WINNING
SOULS
Eternity and Salvation: these may be the most significant
realities in existence other than the person of God. Maybe
because of their utter finality. In a world so inundated by temporary
and disposable realities, absolutes such as these may seem so distant, and even
mythical or mystical to some. Nonetheless, infinite truths are revealed
by an infinite God who became in part finite for the very purpose of making
these truths known and available to mankind. All of the
known universe bears the signature of its triune Author in time, space, and
matter. Each of these in turn being three in part.
Time consisting of past, present, and future; space
consisting of height, depth, and breadth; and matter consisting of solid liquid
and gas. A trinity of trinities spoken into existence
by Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who made us body, mind, and spirit for the
purpose of having a relationship with Him. Life is about
relationships. There are three of these as well: the way we are related to
ourselves, others, and our Creator. All of these relationships are broken by
the curse of sin and are in need of repair (Sin being a counterfeit or unholy
trinity comprised of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life - I John 2:15-17). The good news is that God has made a way of
salvation from sin. God’s signature on his work of salvation is visible in time
as well: justification being the work of salvation from past sins,
sanctification being the work of salvation from present sins, and glorification
being the completed work of salvation in the future.
It has been said that the only two things in this world that will
last forever are the Word of God and the Souls of people. Significantly,
it is the Word of God that provides the Way of securing eternal life for our
souls and for those of others. This being true, we can build upon this and say
that any investment of resources be it time, or money, or thought, that is not
related to this work is wasted because it is perishable “...Whatsoever is not
of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23) This verse provides a general principle
found throughout the written Word of God that can be applied to any specific
detail of life or to this life as a whole. Let us dedicate some time now to
this work.
Who
am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Truthfully being able to
answer these questions in a way that is consistent with spiritual reality
regarding one’s purpose and destination provides the only meaningful peace,
confidence, and comfort in life. Everyone will exist somewhere forever.
There is an end to this life. In this world There are
but three things we must do: exist, choose, and die. The choice we make about
Jesus Christ will determine the answer to these questions and determine where
we will exist forever when we do die. Death is the result of sin. Death
is also three-parted consisting of the separation of our person from God in
this life (spiritual death), the separation of our body from our spirit
(physical death), and the separation of our person from God in eternal torment
(eternal Death). In a way true life is a form of death in the sense that true
life is separation from sin through obedient faith in Jesus Christ who is the
living Word of God, the Saviour, who died for the
sins the world and rose three days later having clothed himself
in humanity for 33 years. Every time we choose we change. So we are
either in the process of choosing death or choosing life. Life is both a choice
and a gift, and we choose who we will serve because we cannot serve both
masters. The Lord has called many to receive life because the Lord has offered
life to all. However, only few have and will receive the call to live. Those
who have received the call to live are then called to share the message of
salvation with those who are yet lost. This world is a spiritual battleground
for people’s lives.
MT
28:19-20
Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.
Go and tell. It is a direct command of God. If all
were saved automatically without any choice on their part, there would be no
need to teach the message of forgiveness available if we believe, confess, and
repent. If God did not desire to use people to win people because his
work of predetermining who should enter the kingdom is already completed, there
would be no call to teach. God knows what is going to happen before it happens,
but that does not negate the responsibility or effect of the work He has given
to us.
Rom 8:29-30
For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Ultimately Jehovah God is the one who does the saving. Let
us look at seven types of personal experiences used by God to reach those who
are yet to receive His forgiveness.
Conscience. We all have one. It exists within the minds of even
the most ignorant, barbaric and native peoples. It may be better called
God-consciousness. We are born with it. It is a part of who we are made
to be. An inner awareness of the existence of our good God
and what good is. It is a voice and vision that is distorted by
sin, but we hear it nonetheless. And we seek to either grow in our knowledge
and acceptance of that good or else we burn it out of our minds and hearts and
give our souls in exchange for something else. The Lord calls to us through our
conscience.
Rom. 1:20
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
Nature. It is obvious there is a God. The voice of true science
shouts loudly that God is observable in what He has made. We all know,
therefore we are accountable. No one will stand before God and justifiably
declare that they were unaware of His existence or had no opportunity to
respond to His call. The Lord calls us through His creation. The truths
revealed about God in nature are general revelations of His omnipotent identity
and this revelation invites us to seek to know Him more specifically.
Human History. History is in fact His Story. It is the account of
the relationship between God and Man. The Holy Bible in it’s 66 books is the only
completely accurate written record of human history. It’s
word’s were given by God and preserved by God. Jesus
is the center of human history. Past History said Jesus is coming, present
History says Jesus is here, future history says Jesus is coming again.
The accurate record of each living soul’s personal history is likewise an
account of their relationship with God. His Story is clearly seen in the
records of language and literature, archeology, geology, and the laws and traditions
of men. It may be that the pictographs of the Chinese are of the oldest
languages in use today being thousands of years old. A country who has rejected God as a whole still shows the traces of
their connection to His Story which can be seen in many words such as the word
for “salvation” which is a picture of 8 people and a boat. The Lord calls
us through history.
Jude
1:22-23
And
of some have compassion, making a difference:
And
others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the
garment spotted by the flesh.
The Lord calls us through human influence. God uses people
to reach other people. When we accept Jesus the Saviour
from our sins and the Spirit of God begins to live within us we become more of
what God intends for us to be. We are forgiven of our sins and learn to
grow in overcoming sinful living. We become capable according to the measure of
God. Capable of serving in His ministry. Capable of
Love and of seeing and understanding His will according to
His Word. Jesus changes us and we are then unlike the lost in a way that
is obvious and cannot be hidden. We become directly and indirectly persuasive
when we interact with others because of our identity in the Lord. He calls
others through our influence.
