Are You a Statistic?

I spent Thursday evening, all day Friday and all day Saturday this weekend ministering with Bill Glass Weekend of Champions in the Southeastern Correctional Institute. SCI is a prison of 1560 men, most of them under thirty years old.

            I went with 22 other men and we had the opportunity to share the gospel with the inmates. I spent time with a young man named Rich and another young man named James; both of them made commitments to Jesus Christ. I spent several hours with about another dozen men encouraging them to go deeper with Jesus while in prison.

            As my teammates and I were driving back to Columbus in a van I realized that these men had stopped being a STATISTIC.

            George Barna, the pollster of Christians and the Church, discovered through his organization?s interviews that the average Christian in America will NEVER lead somebody to Jesus in their lifetime.

            Between the 22 of us that went to SCI we helped point 100 men to Jesus and how to be personally related to him and become one of his followers and disciples. Another 115 men re-committed their lives to the Lord over those two days of us sharing with them.

            These guys had stopped being one of Barna?s statistics because they had in their lifetime led somebody to faith in Christ. I?m estimating that each man had the opportunity to share Christ with no fewer than ten men. That too took them off the statistics list because in a week?s time the average Christian DOESN?T share their faith with a single individual.

            All of this makes me wonder what the average Christian is doing with 168 hours in a week, and those 611,520 hours in an average lifetime of 70 years.

            I know many Christians who are expert at playing Halo, Resident Evil, and Warhammer. I know many Christians who watch every UFC pay per view event. I know many Christians who engage in hours on Facebook with Mafia Wars, Bejeweled Blitz, YoVille and about 2,000 other nonsensical things. I know many Christians who?ve read every Harry Potter book and seen every Harry Potter movie, even attending the midnight openings. Yet, the average Christian will NEVER lead anybody to faith in Christ or share Jesus with somebody this week.

            Jesus once said ?Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.?

            Statistically speaking, I can?t help but think when Jesus said ?small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it? he really meant FEW. I believe those few are going to be far fewer than most of us in the Church think. I?m convinced that on that GREAT DAY the Church is going to be surprised with just how many people Jesus will say ?I never knew you" to.

            Are you a statistic?

            What are you going to do about it if you are?