Soul-Winning Principle: The Person

While much more could be said concerning the message that God has given to us to herald, we should venture into the area of the person that communicates this message. Is there anything we need to know about the Soul-Winner? 

All throughout God’s Word we can see principles concerning God’s redemptive plan and in Numbers chapter 16 we are presented with a vivid picture of the Soul-Winner. 

The chapter starts in verses 1-6 with rebellion.  Notice what verses 1-3 tells us about this rebellion:

Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

Though it seems that this group was rebelling against Moses and Aaron, we are told in fact that they had rebelled against the LORD. Moses states this plainly:

“For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?”

And while we shake our heads at the foolishness of this group we cannot excuse ourselves from the truth that man, since the fall in Genesis 3, has been in rebellion against God. 

"They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof." Job 24:13 (Compare with John 3:20)

Just like the children of Israel the natural man without Jesus is at enmity with God. 

As the passage continues God renders judgment upon this rebellion and in verse 30-32; the wages of sin are paid. 

And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

The only ground separating the lost man from eternity is God’s mercy and grace. Just as rebellion was judged then by our Sovereign God, judgment for every person is one breath closer. Those who are lost, without Christ, will face the result of rejecting Jesus Christ; rebellion against God. The pit of judgment could open at any moment. The time is unknown as to when every Soul will be called to account. 

Surprisingly, though the same result has been repeated over and over again throughout man’s existence. It is shocking that the next group here in our passage continues down the same path. In verse 41 we see this sad statement:

"But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.”

How can this be that man would continue to walk off the cliff to utter destruction in the same fashion repeating the mistakes of untold numbers before them? And yet it is that all around us, the path of rebellion continues. What can be done? This is where we see this picture of our Great High Priest; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But also, as ambassadors for the Great King, we see the picture of the Soul-Winner as well. 

After the glory of the LORD appeared the LORD makes this statement: 

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.”

Who will not tremble at the wrath of Almighty God? 

Notice the first response of the godly sort. “They fell upon their faces…”  More than anything, the Soul-Winner needs to be on their face before God. We must avail ourselves of the throne room of grace beseeching our God for boldness, mercy, and the souls of men. And yet too often we are quicker to take up the censer, having forgotten that the increase comes from God. 

Secondly, we find that the godly sort needs two things; fire and incense. The incense and fire from the altar speak of the only atonement that can appease the just and holy judgment of our God. Aaron here typifies both Jesus Christ who “who came into the world to make an atonement for sin and to turn away wrath…” (Matthew Henry) and also the Soul-Winner in delivering the message of Salvation. We as ambassadors, must take the Gospel message of our Lord and Savior; for it is the only option for the rebellious posterity of Adam.

Thirdly, concerning the messenger we must notice the urgency. Verse 46 tells us that Aaron must “go quickly unto the congregation…” Why? Because “the plague has begun.” There is no doubt that sin has destroyed man. The plague is already begun. In fact, we are told explicitly that those who have not accepted Jesus Christ “…the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36) 

Lastly, it is not good enough to pray about it and prepare for the delivery of the message without going. Had Aaron not gone into the midst of the congregation all would be lost. Verse 47 tells us that the we are to go. 

“And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation;”

In fact, this last phrase in verse 48 embodies the work of personal evangelism. “And he stood between the dead and the living…” What a powerful truth! Notice the dead are mentioned before the living. Picture Aaron running through the masses with his censer. In front, before him, where the atonement had not been applied we find the dead. Those behind him, saved by offering made unto God, stand the living. Let us take this phrase and not forget about this Soul-Winning principle; the person. 

​- James Grandinetti, Community Outreach Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church

As born-again believers, we all long to see the Lord’s return; to see Jesus standing on the edge of heaven, calling us all home to forever be with the Lord. And as we walk through this dark and cold wilderness, that promise of the Lord’s appearing warms our hearts and brings peace to our souls. Yet this promise, when held against the backdrop of Christ’s sufferings and sacrifice, is quick to remind us of the multitudes that will perish and be forever lost when that great day is come. 

