“Dear God, help me!” “Save Me!” “Fix my life!”
How many days and how many nights do you call out to
The Lord for His help? How many times has He
lowered His hand and rescued you from the perils
you were facing only to watch you wander off down
your own path again? How seriously have you thought
about your responsibility to Our Heavenly Father
for His love and grace which never ceases?
Oh, I’m not talking about the weekly visit to
church or the Bible study. I am talking about
true faith in action; and true service and devotion
to Our Maker. Did you ever notice how you wake each
day and aggressively carry out the responsibility
of work and home or take a step back to look at the
effort you put forth making sure you “get the job
done” for your family, boss or company? Do you give
God the same effort with your responsibility to Him?
Is there anything left of you to give Him when
you’ve completed all of your earthly duties?
Someone once said to me “If you go about His
business, He’ll go about yours.” What an incredible
arrangement! This statement almost always leads to
the question, “What is His business?”
When we look at Jesus’ ministry here on earth we can
clearly see His mission was to save souls; to save
the lost from an eternity in hell. When I pondered
on doing “His” business; I thought of a passage
found in the Bible: “Take My yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am gentle and humble in heart:
and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke
is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew
11:29
,30). This passage spoke to my heart and made me
realize how little I give to Him in return for the
bounty He gives to me.
Our pastor challenged us to win just ONE lost soul
this year! As he expressed it, “Make a difference
in just ONE person’s life this year”. It was a good
challenge; and has resulted in several being saved
already.
At first glance it probably seems easier to rebuild
your car engine than to “win a soul”; but in
meditating on the above scripture, it dawned on me
that winning a lost soul is not really that hard to
do. Jesus promised us that His “yoke was easy and
His burden was light”; and we need only look deeper
into our hearts to truly understand how easy it
really is.
A yoke is a wooden frame worn around the neck of a
strong farm animal. It is not a burden to the
animal; instead it gives him strength, it makes the
load seem lighter. If you were to hook a heavy
load to an ox without a yoke, it would be unbearable
to him; the plow chains would cut into his hide and
choke him. A yoke is designed to eliminate, not
cause, pain.
So, when Jesus says to "take My yoke upon you”,
this is something good. It's designed to eliminate
the pain. The spiritual yoke spoken of in the
Scripture is just the opposite of an instrument of
torture. In fact, it is an instrument of mercy
given to us by Jesus Christ, our Savior. A yoke
makes the work easier; and by giving control of the
reigns to The Master, we are allowing Him to work
through us to accomplish His purpose.
As God’s children, we have been appointed the task
of winning the lost. It is our duty to “go and make
disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). It
is our responsibility; and Jesus promised us that
with Him by our side, not only would we find rest in
Him from the responsibility of this task; but the
burden He has given us would be lighter (Matthew
11:30
).
It’s
always easier to try and win a soul when you are
filled with His Spirit; and united in His love,
grace, wisdom and guidance. It is then - and only
then - that He can work through you. Two forces
working together in unity can accomplish the task
more efficiently than just one; and this is
especially true if one of those “forces” is God
Himself! Let the Master take the reigns and you
will marvel and what will be accomplished!
The soul is the immaterial essence of a person; it
is the moral nature and the total person’s self.
The human soul is God’s most valuable asset here on
earth and He has entrusted one to each and every
one of us. It is up to us to nurture and protect our
souls and we do so by consuming God’s word, by
fellowshipping with His Holy Spirit, and by turning
to Him for strength and wisdom when the enemy
attacks. Once we have become born_again in His
spirit, we learn how to do these things; but there
are countless numbers of people who neither know how
to rescue their own souls, nor do they even believe
it is necessary. As God’s children, we are
supposed to understand how valuable the soul is to
Him; and therefore, we are expected to allow our
experience; our God given strength, faith, and
trust in Him to lead these lost souls into the
light in which we bask. If you’ve heard it once,
you’ve heard it a million times: our duty as
Believers is to win lost souls. When we realize how
incredibly important this mission is; it will move
us to actively seek out the lost to accomplish the
task!
When you are given a project to do at work; you
will probably analyze it, break it down into
sections, and then complete piece by piece until
the whole project is accomplished. It is that way
in soul-winning.
Some souls can be won to Christ by simply sharing
your testimony and planting a seed; but others take
more work.
Now that you’re on fire for the mission; you
probably want to get out there, cast your net, and
pull in a multitude; however, sometimes it is better
to find just one and put your energy into leading
just that one to Jesus! This does not mean that you
should shun an opportunity to win several at the
same time; but the “one size fits all” concept
rarely works in this most important ministry of the
soul.
Take the time to properly equip yourself for this
mission. The most important element to soul
winning is, of course, prayer and unity with God,
He will lead you to the one He has chosen for you
to take under your wing; and, when you listen to
His voice and guidance, He’ll breathe the soul
winning words into your heart.
