Sing A Little Louder
03-15-02

An old man told this story: “I lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust. I considered myself a Christian.”

“I had attended church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it?”

“A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from a distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. They were like cattle in those cars!”

“Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry out to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. By the time that train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices. If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. Years have passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. God forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene.”

Things are not so different today. Apathy is a trait that has become prevalent in our society. A young woman is viciously attacked and screams for help, but no one comes to her aid or calls the authorities. A school teaches young children about deviant sexual behavior and only a handful, if any, protest. Millions and millions of unborn babies have been murdered in what should be the safest place on earth for them – their mother’s wombs – and still we elect those who support this atrocity. Millions of men and women die each day without ever hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and yet, Christians spend hours in recreation instead of carrying forth the gospel message. All these are signs of apathy.

The Lord is not pleased when Christians are apathetic concerning the wickedness around them. Jesus taught that those in His kingdom were not only to be a light unto the world, an example of good, but also salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13, 14). Salt was used in the first century to stop food from decaying. In spiritual terms, it is not enough for Christians just to live a godly life. We must also strive to stop the spread of evil. The apathetic Christian who does nothing to stop the spread of wickedness is only fulfilling half of his or her Christian obligation. During the first century there was a church in Asia which had a problem with its members being apathetic. Here is what the Lord said to them. “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16 NKJV). Apathy is a sin, a sin which sickens the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every day trains pass by loaded with babies being taken to abortion clinics and most of us do nothing. Every day trains roll by packed full of children being led into moral decay and most of us do nothing. Every day trains race by sandwiched full of men and women bound for eternity having never heard the gospel call and most of us do nothing. Perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps most of us do something. We sing a little louder.