R.M.S. Titanic, a Graphic Picture of Today's Society of Man And Where It's Headed
Some facts: R.M.S. Titanic was built at Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1912. She was 882 feet long and had a gross tonnage of 45,000 tons. She was owned by the White Star Line (recently purchased by J.P. Morgan). She carried only 16 lifeboats, and 4 life rafts, an insufficient number to cover 3200 passengers and crew. The passengers could chose between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class accomodations for the voyage, the difference in price being L870 for a first class ticket and as little as L2 for a third class one. The majority of passengers were third class.
The Titanic had 28 staterooms and suites for the first class passengers. The
special staterooms were located amidships on B and C decks and were designed in
differing ways. The first class passengers could choose between a room in these
following designs: Empire, Renaissance, Georgian, Modern and Old Dutch,
Regency, Queen Anne and Louis XIV, and XV. A few of the rooms even had
fireplaces and burned coal in the sitting room, and had gigantic beds in the
bedroom. The most expensive suites had five rooms and a private lavatory
also.
One of the places people could meet on board and have dinner was
the giant restaurant which was located on D deck. It measured 92 feet wide by
114 feet long. It took a maximum of 500 people sitting. The ship also has a
French Restaurant, "Café Parisien" with French waiters.
The
first class met at the Lounge on the Promenade deck. It's walls were very
similar to the ones at the Versailles castle near Paris and were very
exquisite. Situated next to this room was the Georgian reading and writing room
for ladies, and next to that was the smoking room for men.
The entire
crew consisted of about 860 men and women, 340 of which worked below decks in
the engine department as engineers, trimmers, boilermakers, greasemen,
window-washers and linen keepers. Only a few dozen were actually engaged in
seamanship, and fewer still were officers. The Captain at the time of this
maiden voyage was Captain E.J. Smith, whose career was long and professional
before this voyage. He had sailed over 2 million miles for the White Star Line
and they had complete confidence in him. This was to be his last voyage before
his retirement.
Titanic's keel (number 401) was laid down on March 31,
1909 and she was launched May 31, 1911. She had nine decks including the orlop
deck. Below the top most boat deck were decks A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Below G
deck were the boiler rooms and holds. The hull was divided into sixteen
watertight compartments by means of fifteen watertight bulkheads extending up
through deck F. Heavy watertight doors provided communication between bulkheads
during normal operation. These were electrically operated and also had a
floatation mechanism for automatic closing. She was designed to remain afloat
with any two compartments flooded, possibly three, enabling her to withstand a
collision at the joint of two compartments. Her overall length was 882.5 feet,
her beam was 92.5 feet from water line to boat deck. Her gross tonnage was
46,328 tons, net tonnage 24,900 tons. She was driven by a three prop design
that used two outboard reciprocating engines with a low pressure turbine in the
middle driving the centre prop. The reciprocating engines were of the four
cylinder, triple expansion direct acting and inverted type. Each engine
developed 15,000 horsepower at 75 revolutions per minute. The low pressure
turbine in the middle was of the Parsons type. It developed around 16,000
horsepower at 165 rpm. It was an elegant design as the middle turbine was
driven from the excess steam exhaust from the other reciprocating engines. The
steam required to run all this came from 29 huge, three story high
boilers.
Titanic's complement of passengers and crew was not adequately
provided for in event of the worst disaster, the sinking of the ship. The
British board of regulations required that any ship over 10,000 tons had to
carry at least 16 lifeboats. As Titanic carried 20 lifeboats she was well
within regulation. Sixteen of these were regular wooden type and four
Engelehardt collapsibles, as A, B, C, and D. In fact, no liner afloat at that
time carried enough lifeboats to evacuate all passengers and crew. The reason
for lifeboats came from this disaster. Prior to this the general opinion was,
should a ship become stricken, that lifeboats were used to ferry passengers to
rescue ships waiting nearby in the already crowded North Atlantic shipping
lanes. With the invention of wireless, this made this even more credible. Any
large ship in trouble was expected to remain afloat for many hours or even days
and help would be promptly summoned by radio. [The world today lives by this
same precarious standard, as seen when a country's civil and emergency plans
and stockpiles are carefully examined. Three percent of the modern western
world's population produces well over 75 percent of all the food grown in the
world!]
The chef aboard had made a list of things which he wanted for
the maiden voyage. It included among other things: 35,000 fresh eggs, 40 tons
of potatoes, 1,000 bottles of wine, and 15,000 bottles of beer. Also were
12,000 dinner plates, 40,000 towels of different sorts, 45,000 napkins, 1,000
oyster forks and 15,000 champagne glasses.
On her first day, Titanic
sailed 386 miles, the second day 519 miles and on the third day over 546 miles
as she picked up speed. The Captain proceeded to increase speed further on the
fourth day until she was doing 22.5 knots. At that speed, by the time the
lookouts saw the iceberg in the dark of night, with her rudder of insufficient
size, she could not avoid a glancing blow which caused the iceberg to run along
down her side, opening up horizontal gaps in her hull-plates anywhere from six
inches to a foot high from at least bow to midships. Half an hour after she
struck, the first call for help went out over her wireless. The Carpathia
immediately answered the call and set course eastward toward Titanic. The
collision had awakened many members of the crew and passengers in their
quarters. The passengers were less wakened by the noise than by the water
swirling about the deck at their feet. The Titanic carried lifeboats for 1200
people, but this evening only about 700 boarded the lifeboats, mostly women and
children. A few men succeeded in smuggling themselves on board and a few
clamoured aboard after jumping into the cold waters of the north Atlantic.
It was dawn when the Carpathia arrived, but not before 2,207 had died,
mostly by freezing to death in the icy night waters of the north Atlantic. Only
712 people were rescued by the Carpathia.
[Most of the details from this
account were taken from Hannah Goransson's webpage on the Titanic. Very good
job Hannah.]