Breaking Down Your Barriers
Many Christians with whom I have talked about this
mission have expressed frustration at how often
they are turned down, rejected, or simply ignored.
Ok! Now we know how Jesus felt! He preached to
thousands; and yet, when He died, there was just a
small handful of His followers there.
Sometimes our best intentions can lead to
disappointment because we never really studied the
barriers that are blocking us from success!
“What barriers?”, you say. “How dare you! I have
no barriers! I love Jesus with all of my heart!
What right do you have to speak of barriers?”
It’s really very simple. Loving Him, and
reflecting Him, are two totally different things;
and, by the way, don’t forget the issue of giving
Him control of your mission.
BARRIER NUMBER ONE
One of the most common responses I get when trying
to share my faith with others is the issue of
hypocrisy. A hypocrite is a person who puts on a
false virtue or appearance of religion. The word
comes from a Greek expression from the ancient
theater when male actors played all the different
parts in the play. A man could portray a woman, an
animal, a king, or a pauper simply by changing his
“mask”; the it was expressed that he was a
“hypocrite” - meaning “the person behind the mask”.
He was actually portraying something he was not in
reality.
An unsaved soul will immediately recognize a person
who “talks the talk but doesn’t truly walk the
walk”. I believe more would-be Christians have
been lost by hypocrites than anything else.
Look at it this way, would you hire a mechanic to
fix your car when his own car is breaking down?
Would you hire a dentist who has no teeth?
Take a very honest (sometimes painful) look in your
spiritual mirror! What do you see? Do you see a
person that puts on his “Sunday-go-to-meeting-best”;
and shows up for Sunday service; and smiles; and
loves everyone: but then spends the rest of the
week in a foul mood being as rude as possible to
whom ever you come in contact? I
I
am speaking out of experience. I own a small
business in a small country town situated in
America
’s “Bible Belt”; and I never would have expected
some of the folks with whom I deal on a daily basis
to be hypocrites. Hey, after all; we’re in the
Bible Belt, where just about everyone preaches the
Gospel and loves Jesus. Frankly, I was shocked at
how many folks I saw dressed up in their Sunday
best going to church on the weekend with a heavenly
smile on their face only to find out that the rest
of the week they were as rude as a New Yorker during
rush hour traffic!
How can you possibly expect to be effective as a
soul winner acting like that? When I speak to
Christians about this attitude; I am normally met
with a defensive reaction, with the first retort
being “I have been a Christian for MANY years!”
This pious attitude is exactly what the enemy feeds
on and uses against us; and how he retains the lost
souls we are trying to win from his grasp. Hypocrisy
is the most sure way to fail as a soul winner!
It doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian
or how well you know your Bible. What matters is
how well you apply what you have learned over the
years! The older we get as Christians, and the
farther we go in the Faith, the more humble we
should be in spirit. It is this humble spirit that
attracts those troubled souls to us.
BARRIER NUMBER TWO
The second barrier is lack of faith. A person with
luke warm faith will surely project the lack of
conviction to others. To attempt to win souls when
your heart truly isn’t in it will result in an
empty net. Before we can deal with the barriers of
the souls we have been entrusted to try to win, we
have to break down our own barriers. We have to
identify the back doors the enemy can enter and seal
them tight.
In
addition to the weapons God has given us to protect
ourselves (Ephesians 6:10_18), we have to be
responsible for how we are seen by the world. Our
prayer and open ear to Gods wisdom will equip us
with the faith we need to win those souls. By
allowing God to show you these barriers and
allowing Him to help you break them down, you have
instantly lightened your burden.
BARRIER NUMBER THREE
The third and possibly the biggest barrier we face
is sometimes found even in the church family
itself. That is jealousy!
If you think the enemy doesn’t work within the
hearts and minds of the church family itself;
sadly, you are wrong. A church clique is one of the
most dangerous weapons we face on the soul winning
mission. This group is usually the best dressed,
most popular and most vocal group in the church;
usually consisting of five or more people who feel
their seniority in the church has placed them on a
higher level than the rest of the members. So,
when the “lower class” abandon the idea of “fitting
in” and simply set out to accomplish the task set
before them with vigor and ambition, the clique can
turn very hostile. Anything that exposes how little
this group really does for God will usually cause
them to set their snares; and, although they appear
to be loving and supportive, these are the “wolves
in sheep’s clothing” Jesus warned us of. They will
fit every description of hypocrisy; and will do it
to your face and even with a smile. The actions of
these clique members often leave even a true
warrior feeling hurt, angry, frustrated and
confused. This is how the enemy causes division and
we all know that a house divided CAN NOT stand.
