Because we serve a living God, we can have the courage to proclaim the gospel. In this confusing and dangerous time, this afternoon’s speaker, Ajai Lall, reminded us of the four voices we need to listen to and obey. These voices tell us to proclaim the gospel, a job sorely needed in India, where less than 10 percent of the population claims any tie to Christianity.
“In that area, more people have tasted Coca-Cola than have heard about Jesus Christ,” Lall said.
The first voice is the voice from Heaven. In Isaiah 6, the prophet tells us about his vision of God’s throne, and he responds to the call, “Who shall we send? Who will go for us?” Lall tied this same call to Jesus Christ’s commission to his disciples. Jesus claimed authority over heaven and earth, and unlike many of our earthly rulers, he does not abuse this authority. Rather, he uses his heavenly authority to save sinners, commanding his disciples to make more disciples, “not just converts,” Lall said. Praise be to the living God who uses fallen men and women to bring more people into His deliverance.
Secondly, voices from those trapped where sin and suffering abound call out to us. Lall labeled these as voices from Hell, referencing the parable of the rich man and poor beggar found in Luke 16. The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus, the beggar, to his family so they will not suffer the torment he is under.
Lall told a story about mothers who begged his daughter to help their daughters, because they lived in an area where large numbers of young girls are taken and sold into a brothel if left at home alone.
Voices from outsiders call to us from people who are neglected, ignored or even mistreated by society. During one of Paul’s missionary journeys, he had a dream about a Macedonian man who asked him for help, as written in Acts 16:9-10. Let us be mindful of those cast out and brushed aside as unworthy. If we have the conviction that Christ is the only hope for the world, we will share him.
The fourth and final voice is that of the Holy Spirit, the voice from inside. This is the voice that convicts us, and it is the same voice that Paul wrote about in 1 Corinthians 9:16. It is the voice that says, “Don’t just sit there.”
Lall closed his session by asking the audience to make a commitment to evangelism.
“God, it’s not about me; it’s all about you. It’s not my will, it’s your will. It’s not my agenda; it’s your agenda. Use me; send me. . . Do you hear the voice from Heaven?” Lall asked.
