In early 1989, my pastor in those days, Jerry Wells, received a ‘new’ vision from the Lord concerning the direction our corporate body was to focus on for the coming year and beyond. Concerned by the lack of salvations and the apathy concerning evangelism on the part of believers, the Lord began to direct him to be creative in reaching out to the lost.
It was quite normal for me and pastor Jerry to meditate on the same passage of scripture or the same vision each week. During my meditation, the Lord would often give me a song…and that song became There Is A Place That Calls You Home. This song came as I asked God to change my heart – to help me begin thinking like a lost person in order to know their needs. This song is more than a cry to the lost to receive Jesus…it is an encouragement to the believer to remember their own condition before they knew Jesus – as well as an encouragement to love the lost. Jesus does not desire for ANY to perish…neither should we!
2 Peter 3:9 NASB says 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
Jesus tells us exactly why He came to earth in the first place in Luke 19:10 NASB20. He says, 10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” In case you were wondering what that means for us as Christ followers and as new creations, we have but to look to Matthew 28 verses 19 through 20 which says, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
That simply means we are to be about the business of walking relationally with people who do not know Jesus in a personal way. It's as simple as investing our time and resources and our kindness into the lives of those we are in relationship with. When we've made those kinds of investments in the banks of another person's heart and soul, there comes a point when it's absolutely natural to make a withdrawal on that account. What that withdrawal looks like is introducing those people you were walking relationally with to the one who set you free. It is as natural as inviting someone into your forever home. I love to tell people about the place and the Savior that called me to my eternal home. Let's not shy away from inviting the lost, the lonely, and the hurting into relationship with Jesus Christ on a personal level.
I love this song, There Is A Place That Calls You Home, because it stirs up so many special memories of how Jesus first consumed me with His presence and with His redeeming love. I still sing it in times of worship quite often because it really encourages my soul to keep on reaching out to others to introduce them to the One Who saved my soul and brought restoration to my heart and life. My prayer is that it would do the same for you.
Dennis Jernigan
To hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/there-is-a-place-that-calls-you-home/
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