The R.M.S Titanic is a perfect example of today's society of man. They had the
best that technology and entertainment had to offer. Exquisite living for the
rich and warm shelter and good food for even the poor. Most of Titanic's passengers
were poor or middle class at best, same as those in our respective western world
societies. Comfort, warmth, and decent quarters on a ship headed for the cold
depths of the north Atlantic. Now she resides at least three miles under the
ocean. In Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation, particularly chapters 16 and
19, Jesus shows us that the end-time society of man will hit a similar iceberg
called the tribulation (World War III) which will sink man's Satan influenced
society under the waves into oblivion. When all prophecies are taken into account,
both in the Old Testament and New, the clear indication is that maybe a 10th
of the world's population will live on into the kingdom age of Jesus Christ.
Nine tenths of six billion is 5.4 billion dead. Six hundred million survivors
out of six billion will be all that remain of mankind! Bible believing Christians
know this is going to happen, because God's Word says it will. Is there any
way we can save some of those who dwell on the RMS Titanic of man's society?--Maybe
reserve a few seats on lifeboats for as many as we can? Is that possible? I
think it might be, depending on what a lifeboat is. I get into that in the following
pages. The analogies that can be drawn between Titanic and this world's society
are both frightening and accurate. God's prophecies have never failed. The people
who boarded Titanic, both rich and poor, were awed by her size and technical
sophistication, much in the same way mankind in our western societies are awed
by the same type of things around them, helping them be the masters of their
environment. I am just trying to get you to see the striking similarities between
mankind in our present age and those who boarded Titanic. The attitude was one
of awe toward what man had created, while letting fly the statement "That even
God couldn't sink her." Are things much different today?
Pre-evangelism or evangelism--which harvesting tool is the correct one?
In
John 4:35 Jesus said, "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then
comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the
fields, for they are already white for harvest!" Every farmer knows that you
have to use the right harvesting tools for the type of field you're harvesting.
Not every field is the same, and not every harvest is the same. In Matthew
10:7-8 Jesus said, "as you go, preach, saying 'the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons,
freely you have received, freely give." Here he was telling them to proclaim
the gospel and use God's healing power to directly evangelize a certain group
of people. In Matthew 9:10-13 is says, "While Jesus was having dinner at
Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and
his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus
said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn
what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' For I have not come to call
the righteous, but sinners." Jesus healed sick, halt, maimed and the lepers of
society, not the well or those who thought of themselves as well. The apostles
did the same and then they evangelized to these same people and those around
them. What is the difference between evangelism and pre-evangelism? The
fundamental difference between the two methods or approaches of bringing people
to God lies more in the group of people each is aimed at. One approach is very
effective when aimed at those who are on the "life rafts" of this life, those
who know death and discomfort are near and constant companions, and that death
is imminent if something doesn't happen to save them from their circumstances.
Straight evangelism coupled with the healing power of God reaches this group of
people very effectively and bears much fruit. This group has been humbled to
the point where they know they need God, and basically if God doesn't help,
that they're goners. The other approach is meant to be aimed at those in this
world "who dwell on the R.M.S. Titanic." This world is composed of these two
distinct groups. One is destitute and if their situation doesn't change for the
better, they'll die. It's that simple. Their lives and existence are wretched.
The other group live in today's various societies--the society of man, which
Matthew 24 shows us is going to come crashing down around them and sink under
the waves in a massive event called the tribulation. Modern students of history
and war would call this event World War III. Those on this "R.M.S. Titanic"
scoff when offered the Bread of Life through evangelism. The message that saves
the other group means nothing to them. They think they're fine as they are.
There are poor, middle class and rich on board, but they're all well off when
compared to the other group in this world. They have a degree of comfort and
wealth the others in the world don't share in--plenty of good food and warm
shelter. They think they're fine just as they are, steaming into the black
night toward a massive event with an iceberg. They think they don't need the
Bread of Life or spiritual shelter, they have the Grand Dining Room and massive
kitchens, ball-rooms for dancing, and libraries for study. They have everything
by comparison to the other group. And they think that in a few days, they'll be
docking in New York. Offering them Bread is silly. But convincing them of the
dangers of icebergs in the north Atlantic isn't so silly and idea.
Pastor Cymbala has found that straight evangelism coupled with the healing
power of God through intercessory prayer works best in the destitute areas of
the inner city environment where wretched people live on "life rafts", where
their way of life threatens their very existence. They know that without God,
they're dead or as good as dead. "There are no atheists on a life raft" is a
very true saying. But to those better off individuals who reside on the RMS
Titanic of today's society they must be convinced of God's existence, and be
healed of their skepticism toward His existence, and then be brought to realize
the danger they're in on the coarse they're headed on. Pre-evangelism has the
power to effectively reach this group and help anyone willing to listen. It
proves God exists and is in ultimate control of the universe and the world we
live on. It also shows through prophecy where this RMS Titanic of a society of
ours is ultimately headed. Then when pre-evangelism has done all of this, if
properly presented, it leaves the individual in a state of belief and faith,
willing to accept the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ.
