Does the Church Care for My Soul

There used to be a time years ago when the churches actually went out to the community and knocked on doors and rang doorbells and told folks about Jesus, told poor lost sinners about the one that came down here so we could go up there, but most churches don't do that anymore. They just preach the same crowd every week. It kind of reminds me of the story I was recently reading the biography of Dwayne Blue and he said that within three miles of his mother's house in Michigan there were eight different kinds of churches and he said his mother committed suicide and he said they lived there in that house for seven years and not once did anyone knock on our door and tell my mother about Jesus.

He said the very moment she died her soul went straight to hell. Not a church in that town in Michigan cared for her soul and I'm afraid that's a sad story with a lot of churches and a lot of communities today, friends. My message this evening is called Does the Church Care for My Soul and my text is found in Romans chapter 10.

You can turn in your Bibles there now. We're going to be in verses 11 through 14. Let me read this passage to us at this time.

For the scripture sayeth whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved how then shall they call on him in whom they've not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and I want to take this time this evening friends to read us a little passage from my biography on Rolf Barnard regarding how he got a church to care about the lost souls in their neighborhood whereas before Barnard's visit to that church that church was very self-focused and didn't witness to the lost. I want to take this time and read you this message by Rolf Barnard because it's so applicable to our sad spiritual declension today and how the church has just refused to go out and knock on doors and tell folks about Jesus anymore. Let me read you this sermon extract from Rolf Barnard.

I hope you'll stir your heart as it has stirred mine. God is not going to put up with this stuff we've been calling Christianity forever. We're headed for judgment like we've never dreamed of and our only way of escape is for Christians to start acting like Christ.

Jesus came down here because God so loved the world. He didn't come down here to condemn the world but he came down here that the world through him might be saved. God help us to be a little like the Lord.

I was up in Massachusetts the first time I held a meeting in New England. Being from the south they found it a little difficult to understand me. I found it very difficult to understand them.

They were very nice people, very cultured, very dignified, very quiet and reserved. As I remember I started the meeting on Sunday morning. My wife was with me.

I preached Sunday morning and Sunday night, Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night and after the service Wednesday night I said to the dear pastor, brother pastor I believe we ought to close the meeting tomorrow night. He said oh no, no we couldn't do that. I said I was just making a suggestion.

My judgment is we ought to close out and I will go back home. Well he said what on earth is the matter brother Barnard? I said well we're not getting anywhere. I don't seem to be able to get over to you and the people and so far you have not done one thing that I've asked you to do.

He said well brother Barnard you are a little strange to us. I said well I'm going this way and you folks are going that way. We sure won't have the blessings of God that way.

Somebody is wrong around here and I'm a visitor at your invitation and my message is and what I ask you to do you don't do a thing about it. I think I ought to just go on with it and close it down, close my part of the meeting and you folks can just continue on if you want. He was greatly disturbed.

Oh he said it would just ruin everything if you did it. What on earth is the matter with you brother Barnard? Well you just won't do a thing I ask and I either ought not to ask you some things or I ought and if I ought to ask you to do some things and if it's right that I do then you ought to do it and if I'm asking you to do things against the scriptures you ought to run me off. He said well what are you talking about? I said you want me to pray.

I haven't seen your church on its face weeping its heart to God. I've been asking you to do it and God is not going to bless people if they're not that kind of people. You might have some more people to join the church but God's not going to save people in an atmosphere of dry eyes and prayerlessness.

I've been asking you to go out here and talk to people and witness to them and bring them in your cars and invite them to the services. He said brother Barnard we've never done anything like that in our lives. I said I'm beginning to believe it.

Well my wife and I are going to go to our room and if it's all right I'll preach tomorrow night and then we'll close the meeting. We went on to the little apartment they had for us and after a while somebody knocked on the door and the pastor and the deacons came in. They were greatly disturbed.

They said brother Barnard we just can't afford to close the meeting. It would just hurt everything. People would wonder why.

I said well I don't know what to do and they said brother Barnard if you will stay. They weren't thinking about me it was the reputation of their church. They said if you will not close the meeting we will do anything you ask us to do.

Well I don't want you to do anything just because I asked you. I wanted you to do it because it's in the bible and God wants it. Tell us one more time what it is they said.

I don't want you to do it just to save the reputation of the church but if it is so if I've asked you to do what God's people ought to do and you don't do it you insult God by not doing what you said you would do in a revival effort. It's a shame and disgrace to say we're going to try and have a revival and not have it because that's a slam on God. He's supposed to be a God that hears prayer and a God who works miracles.

Isn't he? He used to. A church is under obligation to get its prayers answered. So we turn to Acts 5 42 and read and daily in the temple and in every house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

They said we never have done anything like this but it's in there isn't it? I said yes and they went out and Thursday night the church was full because they went out and invited them to come and they began to do what the bible says and I preached that night and before I got through before I got through preaching a little girl began to sob and when we stood up to sing she came running down to the front and just fell down on her fours there and after a while I went down and talked to her and after a while she stood up and said Jesus is here. We found out she was a little 16 year old Italian girl and that was the first gospel sermon she'd ever heard. Some of the girls went and brought her.

