PASSION FOR SOUL-WINNING

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek
(Romans 1:16).

As a child of God, you must be passionate about soul-winning; it must burn in your heart to take the Gospel to the lost. You’re the custodian of the Gospel. It’s therefore your divine responsibility to publish it around the world. When you understand that Jesus is the only way, you’ll stand up for the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul, in Acts 13:38-39 said, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” There’re no options to the Gospel. No wonder David said, “Send us around the world with the news of your saving power…” (Psalms 67:2 TLB).

In David’s day, the Gospel hadn’t been fully made manifest, but he had insight into the revelation of Christ the Messiah. The time hadn’t come and the redemptive work of Christ hadn’t been consummated, but Christ now has come. He has died and has risen, and now lives in our hearts. Halleluiah! No Christian is left out of the instruction to preach the Gospel. It should be your passion!

Fuel your passion for the Gospel. Keep preaching and talking to others about Jesus. Discuss the Gospel continually with those who are also fired up in their spirits for the Gospel and intercede in prayer for the lost who are yet to hear the Word of salvation.

Further Study:

Matthew 28:19

THINK ABOUT THE LOST;

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart (Ephesians 4:17-18).

The Bible highlights the dangerous plight of the unbeliever. He is in spiritual darkness and is alienated; that is, cut off from the life of God. Ephesians 2:3 further refers to them as children of wrath. That means children appointed unto the wrath or anger of God. What a terrible state for anyone to be! Ephesians 2:12 refers to them as “hopeless and without God in the world.”

While still a student on campus, many years ago, I read this portion of Scripture and it got me thinking. I considered the students on campus that were living without God, and thought, “Dear Lord, how could anyone live in such darkness? How could they go to bed at night, and live another day without God?” I was moved with compassion and began to intercede for them: “O, God, don’t let them die and go to hell without receiving Christ. Help me to reach them, and tell them about Jesus,” I’d pray. I felt constrained to tell them about Jesus, because nothing could be more damning than living without God and having no hope in the world! This should make you think about your friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbours and associates that aren’t born again. They’re hopeless in the world, without Christ.

You can’t afford to let them keep living without God, drifting farther and farther into the abyss of darkness. Let the hopelessness of their situation compel you to intercede for them. Pray that they’d be delivered from the domain of darkness and the power of Satan unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God. You may be the only one with the opportunity to touch their lives with the Gospel. Therefore, preach to them and teach them the Word. Tell them God loves them so much He sent Jesus to die for them (John 3:16). Contribute your time, effort, and resources to soulwinning. Be known for your passion for the Lord, His Gospel, and the souls of men.

Further Study:
2 Peter 3:9;
Mark 16:15

SANCTIFIED FOR THE MASTER’S USE;

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

There’re different qualities of vessels in God’s house: vessels of silver and gold, and vessels of wood and of earth. Being born again, we’re all vessels in the house of God, made for honouring Him.

None of us was made “unto dishonour”; each one of us has been raised for His glory, but you can decide if you’re going to be a vessel of honour, or a vessel of dishonour.

That’s what Paul meant when he said, If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use….”

To be “sanctified” means to be separated or set apart unto God for His sacred use, while to be “meet” means to be qualified. We’ve already been sanctified: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). He has also qualified us (made us meet), to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12). Therefore, you’ve been purged and cleansed from all that’s ignoble and unclean. You’re fit for the Master’s use.

However, you must place yourself where you ought to be, and be available for Him to use you. The responsibility is yours, to be in a constant state of readiness, and be willing to take on more responsibilities for the Lord. You may never know what more the Lord intends to do with your life, which is why you must be willing and ready to do more all the time. Make yourself available for greater responsibilities in the house of God, and do all you’re asked to do faithfully, with a sincere heart.

Further Study:
2 timothy 2:15;
John 15:3;
1 Corinthians 6:11

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord (1Corinthians 1:9).

PRIVILEGED BY HIS GRACE

Isn’t it amazing that you’re called of God, and are given extraordinary participation in His Gospel programme? It’s such a high and noble calling. None of us “qualified” to be a part of it, except that Christ Jesus gave us the grace and accepted us: “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). How wonderful this is! It’s something you ought to be eternally grateful for, because no one has the personal qualification to do anything in the Kingdom of God; it’s a glorious privilege to be called into fellowship with Him, and also carry out the ministry of reconciliation.

