John 12:43, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
Here on earth, it seems that everyone is praised except the Bible-believing,
Christ-honoring, sin-hating, soul-winning Christian. Singers, Hollywood
celebrities, and producers, receive all sorts of Grammies, trophies, and
honorary awards; while the Bible-believing soul-winner has doors slammed in
his face, cursed, derided, and hated by the ungrateful world (John 15:19).
Albeit, I'd rather receive the sole praise of God than of every human being
on earth.
Most believers are carnal and have the wrong priorities in life, being more interested in watching TV, hobbies, and sports. Such disobedient believers, who never attempt to win souls to Christ, will be very sorry at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11). They will receive NOTHING from God. Tears will flow.
For the faithful Christian who shares the Gospel, they will receive rewards in eternity (1st Corinthians 3:7-8; Revelation 22:12). God calls the heart of the soul-winning Christian “honest and good” (Luke 8:15). God calls the soul-winner's feet “beautiful” (Romans 10:15). No such words are spoken of concerning singers, athletes, musicians, educators, leaders, nor anyone else. Soul-winners receive the praise in Heaven. God doesn't care if you can cheer on the fans by making a football touchdown if you're not a soul-winner. God doesn't care if you can dazzle the crowd with your eloquent voice if you are not a soul-winner. God cares about winning souls (Proverb 11:30). God wants every believer to share the Gospel with others, to be soul-conscious, and concerned about the things of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:20-21; Romans 10:1). Soul-winning is NOT just for ministers in the clergy. Every Christian believer is commanded to win souls. Proverb 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” That means a believer who doesn't try to win souls is a fool. 1st Corinthians 9:16, “...woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
Jesus said that we will be given literal possessions in eternity which cannot be stolen, taken, damaged, nor ruined in any way (Matthew 6:20). No one will take advantage of us in Heaven. No one will be able to bilk us out of our money. Health problems won't consume our money and leave us poor. No one will be able to swindle us out of our home like the greedy Banksters have done here in the United States (through the evil invention of the Adjustable Rate Mortgage scam). What a bunch of greedy and rotten criminals!
The Bible tells us what Heaven rejoices about... SOUL-WINNING!!! Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Heaven's inhabitants jump for joy and rejoice over a every soul saved. The Bible plainly teaches that Heaven rejoices even over ONE SINNER that repenteth. Amen! The individual is important to God. Even one person coming to Christ for salvation is a big deal in Heaven.
This wicked world down here on earth praises homosexuals, feminists, adulterers, God-haters, and every person of the wicked. In Heaven this is not so. 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 teaches that the wicked are not allowed into Heaven. You had better repent toward God, by coming to Jesus Christ to be forgiven of your sins. Those who trust upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are given the righteousness of Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:5-6). They are declared justified in the eyes of God... JUST-IF-I'D never sinned. You will be allowed into Heaven, no matter what wickedness may be in your past, because you have been cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st John 1:7; Revelation 1:5).
In Heaven, God will give to every believer their heart's desires. I have always wanted to travel the world; but have not the money nor health to permit such extensive travelling. I hope to travel the universe. I love steel guitars and desire for the Lord to give me musical instruments and the knowledge to play them as I desire. This will all happen in eternity, when the Lord returns for His own. Psalms:37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” It is obvious that this Scripture does not pertain to this temporal earthly life, for we suffer and lack our heart's desires here on earth. God will give us our heart's desires in Heaven. This is why we are told by God to lay up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:20). The Bible condemns living only for self here on earth as most people do (Matthew 24:37-38; Philippians 2:21). We must redeem the time, for our life is as but a vapor here one moment and gone the next.
Life is so short and predictably unpredictable. You can have all the fame and fortune in this insane temporal world. I'll take Jesus Christ and rest upon the PROMISES contained in the Scriptures!!! The power of God rests in the PROMISES of God. We ought to view the Bible as a Book of PROMISES from God, for that is exactly what it is.
From Genesis to Revelation the theme of the holy Scriptures is the literal blood of Jesus Christ. This is the most important thing to God. We ought to tell people everywhere we go in this lost and dying world... JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN!!!
Hardly anyone, and this sadly includes born-again believers, truly cares about soul-winning these days. Everyone is choked by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this temporal life (Luke 8:14). All that will matter 100-years from now is that you were saved when you died, and what you did for Christ with your life. You'll either die IN YOUR SINS (John 8:24), or IN THE LORD (Revelation 14:13). Have you been born-again by the Spirit of God (John 3:5; 1st Peter 1:23). And for you believers, what are you doing to get souls saved? How many Gospel tracts have you given out lately? How many people have you witnessed to concerning Christ crucified, buried, and risen? Are you contending for the Christian faith, exposing false religions and heresies that enslave men? Are you thinking beyond yourself, helping the LEAST OF THESE My brethren (Matthew 25:40,45).
