The Old West, so
legend has it, was dotted with ‘bounty hunters’. These motley characters,
while not lawmen in an official sense, made their living by tracking down fugitives for the price on their heads.
The victims were brought either to justice or an untimely
end.Recently, while my mind was rambling, I wondered, “What if a bounty for the gospel was placed on the head of every lost sinner? How would Christians react to their desperate plight then? As it now stands, most of us have not turned the world upside down, nor caused much of a tremor in a quest for lost souls.
But let’s put a bounty on their heads! Let’s offer $10 for every visitor brought to Bible class, $25 for evry bible study we have with people and, $100 for every baptism. "But the whole thing’s wrong!" You protest. "How could we serve the Lord out of such a self-serving motive? Besides, how many of these baptisms would express real ‘conversion’? Why, such a practice would be reprehensible! And think of the corruption it would breed! How could you even suggest such a thing?”
Okay, I'm sorry. Let's not put a bounty on souls. Let's just seek and save them because we love them and the Lord, and because our soul is worth more than the whole world.
"That's better" you say. Why, I never heard of such a preposterous idea in my entire life. Now, be off and let me get back to my leisure."
And, suddenly it's Sunday morning and pious voices are lifted to God in praise.
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