The wise man wrote, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise" (Prov. 11:30). God wants all of us to be "soul-winners." As Jesus looked at the multitudes that followed Him, He told His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Matt. 9:36-38). The Christian who is dedicated to winning souls faces certain fears that are unique to him. If you struggle with the following fears, it is because winning souls is of utmost importance to you.
1. Time Running Out. The thought that constantly goes through the mind of a soul-winner is: "So many souls, so little time." Just the challenge of winning the souls of those we know right now is great. No one knows how much time remains to win those precious souls to Christ. Time is running out in three ways: a) The days of my life are slipping away with the passing of time. I have one less day than I had yesterday. My opportunities are getting fewer; b) The earthly life of a soul to win is also passing quickly. Life is uncertain. Friends, neighbors, and relatives can be here today and gone tomorrow. Today may be the last opportunity I have; c) The Lord will return in judgment. We don't know when. Time may be short. Can we be wasting time with the clock running down? Let us be "redeeming the time" (Eph. 5:16).
2. Eternal Hell. Hell is an unspeakably horrible place. The soul-winner knows how the Bible describes it (outer darkness - Matt. 25:30; everlasting fire - Matt. 25:41; terrible corruption - Mark 9:44; etc.). The soul-winner is afraid of Hell and does not want anyone to go there. He will keep trying to convince others to avoid it by turning to God in love and obedience. He will use the love of God and the severity of God to show that God will judge our lives fairly. Life is no mindless game. As Paul said, "Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11).
3. Giving Up. The very idea of giving up on a prospective soul is frightening to the soul-winner. I am aware that Jesus said not to "cast your pearls before swine" (Matt. 7:6), and to "shake off the very dust from your feet" (Luke 9:5), but this does not mean to never seek to win a hostile soul if a better opportunity presents itself. At times, friendships and good family relations may be on the line if we mention the need to be right with God. Yet, the true soul winner can never feel right staying quiet and letting a soul go to Hell without constant warning. One soul plucked from the fires of Hell is worth every effort over however many years it may take to win them to Christ. Giving up is a very scary thing to those who desire to win souls. Does it scare you?
- Lakeland Hills Leader, 2/6/11