To see that this is the case, all you have to do is observe what people seem to want from the church. For example, some see the church as:
• A drug center to reach an emotional high. They get depressed and they want to come to church for a “Fix”
• A social club where they can socialize with people
• A business place to find prospects for business
• A gambling casino, where they can place five dollars in the offering plate and you might get $100 to $1000 in return
It is obvious that many of the churches have been sidetracked.
Illus: The church today is somewhat like our social security system in this country. It started off providing people with a supplement for retirement. But through the years, politicians wanting to stay in office have added program after program to the social security system, and they almost have bankrupted the system. There is certainly nothing wrong with many of these programs, it is just that there is not enough money to pay for them.
Likewise, God started the church off to do two things.
• To edify the believers through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word
• To reach the sinners with the gospel of Christ
But we have added program after program to the church. And there certainly is nothing wrong with many of these programs, but the only problem is that folks have forgotten the purpose of the church, and have programmed God out of the church.
The church today desperately needs to return to the two-fold purpose of the church. They must not ignore the purpose God placed the church here to accomplish. THE CHURCH TODAY HAS GOTTEN SIDETRACKED!
As you read of that great soul winner, the apostle Paul, you see that he never got sidetracked. He was always conscious of reaching the lost wherever he went.
Let’s see what Paul can teach us about reaching the lost for Christ. Let's look at -
I. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOUL WINNER
Some could never win anyone to Christ because they do not live a godly life.
A. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE A VIRTUOUS PERSON
Look at verse 14, "And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are FULL OF GOODNESS, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."
Paul shows us the first characteristic of a soul winner; that is that he be, "...full of goodness..." If a soul winner is not obedient to God's Word, it is practically impossible for that person to convert others to Christ. Instead, people laugh at them and their hypocrisy.
Illus: Someone said this about hypocrites: “Rest assured, a hypocrite never INTENDS to be what he PRETENDS to be.”
Everyone despises a hypocrite.
Illus: Remember in the early 80’s and 90’s when some of the television preachers were exposed for their hypocrisy? When their sinful lifestyles were exposed, they became the subject of the jokes of every comedian on television.
Some professing Christians could do God a great service by never letting anyone know they claim to be saved.
Illus: One lost man tells of how a woman came to the store where he was employed. He tried to assist her, and because she was trying to save a few pennies, she literally became angry. In front of his boss, and a half dozen customers, she became very angry and red faced, and told him he was stupid! That lost man very seldom went to church, but decided to visit a church when he was invited by a concerned Christian. When he got there, guess who he saw singing in the choir - yes, that same woman who had been so rude and publicly embarrassed him! When this concerned Christian asked him to come back, he said this, “Not as long as that hypocrite I saw singing in the choir is there.” Then he told what happened, and he said, “If she ever leaves the church, let me know….I will come back, but not until then!”
All across this nation, we have Christians who put on their robe of righteousness on Sunday, then on Monday morning they take it off and live for the devil during the week. But these people never win anyone to Christ.
Paul lets us know that we must be “...full of goodness...” if we are going to win souls.
B. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE A KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON
Again, verse 14, "...full of knowledge..." A person who desires to be a soul winner needs to know what the Bible says a person must do to be saved.
In 1 Peter 3:15b, we read, "...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." We should be skillful in the use of God's Word.
Illus: This reminds me of the story told of an eight-year-old boy who had been pestering his father for a watch. Finally, his father said in exasperation, "I don't want to hear about your wanting a watch again." At dinner that night, the family members each read a verse of scripture, and the boy repeated, Mark 13:37, "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
Paul tells us that if the soul winner is going to be successful in doing what the Word of God tells him to do, he must be KNOWLEDGEABLE about the Word of God!
C. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE AN ADMONISHING PERSON
Again in verse 14, Paul said, "...able also to admonish one another." Notice, the scripture says that we should be, “…ABLE also to admonish…”
We need to learn how to admonish in two ways.
(1) IN OUR LIFESTYLE
Some folks are not in a position of ADMONISHING OTHERS. Why? Because they are as bad as those they are ADMONISHING.
Illus: There isn’t very much good you can say about the Klu Klux Klan. But years ago in the South when a man did not take care of his family, a bunch of those fellows would put their hoods on and would take him out into the woods, and put a beating on him that he would not forget. And they admonished him that they would be keeping an eye on him.
I think we all could go along with that, but the only problem is that many of the ones that beat the uncaring man, lived as wickedly as he lived.
And the same thing is true with admonishing others; some cannot because they themselves need admonishing. Some need to learn that before they can admonish others, they first need to get their own life straightened out.
But some need to learn-
(2) THE SKILLS OF ADMONISHING
Some may not live a wicked life, but they say things in a destructive way. Some people can do damage by admonishing, because they do not know how to speak tactfully.
There are two ways to state something; the WRONG WAY and the RIGHT WAY.
• If something is stated in the right way, any pain that may be involved is minimized
• If it is not stated the right way, it usually causes greater pain
Illus: Someone has said, "Tact is making your company feel at home, even though you wish they were."
