What Message Does Red Oil In The Gulf of Mexico Have For the Church?

“Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.” (Revelation 8:8)

All that red oil we see floating in the Gulf of Mexico is ironically named Louisiana Light Sweet Crude. There is nothing sweet about it at this point but it is red – so much so that one of my Sunday School class members compared what is going on in the Gulf to the red sea in the verse above from Revelation. No, what we see going on isn’t the fulfillment of prophecy, but it is a reminder to Christians that time is growing short. Indeed, the end is near.

When Jesus left this world, he commanded us to take the Gospel to the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Notice that Jesus commanded “even to the end of the age.” These two verses are often referred to as The Great Commission, and a lot churches in my neck of the woods, and around the rest of the world, are not honoring the Lord’s command to us. This is the greatest single failure of Christians and Christian churches around the globe. The day will come when Jesus will deal with us for ignoring his command to us.

I attend a church that reaches out to the lost at every service. As I visit other churches, however, I find this practice is no longer universally observed as it was in my childhood. My wife and I recently stopped attending a mega-church in our community solely on the grounds that it never offered an altar call. It is otherwise a wonderful church, but young pastors are trained that church growth is threatened by such practices. It frightens the unchurched, and they fear they will not return. Unfortunately, it ignores the lost, which is what the Great Commission is all about.

That red oil should be a reminder to all of us that end is near. We have been in the last days ever since Jesus ascended. His first visit here was one of love, mercy and grace. His next visit, however, will be one of love, wrath and judgment.

The Bible says that Christians at the final judgment will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ where Christ will review our record of Christian service with us. In other words, our works will be tested. Those with little or no eternal value will burn like straw. But those with lasting eternal value will survive the test of fire just like gold does. The Lord’s point made through Paul in his letter to the Church at Corinth is we should invest in those works that have lasting eternal value.

Jesus wants us to reach out to the lost. It should be an urgent concern of every believer and of every church. The vast majority of biblical prophecy has already been fulfilled, and time is growing short. If you’re church doesn’t reach out to the lost with an invitation at the end of every service, don’t leave it. Change it! Ask your pastor privately to reconsider and to stop worrying about what the visitor’s might think. At the end of the day, that number will not matter to the Lord. It will disappear in his consuming fire. Salvation of the lost, however, is a number that will endure for an eternity.