Evangelist Ray Comfort believes there's a "sleeping giant" within the Church today - and it's time for that giant to wake up.
"I have a hidden agenda," the filmmaker and best-selling Christian author confessed in an exclusive interview with The Gospel Herald. "I believe that as the Bible says, there's a very real hell, and that's the motivation to reach out for the gospel, it's the motivation for my work. We have a sleeping giant within the church; we have the formula that tells everyone how they can find everlasting life. But most Christians don't share this faith because they're filled with fear, they look at evangelism like Goliath - they stand there in fear and trembling."
To help combat this fear, Comfort recently released his latest book, a collection of devotionals titled "Think on These Things: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs." In his book, Comfort uses the advice of Proverbs to change our lives - always living with eternity's values in view.
"This book is interlaced with principles that will help you deal with your fear, because fear is what holds us back," he said. "For example, if I said to you, 'jump in that icy river and stay there for three minutes,' you would say, 'no, it's too cold, I'll probably die. But if I say to you, 'there's a 4 year old boy drowning in that river' you wouldn't hesitate. You're going to dive in and grab him and pull him out."
"That," he said, "is the attitude we should have to the lost - there are people dying, we know how to find everlasting life, and we've got to be like the apostles and fearlessly speak the truth. Very gently woven throughout the whole book is this theme of, we've got a moral responsibility to share the truth with a dying world."
Proverbs, Comfort says, is a "treasure trove" of wisdom that is far too often overlooked.
"I need wisdom with everything I do," the evangelist said. "I'm a klutz, I make unwise decisions, and the answers can all be found in Proverbs. The way to find wisdom is to read the wisdom of God in the Proverbs. Wisdom is the principal thing, and when you've got wisdom, you'll think and do right, and your marriage will work because you're using the wisdom of God.
From Broadstreet Publishers, "Think on These Things: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs" also encourages readers to daily immerse themselves in the truth of the Gospel.
"I decided I would write a book on Proverbs and point people to it and try to encourage them to make it a daily habit of feeding on the word of God," Comfort said. "I've been reading the Bible every day without fail for more than 44 years. The Bible tells us, if you make a habit of putting God's Word first, you'll stand strong and tall like a tree with deep roots, and nothing can come against you."
Comfort, whose work also includes the miniseries "The Way of the Master" and films "180: Changing the Heart of a Nation," and "Noah and the Last Days", said that Proverbs is not only filled with spiritual wisdom, it's also full of practical advice.
"Proverbs is filled with wisdom, especially for men," he said. "For example 'a soft answer turns away wrath.' If someone's mad at you, Proverbs will save you a lot of pain if you put in into practice."
He added, "There are a lot of ways that seem right to humanity, but God gave an instruction book - and we need to study it as such."
To order "Think on These Things: Wisdom for Life from Proverbs", click here.
