? Good talented musicians,
? Christians who faithfully attend all the services,
? Christians who will faithfully support the church with God’s tithes and their offerings etc.
Many churches across this nation have these wonderful Christians. However there is something you do not find in many of these churches.
WHAT IS THAT?
That is today it is difficult to find people who are burdened for winning the lost. This is a huge problem for churches all over this nation.
God wants all Christians to be active in soul winning. Just think:
? Torrey was won to Christ through his mother.
? George Mueller was won to Christ by a friend.
? George Whitfield was won to Christ while reading a book.
? Sam Jones was won to Christ by his father.
? D.L. Moody was won to Christ by a Sunday school teacher.
God says this about soul-winners: “HE THAT WINNETH SOULS IS WISE!”
Illus: William Booth was invited to the Buckingham Palace by King Edward VII. The King asked him to write in his autograph album what would sum up his life. He was then seventy-five. He wrote: “Your Majesty,
-Some men's ambition is art.
-Some men's ambition is fame.
-Some men's ambition is gold.
-My ambition is the souls of men.”
? David Brainerd, another great soul winner, once said, “I care not where I live, or what hardships I go through, so that I can but gain souls to Christ. While I am asleep I dream of these; as soon as I awake, the first thing I think of is this great work. All my desires is the conversion of sinners, and all my hope is in God.”
? George Whitfield said, “O Lord, give me souls, or take my soul!”
? Henry Martyn, missionary, kneeling in India, cried out, “Here let me burn out for God!”
? Praying Hyde prayed in India, “Father, give me these souls, or I die.”
? John Hunt, a missionary to the Fiji Islands, prayed this upon his dying bed: “Lord, save Fiji, save Fiji, save these people, O Lord: have mercy upon Fiji: save Fiji.”
Throughout the history of mankind some of the WISEST MEN AND WOMEN who walked on this earth gave their lives reaching the lost for Christ. The great need of the church today is again to have men and women who are actively trying to win the lost.
Illus: We live in an age when we put saints in stained glass windows, but when the New Testament Christians were on earth, they believed that a saint should be put in shoe leather.
Let us look at some of the great soul-winning saints of God we see in scripture.
I. WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF ANDREW.
Sometimes the first step in solving a problem is recognizing you have a problem. Some churches recognize the problem but they certainly are not doing things in God’s way in solving the problem.
Illus: For example, recently it has been reported that some of the Southern Baptist (notice I said some, not everyone) are suggesting the reason that many of the Southern Baptist churches are not growing in membership is due to their name. So some have suggested that they delete two things from their name:
(1) They want to delete the word SOUTHERN because of people who move from the north to the south. This does not set well with some of the northern folks.
(2) Secondly, they want to delete the name Baptist because this also does not set well with some people.
IS THIS THE PROBLEM? I do not think so. Listen, it used to be when you went by a church:
? And you saw a church sign that said it was a Baptist church it let you know what they believe about this Bible.
? And you saw a church sign that said it was a Methodist church it let you know what they believe about this Bible.
? And you saw a church sign that said it was a Pentecostal church it let you know what they believe about this Bible.
I do not have time to go down the whole list of denominations, but when you saw those signs out in front of those churches those people were proud of their beliefs. But we live in an age today when you drive by a church and read the church signs and you do not know if it is a church or a dog kennel.
Churches today can hide their names if they so desire, BUT THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM!!!
The problem is they do not recognize what God’s Word says, “He that winneth souls is wise!” They allowed the devil to shut down their soul winning program and now little or no effort is being made by Christians to go soul winning! Often their growth is from people moving from another church.
In the Old Testament times, one of the greatest shames a woman could suffer came from not being able to bear children. Well, one of the greatest shames for us Christians is that we are not producing more Christians.
The New Testament church did not have:
? Modern buildings,
? Computers,
? Public address systems,
? Comfortable pews etc.
But what they did have was a burden for lost souls.
Look at John 1:40. We read, "One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother." Look what happened when Andrew got saved. In verse 41, we read, "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is being interpreted, the Christ.”
Notice the scripture says, "He FIRST findeth his own brother...” This was his top priority!!! The New Testament Christians did something that Christians today often do not do. As soon as they got saved, they immediately began witnessing to their friends and family members about the Lord Jesus Christ. For example:
1. Philip began witnessing immediately when he was converted.
Look at John 1:43-45. We read, "The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
WHEN DID HE GO? The Bible states that he went IMMEDIATELY!
2. The woman at the well began witnessing immediately after she was converted.
Look at John 4:28-29. We read, “The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
She was so excited about what the Lord told her at the well, the Bible tells us that she left her waterpots to tell her friends and family about Christ. She definitely wasted no time.
3. The converted demoniac man began witnessing immediately after he was converted.
Look at Luke 8:39. We read, “….And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”
Every one of those New Testament Christians did the same thing as soon as they were converted, they went and shared with others what the Lord had done for them. They just couldn't keep the good news to themselves. They IMMEDIATELY LED THEIR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO CHRIST!
Illus: A pastor, who was starting a new church, called an experienced pastor for some advice. The pastor starting the new church said, “I feel that God wants me to start a church in Greenville, N.C. Could you, as a seasoned pastor, give me some advice?” The seasoned pastor said, “The best advice I can give you is to teach your new converts that they should begin witnessing to others immediately.”
That is good advice. Why? Because, the people who are inclined to win the lost are people who recently got saved.
