Just the other evening, and probably for the umpteenth time, I watched the movie Schindler’s List. Being the history buff I am, with particular interest in World War II European history and the plight of millions of Jewish people who were being slaughtered by the Nazi German regime during the period of time that became known as the Holocaust I thought about the quote of Oskar Schindler as he expressed his regret for not being able to save more Jews from extermination. Tearfully, he told his friend and plant manager Itzhak Stern “Oskar Schindler: “This car. Goeth (the Commandant of Krakow-Plaszow concentration camp) would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people, ten more people. This pin...two people. This is gold, two people. He would have given me two more, at least one. One more person, a person, Stern, for this, (starts crying) I could have got one more person, and I didn't! I -- I -- I -- I didn't!”

While Oskar Schindler relied upon his wealth, power and influence within the Nazi party he was able to save 1200 Jews from certain death. As this movie came to its end I couldn’t help but reflect on the power that we as Christians have in saving countless souls from eternal damnation. No, we certainly don’t have the immense wealth and power that Schindler had, but we don’t need it. We have all that we need to save souls through the word of God and Jesus as written in the Scriptures. We have our own ability to create a sort of spiritual and soul saving anonymous Schindler’s list.

Thankfully, each of us Christians have been given this ability first by Jesus as he commanded his disciples in Mark 16: 15-16, when He instructed “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved but he who does not believe will be condemned.” If we as members of the Lord’s church followed just this one simple command there will be no limit to how many souls that we can perhaps put on the pathway to salvation. Following this command doesn’t cost us one cent, nor do we need the financial resources, influence and power like that of Schindler and the number of souls that will be saved can be far more than the 1200 lives that he saved. And on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter along with the 11 other apostles told those people that were in attendance from other countries such as Parthia (a major and cultural power in northeastern Iran and Iraq, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, to name but a few countries who had citizens there the following command “repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” as stated in the book of Acts, Chapter 2:38. Also in Acts, Chapter 10:42 Peter reiterates Jesus command when he says “and He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”

While each of us are only accountable to God on the day of judgment for our own deeds that we have done while living, we nevertheless were given instruction on how we can and hopefully did through our endeavors reach out and perhaps successfully direct others on what they must do to be saved. And in doing so, we will have in fact, by following Jesus commandments to preach the gospel of Christ, be instrumental to the salvation of those lives we came into contact with and influenced--unselfishly and out of love for others--create and without ulterior motives, our own list.

You can find the complete outline of this sermon plus PowerPoint and MP3 Audio files at BIBLE ANSWERS
 

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Created by Chuck Sibbing, last updated.  01/22/2017