Passion for Souls — Edgar Reich

The Watchman's Responsibility to Warn the Wicked

Do you feel it is your duty to share Christ with others? Are you a Christian? Or do you say, no, no, no, that is not for me. The message today is passion for souls. Passion for souls. The text comes from Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 18 and there it says in Ezekiel chapter 3 verse 18 When I say to the wicked you shall surely die and you give him no warning.

Nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. That same wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his blood I will require from your hand. I was saved in year 2004 and Shortly after I was saved The Lord asked me to share my testimony, but I was very very unwilling to do so I was in big business and I traveled all over the world.

I had to travel to Japan and I got a dream at night and the dream was that I needed to take a Bible in the Japanese language to Tokyo, Japan Where I would meet with board members from Hitachi Chemical.

Now, I said Lord, I don't think I can do that. You know, I Can't lose my job right now Lord I've started to support some missionaries. How are they gonna get along if I lose my job Lord? And so I started to argue and plead with the Lord that I would not have to take that Japanese Bible.

And then what happened was that I couldn't sleep at night and then for several nights I could not sleep and the Lord impressed on my heart. I had to take this Japanese Bible. So I finally gave in I wrote to the American Bible Society and ordered a Bible in Japanese.

I had an upcoming board meeting in Tokyo Japan and I was to meet and I will change his name for security reasons. But it's a Japanese name. Let's call Mr. Hashimoto Mr. Hashimoto the president of a joint venture company where I represented the American owners and Where Hitachi represented their ownership and I would meet with six board members and Mr. Hashimoto and So I ordered this Bible.

I received it in time and then in those days It was customary to bring a present for each board member. So my secretary had wrapped up some silk ties and silk socks for the other board members and Then there was this Japanese Bible and she wrapped it up for me.

And I took them all on the plane and I traveled for nine hours from Los Angeles To Japan by airplane and during the nine hours I pleaded with God I prayed and I said no Lord. You have to understand you have to be reasonable Lord.

Now may I present an alternative to you Lord. It meets your objectives that it also meets my objective and I said now Lord when I get there let the other six board members open up their present and Then Mr. Hashimoto, he doesn't need to open up his present.

He can do that later on when he's alone. If he is into Shintoism or if he is into Buddhism I don't know what he believes, but I don't want to offend him and I don't want to offend The Hitachi people. I got to Tokyo, Japan.

He passed out the presents. The first person who opened up his present Was Mr. Hashimoto. He ripped off the paper and then and then he did something very unusual. You see Japanese people are very very reserved.

You can hardly read what is going on in their mind, but Mr. Hashimoto he raised up his Bible into the airs and he jumped and he said a Bible a Bible a Bible a Bible and Beloved. I was just a very young Christian and I was very embarrassed.

But scripture says When you get to heaven If you deny me said the Lord Jesus, I'll deny you before the Father. So you see we have a responsibility it doesn't always fit our fears it doesn't always fit our desires.

A Providential Witness to Mr. Hashimoto

But Hashimoto Was nearly dancing with this Bible. I didn't understand. I had to leave for Australia. I came back. Three months later Mr. Hashimoto told me what had happened. He has a little tea garden in Tokyo, Japan with all of these beautiful ornamental Japanese little trees he had a Japanese stone lantern in his garden about this high and Inside this stone lantern you you put candles or oil to light Your garden and he said one day he walked in his garden and he saw a little tiny cross on the bottom of the Stone lantern and he couldn't understand what it was.

So he did research into his family history to find out what had happened and he found that his forefathers in the 16th century included some Christians and These Christians had been martyred and killed.

Obviously, there were some family members who were not Christian and that's why Mr. Hashimoto came to life. But then he said I don't understand this. I don't understand Christianity. I don't know who this Christian God is and one day he walked in his garden on a beautiful sunny day.

And he pointed to the sky and he said Christian God. I Don't know you. I don't know who you are. But if you're real send me a sign. Send me a sign. And you see then two weeks later a business man comes from America and Presents him with the truth the Word of God.

And you see God did that and God will help each one of you if you have passion for souls. God will help each one of you to do that, which he has appointed you to do. He loves you so much. You love greatly.

