Listen to me like you’ve never listened to me ever in your life. We have got to lay our lives down for the purposes of God.
It has been nearly 24 years since those words were uttered, yet the urgency has not changed.
Right after the tragedy of 9/11 in New York City in 2001, pastor Carter Conlon of Time Square Church preached a message called Run For Your Life!
In it, he reminded the Church that we are not here for a good time or to casually or passively make it to heaven … we, as Christians, are in a battle and our calling is to be used by God to declare the truth of the Gospel so that He might rescue the souls of men.
Yet, the modern church is asleep. Lulled into the consumerism, distraction, and leisure.
So Conlon cried out: Run! Come out from among them. Run for your life.
Is my life and soul becoming lukewarm? I am indistinguishable from the world? Have been lulled to sleep in the culture of mediocrity?
Run.
While the short film is no longer available online, I’ve included the transcript below if you want a quick read (but the entire sermon is worth listening to). Again, though it is a couple decades old, it is pertinent for the days in which we live.
Run For Your Life Bravehearted Thot [Transcript]
Sermon: Run For Your Life
Preacher: Carter Conlon
Listen to me like you’ve never listened to me ever in your life.
We have got to lay our lives down for the purposes of God. This is not a Sunday School picnic, the church of Jesus Christ. This is not an invitation to have continuous good time. This is a war for the souls of men.
Come out from among them. Run for your life. Because this is about your life. This is not just about an opposing theology or conflicting viewpoint on Jesus, this is about your life.
My mind is forever branded with the stories that I heard of police officers from the city of New York. As people were fleeing from a crumbling building there were police officers and firemen and others that were running towards the buildings saying “Run for your life,” at their own peril. And in some cases I believe they knew they were going to die but there was a sense of duty. I was crying out to God, I said “God, Oh Jesus, don’t let my sense of duty be less for Your Kingdom than these beloved firemen and policemen were for those who were perishing in a fallen tower. We are living in a generation when truth is falling into the streets. I want to be among those that are not running away from the conflict but running into the conflict saying, “Run for your life.”
Run from gospels that focus only on success and prosperity. Run!
Run from those who use the name of Christ only for personal gain. Run from those who are picking your pocket in the name of Jesus. Run!
Run from gospels that only focus on self-improvement. Run!
Run from churches where men and not Christ are glorified. Run!
Run Body of Christ, Run! Get out! Don’t touch the unclean thing.
Run from churches in America and Canada where there is no Bible. There is no cross in the theology. There is no soul-searching word. There is no repentance from sin. There is no mention of the blood of Jesus. Run! It’s unclean. Run!
Run from churches where you are comfortable in your sins. If you come into the house of God and you got sin in your life and your not convicted of it, you are at a table of devils.
Run from pulpits that are filled with political men, who are using the pulpit of God for a personal political agenda. Run!
Run from those who preach division between races and cultures. Run!
Run! Get out! Turn it off! Get away from it!
They know nothing of God.
Run from ungodly spasmodic movements and aimless empty prophesying. Beloved Church, run for your life!
Run from preachers that stand and tell stories and jokes. Run like you’ve never run before!
RUN!
RUN!
RUN!
FOOTNOTES
Carter Conlon, Run for Your Life, preached at Time Square Church, September 16, 2001
Photo Credit: Lucas Favre
Article originally posted on deeperChristian: July 8, 2009
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