Mountain men are essentially gone, those who lived completely separate from the rest of us, who could provide for all their needs from the land that surrounded them. The reason is not so much that there are fewer today that would desire that life, but that the land necessary for it has been removed from them by ownership of others, whether it be governmental authorities, or private ownership, and with that ownership comes rules, regulations and laws, hindering almost any possibility of living that lifestyle.
It was a life that did not require any other human beings. Now, I did not say human interaction, that is an entirely different topic, mankind has wasted his time, and caused more pain and suffering on other human beings than we need to know about concerning this idea of separatism from all human interaction, the Word of God made it quite clear in the beginning, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” (Gen. 2:18) And therein would be another topic, apparently his wife was all the interaction he required.
It is normal though in the eyes of mankind to seek out interaction with others, even mountain men would head into town at times, perhaps for supplies that they either wanted or felt at the time that they needed. It has been built into us by the Almighty to seek each other out for some form of companionship, even a man stranded on a deserted island, one that provides all the needs of his flesh to continue, will seek for a way off that island in time.
All those who have been born-again have a singular constant, a singular purpose, we are to glorify God, we are to lift up the name of Jesus, and the main ways that we do that is by reaching out to all who will listen. Our praise of the Lord God is of course important, and it should come naturally to us, but we are to spread the news of the gospel. “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15)
Without that reaching out to others, notwithstanding our praise of the Most High, our lives have very little purpose, if we are not seeking the lost, if we are not encouraging the brethren, our fellow believers in Christ, our lives hold little meaning.
We have been sanctified, set apart from all mankind for this purpose, we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
If an old country preacher, a “Travelin Preacher” as they used to call them, came to a town, after he was done telling all that would listen about the grace of God that is offered to all men through Jesus Christ found out that there was a man of the mountains up there, he’d head up into those mountains just to find that one man and tell him the good news.
There has almost always been preachers, pastors, ministers of God, call them what you will, and they have always had one intentional message, one main purpose in this life, to tell others about Christ. Their responsibility towards those who become part of the family of God, those who become saved by the grace of God through faith, (Eph. 2:8-9) is then to train them to go out and do the same.
Now, not all are called to do that for a living, so to speak, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;” (Eph. 4:11) but that does not change the fact that every single member of the body of Christ is to have only one singular focus in this life, to lift up the name of Jesus to all they meet, no matter the circumstances, no matter the cost to themselves.
I fear that far too many are doing no more today than sitting in that pew, listening to the message offered Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, and then just heading back out into the world, neglecting this one great commandment that we all are to be obeying, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) And I fear that far too many who stand behind the pulpit are letting it happen, for any number of reasons.
If you are a born-again believer, if you claim the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have two main responsibilities, three if you like, you are to glorify God in all that you do in your life, in every part of it, His name is to be exalted above the heavens. (Psalm 57:5)
You are to reach out to every person you meet with the good news of the grace of God that is offered to all men through Jesus Christ, no matter the consequences to yourself. (Phil. 1:21)
And at every opportunity, you are to encourage those who are of the body of Christ, your brothers and sisters in the Lord. These are to be the main focus of the entirety of your life, all else is secondary. We offer our greatest praise to God by being obedient to His will and Word. (1 John 5:31) You are ambassadors of the Most High God, fulfill your obligations, behave accordingly. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