To see a graphic
example of straight evangelism, preaching to those on "life rafts", read the
letter which follows this short article. The people described are not people
living in our society as we know it. If their wretched circumstances are not
improved immediately, many of them will die--but they're openly accepting
Jesus Christ into their lives! Take this same message to those
you work with, or those in your nice little neighborhood, or even your not so
nice little neighborhood, and see what kind of reaction you get. To learn more
about how those on the RMS Titanic of man's society might be effectively
reached go back to the previous link on this webpage titled "What Is
Pre-Evangelism?" and read it. What follows this article is a letter I received
from the Campus Crusade for Christ International. It is graphic, but it gets my
point across. The people who are reaching these poor starving refugees are on
the front battle lines of evangelism. The interesting
thing is that a healthy percentage of the world's population are in this "life
raft" category. And this percentage is growing larger too, as world conditions
worsen. But for most who dwell in the Titanic category, evangelism
bounces off skeptical minds and deaf ears. They're too well off--too in love
with what this push-button tinsel-world has to offer. A warning-witness type
pre-evangelistic message is all they might hear. If we take an honest look at
the situation, those on this huge RMS Titanic of our society don't know they
need a saviour. For those unfortunate ones who were onboard the real Titanic
their saviour would have been a seat on a lifeboat to bring them to the HMS
Carpathia. Pre-evangelism offers those in our Titanic society a free seat on a
lifeboat, which will then transport them to the Saviour, Jesus
Christ. The interesting thing about these lifeboats is
that they have the ability to transport people off the Titanic and onto
the Carpathia before this Titanic society of ours
ever hits the iceberg! All of society as we know it will go down into the
depths of oblivion before the iceberg Jesus prophecied about in Matthew 24 and
Revelation 16 and 19. It is the tool of pre-evangelism that helps focus people
on the danger and the solution. But being saved by Jesus does not necessarily
equate to saving your neck physically. That just hasn't been the history of
Christians. The proper use of pre-evangelism is to bring a people to accept
Jesus Christ as their personal saviour, thus bringing about the spiritual
salvation of those people and their eventual receiving of actual eternal life
(I Corinthians 15:49-54)--it brings people to the point of being ready to be
evangelized. Many Christians think that prophecy was given to help edify the
Christian, but when you look closely at the fruits of Christians spending too
much time studying prophecy, those fruits are not necessarily good. No, saved
born-again Christians need to be delving into the gospel of Christ, clothing
themselves in it. Prophecy, if properly used, is a harvesting tool the Lord
gave for Christians to use to help bring non-believers into a state of
believing in God and His Word.
Both pre-evangelism and evangelism have
a proper use in our efforts to bring people to Jesus Christ and salvation
through him. We must learn how to use the proper harvesting tool for the type
of field we're harvesting--life rafts adrift in the hostile sea or the super
luxury liner RMS Titanic, steaming in the dark of night toward her
doom.
To see a perfect example of how effective each harvesting tool
can be, consider this. Membership in the Worldwide Church of God under Mr.
Herbert Armstrong from 1934 to the late 1960's rose from a local congregation
with just nineteen members to a globe-spanning denomination of 150,000 people!
It remained at this size right up to the death of Mr. Armstrong. That church's
harvesting tool under Mr. Armstrong was pre-evangelism--a tool the Lord had
definitely used Mr. Armstrong to fashion to perfection. Then he died, and Mr.
Tkach Sr. took his place. Ten short years later the church's main harvesting
tool became conventional evangelism, as just described in that sermon at the
beginning of this link given by Mr. Dan Rogers, head of that church's
ministers. I remember reading an amazing article in the church's bimonthly
newspaper during this period of time. It detailed how the congregations in our
African churches were growing in number by the thousands!
Everywhere else in the church, numbers of new converts to Christ remained at an
all time low. But in this section of equatorial Africa thousands were being
brought to Jesus Christ and baptism. But the U.S. congregations were not
growing all that much. Amazing? It shouldn't be. The proper harvesting tool for
the right kind of field--simple as that! Each tool successfully harvested a
bumper crop. But each type of crop harvested was different. What follows on the
next page is a letter sent to me by the Campus Crusade of Christ International.
It describes straight evangelism in dynamic action, aimed effectively at those
who genuinely dwell on life rafts. The plight of these poor people is
desperate, and yet they're accepting Jesus Christ in large numbers. Some local
congregations are giving directly to this organization as their means of
evangelizing and bringing people to Christ, people whom they'll probably never
ever meet in this life. That is admirable.
November 1998
Dear
friend in Christ,
Sometimes Heaven comes down to Earth.
On this
night, the encounter occurred in a place that seemed more like Hell.
What I am about to share with you is surely among the most dramatic moments in
the powerful evangelistic film, "JESUS." It's a moment that can never be
forgotten.
The news media didn't talk about it much. Perhaps it was too
remote, or maybe it was because tragedy in Mozambique was too close to South
Africa.
Mozambique was a nation in absolute chaos. Civil war had
degenerated into total anarchy. Marauding soldiers and Marxist rebels were
fighting each other. Even worse, they were routinely raiding villages and
robbing, raping, and killing any person they encountered. And, Mozambique was
gripped by a cruel famine. Millions were dead or dying.
Over
500,000 refugees had fled. Some had come to a camp just inside South Africa.
When "JESUS" Film Partners Willie and Marie Erasmus arrived, the sight and
sounds were overwhelming.
Shimmering waves of heat rose in the
distance as the blazing African sun beat down on the Film Team truck. Gritty
red dust hung in the air, the evidence of thousands of refugees on the move.
Willie and Marie had heard there was little or no water for these people, that
they barely staved off starvation by eating meager daily ration provided by
struggling relief agencies.
As they entered the huge camp, they told me
how they were overcome by the stench of human excrement. Even worse was the sea
of emaciated bodies and the empty, hopeless looks in the eyes of the people.
They heard tale after tale of misery, like the young mother who fled Mozambique
with her children, but was eaten alive by a lion before she could make it to
camp. Her two children survived, only to be confronted with this Hell on
Earth--their hopes for a better life dashed.
But, there was hope.
That's why Willie and Marie had come. A young missionary, working among these
desperate people, had begged Willie and Marie to come and show them the "JESUS"
film. At first, Willie had protested, "We haven't yet translated it into the
Shangaan language these people speak." The young missionary had replied, "It's
O.K., we'll interpret it while it is being shown." He had already led 30 of
these refugees to Christ. In the middle of this camp they had formed a church.
And, they had been trained and were ready to help counsel those he had prayed
would respond to the message that night.
