Outreach & Discipleship

What should we pray for as a soulwinner? Obviously, one of our main prayer requests would be that people would be saved. However, I believe there are three other areas that we need to focus on in our prayer life as we go soulwinning.

This afternoon, our ministerial intern and I returned from an afternoon of soul-winning praising the Lord that He used us to lead a soul to Himself. The new convert is a woman who has been carrying a lot of guilt for a long time. Her life started out well in law school, but through a series of bad decisions she ended up having two abortions, and now in her fifties, she is addicted to alcohol to try to drown the sorrows of her past.

Can you really be ready for everything life throws at you? Growing up I heard my mom say a thousand times to get ready for school. “Get your books, lunch, and school clothes out before you go to bed,” she would say.

Perhaps you, like me, have noticed that many people are more willing to come to church at Christmastime than at any other time.

One of the great blessings of being part of a local church that is reaching people with the gospel is the combined efforts that result in fruit. One plants, one waters, and God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). It is, of course, a joy to be part of any of those stages, knowing that all make a difference.

I firmly believe that Christ’s last command must be our first priority. I believe that every Christian individually as well as corporately with their church family should be actively engaged in sharing the gospel year round.

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.

Approximately 1,500,000 Americans now serve in the U.S. military. Of that number, there are approximately 1,138,000 serving on U.S. soil at any given time.

One of the greatest dangers a Christian or a church will encounter is “complacency.” Jesus warned the Laodicean Church about their spiritual complacency. They became complacent in their own spiritual development and service for the Lord.

If anyone had a valid excuse to drop the ball on “follow up” after an evangelistic event, it was the Apostle Paul. Between an itinerant lifestyle and the ongoing pain he must have lived with, Paul had every reason to simply focus on the city he was in, preach the gospel, and move on to the next, leaving the “decision cards” behind him.

I believe that as an ambassador of Christ I should be ready to seize every opportunity to share the gospel everywhere I go. But I also believe in setting aside scheduled time to do it—for myself and for our church family.

Buildings don’t just happen. And neither do churches. As spiritual leaders, undershepherds of Christ’s churches, it is our responsibility to labor with purpose and intention. One of the greatest indicators of the health of a church is its heart for souls and diligence in outreach. Christians who love the Lord and are grateful for their salvation want to share the gospel message with others!

Be sure that every student is included (we usually include all those three years old through the sixth grade). If children do not have an individual speaking part, they should be part of a choir or a group saying verses.

The Lord gave us a phenomenal Sunday last week, and how we praise Him for it! After a Sunday of such abundant fruitfulness, I not only feel grateful, I also feel very responsible. I want to follow up on guests and nurture young Christians to grow in Christ.

When I came to Lancaster, California, I had one goal in mind—reach this community with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Every pastor or leader in ministry that I know has the same goal. You want to reach your community with the gospel.

One of the great privileges of serving God is that we are laborers together with Him. Sure, He has given us the command to preach the gospel, but He didn’t leave the work entirely up to us. While we find the ears to hear, He is working on hearts.

In 1956, I became the pastor of the Silent Run Baptist Church in Hopkins County, Kentucky. I was a student at Bethel College in Hopkinsville, and my wife and I were the youngest couple in the church. I knew practically nothing about pastoring a church, but I knew that God had called me to preach.

How many times while witnessing have you heard someone say to you, “I’ve always been a Christian”? How did you respond to that statement?

The eighth chapter is a key part of the book of Acts. It begins by telling us about the radical changes that came to the believers in Jerusalem when an onslaught of persecution rained down on them. It was a very important transition for the mother church, with powerful effects and important lessons for believers in our time.

I have yet to meet a church leader who didn’t desire to impact his community for Christ. The very reason we invest our lives into the work of the local church is that we believe in the power of the gospel and the love of God for every person.