The old Christians often fall into a rut. Little by little they are distracted from soul winning and very seldom can you get them out of that rut. What is the old saying, “IT IS HARD TO TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS!” Yes, it hard to get people, who have been saved for years and they have gotten into this spiritual rut, and can not get out of it.
The hope most churches is in the witnessing of its new converts.
Illus: Did you know that most of the time people who get jobs as salespersons, in the first two or three months will become a top salesperson. But over a period of time, they will begin to blend in with the old salespeople and no longer be on top.
Thank God for those who have been saved who discovered the thrill of witnessing and have continued, but all too often the new converts are the ones who spread the word that Jesus Saves!
Notice, Andrew had just found the Lord and the Bible says then, “HE FIRST FINDETH HIS BROTHER.”
We hear a lot about Peter, but notice it was Andrew who led Peter to the Lord. Peter is the one who stood up at Pentecost and led 3,000 souls to Christ. Had it not been for Andrew, that may never have happened.
Perhaps you will never preach, or teach a Sunday school class, but you can be a soul winner. And perhaps some of the ones you will reach will win thousands. And when they do this they may take all the credit, but God knows that it never would have happened had you not been faithful in your witnessing.
We never know the impact that one conversion may have and how many souls may be won to Christ because of that one contact.
Andrew, as a new convert, certainly did not know much about the scriptures (he had not even read the New Testament), but his witnessing consisted of the positive statement spoken as a result of his meeting Jesus, “We have found the Messias...” God took those few words and used them to draw Simon Peter unto Himself.
Follow Andrew's example! You have seen from his example that God can use a convert with very little knowledge of God's Word if you will but go and tell your family and friends what you have discovered!
II. WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF PHILIP.
Philip was another new convert who did not know a great deal about God's Word, but who was used of God to win souls. Look at John 1:45, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
? This young convert had not even learned that Jesus was not Joseph's son.
? He did not know Jesus had been born of a virgin.
However Philip did not sit back and say, "I do not know enough about doctrine to witness.” He took what he did know and shared that with Nathanael.
Listen beloved, a church will do more for the Lord with a few young zealous converts than a church full of people who have all their theology in order, but never win souls to Christ.
All a church needs to grow are a few young zealous converts like Philip who can say, “We have found him..."
Those who know Jesus will show the excitement of knowing Him all over their faces.
Philip said, "WE HAVE FOUND HIM!" I believe when Phillip said that it was written all over his face.
He did not have all the answers. He told Nathanael that Jesus was “of Nazareth.” At that time Nazareth was considered to be one of the most despicable places one could live in. When Philip told Nathanael that Christ came from Nazareth, Nathanael said, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip did not have all the answers for Nathanael. He simply said, "Come and see.”
In other words, "WE HAVE FOUND HIM and now you must COME AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.”
Also notice, the Bible says Philip “findeth” Nathanael.”
Soul winners recognize that their family and friends are LOST and they must FIND them and SHOW them how they can be saved.
Philip is a wonderful example of a soul winner that every new convert should pattern after.
III WE HAVE THE EXAMPLE OF PETER AND JOHN.
In Acts 3, we have the wonderful example of how Peter and John won souls. They were on their way to the temple when they approached “a certain man lame from his mother's womb.” When the lame man saw Peter and John coming, he held his hand out hoping to receive something from them.
This is a valuable lesson for us. That is, did you know that the lost world expects something from Christians? Why do you suppose this lame man had been placed at the temple gate? Because he knew if anyone would be compassionate and generous to him, it should be those who claimed to love God.
Illus: When you and I meet:
• A shoe salesman, we expect him to want to sell us a pair of shoes.
• A real estate salesman, we expect him to want to sell us some real estate.
• A stockbroker, we expect him to want to sell some stock.
And when the lost people meet a Christian they expect him/her to want to share the gospel with them.
When God created the world, He set things up so that His creatures BEGAT after their own kind.
• Dogs “begat” dogs.
• Cats “begat” cats.
• Rabbits “begat” rabbits (Boy, do they ever!)
• Monkeys “begat” monkeys, no matter how badly the evolutionists hate it.
It is God's plan that Christians should “begat” (or produce) Christians. Angels do not begat Christians - Christians begat Christians! And if we do not, then something is wrong!
God’s plan for the church to grow is through evangelism. Show me a church that is not winning souls to the Lord and I will show you a church that is drying up on the vine.
The lost man at the temple gate saw Peter and John coming and he expected something from them. Peter and John were smart enough to recognize what he needed. Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none: but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk."
It was not that they did not want to give the lame man any money, but one cannot give what he does not have to give. But, God expects us to give what we can, and every child of God can share the gospel that God has so freely given to him.
Conclusion:
A young man had been appointed by the foreign mission board to go to Africa. The thrill was dampened by just one thing. The girl who had been his sweetheart through the years would not marry him if he accepted the appointment. To all of his pleas and reasoning, her answer was a definite “No!”
One month before the time he was to sail he decided to write her one more letter. He hoped something had happened to change her mind. After he wrote it, he added a postscript which read: “If this letter has made you miserable, just throw it in the waste basket and don't answer it."
Something had happened. With a joyous heart she wrote and told him in a dozen different ways she loved him enough to go to the end of the world with him. When she started to the post office to mail it, however, she found it was raining very hard. She hesitated, then told her younger brother she would give him a quarter if he would run and mail it.
Anxiously she watched for a wire or a letter. None came. The months dragged by and she did not receive a letter. She later found out he had left without her. She was devastated!
Years later, when the family was moving to another house, she found an old coat that belonged to her brother. In a pocket she found the letter - it had never been mailed! Her young man had never gotten it.