It seemed that Willie drove the
truck through the camp forever, trying to find a suitable clearing where the
Film Team could show the film. Finally, they found a place. All afternoon they
worked in the searing heat to set up the portable screen and sound
system.
But Marie sensed that something was very wrong. In her spirit
she could feel demonic oppression building. Then the team heard witch doctors
chanting and saw them throwing bones on the ground in satanic rituals. With
howling and incantations, the witch doctors began calling up the "spirits of
their ancestors." An eerie and foreboding pall seemed to fall over the camp.
Satan wanted the showing stopped.
Willie called the team together to
pray. Thirty others who had come from a nearby New Life Training Center
were also enlisted. They had come to help with evangelism and follow-up, but
now they were involved in full spiritual warfare.
For three hours they
interceded, praying that God would bind the power of the evil one, pour
out His blessings, and open the eyes of these spiritually blind people who
lived in darkness and continuing misery. They joined hands and walked around in
a circle, symbolically encircling the camp. They beseeched God to tear down the
walls of evil that had engulfed these people, just as he destroyed the walls of
Jerecho.
As darkness set in, the ragged refugees emerged from their
shacks and began to stream toward the showing area. The witch doctors stopped
their dancing. Over a thousand people crowded into the small dusty clearing.
When it was dark enough, the film began.
With the English soundtrack
playing low and with microphone in hand, the interpreter translated line by
line all that was taking place on the screen. Between reel changes (there are
four reels and three changes) he told them why it was important that Mary be a
virgin and how only a supernatural man could be God.
Marie recounted,
"During the scenes of the crucifixion in the fourth, 30-minute reel, we sensed
something unusual was happening. Everyone began to cry--women, men and
children. A mournful wailing gradually rose from the crowd into a relentless
crescendo."
As Jesus was being pushed down the Via Dolorosa, the
weeping became louder and uncontrollable. When the Roman soldiers started
nailing Jesus to the cross, many of the people jumped up and ran toward the
screen with their hands in the air, crying out to God.
Everywhere,
people were confessing their sins. The film was forgotten. Rivers of tears
poured down their dirty cheeks. Men beat their chests and cried out, "Oh God!,
Oh God!" Some were on their knees, some stood with eyes closed and arms raised,
others lay prostrate on the ground. The interpreter was even on his back in the
dirt, praying, thanking God, crying, praising, and worshipping.
These
people were in the presence of a holy God. They were overwhelmed by a
sense of their sinfulness, and they wanted desperately to be
forgiven.
Someone turned off the projector. The Film Team rushed to
pray and counsel those who were seeking God. But they couldn't speak. One by
one, the team members themselves fell to their knees, confessing their own
sins.
"I can't explain how I felt," Willie told me. "I felt the awesome
power of God. I felt His love, His compassion, His care. It was overpowering.
It was a wave that welled up inside us and we couldn't contain it. We were
totally, irrevocably, hopelessly in love with Jesus. And the experience just
burst out of us with confession and tears, praise and worship, and a feeling of
wonder."
Tears came into Willie's eyes, "I saw a nine-year-old boy
crying out to God. I turned to pray for him, but I couldn't because I was
crying myself. A 70-year-old man with his eyes open and his hands in the air,
repeated over and over again, 'I just saw Jesus!' But we were not just seeing
the portrayal of Jesus, we were feeling His presence so powerfully that we just
couldn't take it in."
Marie continued, "I started to pray with one
woman, but I couldn't speak. I was overcome and began confessing my own sins.
The sense of God's presence, His power and holiness, was so great that no one
could do anything but confess their sin. I knew I was in a holy place. These
people had nothing. And God decided to give them a chance--right there
in that filthy camp--to feel His presence and His love."
More than
30 minutes passed. Still the sounds of weeping and passionate prayer filled the
field. Willie went to the interpreter and said, "We need to finish the film so
they will know the good news of the resurrection."
All across the
audience the people continued to wipe tears from their eyes. They saw the
burial of Christ, and then the resurrection. The interpreter explained to the
crowd, "Jesus died to make the payment for our sins. But death could not hold
Him." And with that, he pointed to the screen and shouted with uncontainable
joy, "And there He is! He was raised from the dead!" The crowd exploded as if a
dam had burst. Everyone began cheering, dancing, hugging one another, and
jumping up and down.
The Film Team never finished showing the
film. An invitation was given for those who wanted to receive Christ to
come to the front. The "problem" was they ALL wanted to accept Him as
their Savior and Lord--all 1,000 people!
Isn't God wonderful? Who
can know or understand His ways? These people had absolutely nothing. They were
totally hopeless. They desperately needed to know love, to belong to someone.
That night, that holy night, Heaven came down to Hell on Earth. Through prayer,
God brought to their impoverished, darkened hearts His indescribable love. They
had never heard of Jesus. But, that night, they experienced His touch. What a
night! What a God!
No, not every showing of "JESUS" is so incredible.
Many are actually somewhat routine and predictable. But many others are just as
dramatic and power-filled. What is certain is that God is using this most
translated film in all of history to radically, supernaturally transform the
lives of millions around the world. To date, some 83 million have indicated
decisions for Christ at showings of "JESUS." More than 815 Christian
organizations have chosen to use the "JESUS" film as one of their primary tools
of evangelism. This is why over 2,200 Film Teams are laboring in 223 nations
using 472 different translations of "JESUS."
I am writing you because
those very same Film Teams need support, a lot of support. They are working in
some of the most difficult and remote areas you can imagine. Daily, many face
the very threat of violence directed against them, Satan's onslaughts,
beatings, and death. Yet, enabled by prayer and driven by their vision to see
their people healed and come to know Christ, they persist.
This is why I
am boldly and confidently coming to you on their behalf. For these 2,200 Film
Teams to be funded for the next several months, we need to raise $2,100,000.
