Whatever It Takes
Pastor Don Carpenter / General
Introduction:
A couple of weeks ago, a missionary on deputation called me asking for a chance to schedule a meeting with a goal of raising support. When learing about his heart and his ministry, i asked him how many folks he won to Christ this past month… silence… how many in a year… none. At this point the pius excuses started to flow by wrote…
“ I don’t save anybody, Jesus does” as if that absolves him of any personal responsibility at all. I took him to this passage and showed him that Paul takes on personal responsibility
“… that I might by all means save some…”
I went on… ok no one in the last year, how about the last 5 years? He began to weep. I challenged him that if he has not been winning souls here, he will not magically become a soul winner once he crosses the ocean. He needed a fundamental change in his view. He needed to see that winning souls is his personal responsibility and we need to do whatever it takes.
Perhaps as you look back at 2018, or 2017, 16, 15, 14…. how long has it been since you personally led someone to saving faith in Jesus Christ? It starts with a desire, then a passion, then a strong sense of personal responsibility. In 2019, may God stir all the believers here at Evangelical Baptist Church to be personal soul winners willing to do whatever it takes.
It Takes A Burden For Souls.
A. Know that they need Jesus alone, being moral or sincere is not enough.
Acts 4:12 KJV 1900
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
B. Know the fate of the unbeliever.
1. He is condemned already.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
2. A literal and eternal Hell awaits the unbeliever.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men… *
3. You are in debt to the unbelievers, and owe them the truth.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
C. Know our Savior’s desire to save the lost.
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
2 Peter 3:9 KJV 1900
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
It Takes A Sense of Personal Responsibility.
A. You are a steward of God’s truth.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Paul Rader had urged a banker in New York many times to receive Christ, but he did not respond. One day the preacher sensed that God wanted him to speak with this man again. Obediently he took a train and went with all speed to the town where the man lived. He hurried to the bank and found his friend standing in the doorway. “Rader,” he said, “I’m glad to see you! I wrote a telegram begging you to come, but later changed my mind and didn’t send it.”
That’s all right,” said the evangelist, “your message came through anyhow by way of Heaven.” Under deep conviction of sin, the banker was impressed by Rader’s earnestness and his special effort to reach him with the Gospel, and that same hour he accepted the Lord. Suddenly the banker gave a gasp and fell into the evangelist’s arms – DEAD! He had been saved on the very brink of eternity.
What if Paul Reader had delayed or failed to stress the urgent need of turning to the Lord immediately? Will you do whatever it takes?
B. Get your eyes off of yourself.
John 4:35 KJV 1900
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Constant Meditation in God’s Word.
A. To be cleansed.
9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
B. To be ready
1 Peter 3:15 KJV 1900
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
C. To be renewed daily.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Committed to take specific action.
A. To reach as many souls as possible.
• Lay aside your preferences in order to reach more people.
• To the religious preach true religion
• To the moral, preach the only true hope of pure morality
• To the free, preach true freedom
• To the week, preach gently
• Reach everyone where they are not where they should be.
B. To be blameless.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
You can never tell what God may do with a gospel witness. Many years ago in St. Louis a Christian man was completing some business with a lawyer. Before leaving the office, the Christian turned to the lawyer and said:
“I have wanted to ask you a question, but I have been a coward.” The lawyer was surprised. “I didn’t think that you were afraid of anything.” He said. “What is your question?”
The client replied: “Why aren’t you a Christian?”
The lawyer hung his head. “You know my weakness.” He said. Ísn’t there something in the Bible about drunkards having no part in the kingdom of God?”
Not to be detoured, the Christian said, ” That’s not what I am asking you. I want to know why you aren’t a Christian.”
“Well,” said the lawyer, “I can’t recall that anybody asked me, and I’m sure that nobody ever told me how to become a Christian!”
Before long the two were praying together and God moved into that lawyer’s life. He saved him and immediately broke the power of drink that had bound him.
That lawyer was Cyrus L. Scofield who later edited the famous Scofield Reference Bible, the most widely used study Bible in the world.
The man who went to speak with Mr. Scofield that day was a soul winner. He was driven with a burden for souls, a sense of personal responsibility, a constant meditation in God’s word, and was committed to take the specific action of sharing the gospel with his lawyer.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:11 PM March 8, 2020.