Paul's Focus: Souls Won Not How It's Done Series

Are we the body? Yes we are… the question is what are we going to do about it? I believe we have become so worried about how we do it or what we do… that we lose sight that God does not care about our methods… God cares about His message reaching the lost!

This means we must have the attitude of Paul here… an attitude that does not hold to tradition or ceremony… that does not care about outward apperance or what others may think about what we are doing or who we are reaching…

Paul says in v22 that his desire was to …find common ground with everyone this was so He could meet them where they were!

22When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.

Have you reached out to your neighbor to find a common ground where you can share?

Have you reached out to that person you see at the store on a regular basis?

What about that worker at work?

Or that student at school?

Or your family member who just doesn’t seem to fit in?

Well preacher, you don’t know what I am doing? I don’t see YOU doing anything either! What are YOU doing? Well I have an answer to that question… my answer is that I have NOT been doing enough, and as I have stated over the past few weeks, God is convicting me to change and do more for Him and I am moving in that direction.

I am going out into our community and prayer walking the neighborhood. I am sharing Christ with my server at the restaurants, I am sharing Christ with the check out lady at Walmart or WinnDixie or Rouses or whatever store I visit…

You are right I do NOT know what you do and I am not here to judge you… I am here to equip you with the Word and to challenge you to be a DOER of the word and not just a ‘hearer’ of the Word.

So don’t take this message as a message of judgment from me… it is a message of judgment from the Lord on ALL of us! ME included!

But preacher I don’t know what to do? I don’t know what to say? Well Paul gives us instruction on this and the instruction really simple… in v23 Paul says, 23I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

“…I do EVERYTHING…” is what Paul says, that means there are NO limits to how you can share the Gospel with others and share the blessings of Christ with others.

I know it is scary! I know it is intimidating! I still get butterflies when I go to speak with someone about Christ! I know that we live in an ever growing hostile world toward the Gospel, but I also know that our calling in Christ has NOT changed! I know that we are called to GO and make disciples!

The question is not how, but who… we must reach out to those God places in our path. For me it is going to be different than it will be for you. When God places someone on your heart…

He doesn’t expect you to pray about it and then call the pastor or a deacon to go and make a visit… He expects YOU to go! He expects YOUR obedience!