That amount will help cover their salaries, travel expense, food, lodging,
training, literature, and other follow-up materials. In one year, each team
will show "JESUS" to an average of 50,000 people. In all, these 2,200 teams
will show "JESUS" to tens of millions of people in the year ahead.
As
the year 2000 looms imminent, as we dream of having reached every person on
earth, will you take it upon yourself to help raise these funds to help
complete this $2,100,000 need?
As you know, we've found that for every
dollar you send, one person can receive Christ as Savior and Lord. So, would
you consider a gift of $100 to help lead 100 people to Christ? Or, would you
pray about a gift of $250 to help introduce 250 to Christ?
Perhaps you
can only give a smaller amount. God honors each gift according to our
ability….It's a big vision, isn't it? However, we have an even bigger God.
The task of reaching the six billion people on Earth can seem daunting indeed.
But, not if we partner together, not if we pray together, not if we give
together, so that people around the world who have not once heard the name of
Jesus will experience His touch.
Let me close this rather long letter by
expressing to you my deepest thanks. I cannot tell you how much your
partnership means to me throughout the year. You are what makes this powerful
ministry of film evangelism and follow-up possible. Thank you so very
much.
I believe God will bless you for what you have done and will do.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Until the whole world hears,
Paul
Eshleman
Director
The JESUS Film Project
More details about this supernatural encounter appear in Paul Eshleman's
book, The Touch of JESUS, along with scores of other exciting stories
from the mission field. To find out how you can receive your own copy, please
call 1-800-432-1997, or you can reach us through the Internet at: http://www.jesusfilm.org/
If you would like to help, we've created two easy, quick ways to send your gift.
You can call toll free 1-800-432-1997 and send your gift today by
credit card or you can use the internet and send your gift over our encryption-protected
secure server. Just go to: http://www.jesusfilm.org/easygift
Why would Jesus want the main thrust of evangelism through the
proclamation of the gospel of Christ to go toward those who exist on "life
rafts"--the halt, maimed, sick and destitute of this world? Jesus gave us the
reason in the following parable: Matthew 22:1-10. "Jesus spoke to them again in
parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding
banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the
banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more
servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my
dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is
ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' But they paid no attention and went
off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants,
mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and
destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants,
'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go
to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the
servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find,
both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests." Matthew 19:30
states, "But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be
first."
Historically the main thrust of the Church Jesus founded on
Pentecost, 31 A.D. has been straight evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 4). But
as the Good farmer, Jesus wants all his fields harvested of those willing to
heed the call to salvation. Some of those fields are located on the "Titanic of
modern society" and some are located on the "life rafts." Each harvesting
tool--pre-evangelism and evangelism--has its specific purpose in Jesus Christ's
overall operational harvest plan. Let's use these tools wisely in order to
achieve the greatest harvest yet, before Winter sets in (Matthew 24).
One last thought. Those of us who've been richly blessed in this world's goods
need to not only support the evangelizing efforts of those bringing our poorer
brothers and sisters to Christ, but we need to support these poorer churches
being raised up in the third world with the substance we have been so richly
blessed with. We Christians in the United States and wealthier western nations
have the responsibility to support our poorer Christian brethren--without
regard to denomination--in these third world countries where the harvest of
souls is being so plentifully reaped. Then our joy in the wedding banquet of
Jesus will be complete.
I just thought of another reason the
pre-evangelism approach must also be used, as well as that of straight
evangelism--the moral obligation of Christianity. RMS Titanic knew there were
many icebergs out there. Radio reports were coming in all the time to that
effect. We Christians have the perfect prior knowledge--prophetically
speaking--of the massive collision coarse man's Titanic society is on with the
prophecied "iceberg" of the tribulation. We must not fail to send out those
"radio reports." God takes this obligation very seriously. Ezekiel 33:1-9
states, "The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, speak to your countrymen
and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against the land, and the people of
the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the
sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to ward the people, then if
anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword come and takes
his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the
trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had
taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword
coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and
takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin,
but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'
Son of man, I
have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and
give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will
surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that
wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.
But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so,
he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself." You might say that
our moral obligation to both pre-evangelize and evangelize the known world is
summed up in what God said to Ezekiel here. God's statement here can be applied
either way with equal moral force.
This finishes describing the basic tools of evangelism (and pre-evangelism). Now CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL has written another letter describing a specialized tool they've developed in the area of direct evangelism. I reproduce that letter here just in case you wish to lend support to this worthy cause of helping our youth who go off to college for the first time every fall semester.
---------------------------------------------------
CAMPUS
CRUSADE
FOR
CHRIST
INTERNATIONAL
100
Sunport Lane, Orlando, Florida 32809, U.S.A. Telephone (407) 826-2000 William
R. Bright, President
Dear Partner in helping reach the world for
Christ,
I know we're just now coming up on the winter semester at
colleges and universities around the nation, but allow me to take you back six
or seven months…
Excitement for the coming summer…stress at
the onset of finals…sadness at having to say goodbye to friends for the
summer. Last Spring, the last few weeks of classes at universities around the
nation brought a rush of emotions and activity.
Every club and
organization on campus was busy making plans for the new year. Officers were
elected, dates were set, and plans made to kick off this year. And the target
of all the activity was the incoming freshmen class. Gay and Lesbian Pride
societies sat down to discuss how to push their agenda. Perhaps something
subtle--like a meeting on tolerance complete with free fast food--would be the
best way to attract the freshmen. The New Age club may have voted to give out
free crystals to all new incoming students. Most school administrators were
determining the most effective ways to hand out safe sex packets.
