It was late December, a large family gathered for a joyous Christmas. So many were gathered that night, five of the children slept in the converted garage, kept warm during the night by an electric heater placed near the door.
During the early hours of the morning, the heater suddenly burst into flames, blocking the doorway. In seconds the room became a blazing inferno. A frantic 911 call revealed the unspeakable terror as one of the children could be heard screaming, “I’m on fire!” The distraught father rushed into the flames to try to save his beloved children, receiving burns to 50 percent of his body. Tragically, all five children burned to death. They died because steel bars on the windows had thwarted their escape. There was only one door, and it was blocked by the flames.
Imagine you are back in time, just minutes before the heater burst into flames. You peer through the darkness at the peaceful sight of five sleeping youngster, knowing that at any moment the room will erupt into an inferno and burn the flesh of horrified children. Can you in good conscience walk away? NO! You must awaken them, and warn them to run from that death trap!
The world sleeps peacefully in the darkness of ignorance. There is only one Door by which they may escape death. The steel bars of sin prevent their salvation, and at the same time call for the flames of eternal justice. What a fearful thing Judgment Day will be! The fires of the wrath of Almighty God will burn for eternity. The Church has been entrusted with the task of awakening the lost before it’s too late. We cannot turn our backs and walk away in complacency. Think of how the father ran into the flames. His love knew no bounds. Our devotion to the the sober task God has given us will be in direct proportion to our love for the lost. There are only a few laborers who run headlong into the flames to warn them to fee (Luke 10:2). You have been called to be one of them, and I don’t feel we really have a choice. The apostle Paul said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
We must reach out to the lost children, so they have the opportunity to become brothers and sisters in Christ. If, in the above story, you would have jumped in to save those children, you are well on your way. Well on your way to begin reaching out to the many lost children of the world, in a spirit of compassion, love, and truth. A reaching out that will help them reach towards God, so He may pull them from the flames without end. It’s up to you, are you gonna sit back and watch the suffering, or step up and show the Light of Christ, and the plan of salvation.