2
Pet 3:9
The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance.
The Lord calls us to change our mind about our sin through His
Holy Spirit. He will and does make known to us that we fall short of His
will. He makes us to understand that we are not in right relationship to Him
because of our inherited sin nature and the sins we have committed against Him.
He urges us to reach out to Him to deliver us from ourselves, to redeem us from
an evil master, to save us from eternal punishment.
John
16:7-11
Nevertheless
I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I
go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart,
I will send him unto you.
And
when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:
Of
sin, because they believe not on me;
Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
Life is about relationships, and relationships are about
communication. The Lord calls us through his Word. He spoke the universe
into existence and continues to speak to us in audible words at times according
to the record and experiences of many. The Spirit of God placed His words
into the hearts of men who recorded them in writing for all of humanity to
benefit from the specific and special revelation of Truth. The Word of God is
pure in all forms and He has exalted His Word above even His name. It is
the written Word of God that outlines God’s plan for salvation and articulates
the details of the logic of Faith. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God and
He it is that saves.
Heb 4:12
For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
God is a God of order: His order. God is bound to be Holy
and bound to His Word. However, he is not bound by what He has made. We
ought not attempt to place Him in a theological or
systematized box. The Lord calls us supernaturally. He may stop time,
change a heart, speak through animals or angels, heal and inflict wounds, or
perform any miraculous act He chooses in order to get our attention regarding
our need for Jesus or to accomplish His will in our lives. Prayer to God
is a supernatural work that changes realities.
Luke
19:10
For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
God uses these experiences to call us to Himself
and make us aware of our need for salvation, and to urge us to receive Jesus’
payment for our sins. Now let us look more specifically at five ways in
which we may apply these experiences to our labor of Love in seeking to be used
by God to reach the lost.
Apologetics: This is the idea of intellectual arguments that
support and defend faith in Jesus Christ and refute the lies of false science
and false religion. We are made in the image of God. We are intelligent
beings capable of reason and logic. Truth makes good sense. Although our power
to understand is hindered by the effects of sin upon our thoughts, we are often
able to reach the lost through this method. The evidence of science,
history, and nature is irrefutable in winning the case for Christ when
presented according the the Lord’s lead.
1
Peter 3:15
But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Another application of sharing the Gospel is that of
Evangelism. Evangelism is
a spiritual gift and work of grace. We might say that anyone who
shares the good news that Jesus paid the debt of our sins and will save us if
we trust him and forsake our sins is an evangelist. We might go further
and say that evangelism is a special ability to reach people with the Gospel
and produce a successful outcome. This special ability is the result of the
blessing of God and the Work of the Spirit of God as we grow in our
relationship and experience with Him and His Word as believers. All
believers are called to be evangelists.
2 tim 4:5
But
watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
make full proof of thy ministry.
Witnessing is another application of sharing Jesus with the lost.
The Lord lives within us when he saves us in a unique way that becomes visibly
evident. Our lifestyle will testify that we are different than those who
are lost. Emotionally, spiritually, our identity has been transformed. We are a
child of God. We may not always be visible to others, but the Lord will
use the witness of our work in our labor of love to reach the lost. There are
very practical functions in everyday life that must be tended to. Some
must devote their efforts to the material management associated with the work
of the Gospel ministry and these functions are not wasted when directed by God
and used in support of reaching the lost.
Mt
5:16
Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.
To proclaim something as truth is Preaching. True knowledge is knowing a true thing. Preaching is declaring that truth
and publicizing it abroad in order that its acceptance and application are
promoted. The truth of God’s Word is powerful and reaches the hearts and
minds of the lost. So powerful in its absolute truth that even when proclaimed
with ill motive there is cause for rejoicing and it will not return to the Lord
empty of results.
Phil
1:15-18
Some
indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
The
one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to
my bonds:
But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
What
then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto eternal life.
Prayer may be the most significant resource available in reaching
those who are lost. Listening and talking to God about His plan to seek
and to save those who are lost. Asking Him to prepare us and
to prepare others. Seeking to submit ourselves to His lead and
direction in all of our decision making. Prayer
produces a renewed zeal for the Spirit and Word of God resulting in a drive to
reach the Lost.
Luke
6:28
Bless
them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
I
John 5:16
If
any man see his brother sin a sin which is not
unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto
death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
Being a sower of the seed is not just parabolic it is paradoxical
if we fail to understand that God is in control and we are not to get ahead of
Him or behind Him. God’s timing is beautiful (Ecc.
3). His plan is perfect. Our ability to reach the lost is not based upon how
often we share Him, how bold we are, how many we speak to, or any factor other
than submissive obedience.
Is
52:7 (Rom 10:15)
How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that
publisheth salvation; that saith
unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
I Cor 3:7
So
then neither is he that planteth any
thing, neither he that watereth; but God that
giveth the increase.
Mat
7:6
Give
not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
We are all pigs and dogs figuratively speaking at some point.
The Lord knows when to reach us and by what means based on who He has
made us to be and based upon His unique call upon our lives.
Prov 11:30
The
fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Wisdom is the right application of God’s Word to the circumstances
of life. The word in the above passage “winneth”
comes from a common word meaning to “take” something. The word is used in Gen.
5:24 when God “took” Enoch. To Win a soul is to
take a person’s existence. To take that existence from the
place of death to the place of Life. Be wise and take Souls.
MT
13:49-50
So
shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the
wicked from among the just,
And
shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing
of teeth.
I
John 5:12
He
that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Rom
10:13
For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2018 by Michael
Creech
All Rights Reserved