There
is no doubt about it. From the very first week that this year's incoming
freshmen arrived on campus, they were bombarded by destructive forces--many of
which had been planning all summer and longer. Fliers announcing drinking
parties floated around every building. Each dorm may have announced a "condom
monitor"--the student who give out free condoms on demand. Most of these young
people are away from home for the first time and vulnerable because they feel
alone and just want to "fit in." That party may sound extremely attractive--a
way to meet people. And the condoms? The administration is just making sure
everything is "safe."
The young people of our nation are under
attack--an attack that will be re-energized as the winter semester opens. Yes,
they are vulnerable--perhaps "easy targets" for radical organizations to prey
on. But all is certainly not lost. The past several years, the Campus Ministry
of Campus Crusade for Christ has been able to launch a highly effective
"counterattack"--a strategy which answers these young people's burning
questions and provides an alternative to the all-too-prevalent destructive
lifestyle found on college campuses.
The strategy revolves around the
Freshmen Survival Kits--perhaps the best way to reach young people with
the news of Jesus Christ we have ever seen. The Kits include a New
Testament complete with a four-point outline of the Gospel and a section on the
top five questions college students would ask God, the book More than a
Carpenter by Josh Mcdowell, a Christian music CD, information on Campus
Crusade for Christ meetings on campus, and other relevant materials. They are
usually rushed to students as early as possible in the semester--in time to
reach these vulnerable young people with the Truth before other forces sway
their minds and new and destructive behavior are set.
Allow me to share
with you a little bit about the results we have seen from this strategy in the
past year.
Linfield College, Portland: Milan entered college with
absolutely no religious background. He had never read any of the Bible; he had
no idea what a relationship with God was about. One day, Mark a Campus Crusade
staff member, stopped by Milan's room to give him the Freshman Survival
Kit and talk to him about Jesus. That very day, Milan opened his heart to
Christ. On their second meeting, Milan told Mark that he had been reading the
book of Matthew from the Bible he had received in the Kit. Milan is now
involved in a small group Bible Study, and is already learning how to
communicate his new-found faith with other students.
Converse College:
A staff member happened to run into a young student who was carrying her Bible
from the Freshman Survival Kit. The next day, a student leader named
Daisy stopped buy her dorm room to talk. As they spoke, the young lady
confessed to Daisy: "God has been getting my attention." She went on to tell
Daisy that, the night before, she had read the four-point outline of the Gospel
which is printed in back of the Bible from the Kits. Through those
simple materials, she had already trusted Christ on her own.
University
of Tennessee, Chattanooga: Greg Symour lives at the Kappa Sigma fraternity
house. When he gave out the Kits to his fraternity brothers, he didn't
know what to expect. But he soon found out. In the weeks after the
distribution, he said that everywhere you went in the house, you could see
evidence of the Kits. Pornographic magazines used to be the only things
lying around. Now, everywhere you look you can see something from a Kit.
A Bible lying on a coffee table, or a tape in the VCR. Sometimes Greg even
comes home to hear the Christian music CD blasting throughout the house. What a
difference!
These young people have been exposed to the Truth, and it is
changing their lives. The Kit is a remarkable tool. It can be effective
even without a staff member or Christian student present to "guide" the
freshmen through it. It reaches segments of the campus community (like
sororities and fraternities) that may never have been willing to attend a Bible
study because it wasn't their "thing." It is a great way to get students who
are already Christians involved in evangelism because the Kits are in
demand and easy to use--a non-intimidating way to share the Gospel. And because
of their high visibility and conversation-sparking materials, our Director of
New Ministries has proclaimed that the Kits are literally THE BEST WAY
to launch new ministries on more campuses--ministries which, in the years to
come, will touch the lives of thousands!
As you can see from the above
stories, the Kit is working. Students are drawn to the alternative it
offers; something deep inside keeps telling them that the parties, mystical
religions, and "safe" sex are meaningless--they need the fulfillment that only
comes from Jesus Christ.
Would you be willing to help offer them that
fulfillment?
Our goal is to distribute 200,000 Kits this school
year--twice as many as last year. We also plan on using them to launch entirely
new movements on 80 campuses this year alone! Would you consider the part you
could play in making this happen? Each Kit costs just $18 for
EVERYTHING--including all the materials, packaging, and transport. That means
your gift of just $54 could reach three freshmen. $180 could reach ten! Your
support would be especially valuable at this time as we look forward to
launching those new ministries. The Freshmen Survival Kits would just be
the seeds--years of discipleship and growth for thousands of students would be
the fruit. And you could consider each Kit a personal gift to an
incoming freshman--something to offer them hope as they feel vulnerable and
alone, away from home for the first time.
Your investment will multiply
itself immediately, for we know that each of those 200,000 Kits will
actually reach three, four, or even five students, since the young people who
get them tend to "pass them around" and expose their friends. That means that
as many as ONE MILLION STUDENTS could be reached in this coming year
alone!
The possibilities are enormous--the Word of God in the hands of
every freshman, as invitation to examine Christian viewpoints on pressing
issues, the encouragement to get involved with a Christian group on-campus--an
alternative for these young people just as destructive forces seek to unravel
their lives. I urge you to be a part of this efficient, exciting, and highly
effective strategy in reaching young people for Christ. The winter semester is
almost upon us, so I must implore you to act quickly so that printing,
packaging, and distribution can be completed before other harmful forces (which
were planning all summer and last semester) get a firm hold on our young
people. Please use the enclosed envelope to send your gift today.
I
want to let you know how much I appreciate your concern for the young
people--the future leaders--of our nation. Thank you so much.