But he wants his love to be passed on because the second great commandment says love your neighbor as yourself. And then I got An invitation from Silas Titus. I had been called by the Lord for revival and to speak in revival and I got a phone call from a brother and he said we're going out on the streets of New York.

The Crisis of Unshared Christian Witness

Will you come and I said, let me pray about it. I'm called for revival. I'm not sure if this is for me and to my surprise the Lord said yes go out on the streets of New York and so I was teaching an adult Bible class at that particular time point and I asked the people there to pray for me and I said by the way, I have a question for you.

If I went out there with the sign about Jesus. About what will happen in the future. Will any of you laugh. And the sisters and brothers they had a little smile on their faces and then one of the sisters said Yeah, I would love if you go out there.

You see this is our state of Christianity in North America. This is our state of Christianity in North America. 80 of all Christians in North America will die without having shared their witness even once before they die.

95 of all North American Christians will die without ever leading anyone to the Lord. May I ask you what about you and what about me? So Silas Titus said come on out on the streets of New York and he said Let's pray and fast and so I fasted two days a week, but some of these African-american brothers they had fasted 40 days.

They love people. I didn't really love people yet. I Went out on the streets of New York. I went near Brownsville and I came into a crowd of 40 ,000 Americans rushed to the train station there every day.

And was standing in the middle of the crowd and I was passing out tracks and as I was passing out tracks. People were cursing at me. Here's heaven for you. Here's heaven for you. Take one and they would curse at me all day at the end of the day.

I said Lord, they don't love you and they don't certainly love me. I'm not going to go back out there and over the weekend the Lord Through his Holy Spirit said do you really love others? Do you really care for others.

Do you really follow my second commandment. Do you really follow what Jesus said to do to reach out to others? And so I said, okay Lord, I'm gonna go back out, but you've got to help me because I cannot deal with the situation.

Will you break my heart Lord? Will you break my heart? And so beloved I Went back the next Tuesday and I was again out near ground zero and rush hour came and 40 ,000 people Started rushing to me all of a sudden all sound Disappeared.

I couldn't hear anything. And I saw the people Walking in slow motion. They were walking in slow motion. And I could read on their faces what they were thinking about and they were thinking about oh, let me go get home for dinner.

I want to see my family. I got a golf game on tonight. They wanted to see football or baseball. They wanted to get to their car. They wanted their pool. There was no time for God. And then came that still small voice in me which said yes, yes, but I love them.

I Love them. I Love them. Oh Lord. Oh Lord. My heart is a heart of stone. Lord, I'm seeing the walking dead. What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do and my heart started to break and tears were running down inside of me and then tears Came to my face and I was standing in the middle of 40 40 ,000 people rushing no one noticed that here was an old man standing with tears Running down his face.

And I had seen the walking dead the walking dead to an eternity of hell and I didn't really care. I didn't care. I Didn't care a lot. Oh How terrible oh how terrible that is. God has given us this great incredible gospel to share with others and so.

Reliance on the Holy Spirit for Evangelism

Then the sound came back the slow motion Disappeared. I could hear everything. But then the still a small voice came again and said their blood will I require at your hand. If you don't tell them this is the passage we read this morning.

Their blood will I require from you and if you don't tell them later on I had to leave the United States of America home and security would not allow me to stay and Yet coming back to Canada I Have a passion for souls.

I can't help it. I Can't help it when I see people walk without the Lord. Going to an eternity of hell, how can I allow this? How can I let this happen? And so I really am asking the Lord to help me to give on the good news and to have Passion for souls, but I tremble like you do.

I'm full of fear like you do like you are. I'm full of Arguments not to do what the Bible has told us to do. And so I take four steps. I Asked the Lord to cleanse me according to his promise in First John 1 9 he says if we confess our sins He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Then I pray Lord Please fill me anew with your Holy Spirit in accordance with your promise in Luke chapter 11 verse 13 How much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask? And there is a scripture that says we need to be filled and filled again.

You see we run dry we allow sin in our lives. And so we cannot be totally filled. The third step is I believe I have to believe that God has Filled me with his Holy Spirit and that he will help me to speak the words because in Luke chapter 12 verse 12 It says for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour What you ought to say and then the fourth step is I try and open up my mouth.

