I believe that every Christian has a desire to lead others to Christ. From the moment of our salvation, this desire is wired into us. It is the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yet like most Christians, you must work to maintain an intensity in this area. This is one responsibility Satan will fight you on constantly to prevent you from fulfilling.
You must make a choice to maintain your burden for the lost. This should not be dependent upon your feelings, but upon your belief.
I believe the first ministry of every Christian leader is to personally reach souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the call of God for every Christian, and we cannot lead others to do what we are not personally doing.
I challenge you to make soulwinning a focus of your whole life and ministry. Winning souls ought not to be some passing fad; it must be the very essence of ongoing ministry from day one until the day we see our Saviour.
Staying focused on souls takes predetermined commitment. It takes constant attention. Satan will try to divert you, overburden you, and fill your time with other good things. He will try to distract your church in other matters. He will try to make you turn inward. You must constantly fight a natural drift away from soulwinning. I believe there are three traps hindering churches today from reaching their community for Christ. Let me share them with you.
Spiritually Cold
The first trap that we have fallen prey to is that we have become spiritually cold. We have lost a fervent spirit for the lost souls of men. We have allowed social media to replace face-to-face ministry. Jesus has called and commissioned us to share the gospel with everyone that we possibly can. Many Christians are good at posting their views on their personal blogs but are not sharing the gospel with people that they encounter on a given day. We hide behind our computer screens and devices, and we have lost the passion we once had with reaching someone with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Spiritually Calloused
The second trap is we have become calloused to the needs of others. Since the needs are so great all around us, we can become overwhelmed. Instead of allowing the needs to challenge us and to deepen our commitment to reach people, we have grown calloused to the spiritual darkness. Jesus corrected His disciples when they became calloused. He said, “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” (John 4:35). Allow the condition of the lost to challenge you to raise your level of passion and share the gospel with someone today.
Spiritually Creative
The final trap that I see is creativity. Now let me say, I’m not against being creative. I love new ideas in sharing the gospel, but here’s what I’ve found: we are looking for the next new idea that will make it easier to reach people—a quick method that will bring instant growth to our churches. I tend to believe it’s not going to get any easier to reach people with the gospel. If anything, it’s going to take a higher level of passion, commitment, persistence, devotion, and courage to reach people.
Let me encourage you to add a few new creative ways to get the gospel out, but do not forsake the proven method of going out into your community with a handful of gospel invitations and talking to people about their need for a Saviour. Yes, I’m talking about door-to-door outreach in your community. This method still works, and God will bless your obedience as you go!
