The Mind of Christ on Evangelism
In Don Humphries book, Hearts on Fire: A Strategy for Dynamic Evangelism, he quoted an older preacher who said, "If man has a soul, and he has, and if that soul can be won or lost for eternity, and it can, then the most important thing in the world is to bring a man to Jesus Christ". Question: Are we doing that? I found something that I consider to be very sobering: "The average member of the church of Christ has heard 4,000 sermons, sung 20,000 songs, participated in 8,000 public prayers... ...and converted zero sinners." How close are you to the average?
Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." We understand the importance of having an attitude like Jesus, the need to be pure like Jesus, and to have a relationship with the Father of Jesus, but do we equally understand the importance of being a soul winner like Jesus?
Of all the occasions of Jesus reaching out to lost souls, one that I find especially interesting is in John 4:1-19--Jesus and the Samaritan woman. From this text, let's make just three observations about Jesus and soul winning.
Jesus was a soul winner who would…
Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." We understand the importance of having an attitude like Jesus, the need to be pure like Jesus, and to have a relationship with the Father of Jesus, but do we equally understand the importance of being a soul winner like Jesus?
Of all the occasions of Jesus reaching out to lost souls, one that I find especially interesting is in John 4:1-19--Jesus and the Samaritan woman. From this text, let's make just three observations about Jesus and soul winning.
Jesus was a soul winner who would…
Exploit Every Occasion
The animosity was ever growing among the religious elite based in Jerusalem. As a result, the Lord left Judaea and made his way toward Galilee. On this journey, the Lord found it necessary to go through Samaria (Jn. 4:1-4).
When Jesus arrived in Samaria, he stopped in a well-known city called Sychar, two and one-half miles east of the city of Shechem. He saw a Samaritan woman at a well, and asked her for water--probably enough for him and his disciples, who had gone into the city to purchase food (Jn. 4:5-8).
This Samaritan-Jew found it very odd that a Judaean-Jew would converse with her. Jesus took advantage of this opportunity to teach the woman, right where she was at (Jn. 4:9-11). Like Jesus, we too must exploit every occasion to teach the lost.
In what we commonly call the Great Commission, Jesus began by saying, "Go ye therefore..."(Mt. 16:15--KJV). The better rendering of the Greek would be "As you are going,...preach the gospel to every creature...". Reaching the lost should be a full-time job for us. One fellow said, "My profession is living for Jesus. I just sell insurance to pay expenses."
The animosity was ever growing among the religious elite based in Jerusalem. As a result, the Lord left Judaea and made his way toward Galilee. On this journey, the Lord found it necessary to go through Samaria (Jn. 4:1-4).
When Jesus arrived in Samaria, he stopped in a well-known city called Sychar, two and one-half miles east of the city of Shechem. He saw a Samaritan woman at a well, and asked her for water--probably enough for him and his disciples, who had gone into the city to purchase food (Jn. 4:5-8).
This Samaritan-Jew found it very odd that a Judaean-Jew would converse with her. Jesus took advantage of this opportunity to teach the woman, right where she was at (Jn. 4:9-11). Like Jesus, we too must exploit every occasion to teach the lost.
In what we commonly call the Great Commission, Jesus began by saying, "Go ye therefore..."(Mt. 16:15--KJV). The better rendering of the Greek would be "As you are going,...preach the gospel to every creature...". Reaching the lost should be a full-time job for us. One fellow said, "My profession is living for Jesus. I just sell insurance to pay expenses."
Engage with the Opposition
Where did we every get the notion that we should avoid trying to reach those in the denominational world? From whence did the idea come that no one in denominational error is interested in studying truth found in the pages of Holy Writ? Have we forgotten that some of the greatest religious leaders of the first century became simple New Testament Christians (i.e. Paul, Nicodemus, Cornelius)?
The Samaritan woman, though involved in gross immorality, was religious (or at least knowledgeable about religious matters) (Jn. 4:12,20,25). Though she was religious, Jesus still engaged her in study. Keep in mind that Jesus did not come to make people religious, he came to make them religiously right (Mt. 7:21-23).What right do we have to keep the truth of simple New Testament Christianity to ourselves? Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn't able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it." Will we, with the same zeal, share what we know with the world?
Where did we every get the notion that we should avoid trying to reach those in the denominational world? From whence did the idea come that no one in denominational error is interested in studying truth found in the pages of Holy Writ? Have we forgotten that some of the greatest religious leaders of the first century became simple New Testament Christians (i.e. Paul, Nicodemus, Cornelius)?
The Samaritan woman, though involved in gross immorality, was religious (or at least knowledgeable about religious matters) (Jn. 4:12,20,25). Though she was religious, Jesus still engaged her in study. Keep in mind that Jesus did not come to make people religious, he came to make them religiously right (Mt. 7:21-23).What right do we have to keep the truth of simple New Testament Christianity to ourselves? Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn't able to buy it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner's home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it." Will we, with the same zeal, share what we know with the world?
Exclude No One
The Samaritans have often been referred to as half-breeds. As a result, the Judean-Jews greatly despised them. So, when Jesus taught her, he was breaking a barrier. We should not be selective with whom we share the gospel. The Lord loves everyone. "For God so loved the world..." (Jn. 3:16). "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world..." (Mk. 16:15). "...God is no respecter of persons..." (Acts 10:34-35).
If we are going to be soul-winners like Jesus, we must break the barriers of race, social status, economic status, etc. As one brother said, "Black, white, poke dot, doesn't make any difference. We've all go to repent". "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).
Jesus wants all men to be saved. He wanted the wicked Jezebel to be saved (1 Kgs. 16-21; 2 Kgs. 9). He wanted the immoral, adulterous, Samaritan woman to be saved (Jn. 4:16-18). He wanted Adolph Hitler, Darwin, the 9-11 terrorists to be saved. He wants all to be saved. "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tm. 2:4). Sadly, not all will be saved (Mt. 7:21-23).Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you wondered if anyone ever really cared for you? A man by the name of David did. When pursued by his enemies, he hid in a cave, and said, "I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul" (Ps. 142:4). May it never be said of us, "He did not care for my soul". Let's, like Jesus, exploit every occasion, engage the opposition, and exclude no one, as we try to bring all men everywhere to the Lord.
The Samaritans have often been referred to as half-breeds. As a result, the Judean-Jews greatly despised them. So, when Jesus taught her, he was breaking a barrier. We should not be selective with whom we share the gospel. The Lord loves everyone. "For God so loved the world..." (Jn. 3:16). "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world..." (Mk. 16:15). "...God is no respecter of persons..." (Acts 10:34-35).
If we are going to be soul-winners like Jesus, we must break the barriers of race, social status, economic status, etc. As one brother said, "Black, white, poke dot, doesn't make any difference. We've all go to repent". "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).
Jesus wants all men to be saved. He wanted the wicked Jezebel to be saved (1 Kgs. 16-21; 2 Kgs. 9). He wanted the immoral, adulterous, Samaritan woman to be saved (Jn. 4:16-18). He wanted Adolph Hitler, Darwin, the 9-11 terrorists to be saved. He wants all to be saved. "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tm. 2:4). Sadly, not all will be saved (Mt. 7:21-23).Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you wondered if anyone ever really cared for you? A man by the name of David did. When pursued by his enemies, he hid in a cave, and said, "I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul" (Ps. 142:4). May it never be said of us, "He did not care for my soul". Let's, like Jesus, exploit every occasion, engage the opposition, and exclude no one, as we try to bring all men everywhere to the Lord.
posted by Neil Richey @ 7:11 AM
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