Does this work? Are there examples? God is able. God is omnipotent. He's all-powerful. He will give you the love he will help you with the words. He will do everything he has promised in his word to do.

Testimonies of Open-Air Evangelism

And so let me share a few examples of how God has helped me along the way. I was sitting next to a woman Muslim on a flight and you're not allowed to Actually speak to Muslim women. It's frowned upon and so for half of the flight I was sitting and I was afraid I said Lord.

I want to speak to this Muslim woman, but I'm really afraid I Don't know what to do or how to start the conversation. What can I possibly say and about halfway through all of a sudden I said to her May I ask you where are you going and what you're doing?

And she said, oh, yes, certainly. She was a well-dressed Muslim woman. She did not wear Habib so I could see her face and She said sure sure I'd be glad to tell you what I'm doing. She said you see I take care of luxury hotels, and I want to invite you to stay in one of my hotels.

So as we continue talking I shared Christ with her. I shared my testimony with her. I said, you know God saved me From all of the promises from the business world and money and trying and all of these things and Recognition and I said I'm now I'm now Born again by the mercies of God.

I am a Christian. I have this great joy because the Bible promises us that we can make it to heaven not through works. And so she said you are a funny man. She said I I don't understand you but you're just like my father and I said what?

And she said to me, you know, our father has become a Christian and we don't understand he was Cast out of the family. He now lives alone and that moment I realized beloved sisters and brothers that there was a Christian father.

Praying for his daughter praying for his family that there might be a Christian somewhere in the world Who's willing to share the good news with his daughter and she was deeply moved. She took tracks I gave her and I believe God will save her praise God.

Everyday Evangelism and Divine Appointments

Another testimony just over here at Artisans bakery a coffee and restaurant just down here down the street we were sitting there and having some sandwiches and a bowl of soup with my daughters and A man was sitting at the window alone sitting next to us and we prayed for the food.

And when I lifted up my head He smiled at me and I smiled back at him and he said so you're Christians. And I said, yes. Yes. We are Christians. I believe in God. I believe that God is real. But I believe God is real.

And he actually made a way for us to heaven through his son Jesus and I asked him do you believe in anything? And he said no, he said I'm an atheist. I believe in nothing and I said to him You're sitting all alone.

And all all our four chairs here are taken but I would have invited you to come and sit with us. Why are you all alone? And this was the Holy Spirit and a prayer went up to heaven Lord. Cleanse me of you God cleanse me of you Lord cleanse me Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit and you give me words to say.

I don't know what to say to this man. The third part is Lord I believe that you will fill me and that you will give me words of life and the fourth part is I'm speaking praise God and so This man said to me.

Well, I'm sitting alone because my wife died. You see my wife was a Christian. But I never believed what she said and I said to him do you believe she's in heaven? And he said yes now as an atheist. He should have not said yes, so I I knew there was some faith, you know.

And so I told him about the gospel about the great gospel and then he said to me. But you can't prove that there is a God and I said, maybe I can you see I had read a book by dr Francis Collins who led the global DNA project.

There are 3 .1 billion four-letter deans DNA cells that must be in sequence. If some DNA cells are missing then you're sick if many are missing you cannot live and so I asked him are you familiar with the DNA sequence that 3 .1 billion four-letter DNA.

Things have to be in order for a person to live. What does that tell you? And He smiled at me and he said You know, I know all about Dr. Francis Collins, you see I'm a Russian nuclear scientist visiting in Canada.

But you see God, God did that. I didn't. I didn't. I just cried out. Help me Lord. I don't know the words. I fear and tremble like you do. God does it. God does it. Praise God. I was permitted to travel to Africa and it was with the Maasai people in the semi-desert near Mount Kilimanjaro and God had us share about passion for souls there and the Maasai tribes people got excited and they said Well, can we go out and share Christ?

And so we went out with six Representatives from that church. I went into the semi-desert to find people and three men got saved out there in The semi-desert and then we went to what they called a shopping center in our shopping center.