    His suffering reminds us of what His Church is to be about; and that is to seek and to save the lost, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), especially as we anticipate the Lord’s imminent return.  (Hebrews 10:25).

    The Burden that our Savior has for souls has been imparted to every believer, and that burden will naturally find its way into some area of service or work of the same. Jesus is happy to afford His people the opportunity and the occasion to serve Him, and none of us are denied of that blessing. To share with the world what Jesus has shared with you and I is fundamental to our faith. And so, we ask, “Jesus, you gave all, now what can I do?” Well…. have you considered the Bus Ministry?

    The Bus Ministry at Sharon Baptist Church is one of those opportunities. It is a blessing that God has graciously granted us. It brings with it all that the Lord would have us to do in fulfilling His Commission to the Church; “to seek and to find”, “to go ye therefore”, “to compel them to come in, that my house may be full.” 

    When considering all that a Bus Ministry has to offer, you’re hard pressed to find a more effective way of getting the lost to Christ. So often the Bus Ministry is branded as a laborious and arduous work, yet how that work blesses the Lord and how He in turn blesses His Church, far out-shines any difficulties it may endure. The fruit that is born from this Ministry is tremendous and could never be rightly measured on this side of heaven. 

    Those that are reached through our buses are generally the young and unchurched, and this is where the seeds of the Gospel are more readily received. Consequently, as we plant the good news of Jesus Christ in our coming generations, the principles of sowing and reaping are sure to abound. Thank the Lord that He has purposely provided us a way to reach those that are least likely to be shown the love of God, or get to Church, or to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel.

    As an example, some boys on our buses got saved not long ago, and as I was getting their information, one of them, a 5th grader, could not give me his last name… He literally didn’t know it. Beloved, this is the world that we live in today. Now ask yourself, how else would they have heard, or where, or when… if at all?      
    The Blessings of God usually go hand in hand with a hard work, and the Bus Ministry is no stranger to its many forms. Buses are expensive; in fuel, tires, insurance, and in time. It takes a dedicated team of people to move it forward; from the Pastor, to the Director, to the Captain, to the Driver; to helpers and mechanics. There are those that faithfully pray, and generously give, and cook breakfast…Praise the Lord!  Yes, it takes a lot to make it go but it’s worth it. The charge of the Bus Ministry demands an incorporation of the Body of Christ like nothing else, and what could be a more satisfying testimony to that Body than to know it is being used of God? My friend there isn’t one!

    In Matthew 25:21, Jesus encourages us with these words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” I’m convinced, by witnessing first hand the saving power and life changing influence of the Holy Spirit in this ministry, that our Savior will repeat that verse again and again to the faithful hands that have labored, and do labor, to bring them in. 

    If you are in search of a place of service, if you desire the blessings of God and want to be a blessing to Him, then I submit to you the Bus Ministry. 
    
“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”   Psalms 126:6

-    Spencer Close, Bus Director, Sharon Baptist Church

Yet another Soul-Winning principle that has great implications for our witness is the message that we are declaring. Why is the message so important? Because Paul tells us “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” If this message is the ‘power of God unto salvation’ we must know what the message is. In our day confusion seems to be the norm when it comes to the message of salvation. Popular thought concerning salvation today says there are many ways to Heaven. However, this leads to confusion in the heart of the individual and also in fact is contrary to the Word of God. Perhaps even worse is the inability of the child of God to communicate the Good News of salvation to someone who is lost. It is therefore critical that every child of God not only understand the Gospel Message, but be able to take a Bible and show someone else ‘the way’ (As it was called in the old days: John 14:6, Acts 9:2, Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23) of salvation. 

We first must declare what this message is; the Bible tells us first of all that this message is Good News.

From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve good news following the terrible results sin. In Genesis 3:15 we find:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” 

Though on the surface this does not seem like good news, it in fact is. “Her seed,” spoken of here, is a reference to the enmity between man and the evil one. But certainly is a reference to the future when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ would crush the head of the serpent, triumphing over our Adversary; that ‘old serpent’ (Revelation 12:9, 20:2) the Devil. 

