East End

5-4-08

Text: Proverbs 11:30

I was recently looking on a website, www.godtube.com, it is a spinoff of the popular website, youtube.com but obviously godtube.com is all about praising God. You can find a variety of things on this website as Tim has shown us with the evangelism training. But I came across one in the music section that hit the nail on the head. The gentleman who goes by the name coffey said this, “we are to win souls.” Of course he is write because that is what Solomon was inspired to write by the Holy Spirit in Proverbs 11:30, “…and he who wins souls is wise.” We as Christians and the body of Christ many times get distracted with our “service” for God that we forget what our mission truly is. Jesus’ last statement to His disciples and all believers is found in Matthew 28:19, 20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” There are two things taught here, evangelism and discipleship. They go hand in hand. Jesus first said,
“Go.” We are to be sharing our faith and evangelizing every person God puts in our path. And as God draws them to Himself and they turn their life over to Him, we are to teach them all things that He has commanded. As we do this that young immature Christian get strong roots, becomes a strong, mature Christian and part of that is evangelizing therefore the cycle starts all over. We get so caught up in preaching or teaching a method that we forget God desire a relationship not religion. You can have the greatest method of evangelism in the world, but if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you don’t know what you are talking about when you share your method. The world wants to and needs to see a true, authentic relationship with God when you say you are a Christian. That is what gives your words credibility. But too many Christians play the game on Sunday but then sit on the sidelines Monday through Saturday. If we want God to think we are wise, we need to spread the word of God. This means calling sin by its proper name, sin. But then we need to lead that sinner to the Forgiver of all sins, Jesus. In all honesty, only what we truly do for Jesus Christ will last, the rest will pass. That is why we are wise when we concentrate on soul winning, because we are investing our lives in something that is meaningful and eternal. Would God call you wise? I hope so, but if not don’t be discouraged because remember, Jesus is the Forgiver of ALL sins when we confess them and repent of them. Ask God to give you a burden for the lost and then ask Him to give you opportunities to share your faith. A word of caution though, if you don’t want to be completely obedient you probably don’t want to ask God for those two things. On the other hand, if you truly want to share your faith and have God call you wise, be prepared because God is always at work around you. He is drawing people to Himself where you are, now you just need to ask Him where He is at work and then join Him. I hope you have the opportunity to share your faith with at least three people this week. May God receive all the glory and May He bless you as you are obedient to Him!