Then Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to him.” vs65

No one, absolutely no one, can come to the Lord Jesus unless the Father does 100% of the calling. There is no power in man, no skillfulness to charm him, and nothing we can do without the Holy Spirit. It is imperative that God does the saving, or the most eloquent, clear, and profound presentation of the gospel will be rejected.

I preached on the streets yesterday and saw two things, when I looked at the video.

One, the area around me was filthy, impoverished, and not like California, my home. Yet, I thanked God with tears that I am willing to be here or anywhere on earth that He sends me, even to the death. I know this is not me - the selfishness or glory seeking of the flesh. This is because HE REDEEMED ME from a horrible pit of corruption that I could not get myself out of, and would have perished in, if not for sovereign mercy - a pit of iniquity, shame, and failure.

I saw a second thing, however! Sinners were passing by the gospel, as if it was nothing! It was not neglected because it is preached everywhere, but because they have no appetite for spiritual things: In a land of much religion, Lagos Nigeria is exceedingly dark. Shomolu is a dark place. The street where I live in Bariga is unconcerned.

I thought about God sending me all this way with a message of light and understanding - the true gospel - and how many pass it by! It is heartrending. If anything would cause us to weep rivers of tears, it is this: (1) Our redemption by the Spirit of Christ from the pit of corruption into consecration and joy… (2) Those who PASS BY THE GOSPEL to their own shame and confusion on the Last Day.

I walk these streets thinking, “I’ve got to do something to get the gospel to them.” I can do more, and do it more wisely. So can you. You can send and support missionaries. You can stop being so comfortable and become more concerned. But, one thing I know: if we sent 1,000 missionaries, without God’s Spirit, they can do nothing. I know if God never sent these people a preacher, and they perished, then He’d be absolutely just.

Man rejected God in the Garden of Eden, Cain killed Abel, and a few generations later there was the Flood. Men forgot all about God, when they were old enough to know somebody who knew Adam!

Mankind is in a pit of his own digging. He rejected God when he knew God, so God gave him up to ignorance, and he taught his children lies.

“Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.” [Rom 1:24-25]

Their great, great grandchildren DO THE EXACT SAME THING, when the gospel is preached. Don’t tell me it’s unfair for God to send “untaught” men to hell. He did teach their fathers, and the children are no different. They’ve got the light of nature. Yes, we must send missionaries to teach them, using every means that we can, but they are without excuse. The gospel is rejected, unless God gives light.

What shall we do?

1. Pray. Let us lift up our voices to God, as the weaklings that we are, for Him to speak in the power of the Spirit to the heart.

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook,

Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? [Job 41:1]

2. Labor for His glory. Let us never seek to be great but to make known His greatness in language that people understand.

“For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” [Phil 2:21]

3. Depend on the Spirit and not ourselves. We seem to think intellectual arguments and debate will get the job done. Yes, God uses means, but He uses Himself with the jawbone of an ass.

“He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.” [Judges 15:15]

It’s not the intellect that made Paul great; it is the Spirit, and God called fishermen to prove the point.

“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, unlearned men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” [Acts 4:13]