If you can think of one broken-down hut Full with seeds and tools and then maybe ten of those huts in this big circle. That was their shopping center. There was also a restaurant there a drunk Maasai came out.

And this drunk Maasai saw this white man and he thought this white man must have money. So he came running towards me grabbed me and he said give me food. Give me food. I'm hungry. And the stench of the alcohol was killing me and I said no, no, no, I have too many kids I have to take care of and there was a Christian ranger with me.

And he said yes, you will buy this man food. And I said, okay, you're bigger than I am so We went we went to a little restaurant As part of the huts and it was a dingy dark place. We went inside and I bought this man a plate of food for 50 cents.

That's all it cost and there were five people Inside that restaurant and then that big ranger then pointed to me and he said now you preach Christ. Now you preach Christ and I will translate for you. And so there were five local men inside that restaurant.

And some of them became Christians that day, beloved. Do you have any passion for souls? Do you have any passion for your family members? I was near Patterson jail in the city of Patterson in New Jersey and an unemployed Man came and he talked to me and he wanted prayer and I prayed for him and I said, do you know Jesus?

He said I know about Jesus, but I don't know him personally. And so I said, well, here's a tract. Would you consider reading these tracts and perhaps? Someday you will become a Christian and he said no, no, no, you don't understand.

I came to you because I want to become a Christian right now. Praise God. Now I do tell you some of these things where God brought a visible response. I can also tell you about hundreds and thousands of tracts that have gone out where there was no visible response.

But beloved if just one person comes to the Lord. It says what shall the prophet a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Praise God. Praise God one soul is worth more than all the money in the world.

Praise God. I was in Atlanta with a drug addict on the street and He wanted to to ask Christ to come into his life. But when I was talking with him, I didn't really think he was repentant, you know and so I tried to keep him but from taking those additional steps and I said to him you better think about it.

Are you willing to repent? And he said yes. Yes. Yes I want to accept Christ right now and then the Holy Spirit really Said now look don't you ever do that again? Don't you judge people? Let me change people.

You don't have to change people. You don't just do your job and you give the seeds. Now beloved. Some of you are saying well you travel much. Well, I also do it here in the city and I just came back from Quebec very very meager response you see Quebec is one of the least Evangelized areas in the world.

Less than 1 are Christians there. And so we had a response of 30 people. Now you might say look I'm too old and too sick to share. I'm too old you don't know me during the hospital stay in 2013 when I went to hospital.

These are my most productive times. 48 witnesses went forth. The first one was a nurse. She took my blood and she listened to the gospel. She took a track and she smiled and she thanked me. The second through to the seventh witness were six people in the operating room.

I was brought into. The operating room where six people were covered with white gowns and white hoods. They looked like the Ku Klux Klan to me in a way. They looked like people from outer space. The operations nurse explained that I had received some morphine.

But not yet the full anesthetic she said you need to stay awake for a short period of time because we're going to give you an epidural between the second and third vertebrae. We got to undress you down below and Then she did that and so I was partially exposed.

And I had to put my hands over the operating room table like this and I was bent over and all of a sudden. The thought hit me suppose I die. What about these six people? What about these six people and so I cried out to God.

I said God God God cleanse me anew. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Say words you want to say help me to open up my mouth and as I was stretched out there full of morphine I started to speak and I said morphine gives one great joy under stress.

I said. It is putting me on cloud nine. But this feeling is temporary it will go away and then I must face the pace. The pains and difficulties of life. I just wanted you to know that I know someone who gives joy forevermore and a far greater level than this morphine such great joy is Possible when we make peace with God Through his son the Lord Jesus Christ.

The joy is from God and far greater than any other joys in this life. And I passed out and I woke up and I couldn't move my legs. I thought perhaps I would never walk again, but God God was merciful. So six people had an unforgettable moment when they stand before God.

They will have no excuse. They have not. Will I require from you and if you don't tell them. What about your passion for souls? What about your passion for souls? Perhaps there are four groups of people here today.

Christ's Call to Repentance and Salvation

Christians who share Christ and Christians who would like to share Christ. Perhaps Non-christians you have never made peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and then Christians who have and are facing great difficulties.