Moving forward in the Bible to Genesis 13 we find further these words spoken to Abraham:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

‘All families of the earth’ are certainly blessed in Abraham by the coming of Jesus Christ. Our Savior Jesus Christ was in fact of the lineage of Abraham (Matthew 1:1); Him being all God and yet all Man. 

And finally, as we come to Luke 2:10,11 where the Bible declares this from a heavenly messenger:

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy [or we could say, Good News], which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

The message we bring to this world is certainly good news. And this good news is Jesus Christ. To speak of any message that is devoid of Jesus Christ is no good message at all because the Bible shows that Jesus Christ is the good news. In fact, any so-called ‘gospel’ that does no center around the person and work of Jesus Christ deviates from what God’s Word teaches.

What about Jesus Christ makes this good news? We are told that our Savior came from Heaven to earth; was God in the flesh (incarnate); lived among us; died on a cross paying the sin debt for you and I; rose from the grave after three days and ascended back to Heaven victorious. Take note of the following verse: 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Paul declares that this good news message is wrapped up in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But why did He die, why was He buried and why did He rise from the grave?

This is where the good news is applicable to those who are lost. Isaiah 53:5 gives us a good indication of why He died. “But he (speaking of Jesus) was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” All of these phrases vividly speak of the suffering atonement that Jesus Christ made for us. The why is explained in the fact that we have transgressed, we have committed iniquity. This good news at first starts out with bad news. The bad news is that we have a problem that could not be dealt with otherwise. Peter in his first epistle explains it this way, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (I Peter 2:24) This problem originates for man all the way back in the third chapter of Genesis where we saw the first indication of Good News! He died, was buried but then we understand he rose from the grave. Romans 4:25 tells us why His resurrection is significant to the message. It states that Jesus Christ, “…was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” By His resurrection we see His work completed and accepted of the Father. We also understand that we who by faith accept God’s gift of salvation are justified or declared righteous by His resurrection. And lastly by his resurrection we have a lively hope according to I Peter 1:3!

So, we understand the message is the Good News, secondly, we understand the Good News is Jesus Christ, but lastly what are we to communicate to others on how to respond to this message. 

The Response to the Message
We can sum it up as it is put in Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” This message of Good News should draw men to repentance and a decision of faith or trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ultimately, this is the prime mover of the heart, that God loves us so much, He sent His Son to be the payment (propitiation) for our sin who accomplished just that by His death, burial and resurrection. How can one accept this gift of salvation? By calling upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). The heart expression of faith towards Jesus Christ. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10: 9-11)

Let us be good students of the Good News to communicate to others what we have already found!

-    Pastor James, Community Outreach Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church

.It is no secret that we have been called to witness to others. Further it is no secret that it is a command from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many times, we focus on this fact in our efforts to rally more folks to come out to Soul-Winning and be a witness in their day to day lives. Obedience certainly is a key aspect in Soul-Winning, but oftentimes we do not stress enough the results of obedience.

In John 12:23-26 Jesus gives us a clear indication of this principle in light of his impending crucifixion.

John 12: 23-26
“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

Several items could be noted by this passage:

1. Abundance (fruit-bearing) comes from a sacrificed life.

Of course, we understand the immediate implication of this passage is our Savior’s death, burial, and resurrection. This is clear when He states in the first verse “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.” But the truth is enlarged by Jesus Himself as the passage continues. In verse 26 we should mark the phrase, “If any man serve me, let him follow me;” Just as Jesus gave his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45), we too, if we are to be fruitful, must live a life sacrificed unto God. Herein we are given the great picture of fruit bearing. A seed that is unplanted, not buried in the ground, will produce no fruit whatsoever. But rather a seed must be planted in the ground; it must die and become food for the fruit vine that comes up out of it. This is certainly what Paul portrays to us in Galatians 2:20 when he states, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

a. The abundant Christian life is not a selfish life.
b. The abundant Christian life is a selfless life.

