A message of life and death sounds extreme, yet we all must ponder this. Isn’t this the core of evangelism? We go from life to death as we place our faith in the good news of Jesus. John 5:I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. [1]
Our Savior Jesus stands at the crossroads between the broad road that leads to death and the narrow road that leads to eternal life. I visited a man at the crossroads one summer as a hospital chaplain. I stopped by his room and asked him if he needed any prayer. In a critical tone, he indicated he was not interested in Jesus. Later that morning, he died unexpectedly. The message of the Gospel takes on new importance when you realize you may be the last person the Lord is using to draw people into His Kingdom.
A Special Decree Saved the Jews
Haman, an evil high government official, tricked King Xerxes into authorizing a decree to destroy all Jews in the empire. The Lord used Esther to reveal Haman’s plot to the king. The king executed to Haman, but the decree to kill the Jews was still in effect. To remedy the situation, the king allowed a second decree permitting the Jews to defend themselves and kill their enemies.
Esther 8:10 The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service. 11 The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives.[2] The message was a matter of life and death. The king did not spare any expense to the urgency of the matter.
Urgency of the Good News
When the king’s decree went out, many different people were used to spread the good news. With the fastest horses in the Kingdom, the news of life and death spread quickly through the empire. Today, the Lord uses many people of all ages to tell others about Jesus’s good news. I remember a first grader in our church was instrumental in leading her fellow first graders to faith.
At another time, we were part of a mission trip to Honduras. The pastors there had gathered for months ahead of time. They prayed that many would come to faith at the mission team’s crusade. They had a sense of urgency, and the Lord answered their prayers. Hundreds of people came to faith during that crusade, and others received healing after prayer.
We need the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we take a message of life and death to others. The Gospel message is as urgent as the decree was to the Jews of our story. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/a-new-edict
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jn 5:24). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Es 8:10–11). Tyndale House Publishers.