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The Soul-Winner's TearsBy
Patricia Dailey, | |
And the child Samuel
There was no open vision. In Samuel's day the children of Israel were in a backslidden condition. Hardly anybody had a vision for the work of the Lord. And it seems to be the same way today with God's people. So few have a heart to serve God with a vision. Their spiritual eyes are closed to the harvest at hand. There's a vast task to be accomplished for the Lord in these last and closing days. God expects each of us to do our part in winning the lost unto Him. And that, knowing the
time, We need a vision for the hour that we're living in. We've got to get up and rise out of our sleep. We've got to get busy for the Lord while it is day. Say
not ye, Open your spiritual eyes, and see the work there is to do. The laborers certainly are few in comparison to the vast harvest fields of the world today. Most Christians keep their mouths shut, never telling anyone about salvation. They're all taken up with their own cares - having little concern, if any, for the lost and dying around about them. GIVING YOURSELF FOR SOULSCast thy
bread upon the waters: The world is the vineyard, and the seed is the Word of God. As we go forth to sow this seed we will find that there will be a reaping. We need to rise up and seek God to lead us to souls. Do you shrink at such a suggestion? Are you always coming up with an excuse when it comes to telling someone about the Lord? You say you don't know how to witness - but you certainly do know how to make up excuses. Is your problem that you're ashamed of Jesus? you're ashamed to let people know that you're a child of God? Is that why you quickly find excuses to avoid opening your mouth to witness? But
ye shall receive power, If you have received Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour then you have a lot to tell others. When you tell them how you met Jesus it creates a hunger in their soul to know Him, too. Our duty and responsibility is to follow the Lord. He told us what would happen when we would begin to follow Him: And He saith unto them, He'll do the work. You just follow Him, and He will lead you each step of the way - making you a fisher of men. And, praise God, in the end you'll have souls to lay at His feet! | ||
SOWING THE SEEDAnd He spake many
things unto them in parables, saying, You might get beside yourself as you work and labor out there in the vineyard for the Lord, yet the Scriptures are plain to show just exactly what happens when we go out there to sow. In Matthew 13 Jesus gives the parable of the sower. We are told of four types of places where the seeds fell. Notice that only one-fourth of that seed sown grew permanent roots. BY THE WAY SIDEHear ye therefore
the parable of the sower. Here the seed sown by the way side is devoured by the fowls. This is the one who hears the Word without understanding it. The wicked one (the devil) comes along to catch away that which was sown in the heart. This is one fourth of the seed being sown. That soul did not come to Christ as a result of the seed being sown. UPON STONY PLACESSome fell upon
stony places, But
he that received the seed into stony places, The seed that fell into stony places were those who heard the Word, received it, yet it lasted only a short time: for when tribulation or persecution rose because of the Word, they were offended and gave up. So the seed that falls by the way side, and the seed that falls into stony places amount to half of the seed sown. We've seen this. People will come to church for a season. They receive the Word with joy, and it looks like they're getting rooted in the Lord. Then, because of persecution, because of the trials that come along, they fall away. Why? because they didn't get rooted. It's a joy to go out there and sow the seed, and then find someone coming to church as the result - but coming to church is not enough. We present the Gospel to them, the way of salvation, and they seem to receive it - but when things get rough, when the trials and tribulations come their way, when persecution comes along - they give up. They can't take it. | ||
HANDLING PERSECUTIONThere are many Christians who do fine until they come up against some persecution. They can't handle persecution. It causes them to fall apart. We need to prepare ourselves to be strong when persecution comes along. And the closer we get to the coming of Jesus the greater the persecution will become. The Bible warns us to expect persecution if we live a godly life . . . Yea,
and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus We're not going to escape being persecuted if we live godly in the Lord. Persecution will come when we stand for the Word of God and for holiness. We're living in a day when the church world has left the old principles of the Bible and have taken on a new-cart religion, putting other things ahead of preaching the old-fashioned Word of God. They have put away coming to the altar and coming to church and worshipping God in Spirit and in truth. They've replaced all that with social activities and worldly events. They bring in showmanship and entertainment to replace true worship. They have dances, basketball games, parties, roller skating, gymnasiums and swimming right in the church building - having left the Word of God to take up with the things of the world. Thanks be to God, though, there are still those who will hold up the old fashioned standards of holiness and righteousness, declaring the whole counsel of God - even if it means persecution. Yes, we will be persecuted when we take a stand for truth. Right in the midst of God's people are those who will persecute any who uphold the Word of God - because they themselves do not want to agree with it They will not accept it as God's Word. They don't think it's necessary to go that far - but, brother and sister, if God said to go that far then it's necessary. It's just as simple as that. Who are we to try and change God's Word? We have no right to change what God has said. Yes, we will be persecuted when we have taken a godly stand - but didn't God forewarn us when He said that they who live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution! I thank God for His Word. When we get rooted in the Word of God then none of the terrible things people might say about us will cause us to back down. | ||
