by Ray Comfort
An experienced big-city firefighter was charged recently with grave neglect of duty. Prosecutors maintain that he abandoned his responsibility and betrayed the people of his city when he failed to release rescue equipment during a recent fire, resulting in the needless and tragic deaths of a family of five.
The lead prosecuting attorney said that for more than three minutes after arriving at the scene, the firefighter sat in his vehicle, wearing earphones and listening to a CD, while a family of five screamed to be rescued from the sixth floor of the burning building. Horrified bystanders reported that as flames licked at the mother's clothing, she cried out in terror and fell to her death, still clutching an infant in her arms. The distraught onlookers also said that the father held two terrified children as the massive flames engulfed him. This terrifying drama took place in full view of the firefighter as he remained seated in the fire truck, listening to the CD.
Eyewitnesses were sickened when they discovered that the reason the firefighter had remained in the locked emergency vehicle was simply to test a new high-tech CD player that he had purchased as a gift for the fire chief.
The chief immediately distanced himself from the defendant and dishonorably discharged him from the fire department. In a prepared statement, the chief said that there were no words to describe such a betrayal of those the firefighter was sworn to protect.
At the trial, the defense pleaded, "no contest," but added that the defendant had gone to great personal sacrifice to purchase the expensive gift for the chief, and he hoped that the judge would take that into account when passing sentence.
What do you think would be a fitting punishment for this firefighter's serious crime - probation? Two years in jail? Twenty years? Life? Death? What sentence would you give the negligent firefighter? Please make a judgment.
Do you enjoy worshiping God? Most people in the Church would say they do. Every Sunday all across the country, auditoriums are filled with hand-raising, God-loving Christians singing their praises to God. That's understandable, because when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, it's not hard to worship our Creator. In the light of the Cross, it's as natural to worship God as it is for flowers to open their petals in the warm sunlight.
May I ask you a personal question? When was the last time you shared your faith with an unsaved person? When did you last go out of your way to witness to a stranger? In his book, The Coming Revival, Dr. Bill Bright notes that only two percent of American churchgoers share their faith with others. That is tragic. If the love of God dwells in us, how can we not be horrified by the fate of the lost? Yet, many professing Christians today are so locked into worship (with the volume turned high) that they seem to give little or no thought to the fact that all who die in their sins will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).
Did you know that if you allow another human being to die when it's within your ability to save them, you are guilty of something called, "depraved indifference?" They are applicable words. "Depraved" means that it's as low as you can get, and "indifference" means that you couldn't care less. Think now of the terrible neglect of that firefighter. What sentence did you give him? Did you throw him in jail for two years? Did you think that such a hard-hearted human being (someone who could be only concerned with himself) should be given the death sentence? Then judge yourself by the same standard, because if you are not concerned for the lost, then you are that firefighter. If you are not seeking to save them with fear, "pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh" (Jude 1:23), you are guilty of the serious crime of "depraved indifference".
Am I saying that if we don't evangelize, we're not saved? Of course not. But if we would expect a firefighter to make saving lives a priority, are we honest enough to judge ourselves by the same standard? Are we doing all we can to rescue the lost, or are we sitting passively in the pews while people perish?
I know that what I am saying is hard to say without sounding harsh and judgmental, but I can't think of any other way to say it. Please, don't be offended. Stay with me. My purpose is not to offend, but to get your attention and present things as they really are, and they are not good. My story of the firefighter was fictitious, but what is happening in the contemporary Church is real. Think of it; only two percent doing what we are commanded to do. Oswald J. Smith said, "Oh, my friends, we are loaded down with countless church activities, while the real work of the Church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost, is almost entirely neglected." We have been gazing to the heavens while sinners are sinking into Hell.
Worship is the highest calling of every Christian, and we can see in the book of Revelation that the Church will one day be consumed in worship before the throne of the Almighty. We are going to worship God for eternity. But when we look back at the book of Acts, we don't find the Church consumed with worship. Instead, we find it was obsessed with reaching the lost, to the point that they willingly gave their lives to preach the gospel.
So, please, reevaluate your priorities, take off the earphones, unlock the doors, become equipped, and demonstrate the depth of your love for God by rescuing those who are about to perish.