May I tell you that we have an incredible God. Who's able to do all to help you all? To do things that are incredible. When I was in Montreal, I stayed with the pastor who's a former health angel. And this pastor and I stayed in his house was a great example to me.

You see he didn't get discouraged with passing out 15 ,000 Literatures to homes and inviting them and only 30 coming. He said no. No, it's okay. Next year we're going to go for 25 ,000 in the area next year.

We're going to do 25 ,000 the church with about 60 people like ours.

Okay 25 ,000.

Here is his testimony and I won't use his name for again for security reasons but He was a young man who became a health angel member at a young age. She became involved in gang violence. Most of the time he was on acid LSB and alcohol.

He felt he was surrounded by the devil and had a t-shirt with the inscription The devil made me for him all the small in stature. He was very powerful and muscular. He was instructed by the health angels to do a killing which he agreed to During that period of time while on LSB.

He had a vision of Satan. Satan instructed him to kill his six sisters and his mother. He wanted to carry this out, but never did. The pastor went much as he told us his story and Then he said then he met his future wife.

She was a non-christian but said to him you are on your way to hell. There's no hope for you and he got scared and he got scared and he got scared and Then he thought well, I Agree with her actually, I won't live long and I will die soon and I can never leave these health angels and Then because of his future wife he wanted to change his life pattern, but he never thought he could cut loose.

He went on another LSD trip and his mind became confused and he could not feel straight. For a whole year the health angels thought he had lost his mind on Acid. Two of the gang members became so afraid of his violence That they suggested to the whole gang to kick him out.

He was too violent even for the health angels. They kicked him out. After the year and after he recovered somewhat he felt he needed higher help. He went to a Catholic Church and did a confession. The the priest and with his blessing Reported him to the police where he would go to jail for a number of years.

He got out of jail after lengthy time. Yet his future wife was waiting for him the merit. Later on she went to a Christian gathering by a Lebanese Muslim who had become a Christian and That Christian led his wife to the Lord and he was very very upset about that.

But she said no my life now belongs to Christ and to God. And then she said to him now you must come with me. He said no, no, no I'll never go to this place but the wives have a way of turning the husband's heads and so after a while he finally gave in and He came with her To a meeting and there he met Christ Jesus the Son of God.

He never thought that Christ would take an evil man like him. He never thought that Christ could change him. He never thought that there was a new life in store. He never thought that there was a future in the hope praise God and Christ Jesus saved him and changed him and later He became a prison chapel and a chaplain and still later He and his wife became missionaries and went to a French-speaking country as missionaries.

They returned to Montreal two years ago and they started this church as a church plant and today They have 60 people there in a very hard soil praise God. I had the privilege to see this great miracle in action and to be able to stay at this pastor's house.

He was a man no one ever thought could be changed even by God, but there's nothing too hard for God. And beloved if you're here without a hope in the future may I offer you Christ Jesus. To save you he will believe on the Lord Jesus.

Christ says the Word of God and you will be saved. Repent of your sins ask Jesus to wash you whiter than snow. Believe that he died for you and your sins on a cross and that God raised him from the dead and Then follow him.

All you have to do is just use your own words. You pray to God. You're asking for the Son of Jesus. You ask for forgiveness of your sins. In fact, I beg you to do so in Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 11 God said say to them as I live says the Lord God.

I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. But that the wicked turn from his way and live turn turn from your evil ways for why should you die? Why should you die? Why be so foolish? And so beloved God did this for me.

I was a very evil man. And was born again by the Spirit of God. I'm a Christian because God had mercy on me. He will have mercy on you and and I beg you. I beg you. I beg you to do it, right? And I even beg you on my knees.

Don't go to hell. Why would you go to hell? Why would you choose such a terrible place? Believe me this God this Christian God is real even as Mr. Hashimoto. Find out God is real. There's a heaven in the hell.

Don't go to the wrong place.

A Practical Pattern for Sharing Personal Testimony

And so I beg you, I beg you, I beg you. And then beloved.

Perhaps those of you who are Christians and say I really want to have a passion for souls. And you're willing to pray today and say Lord Jesus help me to have a passion for souls. Help me. Help me. Help me.