ARE YOU SUPER-SENSITIVE?They're just words, and words can't hurt you. Remember the saying kids used to say - Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me. You'd think by some people's reaction that words could kill them! Some are so super sensitive that they let every little thing throw them down. Great
peace have they that love Thy law It's time to pull the feelers in. They're like antennas sticking out, feeling around to see who is against you. If someone forgets to greet you, you're offended. If they look at you the wrong way, you're offended. If they use the wrong tone of voice when they say Good morning, you're offended. Oh, they might have said it in a nice way - but it's the wrong way to you because you're super sensitive. You know what it is? You're all wrapped up in self and self-pity. When someone is wrapped up in self and self-pity you'll find that their super-sensitive. It's about time God's people began to grow up and be able to walk with the Lord in victory. Let those things bounce right off. Oh, yes, people can say some catty things. And these who are super-sensitive are just as guilty. In fact, they're usually the worst offenders: but they can't see that. You don't have to let things people say to you get inside where bitterness and resentment can grow. As soon as someone says something against you encourage yourself in the fact that God told you persecutions would come your way. He already warned you - so why get bent out of shape? Why let it bother you because someone is persecuting you because of your walk with the Lord? Why get upset over it? We already know we can expect to be persecuted. Open your Bible and read it for yourself - II Timothy 3:12. | ||
AMONG THORNSAnd some fell among
thorns; Note, they heard the Word in each case here: but the first group didn't understand what they heard and so the wicked one took it away before it could get settled in the heart; the second group readily received the Word when they heard it, but when persecution and afflictions came along they turned back . Now we look at the third group, the seed that fell among the thorns. These heard the Word, but the cares of this life crowded It out. People get so caught up with cares. They get busy with the things of this world and with the deceitfulness of riches and with pleasures. These things choke out the Word and they become unfruitful. GOOD SOILBut he that received seed
into good ground One fourth of the seed sown became rooted and grounded, going on with the Lord. Three-fourths of the seed didn't bring forth lasting fruit: but the last group was the seed that fell on good soil. This seed brought forth some 100 fold, some 60 fold, and some 30 fold. We get beside ourselves when we sow seed and nothing comes of it! but this parable tells us there will be a reaping. And
let us not be not weary in well doing: Yes, there IS a reaping! Souls will be brought to Christ as the result of your sowing. You don't know how many souls you'll reach out to before you find one soul surrendering to Jesus Christ - but you can be assured that you will reap souls in due season. There will be those souls where the seed falls on good soil. | ||
DON'T GET DISCOURAGEDDo you get discouraged when you witness to people and pass out tracts - and nothing happens as the result of all your labor? Well, take this Scripture and realize that every one you pass a tract to, every one you witness to - they're not all going to give their heart to the Lord. So why get beside yourself? Just work and labor for the Lord - and do it with the right attitude. Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the Gospel unto every creature. Your duty is to preach and teach it. You can't save anyone's soul. It is God who gives the increase: one sows; another waters - but it is God who gives the increase. So why get beside yourself? I don't feel it's doing any good to reach out to souls. Why bother! I have other things to do. It's wasting my time. After all, nobody's being reached. Listen, you don't know what is taking place in another's heart and soul. You might be just the sower, and another comes to water it down, and yet another comes and that souls turns to Christ. You had a little part in it - and God gave the increase. Of all those you reach out to, you don't know how many of them will one day receive Christ and get saved. We're going to reap - if we faint not. Any of us could get weary in well doing, absolutely tired of it all. But God forbid that we should. There's souls that are going to be lost because God's people are on a picnic. They have no concern for the lost. They don't weep and mourn for souls. There's no concern whatsoever. A lot of these souls will be brought to Jesus Christ because there was someone who mourned for the lost, someone who could touch God in their prayer closet, someone who wept and cried before the throne. That's the only way many of these souls will be reached for Christ. There's got to be somebody who will take this into their prayer closet and mourn before God for the lost (more than just family and friends). | ||