She didn't know a from zero but you could see a sovereign God. He can do things as he pleases. Sometimes it takes him 40 years to save a man and sometimes he saves him the first time he hears the gospel.

I think the little girl got saved. Of course I won't know until I get to the judgment. None of us will but it scared them.

They'd never seen anything like that so I had them to do like they do down south. I had them come around and shake hands with her. Friday night the little girl wasn't at the service and Saturday night she wasn't at that service either.

So I got a little worried and I went to the pastor and said I'm troubled about that little girl. Do you know where she lives? He said no preacher. I'm sorry.

We got so excited about what happened. We never saw anything like that and nobody asked her where she lived. We don't even know her name.

I feel awful bad about it. I'll tell you right now if she's not here in the morning we are going to organize and we're going to search this city and find that little girl. I'm troubled about her.

Well Sunday morning came and she was sitting in the congregation and it so happened my wife was sitting close to her and that morning I preached on hell. The sinner's long home and after I'd been preaching about 25 minutes they said that little Roman Catholic Italian girl which Thursday night had stood and said Jesus is in here. She began to cry.

Then she began to sob and pretty soon her body was just rocking with sobs and my wife put her arm on her shoulder and pretty soon my wife rose and the little girl and they broke up my sermon as they came down that church aisle. My wife brought her up on the platform with me rolled up her sleeves had her turn around and rolled her dress down as far as modesty allowed and let me look at her face. Her back was just terrible whelps and they were festered and fevered.

Her arms were cut and her face was cut and she stood up after a while and I saw church born. She told what had happened to her to that nice Sunday morning crowd of Baptists. She said Thursday night I ran home.

I was so happy a mom and daddy my brother and my two sisters were in the front room. I went in and told them that Jesus Christ had come in here and he is mine and I am his. She told them what had happened and the daddy asked where have you been.

She said I went down to the Baptist church. They are having meetings down there. I never was in anything like it daddy.

All I know is that Jesus is in here. I'm pointing to her heart and her daddy got up and went and got an old black snake whip. He commanded his girl to stand and she did and he whipped her with that black snake whip until she lost consciousness.

She said I don't know how long I lay there but I was awakened by pain and I opened my eyes just in time for my two sisters standing on either side of me kicking me in the ribs. Then my brother came and spat in my face. My mother came and cursed me and my daddy told me to get up.

I don't know how I did but I did. He looked me in the face and said if I ever hear you talk like that again I'll kill you. Go to your room.

She said I went to my room and he turned the key in the door. I didn't have any medical attention Thursday night. Friday morning my daddy came unlocked the door and handed me a piece of bread and a glass of water.

I stayed in the room all day Friday and Friday night. During that time those whelps were feverish and festering and I was in mortal agony. She continued Saturday morning he came and I was waiting for him.

I was desperate as he turned the key in the lock and as he put his hand on the door he turned it. I let him turn it just enough. I knew it was open.

Then I jerked it right quickly and he fell in the room and I doored it out. I had so much fever I guess I had superhuman strength. I ran out of the house.

I wandered around the city and found an old empty freight car and I stayed in it all day. When the sun went down I went to a pharmacy. The pharmacist knew me and he treated my wound some and I slept that night in the empty freight car.

Sunday morning I was hungry. I was sick and I was hurting and I said what shall I do and then she said I remembered the Jesus people and I said I will go up where the Jesus people are. They will help me.

Then she came to the church and took her seat. She was in pain and feeling sorry for herself and afraid to go back home. She said I felt so sorry for myself then.

I began to listen to the preacher and he talked about hell, that awful place. After a while she said I wish what would happen to me and to you. I forgot myself and all I could think of was the daddy that whipped me, the mother that cursed me, the sisters that kicked me, and the brother that spat in my face and I thought they are going to that awful place the preacher is talking about and then so help me.

That little Italian girl lifted up her hands and began to weep and she broke the heart of that crowd. I saw them fall on their knees and I was in a prayer meeting. She said oh Jesus people won't you help me keep my people from being sent to hell.

That little Italian girl didn't know much but she knew Jesus was in here and he loved her and her loved ones were going to be sent to hell and she didn't want them to go so she thought she could say oh Jesus people you will help me won't you. We closed the meeting on Sunday night and I was to get New York on Monday. The pastor said let me get on the telephone and call them and say you won't be there until Tuesday.

You just got to stay over Monday night. We're going to have a baptizing and I want you to have the great pleasure. I said all right I will.

We made the arrangements and they took a vote that everybody come Monday night that was going to be baptized. The deacon got up and made a motion to authorize the evangelist to bury in baptism. Well Monday night came and I went down into that pool and five people came there and I got them all down in the pool together.

I baptized them. I baptized that little 16 year old girl. Then I baptized her mama.

Then I baptized her daddy. Then I baptized her two sisters. Then I baptized her brother.

Well friends that's the end of that stirring story about how Ralph Barnard stirred a church to do what they should have been doing all the while and that's going out into the community and telling the lost about Jesus. That little Italian girl wanted to know does the church care for the souls of my family and the people in your neighborhood friend are crying out right now. Does the church care for my soul? Does anybody care?