This article originally appeared in the August 10 1997
Pentecostal Evangel

We must tell them

Vantage point by Ken Horn

Rusty Jones worked at a factory. Day in and day out, he did the same work with the same people. Bill* was one of those he worked alongside. For some time, God had been dealing with Rusty to share his faith with Bill, whom he saw only at work.

He firmly planned to witness to his coworker. But time rolled on and he just didn’t get around to it. There would be plenty of opportunities, he thought.

One Monday morning, Rusty arrived at work. He noticed Bill was not in his place. Word came that Bill wouldn’t be at work. Over the weekend he had been killed in an automobile accident. The chances that had presented themselves day after day were suddenly at an end. Rusty would never tell Bill about Jesus.

Full of grief and conviction, Rusty penned the words of a song he titled, "Why Didn’t I Tell Him?" On a Sunday morning, Rusty tearfully confessed his failure to his church; then he sang the song. In part, it said:

We were only passing friends…
I didn’t know if he was saved;
I planned to tell him soon about Jesus.
But they told me today,
that my friend had passed away,
a car wreck had taken his life,
and all I could think about was—my friend without Jesus.
I should have told him; why didn’t I tell him?…

Lord, You know I prayed for words,
but those words I never spoke.
Now he’s gone and he will never hear them.
But deep down I feel that he would have believed;
now he’s gone, he’ll never know.
Father, forgive me, for I failed You when I didn’t tell him; why didn’t I tell him?
I should have told him.

Rusty is not alone.

We would probably be stunned to know how many Christians had waited just a little too long. I am one.

My wife Peggy worked at a bank. God impressed her to go out of her way to witness to one of her elderly customers. He lived some distance out of town so we planned to stop when we drove by. That day came. Near the end of a long day, we traveled right past his house. But we were tired, so we planned to stop the next time.

And we did. But he wasn’t there. We only passed up the opportunity once. But it was once too often. He was in eternity—and the visit would never be made.

How many have stepped into eternity without Christ because Christians didn’t have a sense of urgency? And time ran out.

No, they won’t all receive Jesus. My mother once felt such an urgency for someone close to her that she got down on her knees and begged him to consider Christ. He wouldn’t; and he died young.

But many will receive Christ. It is not our job to save them. But it is our responsibility to tell them.

"How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them?" (Romans 10:14, CEV).

Christian, don’t wait any longer to speak to that one God has laid on your heart. There is too much at stake.

Rusty’s song ends:

If you have a friend that’s lost,
speak today and not tomorrow
because for them tomorrow may not come….
all our lost friends must be told.
We must tell them. Yes, we must tell them.

*Name has been changed.