Are You Intentional About Soul-Winning?

Yikes! I don’t know about you but the most daunting task for me as a new believer was soul-winning. It always seemed so unappealing and I had no interest in it.  Many believers feel the same; evangelism activities are usually glossed over when trying to plug one's self into serving at church. Yet that is the main reason why we are here – to love and glorify God, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Loving God means doing things that are pleasing to Him and giving Him glory means doing things which gives only Him honour. By sharing the Good News with others, we are putting God first and honouring Him and His word [Mark 16:15]

Loving our neighbours means we want them to enjoy the same benefits of being a believer as well as make heaven.  It doesn’t matter what religion - our primary primary purpose is to share the Gospel of Christ with our neighbours, in love. 

This is where it is tricky though. I always felt it took a lot of liver to speak to someone who is Christian but not necessarily a believer talk-less of approaching someone who practices another religion. Scary stuff. However in the final analysis, God categorises everyone as either believer or unbeliever. It is neither about being a good person/having been born into a Christian home/being the child of a preacher nor is it about doctrines and practices. God's only trigger for salvation is the conscious acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour into one's heart [John 1:12, 3:16] 

In shying away from it altogether, many believers would give reasons such as:

1) "I am sure I can just pray for him or her from afar, that is fine too."

Counter Argument: The reason you are here is to serve God and to be used as a vessel by Him for His Kingdom expansion. It is more rewarding to be proactive in doing so and also willing. [2 Timothy 2:21]

2) "I am still trying to work out my own salvation and I am not a mature Christian. Shouldn't it be a pastor doing that?"

Counter Argument: God can use anyone, it doesn’t matter when you came to know Him [Jeremiah 1:6-8]

3) "I am neither social nor an extrovert and find it hard to talk to people."

Counter Argument: God's strength is made perfect in your weaknesses, the key is to just let Him use you [2 Corinthians 12: 9]

Now to the approach. Most people imagine soul-winning to be standing by the roadside with a megaphone or distributing tracts to others or even preaching on buses. If that isn't really your scene (not mine either), there are modern ways to evangelise such as:

- Simply talking to others

- Music (singing, writing)

- Theatre

- Writing

- Social Media

- Comedy

- Organising events (e.g. movies, soccer games, book-readings, similar interest groups)

There are so many channels, the key thing is to find how you can share the Word with authenticity, care, trust and transparency. 

So get going, some people's clocks are ticking!  Here are two very apt songs for some motivation! The bottom line is to move your ego/interests aside so He can use you:

1) I Give Myself Away by William McDowell (video)

2) Background by Lecrae (video)

God bless you! Please leave a comment :o)

Who's The Builder?

Bible Study: Psalm 127:1a

Unless the Lord builds a house, they that build it labour in vain.

If we broaden our perspective here, a house can represent your family, relationship, business or career, project, business idea, ministry or a church. For God to build, we must commit the 'house' to Him. Which means He must give direction regarding it and we must defer to Him. 

If we do things in our strength alone, then we do them in vain - we may get success at the end by worldly standards but they could be meaningless to God and His kingdom, which is a tragedy.

Some consequences of not getting direction from God are:

- Fruitlessness (The Israelites many times disobeyed and went with their own counsel. As a result, they never entered the promise Land except for Joshua and Caleb. Numbers 14:30)

- Division (As a result of Sarah taking things into her own hands, Ishmael was born and Abraham's family was divided forever re: Ishmael and Isaac. Genesis 21:8)

- Discontentment (The Israelites failed to trust God and began to look back on what their lives could have been in Egypt. Exodus 16:1-4)

- Confusion (The people decided on their own to build themselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens. Thus the Lord confused their language so they did not understand each other re: Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:1-9)

- Disaster (Saul partially obeyed God and was denounced as king for it. 1 Samuel 15:1-28)  

- Death (Samson's horrific death as a result of his marriage to Delilah and his alliance with the Philistines. Judges 14 - 16)

Here is the million-dollar question though:  Does that mean I should do nothing until I hear from God on a matter? 

While thinking about how to answer this question with some measure of wisdom, I found this online:

The Holy Spirit is not the patron of lazy and inert men; but he directs the minds of those who labour to the providence and power of God. --Wolfgang Musculus, 1497-1563.

God (through the Holy Spirit) will not work on our agendas all by Himself, He needs our cooperation but it is in our best interests to commit our ways to Him, then He will guide us on what to do as we move. His response may not come through an audible voice but rather a sign, testimony from someone else, a change in the environment or economy or an unusual happening that affirms His direction. We can only know if we patiently and faithfully listen out for Him as we go. 

There may be other times when we just cannot go because He has not said go. The truth is, it really is on a case-by-case basis but you can know what to do in your situation through God's wisdom, if you ask Him.

In 1787 Benjamin Franklin gave a speech at the Convention for forming a Constitution for the United States and some of it is culled here:

I have lived for a long time 81 years; and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall proceed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little, partial, local interests; our prospects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, or conquest. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service. 

Little wonder why almost 230 years later, the same Constitution still stands and is the point of reference for almost every decision made in the US. This is the very same constitution that, from what we read, God built.

Reflection: Is there something in your life that you need to commit to God? It is never too late.