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You Could Learn a Lot From a Criminal

You Could Learn a Lot From a Criminal

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His name was Charlie Peace - which is kind of funny, since he was one of the most notorious villains of his time. Peace was the last thing Charlie Peace ever gave anybody, which is why his life was ended at a public hanging.

So what was so special about yet another scoundrel getting strung up? Well, it wasn't so much that justice was served - rather it was that before he died, Charlie Peace had an incredibly profound and convicting dialogue with (of all people) a priest in the service of God.

Now you know the way this usually goes, right? You have dead man walking, walking towards the gallows, and you have godly priest talking, trying to talk dead man walking into believing.

And that is what this appeared to be at first. As Charlie marched through the mass of onlookers, he passed by a man reading from a prayer book. "Those who die without Christ experience hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring." These words must have gripped Charlie's heart, because he looked back at the priest with a piercing look and shouted, "Do you believe that? Do you believe that?" The priest hesitated for a moment, then cautiously answered, "Well...I...suppose I do." Then suddenly Charlie said something simply amazing, "Well, I don't, but if I did, I'd get down on my hands and knees and crawl all over Great Britain, even if it were paved with pieces of broken glass, if I could just rescue one person from what you just told me."1

Answer me this...how is it that a criminal with a heart of evil "gets it" - and we don't?

I invite you today to "get it." I invite you to be faithful and obedient to the Jesus' final command:

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

This is called "The Great Commission," and although most Christians see it as "The Good Suggestion," it should haunt us like the ghost of Charlie Peace. Think about it - Chuck the Perp was willing to crawl on his hands and knees to rescue people from hell, but Billy the Baptist won't even cross the street to share the gospel with a neighbor. We've been duped with the idea that evangelism is "somebody else's job" - meanwhile there are t hose who die without Christ experiencing hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring.

The Great Commission applies to you. In fact, if you blow this one, you have blown your ultimate calling in life. The very reason you are who you are and live where you live is so that you can play a part in the epic story that God is putting together for eternity. Notice two of the key words in Jesus key commands:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Go...make. Two little words with huge implications. The word "go" can be literally translated "as you go." In fact, here's the way it might have sounded back in the disciple's day:

"As you go through life, wherever you may have been born, wherever God may take you, as a habitual practice of life, make disciples..." (Matt. 28:19).

So much for the Great Commission applying only to super-spiritual saints and motivated missionaries - right? It's supposed to be lived out day in and day out in every circumstance and area of your life. The key to this is to look in the mirror and see yourself as a super spiritual saint (because of Jesus' righteousness) and a motivated missionary (to your family, school, workplace, and community).

Are you starting to "get it" yet? In case you're not, read carefully the words of a man who did - and because of that he changed the world:

"Brethren, do something; do something, do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray you, be men of action all of you. Get to work and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov's idea of war is mine: 'Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls; and this we are not to talk about, but do in the power of God!" - Charles Spurgeon

1Taken from "Let Me Tell You a Story" by Tony Campolo.

Head: What you need to know about this truth

The Great Commission is a command given by Jesus to all believers to invest every area of their lives into making disciples.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

To go from seeing Jesus' final orders as "The Good Suggestion" to "The Great Commission," you have to start with your perspective. Do you really believe that lost people are headed for an eternity in hell? There was a moment in the life of a friend of mine that changed him forever, and as a result of that change he has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Read his story here - I Saw the Sign.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

This week, take some time to take the 48 Hour Challenge.