Yours for
turning lost students into
Christ-centered laborers,
Steve
Sellers
P.S. The Freshmen Survival Kits strategy has already had
such a great impact for Christ on students around the nation. Your partnership
in this strategy would take these Kits even further and put them into
the hands of even more seeking students. Thank you so much!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
address on the reply envelope for making a contribution is:
CAMPUS CRUSADE
FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL
PO BOX 628222
ORLANDO FL 32862-9841
If
your church congregation is in a college town or near one, you might consider
supporting this project as a church-sponsored group effort. I don't know if
Campus Crusade for Christ International would put on the literature, for
example: "Paid for by The First Baptist Church of --------" or not. I don't
know. You'd have to ask them what their policy is. Everyone who is called to
Jesus Christ through evangelism needs to be discipled. The best and most proven
way to disciple someone who has favorably responded to evangelism has always
been through the local congregation, and not para-church organizations. Thus
there ought to be a direct link between para-church organizations and the local
church congregations in these respective college communities. It would be well
worth it to write Campus Crusade for Christ International and discuss this
issue with them, especially if your church congregation is located in a college
community.
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come" (Matthew 24:14).
Now we've got a good idea of what evangelism is, where and how
we get the power to evangelize, and we have looked at a few effective tools of
evangelism. It's time now to zero in on the evangelizing goal Jesus gave us to
accomplish, and how we may be able to achieve that goal--in spite of the
doctrinally disunited condition we find the body of Christ in. You know, when I
think of all the petty secondary doctrinal differences that separate the
Christian fellowships and denominations which make up the body of Christ, I
found myself seriously wondering how in the world Jesus would accomplish
Matthew 24:14 using this same divided and disunited body of believers, called
the body of Christ. We can't even agree on what Jesus meant by his statement
"this gospel of the kingdom" found in Matthew 24:14! Then I saw what
Campus Crusade For Christ International was doing with the JESUS Film
Project. Many of us, from Worldwide and many other Christian fellowships
have been under the misconception that the gospel couldn't reach into the
poorer and less educated peoples, especially those who are totally illiterate
and uneducated. I also remember that Mr. Armstrong used to marvel at the
ability of modern radio to spread the gospel far and wide, or at least his
concept of the gospel. Other Christian fellowships were sending missionaries
into these poorer regions, but language was always a barrier to a better
understanding of the gospel for these people they were trying to reach. In this
20th century, while our missionaries were struggling to preach the
gospel effectively in areas where it was not well known, areas where 95 percent
of the world's population lives, we were overlooking a unique evangelizing
tool--a combination of modern technology and our ability to translate and
understand every language spoken on this earth--the modern movie! Then came the
"JESUS" film! It was capable of reaching people where they were at. Language
was no longer a problem! And beyond that, Campus Crusade had now made the film
available to over a hundred other mission organizations. This was a film
that could help the entire body of Christ. It needed to be
shared. Another thing that makes the JESUS Film's method of
preaching "this gospel of the kingdom around the world" desirable is
that it can be interdenominationaly supported and distributed without
doctrinal differences getting in the way. Says respected evangelist Billy
Graham, and I quote, "In Matthew 24 Jesus declared that prior to His second
coming to earth the gospel of the Kingdom would be preached to the whole world.
Perhaps God is using this film JESUS, as one of the means to hasten the
day when "every knee shall bow" before our great King."
God gave
Bill Bright the vision of producing the film on the life of Jesus. Hundreds of
millions of people have viewed this film of the greatest life ever lived, in
more than two hundred different languages; and it is the prayer target of
Campus Crusade to show the film to five billion people in 271 languages and
1,000 dialects by A.D. 2000. What could not be accomplished through the printed
word, and through distribution of the written Word, is dynamically being
accomplished by the showing of the "JESUS" film in over 200 languages
around the world! The previous letter about the showing of this film in
southern Africa clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of this film as a means
of evangelizing and preaching the gospel around the world.
Matthew 24:14 states, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all
the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." What
end is Jesus talking about? Read the next verse. "When ye therefore shall see
the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the
holy place...then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains..." (vs.15-16).
So we see by Jesus' own discourse given here to the apostles, that following
right after the worldwide proclamation of "this gospel of the kingdom", the
tribulation, or World War III starts. This war, as prophecy shows, lasts only
three and a half years, and is cut short by Jesus Christ's dramatic return to
save mankind from genocide. Now the question is, as I raised before, "How in
the world can a disunited Christianity get it's act together and support the
proclaiming of the gospel of the kingdom around the world in a unified manner
so that it can be accomplished as Jesus wants it accomplished?" No one Christian
fellowship or denomination possesses the resources, financial or otherwise,
to do the job alone. Neither do they possess the unity to even agree to what
Jesus meant by the statement, "this gospel of the kingdom." Some think it means
what he was talking about in Matthew 24. Others think he was talking about the
gospel of Christ which Paul taught about in Romans (which Matthew 25 briefly
describes). Some think it is a combination of Matthew 24 and 25, which is in
reality a single discourse given by Jesus starting in Matthew 24:4 and ending
in Matthew 26:1 (with Matthew 24:14 right in the middle). About all we Christians
can agree upon is that a film which gives the exact dialogue of one of the gospel
accounts of Jesus' life would be preaching the gospel which we could all agree
upon as being the gospel, containing Jesus' own words as he spoke them, and
the account of his life, death, burial and resurrection to immortality. Thus
this "JESUS" film is interdenominational. It's preaching around the world
can be commonly supported by all the various Christian fellowships and denominations
which make up the body of Christ. So do we want to accomplish Matthew 24:14
as Jesus said we would? I hope that is our desire no matter what Christian fellowship
we belong to. There aren't many evangelism tools we all can use in common. And
we certainly don't possess the resources for any one of us to go it alone. If
any one of you is interested in learning more about supporting this means of
evangelizing, I strongly suggest you order a copy of the "JESUS" film
for yourself. Accompanying it will be Paul Eshleman's I Just saw JESUS,
a book which describes this film in action--evangelizing, spreading the gospel
of the kingdom around the world. You can order online at: http://www.jesusfilm.org or order by mail
at: The JESUS Film Project, P.O. Box 628222, Orlando, FL 32862-9841. (For you
members of the Worldwide Church of God, you well know the central overriding
goal of the Worldwide Church of God was to preach "this gospel of the kingdom"
around the world. Now Mr. Billy Graham has shown us a way in which we can pitch
in with the rest of the body of Christ to accomplish that very goal--in its'
new covenant application! How wonderful! Maybe our collective goal as a Christian
fellowship hasn't been taken away after all. Maybe it has been expanded and
enhanced by all the new things the Lord has brought us into an understanding
of. As we refocus our understanding of God's Word, as he has led us to be able
to do, there stands the central overriding goal we had originally, bigger and
better than ever before! Praise the Lord, for he is good!)
