On account of him many . . . were . . . putting their faith in him. (John 12:11)
MARK’S PASSION FOR THE “LOST” amazed me. I have not met many Christians like him. During testimony times Mark would often stand up and, with tears flowing freely down his cheeks, share about the burden he had for his family and work colleagues who were not ready to enter heaven. Early Sunday mornings he would meet with me at the altar to pray for the upcoming worship service, asking that God would send people to the church to hear the gospel message and then accept Jesus Christ into their lives.
He had not always been this way. There was a time he lived far from the heart of God and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Even after being “saved” he did not have the deep passion I now saw. The catalyst for this change was a question he heard his pastor ask from the pulpit: “How is it that so many who are within the church profess to love God, yet don’t care about the millions who are heading toward an eternal hell?”
When the invitation was given, Mark headed to the altar and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill him with a passion for the lost. When Mark stood up, he was a changed man. On account of him, many in his family and many who work with him have put their faith in Jesus Christ.
Let God give you passion for the lost and use you to reach them.
Jim Lo is the author of Connect with God: The Purpose of Prayer (WPH) and the dean of chapel at Indiana Wesleyan University.
