He That Winneth Souls Is Wise No. 2

The war was such a strain on the South that they did not have time to train the recruits. They drafted them to serve and placed them on the battle line to fight. This one young man was drafted and never had time to learn how:

• To salute.

• To keep in step as he marched.

• Even, to know what the bugle calls meant.

Because of the seriousness of the circumstances he was called and placed on the front line with his own squirrel gun. One day he was in a very heated battle and he stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the Confederate soldiers courageously charging the enemy.

Since they were outnumbered almost 3 to I the bugle call was given to retreat lest they all be killed. The country boy, who had never had time to learn what the bugle calls meant, continued to charge the enemy being greatly inspired by the bugle. The last thing his fellow soldiers saw was him charging over the hill, full steam ahead, after the enemy.

That evening the men who had retreated sat around nursing their wounds and they began to say, "Poor old Jim. Too bad he did not know that the bugle call meant to retreat. He did not stand a chance.

But, just before dark they saw two men coming over the hill. The one in front looked like a Yankee soldier, while the one behind looked like Jim, and he was holding a gun on the Yankee soldier as his prisoner.

All his fellow shoulders rushed to meet him and expressed how glad they were he was alive. They said, “By the way, where did you get his Yankee prisoner?” Jim, who was already mad because of his buddies deserting him in the heat of the battle, was more than glad to answer that question.

He said very angrily, “Where do you think I got him from? I got him from the woods. The woods are full of them and if you hadn't been so scared you could have gotten some!”

This is the way soul winners often feel. While they are charging into battle they are out there almost all by themselves because the others have retreated.

They have ten thousand excuses as to why they have never won a soul to Christ.

Whatever excuse they use they cannot say the reason they never won anyone to Christ is because they do not know any sinners. The world is full of sinners.

Illus: Those who never win anyone to Christ remind me of the Alaskans who were going to play a trick on a man who had never been to Alaska who wanted to kill a bear. They took him out into the woods because he had wanted them to take him bear hunting and told him when he found a bear he should lead him back to them to catch. They all were in the warm cabin relaxing and enjoying the comfort of the fireplace, laughing about the crazy fellow out in the woods looking for a bear to lead back for them to catch. While they were laughing about him being in the woods trying to lead a bear back for them to catch they heard a voice in the distance, 'Open the Door! Open the door!' They looked out and the man they had been laughing about was coming across the hill with a great big grizzly bear chasing him. As he got closer he still hollered, 'Open the door! Open the Door!' The bear was almost on his heels. He ran to the cabin and as they opened the door for him he stepped aside and the bear had such momentum he shot right through and into the cabin. As a rustling began inside, he yelled to them and said, 'I will be right back with another one, the woods are full of these critters.'

Now the Bible teaches the same thing. The world is full of lost sinners.

Luke 10:2 tells us, "...The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few... "

God did not just say the harvest was great, He said that the harvest is "Truly" great.

We certainly cannot say the reason we never win souls to Christ is because they are so scarce. Jesus said the harvest is "...truly is great..."

Every year, as the population grows, the harvest is getting greater and greater. It is our responsibility to reach every sinner with the gospel message.

With all the technology we have today, radio, television, telephone, printing presses, fax machines, video's, etc., there is no excuse for not being able to reach every soul with the gospel of Christ.

There are two things that keep the church from fulfilling this COMMAND that has been given to us.