Theme: CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY [Part IV]

Focus: A Call to Win Souls

Text: Provs 11:30; Isaiah 61:1/Luke 4:18; Matt 10:7, 27; Matt 9:35/Matt 4:23; 10:27; Mark 16:15; Acts 13: 6 – 12

Introduction 

We must leave the flock of irresponsible Christians and translate to the realm of responsible believers. In this season, God is raising responsible Christians. At the point you gave your life to God, He saved you and called you to save others. In fact, the word “Christian” means that we are like Christ. This means that we are to do the things that Christ did. We have a call to win souls and save people. Some believers have been saved for about 2 years or more, but they are not conscious of the fact that everyone around us needs to taste Jesus like we did. They are not aware that other people deserve to have the joy of salvation that we have. Other people need to experience the benefits and beauty of being a believer. The miracles of Jesus, the healing power of God, and the move of God that we see in our midst need to be experienced by others. Others need to hear the word of God that makes us leap for joy, or the Word that breaks us down and moulds us into better person because we are products of the Word. It is the word that transforms our lives. Many people are in the captivity of the devil and all they require is the kind of prayers that we pray. A sister started joining our online prayers on the 11th of this month. She participated in just one vigil and she began to see the strange acts of God. She was shouting Holy Ghost fire and she saw a strange being run out of the compound, jumped the fence and disappeared. Prior to that prayer, she had been living in the same compound with that strange creature. Several other neighbours lived in the compound waiting for that one prayer. Somebody needs to hear Jesus from your mouth because the prayer they need to pray can only be found in Jesus.

All the benefits of Christianity must be dispersed to everybody, because everyone deserves it. Every individual needs to experience the joy of communion and fellowship that comes with being in the family of Christ; and so we have been called to save. Scriptures tells us that the fruit of the righteous is the tree of life, and he that winneth a soul is wise [Provs 11 vs 30]. Jesus is that tree of life from where we draw fruit; and for the Bible to say that a soul winner is wise, means that there are benefits in soul winning. Soul winning is a transaction with God and there are blessings in store for the soul winner. The book of Isaiah 61 vs 1 [Luke 4 vs 18] tells us that we are anointed to preach good tidings unto the meek, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and open up the prison to them that are bound. Beloved, do not waste your time preaching to those that do not need the gospel; and so who do you preach to? First, every problem is an opportunity to draw men to God. Devil uses problems as an avenue to destroy a man; but God permits problems in order to draw men to himself. Good tidings are preached to the meek. The “meek” referred to in the Bible means those people in their low estate or those in the base of life. 

While Jesus was on earth, he went from cities to villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, healing sicknesses and diseases among the people. Since Jesus went to different cities, every Christian must be on the go. Evangelism is the general responsibility of every believer [Matt 10:7]. We must preach Christ everywhere and in any place we find ourselves. As you preach, God will begin to tell you specific things about people and environments that He is sending you. You should not keep quiet when you are meant to be on the go. There are many Christians that God has sent to some locations, but they have refused to go. Yet, they keep praying to God to send them to better locations abroad where they desire to go. However, God will keep silent when you refuse to go where He has sent you, because God starts by sending you to your street, to your brother/sister or neighbor, communities, etc; and when He sees that you are faithfully delivering the message, He begins to send you to higher places and give you better instructions because you are now his vessel. God will not waste his investments, and so when you refuse to go the lesser places he sends you to, God will not send you to higher places. Your evangelism should start from the place you are in. It should start with your next door neighbour, blood relatives, colleagues at work, those on the same bus with you. Thus, if you cannot handle those people, you cannot handle higher responsibilities. God will not entrust bigger responsibilities into your hand when you have not fulfilled smaller assignments. Even in the corporate world, employees are asked about their work history because the employers are trying to know the level of responsibility they have handled in the past, in order to ascertain their capacity to shoulder a higher level of responsibility.

In the book of Mark 16 vs 15, Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel unto all creature. “All the world” in that scripture means that believers are to go into the world of science, world of entertainment, fashion world, world of education, medical world and every sector to preach the gospel to every creature.

FACTS ABOUT CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY

• In the new covenant [testament], one of our major responsibilities is to preach the gospel.
• We are saved to save others.
• If the people are not saved, they will die and end up in hell for eternal torment.
• The Apostles secret to kingdom growth was their preaching to many. In fact, one of the signs of spiritual growth is that you are preaching.
• Every soul winner must be full of love for every living being. What many people lack the most is love; they forget that love can change even the most terrible of humans.

