Editors Note: This article first appeared in a 1978 issue of Word and Work.
Why Is soul-winning so important? Why is it so vital that we tell the lost of the free gift of salvation as offered through Jesus? Here, as well as in all cases concerning spiritual things, we want to go to the Word of God for our answer. I want to site 2 passages concerning the commission that Jesus gave to the eleven Apostles just before ascending to be with the Father. (This was after the suicide of Judas Iscariot and before the choosing of Matthias). First of all, we have the account given by Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit4, teaching them to observe that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NASB 1977). In Mark 16:15-16m we read, “And He said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation, He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” (NASB 1977).
I would like to go into a few reasons why we should be willing to do Christian service and tell the lost of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- CHRIST COMMANDS SOUL-WINNING
In the scriptures cited Christ gives the command to do Christian service. He tells them and us to go and preach the Gospel. What is the Gospel? In I Corinthians 15:1-4, the Apostle Paul tells us that the gospel consists of the fact that Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Everywhere we go we are to be a witness for the Lord Jesus. In Acts 1:8 the Apostles were given the command again to go all over the world to preach. Did they, NO! The stayed in Jerusalem. In Acts 7, we read of the ministry and death of Stephen. His death (Acts 7:60) and the persecution afterwards by Saul (Acts 8:1-2) led to a partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8. In Acts 8:4 we read the following, “And everywhere they went they preached the word.”
Our Heavenly Father desires us to obey His Word totally. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15). We must testify to the fact that Jesus came to this sin-cursed world to be born of a virgin. Why is this so important? Only One who was perfect and without sin could fulfill the sacrifice that the Father demanded, you ask: could not the Old Testament sacrificial system do this? (Read Hebrews 9:11-18in connection.) NO! Jesus came to this sin cursed world to bare the leprosy of sin upon the cruel cross of Calvary. Jesus died like any other religious leader on Mount Calvary (John 19:17-37). He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, but unlike any man ever living, He roses on the third day according to the Scripture (I Cor. 15:4). It is because of the resurrection that we may say with the Apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that Day” (NASB 1977). So, we ought to have the desire to share the everlasting Gospel will all we come in contact on our way down life’s road.
II. SOUL-WINNING IS IN THE PLAN OF THE AGES
In 2 Peter 3:9 we read these words, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (NASB 1977) This verse tells us that our Heavenly Father desires that all mankind be saved. We know that all that is required is for person to have faith in Jesus as Messiah (Mark 16:16), repent of his or her sins (Luke 24:47), and because of that faith be willing to be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). But we know that many will not take that first step towards the Lord of Glory. Although the Father desires that all be saved and has provided the means that all can be saved, it’s still a personal decision left to the individual.
The verse in 2 Peter 3:9 also tells us that the Father does not wish for anyone to spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Hell was not created for man in the state in which God created man in Eden, but was created for the Devil and his angels.
III. JESUS CHRIST IS RETURNING SOON FOR HIS OWN, THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
I feel that it is our Christian privilege to tell others of the Good News. One of the most, if not the most important reason for soul-winning today is that Jesus Christ is coming back. Oh, but you ask: How can we know that He is really returning in person for His Church? Most important, we have the words of Jesus Himself, the testimony of the holy angels, and the testimony of the inspired writers. In John 14:1-4Jesus tells us that He is coming back for His Church. In Acts 1;11, the angels told the Apostles that “this same Jesus” would come again. All through the Epistles we read of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His own. If you want a good example, we ask you to read the inspired words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
We must possess in our souls the hope of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus. If we are looking for and expecting the return of the Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13), we will, according to the Word of God receive the Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:6-18). Yes, Jesus is returning and many are not saved. We must “take the whole gospel to the whole world before Jesus comes!’
In Romans 1:16 Paul says that the Gospel is for all. In the hymnal, “Great Songs of the Church,” the words of number 179 ring true,
Of one the Lord has made the race,
Through one has come the fall.
Where sin has gone must go His grace,
The Gospel is for all! (J. M McCaleb)