
YOUTH STS LESSON 99 CHRIST’S CALL TO SOUL-WINNING
MEMORY VERSE: “…And Jesus Said unto Simon, Fear not; From henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10).
TEXT: Luke 5:1-39
Soul-winning is central to the Scriptures. It is the heartbeat of God the Father, and Jesus began the work of soul-Winning at the commencement of His ministry. “From that Time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). After His Resurrection, He said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). This is still the most urgent task given by Jesus Christ to every believer, today. From our text, Jesus, knowing the weight and scope of the Task, recruited disciples that would help Him accomplish the task of soul-winning. The call to soul-winning is for all who have experienced the saving grace of God.
Question 1: What is soul-winning?
Soul-winning is an art of turning sinners to God. It is reconciling the lost sinners to the Saviour through repentance. It includes everything a believer does to turn people’s heart to God. Soul-winning can be either direct or indirect.
- CHRIST’S CALL TO SALVATION AND SOUL-WINNING
Luke 5:l-11; Matthew 4:17-22; Mark l:l6-20; John 1:35-42
“And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets” (Luke 5:1,2). The multitude that throng Christ’s ministry consisted of sincere seekers. Church leaders should take notice of the multitude that attend our worship service and find ways of reaching them with the gospel. “And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship” (Luke 5:3). From Peter’s encounter with Christ, we learn the following lessons:
Firstly, the Lord used Peter’s boat after a courteous request, a platform from which to reach the multitude. If we yield our property and possessions, it is wonderful how the Lord will use them and reward us, too.
Secondly, He told Peter exactly where to find plenty of fish after Peter and others said, “we have toiled all night and have taken nothing (Luke 5:4). Our Omniscient Lord knows the fish’s habitat better than the most experienced fishermen. Though an experienced fisherman himself, Peter accepted the advice from Christ and there was a great result. His submissive response demonstrates the value of humility, being teachable and implicit obedience. With the great harvest of fish, Peter discovered the goodness of God and realized his sinfulness.
Question 2: What is the basic qualification a soul-winner must possess before being commissioned?
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). It was after his genuine repentance that the Lord commissioned Peter and the other disciples. “And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him” (Luke 5:10,11).
- CHRIST CURES ALL DISEASES AND SICKNESSES
Luke 5:12-26; Matthew 8:2-4; 9:1-8; Mark 1:40-45; 2:1-12; Acts 10:38
“And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, Behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his Face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou Canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and Touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And Immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Luke 5:12,13). Our text contains two spectacular miracles, namely the cleansing of the leper (verses 12-15) and the healing of the Paralytic man (verses 18-26). These miracles were in tandem with Christ’s three-fold ministry: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness And all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). The faith of the leper was remarkable as he besought the Lord, saying, “If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Luke 5:12). This leper was not expressing doubt concerning Christ’s willingness, rather he was coming as a supplicant With no inherent right to be healed but casting himself on the Mercy and grace of the Lord.
Question 3: What can Christian youths learn from the Healing of the leper?
There are many lessons to learn from the cleansing of the Leper.
(i) He was full of leprosy; this represents the nature of Sin in men.
(ii) He sought Jesus for cleansing. Sinful boys and girls must seek Jesus for cleansing.
(iii) He approached Jesus With a humble and sincere heart. To receive God’s mercy and Pardon, there must be sincere repentance.
(iv) He was cleansed by the power of Christ’s word. All we need is simple Faith in God’s word for cleansing from sin, sickness and Satanic afflictions.
(v) He was commanded to show himself to the priest and to make an offering as prescribed by the law from His cleansing.
We must be thankful and appreciative of divine Grace and blessings by sharing testimonies and giving free “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and doubt that the time Jesus prayed” (Luke 5:16). There is no spent in communion with the Father was the source of His supernatural power (Luke 3:21; 6:12; 9:18, 29; 11:1; 22,44; 23:46; 24:30,50,51). The early disciples also gave ample time to prayer (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 3:1; 4:31,33; 6:3,4; 12:5). The efficacy of fervent prayer is not only seen in the boldness to preach the word but also in follow-up and conservation of the fruits of evangelism (Galatians 4:19). Believers who desire a fruitful harvest in soul-winning must spend quality time in fervent prayers. “And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him” (Luke 5:18). The friends of the paralyzed man had strong faith that Jesus would heal him.
The four men demonstrated amiable qualities such as:
- compassion
- commitment
- courage and
- creativity, In the face of the unassailable crowd, their ingenuity made them discover a way where the seemed to be none.
Christ identified sin as the root cause of sicknesses and diseases. The paralyzed man eventually received a double cure: salvation and physical healing (Psalm 103:2,3).
- CHRIST’S CONCERN FOR DESPISED SINNERS
Luke 5:27–39; Matthew 9:9-13, 36: Mark 2: 13-17;John 8: 1-11
“And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him” Luke 5:27.28). Levi, who was also known as Matthew (Matthew 9:9) was a Jewish tax collectors for the Roman government. These tax collectors were often addressed as “Publicans And Sinners” (Verse 30; Matthew 9:10,11), They were often hated by their fellow Jews not only because of their collaboration with the oppressive Roman government, but because of their dishonest practices and crookedness. Jesus showed concern for sinners and despised people like Levi when He called him to salvation. Levi’s And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and here was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them”(Luke 5:29). In modern parlance, Lei organized a “Party” for his professional colleagues with Jesus as Guest of Honor. The purpose of Levi arranging this great feast was to:
(i) honor the Lord
(ii) witness publicly to his new allegiance of faith in Christ and
(iii) introduce his friends and associates to Jesus Christ.
“And Jesus, answering, said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31,32). Though Jesus ate with publicans and sinners, He did not take part in their sins, or do anything that would tarnish His testimony. Rather, He used these occasions to further the kingdom of God and fulfil His ministry as the Savior of lost mankind. Also, Christ presented three parables to portray the new dispensation which had begun and there could be no mixing of the new and the old (Luke 5:36-39). This also pictures the natural reluctance of sinful boys and girls these days to abandon their old way of life for the new life in Christ. As we preach the gospel, there are some who pride themselves in their Church membership and religious affiliations without the evidence of the new birth. We need to pray for their salvation, like Paul did for Israel (Romans 10:1-3).