Too many Christians have not yet let the Lord help them to be tactful. They will go to a lost man's home and …
• TALK ABOUT CHURCH PROBLEMS
• COMPLAIN ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT COMES TO THEIR MIND
• TALK ABOUT ALL THE HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH
Then they invite the lost man to come to church, and wonder why he does not want to come. If they had talked about the goodness of the Lord, they might have done some good.
Illus: Someone said, "Real conversation is not only saying the right thing in the right place, but leaving unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."
The soul winner must be -
• A VIRTUOUS PERSON
• A KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON
• AN ADMONISHING PERSON
II. THE CHARGE OF A SOUL WINNER
If we are going to be effective as a soul winner, there are some things we must know.
A. IT IS A CALL OF DISCOVERING
Look again at verses 15-16a, "Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, THAT I SHOULD BE THE MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE GENTILES..."
Paul had DISCOVERED that it was God's will for him to reach the Gentiles.
We cannot win everyone to the Lord. Paul knew that God had called him to minister unto the Gentiles. We see that he was very successful in winning them to Christ.
Every soul winner has to DISCOVER who he is capable of reaching for the Lord. But once we win them to the Lord, our job is not finished.
B. IT IS A CALL OF DISCIPLESHIP
Look at verse 16b, "...ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."
Paul was a firm believer that once a person was converted he needed to be discipled. He wanted them to be acceptable in the work of God.
God’s work is the most important work in the world, and yet we Christians take very little time trying to train people to do this important work.
Illus: It is not conceivable that a person could become employed by the largest bank in town, and placed in a key position with no training whatsoever. They know how important a job in the bank is and they:
• SEND THEM TO CLASSES
• PLACE THEM BESIDE OTHERS TO OBSERVE AND LEARN FROM THEM
When they are completely satisfied that this person is trained, then they place them on the job.
If that person started laying out of work and did not come in, they would waste no time correcting them. And if the person was not willing to be trained, they would not be allowed to do the job until they were willing to make the changes.
The church needs to catch that vision today, because it is hard to get Christians to take time to disciple those who are new in the faith.
The book of Romans is known as the book of the Bible that covers the great doctrines of the faith.
Paul CHARGES every soul winner to DISCOVER who he can win to Christ, and once he has won a person to Christ, to DISCIPLE that person.
We have looked at:
• THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOUL WINNER
• THE CHARGE OF A SOUL WINNER
Now let's look at the...
III. THE COURSE OF A SOUL WINNER
A soul winner does not go to a lost person to promote himself, he is there to promote the Lord Jesus.
A. TO "GLORY" IN CHRIST
Look at verses 17 & 19, "I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God...Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ."
Paul spoke of his glorying, "...through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God." Look at verse 19, he speaks of:
• Glorying in the "...mighty signs and wonders..."
• Glorying in the many doors that God had opened for him from Jerusalem to Illyricum.
We will never win anyone to Christ by “Tooting” our own horns.
God will draw the lost unto Himself when we lift the Lord Jesus Christ up before a lost world. Look at John 12: 32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
We are to glory in the Lord, but also we are-
B. TO "GLORY" IN CONVERTS
Look at verse 18, "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles OBEDIENT, BY WORD AND DEED."
Paul gloried in the OBEDIENCE of the new converts. It thrilled Him that the converts he had discipled were obeying the Lord, and he glorified the Lord for working through him.
But when it comes to soul winning, let’s look at something else.
IV. THE COURTESY OF SOUL WINNERS
Some very unkind things have been done in the name of evangelism. Paul spoke of the-
A. OTHER FELLOWS
Look at verse 20, "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation."
God never condones greed. We all know people who would not dare go into another man's church and steal the pews out of it, but they think nothing of trying to steal the other man's converts.
Illus: Years ago, a pastor was visiting another pastor and sharing with him that he had discovered, and had been working a new area with his bus ministry. He had discovered the area that no one else was working in, and was excited because they were bringing in almost seventy people from that area every Sunday. The very next week, the pastor friend he shared his news with, had a bus in that same area, and was offering children baseball bats and gloves if they would quit riding the other bus and ride his.
Needless to say, God does not bless greed! Today the church where that greedy pastor used to minister is no longer a church; it is a truck terminal.
We can learn from Paul. He was not greedy. He did not build upon another man's foundation.
B. OTHER FIELDS
Paul said he had patterned his evangelistic efforts after Isaiah (52:15). Look at verse 21, "But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand."
Are you reaching out, "To whom he was not spoken of...", and to those "...that have not heard...", that they might come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior?
Conclusion:
I. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SOUL WINNER
A. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE A VIRTUOUS PERSON
B. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE A KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON
C. A SOUL WINNER MUST BE AN ADMONISHING PERSON
II. THE CHARGE OF A SOUL WINNER
A. IT IS A CALL OF DISCOVERING
B. IT IS A CALL OF DISCIPLESHIP
III. The COURSE OF A SOUL WINNER
A. TO "GLORY" IN CHRIST
B. TO "GLORY" IN CONVERTS
IV. THE COURTESY OF A SOUL WINNER
A. OTHER FELLOWS
B. OTHER FIELDS
Note: You can hear Dr. Odell Belger preach on youtube. Please go to Youtube Lykesland