John Phillips in looking at this passage puts it this way, “It is possible to have a saved soul and a lost life.” (John Phillips) What a tremendous statement. Oliver B. Greene in looking at this passage states this as well, “He who loves his life, he who thinks more of life in this world than he thinks of the life to come, shall LOSE that which is the best part of his life-the inner man , the soul that will never die.” (Oliver B Greene)

So we can understand, fruit-bearing abundance comes from a sacrificed life, but secondly:

2. Loss according to the World is gain for the Christian.

Notice in verse 25 that the Lord gives us a paradox.
v25 “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

Seemingly on the surface this statement makes absolutely no sense because Man reasons in the opposite direction. This is portrayed for us in the philosophy of the Epicureans in Acts chapter 17 (Acts 17:18) whose worldly mantra was simply materialism.

Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism stated this:

“Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.”

“It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.”

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the other hand teaches us something that is vastly different.

a. Man’s grasp on self ----will end up in loss.
This 'self' life is the life that is concerned for the things that this world has to offer. This 'self' life is grasping for that which is only temporal to obtain joy. This kind of life will end up in loss. But on the positive side:

b. Man’s grasp on obedience (to Jesus Christ) -----will end up in reward.

II Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

So far we understand that abundance comes from a sacrificed life, and loss according to this world is gain for the Christian, but lastly:

3. Obedience Results in Joy.

Consider the following verses:

I Chronicles 29:9 “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.”

A few verses later David states, “I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.” I Chronicles 29:17

The people had great joy because they obeyed in giving generously to the building of the temple which Solomon would accomplish.

In the days of Hezekiah, a move was made by that godly king to be in obedience to God by keeping the feast of Unleavened Bread (II Chronicles 30:21)

And in II Chronicles 30: 26,27 the Bible says, “So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”

In Ezra 3:12 because of the rebuilding of the Temple God's Word states, “many shouted aloud for joy:”

God laid on the heart of Nehemiah to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. In Nehemiah chapter 12 we have this verse spoken of concerning the obedience of those that returned with him:

“Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.” Nehemiah 12:43

The psalmist tells us, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11

Psalm 126: 5,6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Proverbs 15:21 (Speaking of the shallowness of worldly joy)
“Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.”

Proverbs 21:15 “It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.”

The truth is we could continue our trek through God's Word and see example after example where obedience and joy in the life of a Christian are connected. Getting back to our passage in John the Lord continues and tells us first:

a. One who serves, must follow.
v26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me”

We cannot stress enough the connection between lip service and feet service. One who is a disciple of Jesus Christ is one who is following Jesus Christ not only in speech but in action as well.

So one who 'serves,' must follow but that simply means:

b. One who follows, obeys.
v26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me”
Following is obedience. So putting this all together up to this point shows us that one who 'serves" must follow and if they are following really that means they are obedient.

Well what is one of the results of obedience?

c. The servant of Christ is in the presence of Christ.
v26 “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be:”

One might say, am I not always in the presence of God whether being obedient or not? And physically speaking yes. God is omnipresent and therefore physically speaking we are never closer or farther away from God at any point. We also have the promise in God's Word which tells us He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). But in terms of fellowship we are hindered in our disobedience.

I John 1:6,7 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”

Yes of course it is true that we will ultimately be in heaven with Jesus Christ one day for those who are saved, but why not enjoy His the presence of Christ right now?

That of course leads us to the last statement which is:

d. The servant of Christ will have Joy.
v26 “if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

The most miserable Christian in the world is one who is disobedient to God. Dr. Clarence Sexton makes this cautioning statement concerning our service to the Lord, “Making service the goal leads to the belief that we can never do enough.”

But let me add to that with this statement: when we are obedient to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we have great joy!

Why is it that most Christians seem to look at the Christian life as an enormous burden?
Why is it that Soul-Winning is considered something we have to do rather than something we get to do? Perhaps it is because some have never experienced the joy of being obedient to the Lord.

Not one time have I come back from Soul-Winning and said, “Boy I wish I had never done that!”