I cannot do it on my own. I couldn't do it on my own. But God will help you. God will help you write out your testimony only three steps. How were you before? What happened when you were saved? What happened afterwards?

Make it less than five minutes because no one will listen longer than five minutes. So just make your testimony and then be ready. Ask God to open the door for you and he will even with your close family members.

God will help you. I don't have a gift for witnessing. I rely on God. I ask him for help. For an unprofitable servant like me. If God can use me he can use you and do mighty and wonderful things through me.

You see I ask God to cleanse me. Then I pray Lord, please fill me in you with your Holy Spirit. Then I say Lord, I believe you have filled me and that you will give me the words and then I open up my mouth.

Bringing Burdens to Christ

And then there are people here who have great great burdens and there was a wonderful Verse that brother Zachary had on the screen. Where we are to bring our burdens to the Lord where we are to be yoked together With Christ.

Christ is there for you. He's there to help you if you want to renew your relationship today with him. Draw close to him and he will help you. Let us pray. Heavenly Father we thank you so much for your great love for us as your children.

We thank you so much that you sent the Lord Jesus Christ. That we might live and that we might have life more abundantly. Father. I thank you so much for everyone that is here this morning Lord. I pray for those that do not know your son Jesus yet Lord I pray for them that they would even as I pray that they would cry out to you and say to you I need your son Jesus.

I need him. I believe in him. Forgive me Lord. Make me new as a Christian make me new this morning. And then there are those Lord that Christians in deep difficulties Lord turn their eyes upon Jesus The blessed your blessed son and that they would understand that He that is in them is greater than he that is in the world father.

And then Lord, I pray for the Christians who are crying out to you who do not yet share their faith Lord. Help them help them to remember the four steps help them and prepare them to do your will. Help them and do not hold it against them where they have not shared their testimony Lord and you said to us When I say to the wicked you shall surely die and you give him no warning nor speak to warn.

The wicked from his wicked ways to save his life that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity. But his blood I will require at your hand Lord. Let my hand hands be pure Lord. Let my thoughts be pure help me Lord to follow you and the way that I should Lord and that I would do.

That which is honoring to you. So be with my sisters and brothers this morning and change us all and I pray all of these things in the blessed name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we have come to the end of the service this morning and this is now the time When we will have and celebrate the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper and Christ's Substitutionary Death

Praise God, I know you've been sitting for some time. But if you would stay with us and celebrate the Lord's Supper With us that will be so kind and so wonderful now I Would like to ask the brethren who serve in the Lord's Supper to come forward now and to sit with us and As we do on every occasion when we serve the Lord's Supper we give us a short explanation of what it means to participate in the Lord's Supper and rather than me talking let me Talk to you from a gang leader from Brooklyn, New York.

From the gang leader from Brooklyn, New York. And I was out on the streets of Brooklyn and we went down the street. There was a side street. There was a gang leader sitting on the ground and there were four.

No more young people young man. Standing next to him four on one side and then on the other as well. And he was sitting on the ground and the Holy Spirit said go and go and talk to him Lord. Lord I cry out to you, you know cleanse me anew Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit.

Give me words to say help me what to say. I went over and I said to him Is it all right if I talk to you for a moment? He said sure what do you want to talk about? And I said I want to talk about the future and the hope and I want to talk about the Son of God for a moment.

He said sure go ahead. I explained the gospel to him and then he looked at me and he said I'm sorry. I understand nothing what you told me about. And so I cried out to God again and I said Lord, what do I do?

What do I do and the Holy Spirit came and said now share with him. About court and so I asked him do you know about court and he said of course I know about court. I said well in court there is a judge.

There's a prosecutor the prosecutor In my case and someday I will stand before God as a judge. The prosecutor is Satan for he's the accuser of the brethren and he will point at me and say this man has sinned greatly and if you sin, then there is a death penalty and so I Said I Really had no hope apart from other help that is available to us and because this accuser said the wages of sin is death and there is a death penalty and so I called for my defender my defender is Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God and he said To the father.

Yes, this man has sinned greatly. He's guilty. But father you have given a gift and it says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord and so This man Edgar Wright has been washed by my shed blood and he's now white as snow.