How
urgently are funds needed to provide for the various translations that are
needed to reach the over five billion people on this earth? I quote from pages
90-91 of I Just Saw JESUS, "We drove a few kilometers farther, and the
driver stopped the car. Together we walked several yards off the road to a
clearing where a chilling sight silently told its story. A pile of sun-bleached
skulls lay clustered together. These men and women had not died of starvation;
they had been executed for stealing food during the famine. The pyramid of
skulls lay in the scorching sun, a constant warning to others.
I picked
up a skull in each hand, touching the reason for JESUS. How many of
these Karamajong had had the chance to hear...before it was too late for them?
More than seven years have passed, but the funds we need to translate
JESUS into their language still have not been provided. Until someone
cares--enough to give--the few faithful missionaries in Karamoja will have to
continue the struggle to feed a spiritually hungry people alone."
This massive job of fulfilling Matthew 24:14 is spanning the globe, but it is
solely driven forward by contributions coming in from the various Christian
fellowships and denominations that care to support this interdenominational
group of believers called Campus Crusade For Christ International. Jesus gave
the assignment to every Christian. In proper fashion of adding like Scripture
to like Scripture, lets read it again. Matthew 24:14 is talking in context with
the end times, when mankind would possess the ability to kill all life on the
planet (read Matthew 24:21-22). It is not talking about this gospel of the kingdom
being spread around the world in earlier times of the church era, but the times
we find ourselves in right now. So what is Jesus' assignment for us? We have
to take this assignment in context with the general assignment which he gave
to the church to be carried out over the millennia, which is Matthew 28:18-20,
"And Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age." And Acts 1:6-9, "So when they met together, they
asked him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?'
He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has
set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes
on [upon] you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' After he had said this, he was taken
up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." Now let's
read Matthew 24:14 again, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in
the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
If any one of you doubt about the times we live in as being the end times, all
you need do is look around at the weapons of mass destruction we have around
us. The world's finite ability to feed the ever-growing population is another
problem that will find a solution in mass famines, also predicted in Matthew
24. A European super-state has also been prophesied to come on the scene at
the time of the end. I won't get into that here, but if you wish to research
that further, Chuck Missler's Koinonia House ministry has an interesting two
cassette tape series titled IRON mixed with CLAY, The Emergent European Superstate.
This can be ordered online at: http://khouse.org
The times we live in
are indeed serious. It is not the time for Christians to be sleeping. Jesus
warned us to be watchful, doing his work, and not carousing about. Jesus made
this statement specifically for us in this day and age where we have the
ability to destroy all life from off this planet: "Be careful, or your hearts
will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life,
and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the earth. Be always on
watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and
that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36). Many of
us need to open our eyes, and start doing his work. For some of us, that means
supporting other Christians and Christian groups who are on the front lines of
evangelism, groups like Campus Crusade For Christ International, or any other
group which is doing a similar work.
Our reward is drawing close. Let us
not grow tired or weary in well-doing. Let us wake up if we have been sleeping
spiritually, before it is too late, like Jesus warned in Luke 21:34-36. Jesus
spoke another warning that applies to luke-warm Christians, in Matthew 7:21-22.
He stated, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many
will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and
in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them
plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!'" The ones Jesus is
talking about are the ones who hear his words, but don't do them (Matthew
7:24-27). Another key area of Scripture where Jesus warned a group of
Christians about luke-warmness is found in Revelation 3:14-21. The final era of
the Christian church was prophesied to be a church that was spiritually
drousy--lukewarm. This era would be a church era that would be physically rich
in goods, their physical needs satisfied. This very Church era being talked
about in Revelation 3:14-21 lives on into the great tribulation--World War III!
They were probably too busy pursuing their own pleasures to be interested in
pursuing the things that please God. What pleases God? Jesus said basically,
"My pleasure, my joy, is to be doing the Work of God." What Work was that? We
just read about it. Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 24:14; Acts
1:6-8--EVANGELISM!!!
The
following is a message from Elvin L. Ridder, U.S. Ministries
Development
Coordinator for Campus Crusade for Christ:
During this past week, my heart has been really encouraged to hear what God is doing around the world through Campus Crusade for Christ and the many other ministries that it partners with.
In one very closed country in the Mid East, over 1,000 people were baptized last year. In another very closed country, the number of believers has increased 18 times during just the past two years.
The Lord, in one village, caused the entire village to dream the same dream one night. It was a dream about a man who said he could direct them to God. Just a few weeks later, a JESUS Film team member came to show the "JESUS" Film and the face of Jesus on the film was the face they saw in the dream. The entire village came to Christ.
Our God is a God of miracles!
In Switzerland, over 10,000 people since January 1, have gotten down on their knees to pray and fast for 40 days that Switzerland may experience a new Reformation! This has all been through a grass-roots effort.
God is at Work!
Please consider becoming a part of this by joining in collective fasting and prayer November 11-13 in Houston, Texas. Just go to http://www.fastingprayer.com/ for details.
Also, Dr. Bright has written a book called "A Man Without Equal" to present who Jesus is. This is a great book and I'd encourage you to look at it. You can find it at http://www.ccci.org/man-without-equal/.
Thanks for letting me share with you.
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Elvin L. Ridder
U.S. Ministries Development Coordinator
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