- Pastor James, Community Outreach Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church

 Throughout the course of this year, we will endeavor to look at some Soul-Winning principles. A principle can be defined as the “Ground; foundation; that which supports an assertion, an action, or a series of actions or of reasoning. On what principle can this be affirmed or denied? He justifies his proceedings on the principle of expedience or necessity. He reasons on sound principles.” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) As the last part of this definition states our goal will be to reason based on God’s Word. The application then would be that these principles ought to produce a change in our actions. Therefore, from God’s Word we can glean principles and from those principles we can apply actions which should affect our daily living. 

With that introduction in mind, we will look at the first principle in this series of posts which is 'The Principle of Time'. Time of course is a commodity that God’s has given to man. No one has an indefinite amount of time living on this earth. The Bible is clear that our temporal bodies are destined for corruption because of sin. 

In Genesis 3:19 God makes this declaration in judgement toward man because of sin:

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

We know from Psalm 90 that in general, our time is limited to threescore and ten years (70) or potentially fourscore years (80)(Psalm 90:10). Of course, there are folks that live well beyond eighty years old and there are folks that have much less than time than seventy years. But Psalm 90 emphatically tells us that our time is limited.  Because of that fact, we are exhorted to redeem the time that God has given to us. That word redeem simply means “To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage…” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary) In that same passage in Ephesians (Ephesians 5:16), the Bible alludes to the passing of time telling us “the days are evil.” Meaning that, the natural course of this world around us will present “allurements and temptations that would lead you away from the proper improvement of time, and that would draw you into sin.” (Albert Barnes) So, what does this have to do with Soul-Winning?

1. Soul-Winning takes time. 

Personal evangelism requires an effort from the individual. That effort requires time.  In John 4, toward the middle of that chapter, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had just finished dealing with the Samaritan women and now was dealing with the crowds of people that were affected by the women’s testimony of Jesus. 

Notice the words of our Savior concerning time:
"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

The contrast that is made here is between the prevailing rationale of the day concerning the harvest. In the example given by the Savior, worldly wisdom would tell them that the harvest is down the road, so now is not the time to worry about reaping. In other words, we could put it this way, “Soul-Winning can wait for another day, maybe then the harvest will come.” “Soul-Winning can wait because I have more important things to do with my time.” But the Lord says, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” [Emphasis Mine] In other words, the time is now!

He goes on to state, “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”

Notice the action verbs used:
Reapeth – to reap takes time.
Gathereth – to gather takes time.
Soweth – to sow takes time.
Laboured – Labor, signifies time spent.

Each one of these actions signifies time spent. Realize further Jesus tells us that the harvest requires labour, and labour my friend requires time. A good example would be this:

Suppose I am a farmer desiring to have a bumper crop of corn this year. And yet every day I look out the window imaging what that crop might look like. Now I never go outside into the field to prepare the soil. I never take time to sow any seed. I just know that if I prepare the soil and plant the seed it will at the minimum produce some. Suppose you come in and see me sitting down watching television and ask me, “Aren’t you going to go out and plant the field so you receive a harvest.” And I reply, “I do not have the time to go out today, perhaps we will have a harvest anyways.”

What a foolish use of time that would be. To know and understand and yet not apply the principle of time to our Soul-Winning efforts. You see Ephesians 5:17 tells us in lieu of redeeming the time, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” In other words, the command to spread the Gospel [God’s Will] should permeate the use of our time, otherwise we are being unwise with what God has given to us. 

2. The more time we spend Soul-Winning, the more results.

Now we cannot state that we will always see the results of our time spent immediately Soul-Winning, but we can say dogmatically that the more time we spend casting seed and reaping the more of a harvest there will be. Galatians 6 tells us that we can expect to reap what we sow. Not only that, but how much we sow will determine what we reap as well. The good news/bad news is, depending on what you are sowing, that you will always reap more than you sow. (Hosea 8:7) Meaning for example: one tomato seed produces more than one tomato. But there is something else to note as well. It takes time to sow.  Therefore, the more we sow the Word of God, the more we can expect to see a bigger harvest. 

