“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”- Luke 16:22–24
In his biography of Lee Roberson, Always About His Father’s Business James Wigton wrote: “Lee Roberson never lost his burden for souls. In 2004, when he was 95 years of age, he was asked to give the closing prayer at a meeting with the International Board of Jewish Missions in Chattanooga. He walked to the pulpit and declared, ‘I want to say one word—Hell. Men are dying and going to Hell. We must reach them.’ And then with tears streaming down the cheeks of his face, he offered the closing prayer.”
Hell is not the joke that our society makes it out to be. It is not metaphorical, but literal. It is not temporary, but eternal. It is not comfort, but pain. It is not hope, but despair. And Hell is the eternal destination for every person who does not accept Jesus Christ as Saviour. The fact that as Christians we need have no fear of going to that place of torment should not make us complacent. Even people in Hell want to keep others from going there, like the rich man Jesus described. “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27–28). Yet too often Christians are casual when it comes to warning others about eternity. The reality of Hell should be a constant motivation for us to share the gospel with everyone we can. ( Daily in the Word)
After spending a week with Dr. Roberson, Parker Dailey, and Gene Hankins in 1967 I can tell you that he had burning desire to see folks saved. Although I didn’t agree with him on some things I thank God that he had such a great concern for the lost. May God help us to realize that, even if we are perfectly correct in all our beliefs, without a burden for the unsaved we will fail in our mission.–HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
