In America we love to measure and keep account of things. It may be our finances, our career position, or even our bowling average (I think that’s what you call it). We love to count things to see if we are progressing and there is nothing wrong with that. However, when it comes to making time for new acquaintances we might be inclined to say “I have enough friends” or that there is “only so many hours in the day”. With the pressures of our family, our current friends, and other associates, we just might not feel we have extra time for a “new arrival” – in other words, we might feel that our soul capacity is full.
I remember researching about the hiring process when I was looking for a new worker in my business years ago. One piece of advice that I thought was pretty good (at the time) was to set an inopportune time for the potential hire to come in for a meeting; say, 6:00am. If the hire did not show up (or was late) you could immediately write them off of your list of potential hires.
This might be good advice for a boss who is looking for the most “productive” worker he can get, but I think it is terrible advice for a Christian looking to save souls. We must remember that everyone we meet is a soul that God created! That soul has the potential to end up either in Heaven or in Hell. We should not test people to see if they are “worthy” to hear God’s Word (or to be our Christian acquaintance). We should not “look” at them (or their background) to see if their personage qualifies them for Christian aid. That is how the “world” behaves, that is not how a Christian behaves. If someone wants to discuss Biblical topics we should be there for them at any time, no questions asked. As James said so eloquently:
Jas 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
Jas 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
Jas 2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
Does “being there at any time” mean you should just leave work to attend a Bible study with a potential convert? Does that mean you should just leave your wife (who happens to be in labor) to get to that phone call from a potential Christian? Not necessarily. It means you should enthusiastically let the potential Christian know that they are important to you and you should get back to them in a timely manner. Let them know that you want to help them as soon as possible and schedule a time to do so.
This same rule should extend to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone needs something we should always be there to help. We may think, “this person is trying to use me”, or “I’m not a psychologist”, but the truth is that we cannot tell how much a person is in need by looking at them. That brother or sister may be in desperate need of advice or a Christian discussion. And of course this always goes for someone looking to become a member of the body of Christ…
We’ve probably all heard the story of someone calling up a preacher at midnight and saying “I’m ready to become a Christian!” The next part of that story is usually that the preacher gets up and goes to the church (no matter the time) and baptizes that individual. That is the exactly what should happen! In the case of someone seeking to be baptized we should always be there immediately. In addition, I hope that a part of that story is that the preacher (or Christian) shows up and does his duty with enthusiasm and joy. That is our purpose here, to obey God and to bring the lost to Jesus. Let us strive to never leave a soul out in the cold. Let us strive to never reach our “maximum soul capacity”.