The Rich Man and Lazarus

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19-31) Now Lazarus was a beggar who laid at the rich man's gate and desired the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. Today we are going to look as this story in perhaps a way you have never thought of it.
Have you ever thought of the rich man and Lazarus in terms of Christianity? Think for a moment about the rich man. He had all that he could ever want physically. and Lazarus was so poor that even the dogs came to lick his sores. Yet the rich man allowed the beggar to lay at his gate. He didn't demand that Lazarus be carried off but he allowed him to lay there for reasons known only to him. Maybe it was to see if anyone would care, maybe it was so people could say, "Oh the man who lives there is a nice man, look he allows the beggar to sit at his gate". Or maybe it was so he could laugh and make fun of poor Lazarus as the dogs came to him. We don't know his reasons, we only know that Lazarus was allowed to lay there.
As Lazarus lay there we find he wanted the crumbs that fell from the table. He wasn't asking much, just enough so that he could live. He was asking for the things that would have fed the dogs. But instead of sharing we find the rich man sitting in his fine house with all his wealth and not caring about this poor man laying at his gate.
Now let me ask you, spiritually who is rich? The Christians. And spiritually, who is the beggar? The sinner. Many so called Christians are just like the rich man. They don't forbid the beggar from the hanging around the gates for what they hope to get but they don't go out of their way to share their wealth with the beggar. A Christians wealth is their knowledge that they have eternal life with Jesus. They will go about their daily business saying, "I have need of nothing because I am saved" yet all around them beggars are lying at their gates desiring the eternal life and yet not knowing how to receive it because they are not taught that it is freely given to all. I am not talking about literal beggars here but people who are searching for something and don't know what they are looking for. they are spiritually hungry and don't realize that Jesus is the food that will satisfy that hunger. The Christians are too busy with their "spiritual works" to see the beggars with the dogs coming to lick their sores. The Christians are too busy with all their "spiritual" work they have to do to share the wealth of their eternal life with the beggar/sinner.
But was not that our first commission? Were we not commanded to go unto all the world preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15) so that all might be saved and come to repentance? For he doesn't want that any should perish.(2 Peter 3:9) He didn't say just go to those who have the wealth we have. There is no need to preach salvation to those who already have accepted Jesus, but there are beggars out there that need to hear the words that can lead them to salvation. They need to have the wealth of eternal life shared with them.
Is the Lord going to hold you accountable for not spreading his word? for not reaching out to the sinner? How will you answer when he says remember when I told you to go to them and tell them of my mercy and grace and instead you went and talked about them and ignored what I had instructed you to do? Will he hold you accountable for what you didn't do? does he not tell us that by our words we will be justified or condemned in the day of judgment? (Matthew 12:36-37)
Are you as the rich man and leaving the beggar our there to starve? Are you witnessing to those who need Jesus and need to know what he has done for them? God sent his son to die for all, not just those in your social class. Jesus died for the rich and the poor, the black and the white, the drug addict and the millionaire. God doesn't respect one person above another, (Acts 10:34) and as such we need to start sharing our wealth lest we end up as the rich man in did in hell.

God bless you and have a glorious day.