A believer with no desire to preach the gospel to others is still far from the cross of Christ. The songwriter says “I will cling to that old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.” If you have sighted that cross and seen the blood

• dripping from Jesus’ hands and legs, something in your heart will yearn to preach to others.
• If you have the joy of salvation, then you will be willing and joyful to tell others about it.
• God attaches a huge measure of prosperity and breakthrough to covenant soul winning. There is prosperity and breakthrough hidden inside soul winning that the believer is yet to find. As the church of old preached the gospel, they experienced all round expansion. No wonder Paul said in 1 Cor 16 vs 9 that necessity is laid upon him to preach the gospel; in other words preaching the gospel has been conferred on him by responsibility. Jeremiah said “woe unto me if I preach not the gospel.” What sought of person would put himself under a curse for the sake of the gospel? This is to show you the depth of his love for God. But today’s Christian will say, Lord bless me whether or not I preach the gospel. Others love money more than they love Jesus and the gospel. After Jesus died, Peter returned to fishing that Jesus had to ask him “Peter, lovest thou me more than fish?” You must put aside comfort and embrace discomfort for the Kingdom. I remember when I was leaving my job to embark on fulltime ministry, my employers were very sad and they told me not to leave, because they had great plans for me. I told them that they may have great plans for me but they cannot have God’s plan for me.

HINDRANCES TO SOUL WINNING ASSIGNMENT

The Book of Acts 13 vs 6 -12 tells about a man called Elymas, a sorcerer in the community where Paul and Barnabas went to preach. Elymas tried to hinder the king from hearing the gospel. Paul commanded blindness on Elymas and Elymas was blind for a season until he accepted the gospel. The following are some of the hindrances to soul winning assignment, viz:

• Ignorance of a believer – It is the devil that blindfolds a believer and makes him/her ignorant. Many believers do not know that they ought to preach the gospel; they think preaching the gospel is the duty of a pastor alone. The devil puts a believer in ignorance because he knows that if he allows such believer to preach the gospel, the kingdom of darkness will be depleted.

• Pride to submit to the soul winning command – Preaching the good news is a commandment – “go ye into the world and preach the gospel.” Some believers are too proud to preach. They consider their status and achievements and see themselves as too big to preach the gospel. You are called to preach regardless of what you think. Humility is your first level to power.
• Demonic interference to stop the gospel – Sometimes a believer may be preaching, but there is a demon speaking to the minds of the listener[s] telling them that they do not need the gospel. Also, there are communities where you need to address the demons in charge of the communities before you can preach there. No wonder the lives of young people are being destroyed, because
• there are demons in that vicinity that are set to interfere with the plan of salvation. I have gone for street evangelisms in times past, and I have seen the demons dominating the streets at 5am where human beings live. Such demons want to stop the gospel, and so we have strategically closed down some of their centers. You must therefore attack those demons and bind them before you set out to preach.
• Fear – You need courage to preach. In Acts 4, the disciples were threatened and they were afraid. They therefore gathered to pray and were filled with the Holy Ghost again; they became bold to preach the gospel.
• Hidden sin and habits – If you are struggling with any hidden sin or habit, please stay in your closet and settle it with God before you go out to preach. Any hidden sin or habit is a hindrance to preaching, and the devil can capitalize on it to deal with you.
• Life issues – When people go through difficult times, they find it difficult to preach. They do not know that preaching is a way out of that problem.
• Spiritual attacks – You need some spiritual covering to preach the gospel. Before you go out to preach, make sure you pray and plead the blood of Jesus over your life because spiritual attacks are true and real.
• Spiritual death – Those who are spiritually dead do not even know what to preach about.
• Lack of knowledge – I have met many people who have good intentions to preach, but they lack knowledge. For instance, it is lack of knowledge that makes a preacher to go out with a bell. The preacher does not know that the jingling of the bell will prevent his voice from being heard during preaching. Some persons lack knowledge on how to put the word of God together, so they leave their listeners worse than they met them. It is also lack of knowledge that makes preachers to engage in arguments or even fight while they are preaching.
• HOW TO PREACH THE GOSPEL?
• Be filled with the Holy Ghost.
• Be filled with the word of God.
• Be very prayerful.
• Be bold and courageous.
• Be intentional about saving everyone you meet.
• Like Jesus, raise your 12 disciples.
  
  Prayer: Lord, empower me to bring souls to your kingdom, in the name of Jesus