The Labourers Are Few (Soul Winning) 1 Of 2

Our compassion can be seen clearly in our daily lives. For example:

• When we see someone in danger we try to warn them

• When we see someone discouraged, we try to encourage them

• When we see someone needing some assistance, we try to assist them

• When we see someone who is hurt, we try to help them

• When we see someone who is sad, we try to cheer them up

• When we see someone who is hungry we give them food

In many ways, we can see compassion in people in the way they live their life each day.

But why it is that we can be so compassionate in the PHYSICAL REALM of our lives, and seem to have no compassion whatsoever when it comes to the SPIRITUAL REALM of our lives?

Illus: If we had a loved one that we knew would have to spend the night on the streets somewhere, it would bother us greatly. But that same loved one can be headed for an everlasting burning hell, and will spend eternity in that dreadful place, and it does not seem to bother us enough to try and warn them.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? We can SEE their PHYSICAL NEEDS and we respond, but we CAN NOT SEE their SPIRITUAL NEEDS, so we do not respond.

The next time you see a lost person, loved one or friend, you might not see hell written all over their foreheads, but I can assure you that is exactly where they are headed if they do not come to know Christ as their Savior.

They must come to the Lord Jesus for salvation or they are eternally lost.

Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

It is a necessity, they must come to know the Lord.

Illus: Those who are trying to get to heaven remind me of the Arab who was walking through the Sahara desert, desperate for water, when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he walked towards the image, only to find a little old Jewish man sitting at a card table with a bunch of neckties laid out on it.

The Arab asked "Please, I'm dying of thirst, can I have some water?"

The man replied "I don't have any water, but you should buy a tie. Here's one that goes nicely with your robe."

The Arab shouted, "Idiot! I don't want a tie, I need water!"

"OK, don't buy a tie. I don't have any water, but to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll tell you that over that hill there, about 4 miles away, is a small restaurant. They'll give you all the water you want."

The Arab thanked him and walked away towards the hill and eventually disappeared.

Three hours later the Arab came crawling back to where the man was sitting behind his card table. He said "I told you, about 4 miles over that hill. Couldn't you find it?"

The Arab rasped "Yes, I found it, but they wouldn't let me in without a tie." The Jew said, “Do you want to buy a tie now?”

And lost man, you can mark it down, you are not going to get into heaven without Christ. The Lord Jesus loves you so much that He left the portals of heaven and died for you.

But none of us here doubt the love the Lord Jesus has for lost people.

Illus: Jesus loved people enough to die for them. We don’t love them enough to turn the television off and walk across the street and share the Gospel with them.

The prayer of every one of us today should be, “God give us a love for lost souls.”

Let’s look at the kind of love we should have for the lost. It has to be-

I. A GENUINE LOVE

In the world we live in, we see disingenuous people when it comes to love. The love we have for each other is so shallow and full of beautiful words.

Illus: One young man told his girl friend in a letter, “I love you so much:

• I would climb the highest mountain to see your face.

• I would swim the ocean to see your smile.

• I would fight a grizzly bear to kiss your sweet lips.”

After saying all of these remarkable things, at the close of the letter he said, “PS, If it does not rain Friday night I will come to see you.”

Only those who have a GENUINE LOVE will try to reach the lost with the gospel.

• In this congregation, I am talking to professing Christians that will state vehemently that they love the Lord Jesus, and that they believe in a literal burning hell.