Their actions will almost always make you wonder if
the work you are doing is worth it; or leave you
questioning your own ambition. If you are faced with
this dilemma, pray that God will reveal their
actions to them; and, at the same time, you ask for
His protection and put on the armor He has freely
given you (Ephesians 6:10_18). Never forget, He
has inspired you to do what you are doing for Him;
and so long as you focus on Him, He will accomplish
the task through you. If after you read this you
feel conviction in your heart and realize that you
may, in fact, BE one of the clique members, please
realize that being the best dressed, the oldest, or
the most popular member of your church is not going
to get you into heaven! In fact, it isn’t even
pleasing to God!
Are your actions fair to other members? Do you feel
jealousy or envy when you see another member
accomplishing God’s mission while you focus on your
importance in the church or community? If so, it
may be time to take your thoughts and actions to God
in prayer. Your pastor may be able to help you rid
yourself of these feelings that have caused you to
place yourself above your fellow church family
members and possibly caused them to stumble on
their journey. When you have addressed and removed
your own barriers you can effectively help a lost
soul do the same.
Overcoming The Barriers of the Unsaved Soul
The barriers we have to overcome when dealing with
an unsaved person are easily identifiable after a
few conversations, maybe even one. The first thing
with which you will come in contact is the person’s
mentality, or their mode or way of thinking. In
many cases this mentality is the result of decades
of living in the flesh. Some folks have experienced
horrific situations in their past that prevent them
from seeing a brighter future.
Some have allowed the enemy’s weapon of logic to
blind them from the truth. “God doesn’t help people
anymore”, they rationalize. “I can’t ever see Him
in my life so how can I believe He is there?”.
These are common responses to an initial
conversation about salvation. It has taken them a
lifetime of bad habits to achieve their current
“unsaved” status; so, don’t be discouraged if your
first efforts do not result in an overnight change.
By helping them see the barriers themselves; it
will be easier for you to help them break them down,
piece by piece; and in the process, you can help
them build a new and blessed foundation - The
foundation of salvation!
Nothing will draw a person to you more readily than
sympathetic ears and wide shoulders. A lost soul
almost always wants to tell you why he or she is at
that place in life. Nothing feels better than
knowing someone cares about all of your hurts and
that they are listening with a sincere concern to
help you to identify some of the other barriers
that prevent them from falling into God’s loving
arms.
Listening to a person sift through the dusty and
often ugly corners of their heart helps you to
better equip yourself through prayer to help them
clean out the old garbage and start filling it with
the new and positive things that will lead them in
the right direction. Helping them to identify and
appreciate the blessings they do have such as a
home, a family, food on their table, etc is a good
way to set the stage. Amplifying what they have
been blessed with; and helping them to retrain
their thinking to see the blessings they have taken
for granted is always a good first step.
The way a person thinks is a powerful barrier. When
I was traveling through the first days of my
journey of salvation, my thoughts played a big part
in my progress. It was only when I learned to take
control of my thoughts that my progress was visible
to both my eyes and my spirit. For many people who
have been lost in the world and the flesh, their
mode of thinking will be the controlling factor. As
soul winners, it is wise to teach them to
recondition their faulty thinking. This is a
step-by-step process that lays a solid foundation
for a permanent life and spiritual change.
One way to do this is to tackle the “what ifs”! In
every case I have seen, I could say that 99.9% of
the “what ifs” never happen; instead, they are just
a tactic of the enemy for injecting fear into our
minds; which in turn prevents us from trusting in
God totally.
Now, I ask you. Are you convinced? Have I “sold
you”? Then, what are you going to do about it?
What decisions will you make to become the
soul-winner that God has called you to be?
Ask The Lord to forgive you for all the barriers you
have erected to fulfilling your mission of winning
souls. Then, as Jesus told the woman, “Go, and sin
no more”. In other words, “Get busy with what He
has called you to do; and it will be amazing what
will happen!
E-mail me with your decision; and let’s work
together to make some amazing things happen!
If you do not know The Lord Jesus as your personal
Savior; if you have never come to the place where
you have confessed your sins, and trusted Him to
forgive you; you can do that right now. Go ahead!
Confess your sins to Jesus; ask Him to save you!
Here’s a prayer that will always work, if you are
sincere. “Lord Jesus, I am a sinner; and I am sorry
about that. I confess my sins to you; and I am
ready to receive your wonderful forgiveness.
Receive me and make me your child, I ask you in
Jesus’ Name. Amen”.
Did you do that? Did you mean it? Then, thank Him
for saving you!
Now, cement it down by telling somebody! Anybody!
Tell somebody what you have done; find a
Gospel-preaching church; join in with them - and get
busy in God’s Great Big Work!
E-mail me
about your decision; and let’s work together to
start your new life in Christ!
A
special thanks to Pastor Tom Mooty at The West End
Baptist Church for his contribution to this months
article.
About Pastor Mooty
