Numbers 21:4-9 records the account of the fiery serpents sent as judgment against the Israelites. If we pay attention to verse seven, we can see a very important principle at work, one that deserves our careful attention. We who bear the name of Jesus have been commanded to make disciples of all the nations. Along the way, many will reject the gospel. Some just flat-out won't believe yet. Some will believe, but will still walk away to pursue other loves. In verses 4-5, the Israelites walked away from God, and the invariable result of the rejection of truth is self-destruction. But verse seven teaches that when the destruction came, "the people came to Moses..."
Why did they come to Moses? They came to him for help, and they knew to come to him because they knew that he would intercede for them, and that his intercession would be heard. The knew that Moses had entrusted himself to God and that he had a right relationship with Him, a relationship that they had not cultivated.
We have people in our lives who initially reject the Lord. They may reject the gospel, discipline, morality, or our warnings, but all of that reduces down to a rejection of God (given that we are presenting God to them). So, when the inevitable destruction comes, will the people in your life know where to turn? Are those people at work who make fun of you going to know where to turn when they are brought to repentance? Are those family members going to be able to look back and see your testimony lighting the way home? If we do nothing more than fade into the backdrop of their worlds, then when they hit rock bottom and look around for hope, how will they know where to look?