I’m trying to read a book but I can’t make progress. It is not because it is boring or too difficult. It is because it is potent. What book is it? It is Richard Baxter’s A Call to the Unconverted.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Baxter does have some errant theology that must be corrected (issues on justification, etc.). But, he is not Roman Catholic. He is not even Wesleyan perfectionism or Anabaptist. Though not necessarily Reformed, he was Protestant and Puritan. As with anyone, we should learn to adhere to what is true even when they err elsewhere.
What is so potent about this work? Well, consider some quotes:
“The Lord sees how you forget Him and your chief end, and how you make light of everlasting things, as if you don’t understand what to do. He sees how bold you are in sin, and how fearless you are of His upcoming judgment, and how careless you are of your own soul, and how the works of the wicked are in your lives, even while the beliefs of Christianity are in your mouths. He sees the dreadful day at hand, when your sorrows will begin, and that you must weep for all this while in hell in torment and desperation. This will happen if true conversion doesn’t happen to you now.”
“God sees and pities you, while you are drowned in worldly cares and pleasures, and eagerly following childish toys, and wasting that short and precious life for a thing of nothing, when rather you should prepare yourself for everlasting life.”
“But alas! to the grief of our souls and to your undoing, you stop your ears [at our preaching], you stiffen your necks, you harden your hearts and send us back to God with groans, to tell Him that we have done His message, but can do no good on you, nor scarcely get a sober hearing from you.”
These are merely from the first page of his book.
Do We Long For Jesus?
It is tragic and terribly sad at the low level of Christian living today. I’m actually not thinking about certain actions or ceasing from certain actions—although that’s worth talking about another time.
I’m greatly concerned about a widespread lack of spiritual interest in God. We’re not discussing details of holiness or even how to pursue purity in relationships. Rather, this is just about showing a desire to delight in the God of the Bible.
What I don’t mean is a general spiritual interest. That is unquenchable (see Romans 1:18-32). I’m talking about a spiritual interest in God Himself as He is revealed in the gospel.
Around Stillwater. Across Oklahoma. In the Southeast. Around our denomination. It appears that we are content to put up with Christian complacency.
“But, you don’t know the hearts of people! This is really judgmental for you to say!”
Maybe you’re right. But what is interesting is that most genuine Christians who have heard me or someone else say this have often responded with the disciples and said, “Is it I” (Mark 14:19)? It is the known hypocrites that become most offended.
I knew it was time to walk away from football when I saw the Lord take away my desire for the game and put it into full-time ministry. I knew I wanted to marry my wife when I realized I wanted to be with her my whole life. I knew my previous pastor loved me because he invested time and effort in me.
And yet how often we not only fail to rebuke but positively affirm and assure a self-professing Christian that they don’t need to submit to all of God’s Word or pursue Him with their whole life. It’s as if it is an absurd idea that the Infinite God who is King of Kings, the Creator and Preserver of our very being, the Author and Finisher of our salvation, and the chief delight of any creature—it’s as if it’s crazy and ludicrous to tell a professing Christian that they ought to love the LORD their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It’s as if it’s too much to ask of finite being, who owes Him their very existence, to delight in the Infinite One. It’s as if it’s a cardinal sin to tell someone to repent of their idols of career, felt-happiness, sexual gratification, family, or “easy-believism” and to return to the LORD.
This seems to be our Christian culture at the moment.
Do We Long For Souls?
Here is the bigger problem: Why does it seem like few pastors care about this? I’m not talking about pastors “out there” but pastors in our denomination of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) or like-minded denominations.
“Well, this sounds awfully self-righteous of you to say that you’re one of those ‘few pastors’ who cares. Once again, how can you say this about fellow men in your denomination? You don’t know their hearts!”
Once again, maybe you’re right. To be sure, I feel like I’ve only received this concern for the lost because of the Lord blessing me with faithful pastors in the past and fellow pastors in the present. It is true that numerous men in the PCA feel this and promote this—and for that I am so grateful and only want to further it. Matter of fact, I have a solid group of friends and mentors who seem to be gripped by this concern.
