I think of words that I read by Francis Chan this year, as he was letting the enormity and reality of Hell impact his soul. He said the following: “. . . we shouldn’t just go on with life as usual. A sense of urgency over the reality of hell should recharge our passion for the gospel as it did for Paul, who, ‘knowing the terror of the Lord,’ persuaded people to believe.”

Oh, my friends, think deeply about this, not just in the comfort of your home, but especially as you move about in this life.  People are really perishing at an astonishing rate!  Unsaved people, and there are many of them, are bllind and walking off the edge of the cliff!  How desperate is the call of Jesus to GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. 

May God give us much grace and compassion to, everywhere we go, MAKE THE GOSPEL KNOWN.  After all, we must work the works of God while it is still day, for the night is coming when no man will be able to work. 

Often times, believers are deeply troubled by introspection.  Where are the peace and joy I am supposed to have?  If I really am a Christian, why do I often feel so troubled?  Then, they begin to judge their standing in Christ based on their subjective feelings.  Peace and joy are indeed fruits of salvation, but they must not be absolutely relied upon to guage our standing in Christ.  The objective reality is this:  at the cross, where I repented and believed, I was granted complete forgiveness of my sins and a guarantee of eternal life.  We must learn to get the promises of Scripture deeply ingrained in our minds and souls.  Then, when the enemy fires his fiery darts at us, we boldly declare the objective truths that God has graciously given us.  Consider these precious words from our friend, Charles Spurgeon:

“Understand that you must not look upon the possession of joy and peace as being the absolutely necessary consequence of your being saved. A man may be in the lifeboat, but that lifeboat may be so tossed about that he may still feel himself exceedingly ill, and think himself to be still in peril. It is not his sense of safety that makes him safe; he is safe because he is in the lifeboat, whether he is sensible of this or not. Understand then that joy and peace are not infallible or indispensable evidences of safety, and that they certainly are not unchanging evidences. The brightest Christians lose their joy, and some of those that stand well in the things of God, and concerning whom you would entertain no doubt, entertain a great many suspicions, however, about themselves. Joy and peace are the element of a Christian, but he is sometimes out of his element: joy and peace are his usual states, but there are times when, with fightings within and wars without, his joy departs, and his peace is broken. The leaves on the tree prove that the tree is alive, but the absence of leaves will not prove that the tree is dead.” Charles Spurgeon

I've been reading lately about some of our fine men who have fought as Marines and as Navy Seals for our country. I am so moved when I think of how they literally place it all on the line for a great cause--the safety and freedom for the people of the United Sates of America. No doubt about it, they join knowing that they are placing their very lives on the line. Many of them end up paying with their lives, and guess what? They are glad to do it. Then, I think of OUR cause--the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation of doomed souls who literally are hanging in the balance. Wow. I see so many parallels. I so want to think rightly (Biblically) about the mission we all have. I so want to think in terms of eternity and of the heartbeat of our Savior. Am I, Chris Peeler, really signed up knowing that the cost is my life? Do I really believe that following my Savior outside the gate--into the harvest fields--is real? Am I willing to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ? Am I willing to pay the price?




Lord, please, please let it be so! Please make me willing to take up my cross daily and follow you. Please use me to save some!

Last week, we had so many testimonies from team members. So many lives were touched as our team faithfully proclaimed the law and the gospel and lovingly called folks to repentance and faith in the Lord. As we "debriefed" and prayed at the end of our time together, standing near the water on a grand summer evening, there was a sense among all of great satisfaction. We had, by God's grace, participated in the greatest mission of all--the mission of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many lives were impacted. Many sincerely listened to the truth that they so desperately need.


I am continually reminded, and I continually want to remind you of what SUCCESS is in this great mission. Unfortunately many are discouraged because of misunderstanding this point. Our success is in faithfully and lovingly declaring the truth of the gospel. As soon as a Christian takes on a result-oriented view of success in evangelism (i.e. "How many did we get to 'say the prayer' tonight?"), a misguided approach to evangelism sets in. Let the words of J.I. Packer speak to this issue: "But the way to tell whether in fact you are evangelizing is not to ask whether conversions are known to have resulted from your witness. It is to ask whether you are faithfully making known the gospel message."