Remember that God is so great; He’s beyond our imagination; on our own, we couldn’t even approach Him. Think about this: the Jewish Rabbis who copied the Scriptures, had to wash or bath whenever they got to the Name of God, as a purification routine, before proceeding to write the Name. Each time they needed to write His Name, they repeated the same cleansing ritual, because they highly regarded His holiness.

But you know, it doesn’t matter how many times you deep yourself in water; that’s not what cleanses you. That’s why Jesus came to give us a new life, because it makes no difference how many drums of water you wash yourself with, it’ll never wash your spirit. And we didn’t need a washing of our spirit; we needed a washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost (Titus 3:5). That’s what Jesus accomplished for us.

Therefore, be grateful to God, for giving you responsibilities in His Kingdom; you’re privileged to be His partner in soul-winning, to be a part of His agenda in the earth. Therefore, put your best into whatever He’s called you to do. Put your best into serving Him. Serve Him with your spirit and function in love. Let love become your language, your message, way of life, and daily expression.

Further Study:
Ephesians 1:3-6;
Ephesians 2:8

YOU CARRY HEAVEN IN YOU.

We, however, are citizens of heaven, and we eagerly wait for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven (Philippians3:20 GNB).

When Jesus came to this world, He came with as much heaven as He could live by, and bless the world with. Let’s illustrate it this way. Imagine you’re from the United Kingdom, and you’re the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to South Africa, you’d be living in your embassy in South Africa as though you were in the United Kingdom. Everything necessary for you to live the life in the United Kingdom would be made available to you, even though the house you live in is situated in South Africa.

Now, when you come out of that house, you’ll have all the rights of a diplomat from the United Kingdom, but when you meet with the people of South Africa, you deal with them as South Africans.

Nevertheless, you know that you’re from the United Kingdom. You can only help them with as much of the United Kingdom that you came to South Africa with. When you enter the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the rules of the United Kingdom apply. Yet, there is a country called the United Kingdom away from you; but you have brought as much life with you from the United Kingdom to South Africa in line with what the rules allow.

The Lord Jesus did the same thing. As much as the rules allowed, He brought heaven in Him to earth. He brought it in His heart, because the Holy Spirit lived inside Him. He came with the throne of God in His heart. No wonder He was such a blessing to the world!

The same applies to the Christian. A Christian is more than a religious person; he’s one who is born again, and by reason of the New Birth, has been translated into the Kingdom of God, and now lives in heaven, in the earth. He’s one with as much heaven as he can carry. Hallelujah.

If you’re born again, you carry the throne of God in your heart. You’re thus heaven’s ambassador to this world. Therefore, preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Bless the world with the grace and glory of heaven that’s in you.

Further Study:
Hebrews 12:22-24

AN UNBEATABLE PARTNERSHIP

And all things are of God, who hath … given to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

God’s number one passion is to save souls. He proved His commitment to this by sending Jesus to die to save humanity (John 3:16). Despite God’s commitment to saving the lost, He wills to do it through us—His children; He has committed to us “the ministry of reconciliation”; this task has been assigned to us.

In the Book of Acts, chapter ten, we read about Cornelius, a Roman centurion. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; therefore, God had mercy on him and sent an angel to him. Nevertheless, the angel couldn’t lead him to Christ, because it’s not the responsibility of angels to preach the Gospel by ministering the words of salvation. They don’t have that honour. The angel told him to send men to Joppa to ask for Peter. Peter came and proclaimed the Gospel to Cornelius, and he and his household received Christ that day.

Your relevance in God’s plan for the salvation of the world can’t be overstated. He wants to reach out to people through you, and because He knows you won’t be able to achieve this by your own ability, He gave you the Holy Spirit to be with you, and in you. He’s your partner in soul-winning, and that is an unbeatable partnership. He has come into you to make you an able, competent, and effective minister of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 3:6). His presence in you makes your life supernatural.

Recall what He did with Peter, who, on three occasions, denied the Lord, being afraid of persecution from the Jews. However, when he received the Holy Spirit, he became so bold that he ministered the Gospel to a large assembly, and on that occasion, three thousand people gave their hearts to Christ. The moment you receive the Holy Spirit, power comes into you. That power, which is the dynamic ability to cause changes (Acts 1:8), gives you the ability to be a bold witness of the resurrected Christ.