At the same time, I have often met pastors who seem to have little burden for the lost to be saved—this comes across as even for those in their own congregation. Sure, I might be totally misreading this every single time. May the Lord rebuke me and open my eyes. Yet, I have heard few sermons calling people to believe in Jesus. I have seldom heard someone plead with me to come to Jesus for abundant grace and pardon. I have heard many sermons that speak little about Jesus and His free grace and far more about our work, efforts, and actions in society. And most often, preaching is often passion-less. It is too cool to show alarm for those who are lost. It is too relaxed to woo people to Christ.
It is like the preaching the preceded that of Daniel Rowland in Wales:
“‘Christianity was not so much a subject of enquiry, but…discovered to be fictitious…a principal subject of mirth and ridicule.’ The sermons of the clergy were usually rational and ethical, rather than scriptural and evangelical, and the great concern in preaching was for sedate propriety, moderation, and a smooth style…[Griffith Jones says of the preaching the predated Rowland] Many make a shift to frame their discourse as it were in an unknown language to the people…empty speculations, high and lofty quaint phrases…without any intimation of repentance, regeneration, etc…True piety is not a little impaired, which calls for the most vigorous endeavours for the recovering of its practice and purity.
Today, preaching is often cool, calm, collected. Some men in the pulpit are like the middle school boy walking the hallways trying to keep a relaxed composure and not show any passion for anything except to be thought of as “cool” or “chill”. The cardinal sin in the pulpit today is to give off “bad vibes”—which is often whenever we actually evangelize.
To the contrary, when people came to hear Daniel Rowland (1711-1790) preach they used phrases to describe his preaching, such as: “God’s authority,” “the Spirit like a blazing fire,” “God pours down His presence,” “as the day of the apostles,” “the work of God.” Eifion Evans says, “Under his preaching the awareness of God excluded all thoughts of human learning or gifts.”
Forgive me for being young and naïve. This is most likely just youthful passion or merely personality that’s been shaped by the sports world. It might be because of my Enneagram or Myers-Briggs profile. Or, it’s probably because I’m legalistic and want to pile burdens on people to respond to God’s immutable and eternal love for us with our glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever.
And now, I’m sounding too obsessed with theology and catechisms.
And by now, I’m definitely sounding defensive!
Yet, there is a grand difference between being defensive and making a defense.
Matthew 18:12-13 says, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.”
The way Jesus is telling this parable is through the use of rhetorical questions with an obvious answer.
Of course we would go after the lost sheep! And this is God’s very heart (v14).
Wouldn’t it show us that we are less godly than we think if we don’t have something of this desire working in us? And if we have this desire then wouldn’t it eventually result in fruit?
In his classic work, The Soul Winner, Charles Spurgeon once said, “Our first care must be that the sheep are gathered to the Great Shepherd.” And if the sheep aren’t being gathered then it exposes our negligence. “If there is no increase, you may calculate with considerable accuracy that there is not much being done.”
Spurgeon is not talking about mere church growth but true Church growth. He is talking about conversions and people being added to the True Church.
Not only is this important but it should be our first priority. “Soulwinning is the chief business of the Christian; indeed, it should be the main pursuit of every true believer.” As pastors, “we aim to bring souls to Christ rather than to make converts to our churches.”
The more we see the greatness, goodness, graciousness, and glory of our God the more we will long for others to see the same. It says a lot about us if we promote a contentment with Christian complacency.
The answer of our day is bigger preaching of a big God and a big gospel of grace. And when we understand the gospel we will grow in our desire to see fellow sinners come to Jesus with all their wretchedness and be saved by grace alone.
And in the spirit of what I often hear in poor sermons today, I won’t demand you to believe this. I’ll leave it up to you to take it or leave it. To heed it or to think it hysterical. Lord forbid that we demand people to heed what He commands (Matt. 28:18-20)!