Soul Winning: A Challenge
On a Sunday last winter in the 10:30 a.m. sermon, I introduced with the four fold ingredients that make up the life of the church. The source of that life, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The nature of that life is teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and praying. And it is as these four things are being practiced that we are grown up in Christ as He intended. What then is the result of this? Many things. Holy lives seen in our homes, the work place and the neighborhood. Opposition to wickedness in the world in which we live. Happiness and joyfulness from the indwelling work of the Lord and His Word.
Among all the results of the church’s practice and growth is winning the lost. An inevitable by-product of true growth in the church is we become men and women who are soul winners. Granted we vary in many degrees in our ability and success. Yet in other ways we all become part of the Lord’s converting work. A Puritan writer has said, “God never gives any one man a whole soul.” So we plant and water and God gives the increase.
But we do plant and water, all of us, in our own way and circumstances. Having said that, allow a challenge to all of you. It is to do something.
It is to prayerfully reach out to a lost man or woman (or child) by doing the following. Sit with that individual soul, open your Bible and show him/her in the Bible how they can have eternal life. Read the verses to them and have them read them. Be specific with God’s Word and pray the Lord will use it. Having shown them in the Scripture, then ask them if they want eternal life. If so, challenge them to go to Christ for His salvation. Tell me, have you ever opened a Bible and shown someone the way to Christ? Maybe this would be the first time. Regardless, it is my challenge to you to endeavor to do this. Phillip was reading the Bible (Acts 8) too as a lost man, who had to be shown in the Scriptures. Few things are more satisfying and it is obvious the Lord uses then this method. Make this attempt. For some of you, make it once a week. God will bless it. We will sow where we do not reap, but we will reap where we do not sow.
And when you have taken me up on the challenge, let us know how it goes. All about us are lost souls, and one of the great fruits of the life of the church is to see conversions. And this is one good way to have assurance the Lord is in it and to see the power of God in the salvation of souls.