant of a lot of things, I now know the answers to the most important questions in life. I owe that to the fact that someone invited me to church where I heard the gospel.

As a boy I suspected that there might be a God. I heard people mention Him and I could see His handiwork in the stars. Reason told me that people like my mother were not liars and that the universe must have had a designer and creator, but as to who it was I didn’t have a clue. I had never read the Bible, nor attended church. The closest  thing I had to a knowledge of God was listening to the closing hymn on the Grand Old Opry.

What I did know was that something was missing. I also quickly learned that I couldn’t find any real satisfaction, and that I kept making life more difficult for myself and others. The harder I tried the more I failed and the more out of control I became. After I started drinking at fourteen it got worse. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know if anything could be done. The questions kept piling up, but the answers I could not find. Churches were everywhere and I sometimes wondered what those folks did, but I didn’t ask and they didn’t tell me. Looking back I am amazed that there could be so many churches and so little concern for a freckled face little boy. However, I have to say it wasn’t all their fault. I doubt that I would have listened even if they had told me. I figured they were as confused as I was – only in a different way.

Finally when I was 24 a friend invited me to church where I heard the gospel and was saved, and my life was changed. I mention this because I suspect you know someone that is where I was. It might be a friend, neighbor, coworker, classmate, or a relative and a simple invitation to church might result in them being saved. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar, etc. for God to use you. Just show them you care by doing whatever you can. If we do that God will bless our effort. Let God use you to make a difference in someone’s life. It could be the difference between heaven and hell. – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

The word neighbor brings to mind a lot of memories. During the course of my life I’ve had all kinds of neighbors – good and bad, helpful and unkind, noisy and quite, religious and non-religious, etc. But, while they were all different, there was one thing I had in common with all of them. My blessed Lord has commanded me to love them. I don’t know what kind of neighbors you have but I do know that God expects you to love them.

J. R. Miller wrote, “Love to our neighbor seems at first an easy lesson to learn. But when we begin to study it, it grows harder. There is more of the lesson than we thought. We like to pick our neighbors, and we are sure to choose people who are congenial.
How to love our neighbor is taught in the parable. It is easy to have a sort of universal love – a love for everybody, a love we can exercise in our quiet home, looking at people in the distance, but not coming near to anyone. It is not just the same, however, when we go down among the people, and find our neighbor in some disagreeable person we cannot like, but waiting for our help, or in some enemy in need. The Good Samaritan found his neighbor in a hated Jew bleeding by the wayside. He had to get down in the dust and stanch his wounds, and then carry the man to an inn and pay the bills. It often costs a great deal to love a neighbor. The lesson is written out in full at the close: ‘Go, and do thou likewise.’” -HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” – Rom. 10:1

While we Christians have a lot of faults and problems, none are so obvious as our lack of compassion. We look with amazement and admiration at the great works of Paul, and wonder how one man could accomplish so much. The answer, in part, is that he cared. He cared enough to face every challenge, fight through every obstacle, follow every command, and endure any hardship for the sake of getting the gospel to others. His zeal pushed him above and beyond what most people were willing to do. His all-consuming passion drove him daily. When he spoke of his desire to see others saved there was evidence that he was telling the truth. The record reveals that he was being honest. Are we?

Far too often we don’t want to face the facts about ourselves. Knowing we ought to care it is hard to confess that we don’t. It is delightful to read about those who were greatly used of God, but it often leaves me feeling miserable. Reading about their sacrifices, amount of time in prayer, and their tears makes me feel ashamed. Where are the tears today? If we cared as much as we claim why aren’t we weeping? Do we ever?

I’m not saying we should spend every moment of every day weeping. Our emotions must be balanced. If we couldn’t stop crying it would cripple us. We would be so miserable that neither we nor those around us would be at peace. There’s “a time to weep, and a time to laugh” ( Ecc. 3:4). It would be near insanity if all we did was one or the other. So, how much are we suppose to care? We should indeed weep over others, but that doesn’t mean we are to spend everyday crying. The bottom line is this – we ought to care enough to go and to tell others of God’s saving grace. We should care enough to seek them, speak the truth, and show them love. If we are faithfully discharging our duties there will be times of tears. Our contact with them will cause us to cry for them. It will also bring rejoicing. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” – Psa. 126:5 – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:” – Rom. 9:1-3
I can’t read this without wondering why we are so different than Paul. His great compassion for the lost is amazing. So, what’s wrong with us? We all know we should care for the lost and we say we do, but do we really? When we read about those who were greatly used of God and helpful to man we see that they had a depth of concern we seldom see today. We should be troubled that we aren’t troubled by the terrible condition of those without Christ.

How can we restore our passion for the lost? How do we start caring when we don’t care? Even many who are devoted to duty are not truly passionate about those who are strangers to God’s saving grace. They love the ministry, but have no love for those to whom they are ministering. That’s why so many fall out of their ministry. Without being energized by passion for people ministry becomes routine, dull, boring, halfhearted, etc. Then when troubles arise they throw in the towel. So this is a problem that not only deprives people of their spiritual needs, but a problem that puts us in danger.

Although much could be said about restoring out passion, the first step is to admit that we have a problem. We must get past the pretense. We must take a good, long, hard look at ourselves. Be honest. Are you truly concerned about those who are unsaved? Are you concerned enough to tell them about Jesus? Or, have you lost your passion for lost people? – HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”– Eph. 2:1
“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” – Eph. 2:5
“….having no hope, and without God….” – Eph. 2:12

No one likes bad news, especially when it concerns those you care about. For example, what if your best friend or dearest loved one said-
– “I lost my job and we are going bankrupt”.
– “My child is missing!”
– “My husband/wife filed for divorce!”
– “I am dying of cancer!”
The list could go on and on, but you get the picture. News such as this would break our heart, move us to tears, cause us to pray, and prompt us to offer our help. But there is something worse than these things. What if I told you your loved one is dead? Whether you realize it or not, that just might be the truth. The fact is, if they haven’t received Christ as their Lord and Savior they are dead – spiritually dead. They are not just lost, sick, or injured. They are dead! Although they are young, strong, and physically healthy they are dead in the worst sense of the word. They are spiritually dead – separated from God, condemned and headed for hell. So how does that news affect you?

Loving them as you do, I suspect you would do anything in your power to help them through their financial fall, domestic difficulties, and physical problems. But when it comes to their spiritual needs we often fail to show any great concern. Even when we speak of them being unsaved we are often cold, casual, and unemotional. Why? We would rush into a burning building, jump into a raging river, or drop everything we’re doing to help those in need. But some how we fail to give them what they need most – the life giving power of the gospel. Of all the sins in the world our sin of silence is among the most terrible. As Christians we have the message the world needs more than anything else. May God help us deliver it before it’s too late.- HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346