Further Study:
2 Corinthians 6:1;
1 Corinthians 1:9 AMP;
2 Corinthians 3:5-6

THE MASTER SOUL WINNER;

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

The Lord Jesus was a master soul winner. His examples of soul-winning in the Scriptures are very inspiring. In John 4:6-42, He encountered a certain woman at the well of Samaria, and engaged her in a conversation. The woman came to draw water from the well, and Jesus had a word of knowledge about her.

However, to get her attention, Jesus started out a conversation with her by talking about something that was of interest to her—the water. Upon getting her full attention, the Master said, “…Give me a drink of water” (John 4:7GNB). From then on, the Master witnessed to the woman, who believed and went about telling others about Jesus.

Matthew chapter 4 tells us another beautiful story of how Jesus walked along the shores of Lake Galilee, and saw two brothers who were fishermen: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Then the Master said to them, “…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The Master always knew how to engage others in a conversation on a subject that was of interest to them, in a bid to witness to them.

If you’ve often wondered how to engage people in a conversation in order to preach the Gospel to them, emulate the strategy of the Master. Observe what such folks might be interested in, and initiate a conversation along that line.

For example, he may be reading a newspaper or magazine, try to observe what he’s interested in, and ask a question or make a positive comment to get his attention. Perhaps, you want him to explain something to you, listen with rapt attention. If you do, he’s likely to also give you his attention when you start speaking to him.

Further Study:
1 Corinthians 9:16;
Act 17:22-34

IT’S ABOUT THE LIFE HEREAFTER…

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36).

Many people live their lives as though this world is where it all ends; but there’s a life hereafter. Even if God gave you two hundred years to live in this world, it would still be over some day. After all, he gave some over nine hundred years to live in Bible days, but they still died and left this world. It doesn’t matter how many years you live on earth, what matters is whether or not you lived in the righteousness of God, glorifying Him with your life.

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” If all you do with your years on earth is to seek to make yourself happy, and fulfil your own dreams, that’ll be an empty life. When we all stand before the Lord at the end, when He judges all things, His only concern would be what you did with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He’d only be interested in how you lived the Word, fulfilling and expressing His righteousness. So, it’s about the life hereafter.

Our life in this world isn’t essentially for this world; you’re in this world to decide where and how you’ll live in eternity. The despots and dictators of yesteryears thought they would live forever in this world, so they built kingdoms and stored up fortunes for themselves; but today, they’ve taken their place in eternity. No wonder Jesus asked the thought-provoking question: “…what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

If a man had all the fame and glamour in the world, and lived and died without Christ, what would that be, compared to the anguish of living eternally in hell? We must therefore continue to preach the Gospel and teach men, women, young people, and children in our world and in the regions beyond that life on earth is short; eternity is all that matters. The time to serve the Lord with wholehearted devotion, and make Him your number one focus, is now.

Further Study:
John 3:16;
Matthew 5:29

TAKE UP HIS CONCERNS

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you (John 20:21).

Each one of us has a divine responsibility in Christ, to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We’re the ones expected to win the world for Jesus Christ, and we have to do everything necessary to make that happen. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

His concerns must be our concerns. What He cares about is what we should care about; otherwise, our lives will be empty. Life is nothing without God’s purpose. Think about it: your forebears were here, but they’re gone; then the next ones came and now they’re gone also, and the list is endless, until it finally got to you. So, the question is, “What are you doing here?” Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37).

Your purpose for life is very important; God’s purpose for your life is primarily for you to be His agent of salvation and partner in winning others to Christ. Be definite about this. Live for this cause. Most people live their lives without ever discovering why they were born; they just walk through life and all they think about is themselves. There isn’t a worse life than that of a selfish man who only thinks of himself.

Your prayers shouldn’t be only about you, your family, your job, your needs, and everything else that has to do with you. Take up the Lord’s concerns and intercede for lost souls. The Bible says He wishes not that any person should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). This can only be if you take up your role as a soul-winner and an intercessor.

Further Study:
1 Corinthians 9:16;
Romans 1:16