THE BURDEN OF BRINGING PRECIOUS SOULS TO THE LORD
John 1:40-42; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 2:9,10; Luke 14:22,23
The Lord wants believers to reach out to precious souls with the gospel and bring them to the Saviour. “Andrew first findeth his own brother Simon And he brought him to Jesus the Saviour and eventually to salvation and service. The Lord wants us to bring people to the Saviour, not just physically but to have faith in Him. He wants us to bring them to real conversion and Christian experiences so that they will abide in Him and be brought to His service. However, before we can bring others to Him, the Lord expects us to first find the Saviour. Saved by grace, we must reach out to sinners and tell them about the Saviour. Andrew spoke convincingly and persuasively such that Peter followed him without argument to Christ. When we preach with courage and confidence, the people will see the transformation in our lives and follow us to Christ. Our aim should not only be to bring them to church while they remain unsaved. We should bring them to conversion and let them have personal encounter with Christ.
Andrew did not stand between Peter and Christ by making himself the person Peter had to consult every time before he could see Jesus. Some people stand between the Saviour and converts. But Andrew was not an obstacle to the connection between Peter and Christ. This connection made Peter experience a change of name and a change of his nature. This assignment, which the Lord started with the disciples, continues until He comes. We must not allow the chain to break. Andrew did his part. He brought Peter. Peter also did his part by bringing others. Those others did their parts and brought other people. We must do our own part by bringing sinners to the Saviour. As we reach out to them with the saving gospel, we must tell them that Christ died to take away eternal death from us. We must speak to compel them to come into the Kingdom, emphasising the danger of delay. As they yield, they will be saved.
RECOVERING THE PURPOSE OF LABOURING AS WATCHMEN
Ezekiel 3:17-21; James 5:19,20; Luke 19:6-10,13; 24:45-47; Acts 8:4; 26:16-19
The believer’s calling is to labour for the Lord. All the other things we do in life are to keep soul and body together for this purpose to be watchmen, bring souls to Christ and make Him and His commission indispensable and non-exchangeable in our lives. We must use every available opportunity the society presents to interact with sinners and present the gospel to them. Our responsibility is to hear the word [from the Lord], and give [sinners] warning. God has sent us forth with the word of salvation and repentance and we must not fear, shrink or turn back. We are not to look at their faces, language or disposition. Rather, we must warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life. If we fail to warn him, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will [the Lord] require at thine hand”. But if we warn the sinner and he refuses to repent, and dies in his sins, thou hast delivered thy soul.
Some preachers believe in eternal security. As a result, they do not give any warning to believers. God instructed Ezekiel to warn even the righteous. If the righteous person turns away from righteousness under the pretence that he is eternally secured, if he dies in sin, he will go to hell and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered. We must keep talking to everyone, including our converts, so that we would not be guilty of the blood of anyone. The Lord wants us to reach out to those who have erred, save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins. Christ has done His part and He commands us to Occupy till [He] come(s). We are to preach repentance and remission of sins in his name”. If the disciples were faithful in carrying out this mandate, we have no excuse today. Individuals, families and churches must recover the purpose of the heavenly vision of being witnesses of the gospel and bring sinners to Christ so that they will receive salvation and escape eternal damnation.
REVIVING PASSION FOR THE LOST AMONG WOMEN
Matthew 28:1,5-8; Acts 1:4,5,8,14; 2:1-4,16-18; Joshua 2:18,19; 6:9,10,22-24; John 4:9,28-30,39; Acts 8:3,4; 17:2-4
The Lord has given the great commission to women also; hence, the need to revive the passion among them. Women should be actively involved in proclaiming the gospel message. Women were involved in delivering the message of Christs resurrection. Some people, in their lack of understanding of the Scriptures, think Jesus referred only to the eleven apostles when He promised that ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”. He was actually referring to all the men and women that saw Him after His resurrection, especially the one hundred and twenty. The Scripture makes it clear that they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Also, apostle Peters expression of their experience at Pentecost points to that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy… The purpose of receiving the Holy Ghost and the duty of everyone in the Church of the living God is to preach the Word and tell sinners about Christ. The women are not excluded; they too should be passionate about evangelism. Rahab gave the message of salvation and deliverance to her household, which saved them from doom. When the Samaritan woman also proclaimed Christ and all He did, many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did”. Regardless of our gender, we should be passionate about the great commission.
RENEWING THE POWER TO LIBERATE YOUNG WITNESSES
Joel 2:28,29; Acts 2:16-18,38,39; Psalms 144:12; 71:5,17; Exodus 2:2-10; 2 Kings 5:1-4; Jeremiah 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14,15; Proverbs 22:6
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy… your young men shall see visions”. When the prophecy of the baptism in the Holy Ghost was first mentioned, it was not only for the elderly; the young were also included. To raise a Bible-believing church, our assemblies need young men and women, and children who are saved, sanctified and empowered for soul-winning in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel. Like the adults, they can also receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call”. As our youths become purposeful and passionate about preaching, they will be as plants grown up in their youth [and] corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace. They will lead meaningful lives.
The Lord wants us to raise young people who will have the burden of bringing precious souls to Him. Our young boys and girls can work for the Lord by presenting the gospel to the people they meet in order to bring them into the Kingdom. We must not leave our children to their studies and trading only. We should let them also take part in the gospel proclamation. God can use young people for His work. The testimony of the little maid of Israel made Naaman go to Prophet Elisha and he was cured of his leprosy. The Lord called Jeremiah while he was very young. Timothy was also a product of faith passed from his grandmother to his mother and eventually to him. If people in Bible day could train their children to love the Lord, know the Scriptures and present it to others, we must do the same in this contemporary time. By so doing, the Lord will honour our effort and our children will be passionate about preaching the gospel.