TEARS THAT BRING RESULTS!They that
sow in tears shall reap in joy. Souls! Souls! Souls! Souls are lost! and somebody has got to intercede. Somebody has got to do some praying, and some weeping and mourning from way down within. Have you ever mourned from deep within for a soul? I had a close friend who walked away from the truth and I found myself mourning for that one before God. I could feel a mourning way down within me. Yes, there's a mourning that comes from way down within. Those of you who have just yourselves to take care of have a wonderful opportunity to devote yourself to prayer and intercession, mourning before God for lost souls. There's a reward when you sow in tears. You're going to reap in joy. It's a great joy to your soul when you lead someone to Christ. He
that goeth forth and weepeth, This is the one who goes out to the vineyard to labor, bearing precious seed to plant. Notice he's weeping. He's going forth to the vineyard weeping, crying out to God. He's mourning over lost souls that need to receive the precious seed of the Gospel. Before you go out to witness to anyone, first pray and intercede. Weep and cry before God for the lost. Mourn for them, realizing they could be lost for eternity. . . . shall doubtless come again rejoicing! When you've had time mourning over the lost, weeping in your prayer closet with a burden in intercession - the Scripture says you'll doubtless come again rejoicing bringing your sheaves with you. Maybe that's why nobody's coming with you - you never took the time to pray for them, never took the time to intercede and mourn for them. Is that what you're lacking? Is that the reason why you're not affective? Are you witnessing to souls because you've been told to and your conscience bothers you - or are you doing it because you have a burden for the lost? Do you go out because the pressure's on to reach out to the lost? because it's expected of you? or are you going out with a real burden? are you interceding and mourning over the lost? That's the secret of being a successful soul winner! Until we come to this place in Psalm 126 we won't see much increase. We need to get a real burden for souls. We don't want to be like a puppet, reaching out because someone else is pulling the strings. We want to be like this passage in Psalms - going forth weeping, bearing precious seed: sowing in tears, and reaping in joy. This is the key to soul winning. Let's take hold of this. It's no time to play at it. It's no time to reach out just because there's a soul winning program and we feel we have to go. That's a wrong attitude, a wrong motive. There's got to be some genuine mourning over the lost and dying - that's when we'll see souls getting saved. Even at that, though, realize that Jesus gave this parable of the sower to indicate that not all the seed sown will bring forth fruit. There will be those who seem to believe for a season, but soon are gone. But, then, we can expect some seed will fall on good ground and bring forth an increase. If we have this burden for lost souls and weep and cry before the Lord before we go forth to sow we will return rejoicing bringing sheaves with us. In ourselves we can't reach these lost souls. But, when we pave the way with prayer and with tears, we will find the harvest will be reaped. Not enough tears are being shed for lost souls. God will either use us, or send someone else - but, either way, the harvest will be prepared when we sow in tears. We get too settled in what the Lord has done for us, rejoicing because we have found eternal life - yet giving no thought to the fact that multitudes are lost and on their way to hell! Put ye in
the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Get out there and labor because the harvest is ripe. Multitudes upon multitudes don't know which way to turn. They need someone to come lead them to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is their only hope, their only answer. He
that gathereth in summer is a wise son: There are those who plant a garden, and then, when it starts to grow, they don't take time to care for it . They let it just lie there to rot. And this is true with many Christians when it comes to souls. They're just too lazy to go out and reap the ripened harvest. The fruit of
the righteous is a tree of life; We're being wise when we reach out to win souls. We're obeying the Great Commission to go into all the world with the Gospel. Jesus didn't tell us to settle down and enjoy our salvation. He told us to go out and let others know - that they, too, may be saved. And
they that be wise Imagine having a shine about you as bright as the stars. Well, your light increases as you reach out to lost and dying souls. It shines out into a darkened world, and will continue to shine throughout eternity. The harvest
is past, the summer is ended, It's high time to arise and begin reaching out to the lost. The night is far spent, and there's not much time left to reap the harvest. If you continue to sit idly by, you will be guilty of those whose cry is that of Jeremiah 8:20 - The harvest s past, and we are not saved! You need to do all you can do to get the harvest in while there is time. | ||
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