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The fear of hell saves no one. It only gives motivation to consider the truths of God as communicated in His Word and through His prophets. In contrast to the unsaved person, the topic of hell is very effective at motivating those who believe and are concerned for their loved ones.

What many Christians don't realize is that God is using ordinary believers like you and me to reach lost people...especially in America.

Eighty six percent of all conversions in this country are a direct result of the message being shared through a friend or relative. 

Some time ago, I had an opportunity to preach on the subject of evangelism. During my preparation in Luke's gospel, I was again reminded and delighted by how much of this book is really a record of Jesus' heart for evangelism. He was deeply concerned for the lost and He repeatedly talked about it. May I remind you of the key verse of Luke, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus didn’t come just to save us but also to seek after us. The following outline of chapters 14-16 illustrate how much He cares for the lost:

1. Who in Hell Cares for the Lost? (Luke 16:19-31)
Answer: The rich man did!

2. Who in Heaven Cares for the Lost? (Luke 15:3-10)
Answer: The Angels in Heaven do!

3. Who on Earth Cares for the Lost? (Luke 13:34-14:14)
Answer: The true followers of Jesus will! Since those in hell, those in heaven, and those who claim to follow Him on earth care so much about the lost—shouldn’t we care too?  C.S. Lewis notes that heaven is the abode of those that say to God, "Thy will be done," and hell is the dwelling of those to whom God will eventually turn and say, "THY will be done." In other words, hell is the rejection of relationship and meaning.  It's the insanity of a self-imposed isolation where man attempts to be the measure of all things. Having affirmed himself as his own god, man lives in hell with the full consequence of that decision. This reality should drive us to communicate that all we hold as dear will be lost if we don’t submit to our Creator and Savior.

One practical way to overcome our fear of sharing is to use this emotion to drive us to visualize that acquaintance, good friend, or family member suffering in hell and separated from you and those they love. Kirk Cameron tells the true story of a firefighter who was on duty at a very serious fire and never got out of the fire truck because he had just received a new electronic device and was seeking to figure out how it worked. He eventually was removed from the fire department and declared unfit to serve because of his callous actions. Could we be doing the very same thing when we chose to ignore the sure and present danger of our friends and family entering into eternity without us attempting to save them from that danger?

Source: Joe Boot; executive director of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Canada.

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