Complacency is one of the greatest dangers a Christian or a church will encounter. Jesus warned the Laodicean Church about their spiritual complacency. They became complacent in their own spiritual development and service for the Lord.
In Revelation 3:15-17, Jesus states, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Wow, not a great evaluation of a church!
We need to ask ourselves some heartfelt questions: How am I doing spiritually? Have I grown complacent in my spiritual formation? Has my commitment level (temperature) weakened in my walk, my worship, or my witness? How can I rekindle a personal passion (raising the temperature) in my soulwinning?
Our Commitment to Witnessing
I believe our commitment level is based on the understanding that Jesus has commanded us to be His witnesses. Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The believer’s commitment should be grounded in simple obedience to God’s commandments. He has commanded us to “GO” and that we should submit ourselves to His Word and obey what He has called us to do.
Our Continuance in Witnessing
I believe continuance in witnessing should be fueled by one’s faithfulness. We ALL can be faithful. The mistake soulwinners make is they focus all of their attention on “fruitfulness.” Now, I want to be fruitful; I love seeing people come to the Lord. However, I have personally gone through seasons when I haven’t seen the fruit that I would like. I try to keep my focus on being faithful. When I do, I am able to keep myself encouraged. Here’s a verse that has strengthened me through the years in soulwinning: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). You may not see someone saved today, but if you keep going and sharing, you will see that God keeps His promises. He will use you!
Our Celebration in Witnessing
I never want to get over the thrill of seeing someone come to Christ. Someone has said, “Salvation is the miracle of a moment!” Every time you see someone come to Christ, you are witnessing a miracle. You might be the one asking God to soften the heart, and praying for the person to be open to the gospel. Your prayers are used by the Lord to cultivate the heart’s soil, so when the seed of God’s Word is shared, the person is receptive to the Truth.
The Lord even allows us the awesome privilege of sharing the gospel. You might be the one witnessing to the lost person, and you are able to participate in seeing the person accept Christ as his personal Saviour. John 4:36-38 has been a continual encouragement to me: “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” The bottom line is pretty simple. When anyone comes to Christ, we should be CELEBRATING! Celebrations are exciting. Let’s not only be celebrating what God did in the past, but let’s have some new celebrations of people coming to Christ today!
So what have you presently been experiencing in your Christian life? I want to encourage you to be a committed Christian to the end of your race. Let’s run!
