Would you like to invest in souls?

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise. (Proverbs 11:30)

If you are righteous, your good works will themselves be a channel of life to others. If you win souls or invest in winning souls, the Bible says you are wise. Well, it isn’t just about chalking up some kinds of “decisions for Christ” that is important. That CAN be important – but more often than not these decisions for Christ are just tentative steps towards God. It is still seed sowing.

Actually, no one can truly come to God unless the Father draws him (John 6:44). We can’t MAKE IT HAPPEN by an act of our will, but I believe we prepare ourselves for the Great Commission in one way or another, and then ask God to help us to be involved in getting the gospel to the people that God is drawing.

Not everyone has a special anointing for soul-winning, but it seems like people who overcome their fears, get filled with the Holy Spirit and talk to people about the gospel do get better results than those who do not. O.K., so maybe you really can’t imagine yourself taking the initiative to tell someone the gospel. If that is you, then I urge you to invest your financial resources in partnering with those who DO not only pray, but also take the gospel to the people who they meet.

Maybe we can ask God what He cares about. If He cares about you – and He does – then why wouldn’t He also care about the people around you who don’t know or obey the gospel? Wouldn’t He want them to know also?

Many in the church have come up with all these reasons why telling people the gospel isn’t really our thing. But this is deception. You might say you are called to make disciples. Alright, what kind of disciple will you make? Will it be someone who actually cares and tells the gospel to people?  How can this kind of disciple be made by someone who isn’t willing to put their hand to the plough?

There is this tendency for Christians to get all caught up in things of secondary importance. Some talk about “getting filthy rich for the Kingdom”. Others want to be active in social causes. There is a place for making money and being a big giver. There is a place for social reform. But there is a bigger place for caring about the eternal destination of our neighbors, family and friends.

Is it ENOUGH to be a nice person who treats His family and neighbours well, tithes or contributes to the local church, and votes conservatively on social issues? Is it enough to be someone who can quote the Bible, or who speaks in tongues, or who knows Christian jargon, or who talks about intimacy with the Lord?

I believe that you cannot be intimate with the Lord for a long time and never care about what happens to the people who you are supposed to be loving “as yourself”. Eventually He will share His heart with you. And Jesus died for all. For all. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says that “He died for all, that those who live, should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”. In this passage Paul talks about being ambassadors for Christ. We are called to do this at some level.

Dear reader, if you will go and speak up, I salute you and bless you in Jesus’ name.

If you are not moved to go and speak up, please ask God about GIVING finance so that someone who cares about the spread of the gospel, someone who is willing to put his or her life on the line, can have the resources necessary to do this.

Should anyone perish after Jesus gave His blood and life for the sins of the whole world? Should anyone perish because someone, somewhere, who knew the truth was so unmoved and indifferent that they did absolutely nothing to make the gospel go the next step?

There is nothing to be ashamed of in the gospel. Why should we be ashamed of something that has helped so many people, and even society itself? Marxists are not ashamed of their “gospel” – even though it resulted in poverty and death for millions. Why should we be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Why should we hesitate to invest in its promotion?

Maybe there are some local would-be evangelists in your country who could be supported financially at least for a few months so they can get out there and talk with lots of people. Maybe you could help some of them. Maybe you know people like that.

I know what people say – we are all supposed to do it in our workplace and with the people we meet. That is fine, but we still need people to lead the charge, who can devote themselves more fully to it. We need people who will equip and encourage others to get involved. Otherwise, all to often, it just doesn’t happen. This has been the case in Australia for many, many years now. I’m sure this has also been the case in other countries.

A lot of times people would put their jobs at risk if they spoke up about the gospel too much. It is a heavy price to pay.  People have a responsibility to their families as well.

The main part about evangelism is not just speaking up – that is essential. It is more being able to devote yourself to prayer, and sometimes fasting, so that the power of the Holy Spirit is at work in the situations where we speak. Yes, some amazing Christians have shown the ability to pray and fast while they work – but not all have been able to do this. Should we wait for totally yielded vessels who can do everything before we get started on an effective work? I hope we can all be totally yielded and strengthened to endure any kind of hardship for the gospel. But let’s be realistic for just a moment. Aren’t there ways we could get the ball rolling even now?

I encourage you to think about helping someone, somewhere preach the gospel more than they would otherwise. Use your finance, which is a measure of your working life, to help make it happen. Yes, pray about it and be led by the Spirit of God. But I don’t believe the Holy Spirit is as unwilling to lead in this area as the behaviour of many Christians would lead us to believe.

I know good people who are very faithful witnesses for Christ. You may know some, too. Think about blessing them with a financial gift. If you don’t know any people like this, write me and I’ll give you some options of people whose ministry I trust.