The Christian life is a selfless life is genuine. I'm tired of a bunch of phonies having a Rock concert, selling tickets and albums to make filthy lucre, and claiming that they're doing it for the Lord Jesus. No, they're doing it for the money and Satan. The entire Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] industry is of the Devil, absolutely saturated with the New World Order's ecumenism (i.e., Let's all go along to get along and forget our differences). God wants us to divide over truth; not unite by error (2nd Corinthians 6:14-17). You cannot show me even one CCM singer or group that shares the Gospel on their website. And everyone of them is supportive of Roman Catholicism, daring not to speak a word of criticism about the evils of the Catholic religion. Catholicism teaches works salvation and is a road to the Lake of Fire.
Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” There you have it from the Bible. Anyone who goes about to establish their own self-righteousness will NOT go to heaven. Read Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The Vatican's official doctrinal position is that reciting the Rosary to Mary (Our Lady of Fatima) can save Catholics. What a lie of the Devil they teach! Catholicism is a hellhole—a prisonhouse of religion!
Part of being a soul-winner is teaching people what ways WON'T get them into Heaven. The hardest part about getting somebody saved is getting them lost. You'd be surprised how many unsaved religious people believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. The problem is that they're also trusting water baptism and keeping of other so-called “sacraments” to get them into Heaven. There is NO such thing as sacraments. The term is not even found in the Bible. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances began by our Lord, to be done in the Church; but having absolutely nothing to do with the free gift of eternal life provided through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Salvation is received, not achieved. Eternal life is a totally free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23). Salvation is receiving, not giving. All that God the Father requires for eternal life is that we come for forgiveness of sins by way of His dear Son, Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43; John 20:31).
Soul-winning doesn't just happen by accident; it must be deliberate and intentional or it just won't happen. Just like anything else, the hardest part is getting started. Once you get over the fear of embarrassment or ridicule, you'll become more comfortable at it; but it will always be uncomfortable to some degree, because you never know how people are going to react. It's never pleasant to have someone reject you and get upset with you, but THEY WILL SOMETIMES. I had a man literally lift my body off the ground to throw me off his front porch years ago. No kidding! He hated God that much.
In closing, let me just say that nothing else in this life ought to matter to us anymore than pleasing God, for that is why we were created (Revelation 4:11). God calls the feet of the soul-winner beautiful in Romans 10:15. That says it all right there. Romans 10:15, “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” Most believers have spiritual gout, ugly deformed feet that never “GO YE” to preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19). It is with the feet that we walk, i.e., bring the Gospel to the lost sinners. God didn't call the lips or tongue “beautiful,” because even the most eloquent lips and tongue in the world are completely useless if they don't bring the Gospel to the lost world.
The Bible tells us to seek the praise of God, not the praise nor honor of men. Who's your favorite celebrity? Mine is Jesus! Every time I hear and see people cheering a professional athlete, or giving a standing ovation to some actor, or applauding an entertainer; I am compelled to yell out as loud as I can... YEAH JESUS!!!
It is tragic when we consider the things that this wicked world holds so near and dear. To many people, their life's achievement is being part of a science-fiction film made in Hollywood, having their name listed in the film's credits. I've heard people talk about how much it means to them to have taken part in some Hollywood movie. In a little over a hundred years from now, every human being on the face of this earth will BE DEAD! If the world as we know it doesn't come to an end in the next 100-years, the lives of 6,800,000,000 people alive today will come to and end. Think about that. There were billions of people alive 150 years ago and every single one of them are dead, dead, dead. Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”
Ecclesiastes 11:9 and 12:14, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. ... For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
If you'll truly ponder over those Scriptures, they ought to frighten as well as encourage. The Bible says that EVERY SECRET THING, whether it be good or evil, will be brought into judgment. No one is going to get away with anything; and no good that we have done unnoticed will remain unnoticed forever. Jesus taught that even the words we speak will be judged (Matthew 12:36). Every Bible we give out, every tract we distribute, every door we knock on, every article we write and publish to the internet, every keystroke, every encouraging word we speak to another... God has it all recorded in Heaven. We will be judged. This certainly includes whether we go soul-winning or not... 2nd Corinthians 5:11, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, WE PERSUADE MEN...” That's what soul-winning is, trying to persuade people to come to Jesus Christ by faith to receive the forgiveness of sins. Let's go soul-winning!
Soul-Winning | MP3
(Pastor Steven L. Anderson)SOULWINNING! | MP3
(Pastor Danny Castle)Beware Of Lordship Salvation
(by Pastor Marc Monte)