Galatians 6:7,8 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

In II Corinthians Paul speaks on this same law of sowing and reaping, though contextually he is talking about giving, he states, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Even though the context of this chapter is giving the law of sowing and reaping has much broader application. 

We can then expect if we spend little time telling people about Salvation through our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ, we can count on seeing few people get saved. 

3. Our time is limited. 

Having already established this point indirectly at the beginning, all of us have limited time to sow and reap. There are approximately 525,600 minutes in a 365 - day calendar year. Using myself as an example I have spent 21,020,000,000 (21 billion minutes of my life already; 40 years). That is a lot of time I cannot get back. And further, that is half of the allotted time I have generally speaking according to Psalm 90. 

On average if I were to spend 1 hour of Soul-Winning a week, I would spend 3120 minutes this year Soul-Winning out of that 525,600 minutes. That is approximately less than 1% (.005936) of the time the Lord would allow me to have this year.  What a shame it is to understand that knowing God’s Will, we would allot less than 1% of that time to share the Gospel with others. (By the way, it is difficult to even get folks to commit that 1/2%. Oh my, I pray the Lord will help us to understand this important truth this year!)

- Pastor James, ​Sharon Baptist Church, Community Outreach Pastor

Psalm 25 is an acrostic Psalm which contains the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Oftentimes an acrostic would be used as a memory device much the same way we alliterate sermons today. In this psalm David spends time pouring out his heart in prayer. His first prayer is a prayer of dependence in verses 1-7. His second prayer is a prayer of forgiveness which is found in verse 11 and his third pray is a prayer for deliverance in verses 15-20. In these wonderful verses we also find great instruction on guidance. David speaks about how guidance is sought, how it is taught and even how guidance Is brought. But there is something else striking in Psalm 25 and that is the lesson of transparent leadership. 

Every one of us could benefit from this Psalm learning that we should be genuine, real, and open about who you are, what you are going through, and who you will trust. There is no doubt that when David penned this Psalm he was in great distress and that he was feeling vulnerable. Many believe that is was written during the time David fled from his own son Absalom when Absalom had revolted against David. Others have believed perhaps this was the time when David was fleeing from Saul. Whichever the case we receive a first-hand account into David’s heart that is very transparent. 

David was a “a man after God’s own heart.” He was a shepherd tending after his father's flock in his young years. He was a soldier fighting for and defending his beloved nation. He was a sovereign reigning in pomp, might and glory over the nation of Israel. He was a statesman who unified the people. But in this Psalm, we see him as a transparent leader as he bares his soul. 

It is no different for you and I today, we need transparent leadership. Leadership that is strong, but is also sincere; Leadership that is powerful, but is also pure; Leadership that is visionary, but is also viable; Leadership that has conviction, but is also consistent; Leadership that is hyper, but is not hypocritical; Leadership that is advancing, but not advantage taking; Leadership that is loyal, but not lip service; Leadership that has genius, but is also genuine.

What are some of those characteristics of transparent leadership that David displayed?

Transparent Leadership Is Honest In Its Admission.

Read this psalm, and nowhere do you see David being courageous. You have to ask yourself is this the same David that killed a bear and a lion as a teenager with his bare hands? Could this be the same David who soundly defeated the giant Goliath? Could this be the David of whom the women sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” This psalm opens with David saying, “Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul." Here we find David is pouring his heart out! Yes, this is the same David. But this is a David who is honest in his admission!

He Is Honest In His Assessment Of His Self

David is in trouble. But, David is also concerned about his transgressions. Psalm 25:7; 11 “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD" "For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.” 

The first step in being transparent is being honest about our sins, about our transgressions.
“The sins of my youth”. David is openly stating that there are some serious sins in his life that needed to be dealt with. All of us have the problem of unconfessed sins and uncontrolled sins. Proverbs 28:13 strictly warns us concerning the covering of sin. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 and in Genesis 8:21 we find out just how serious of a problem it is for all of us. In central part of that verse God comments on the state of man “…the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth;” Some of us might be tempted to say, Not me! But what about the following short list of perhaps unconfessed or uncontrolled sin in our lives:

Immaturity – some adults never grow out of their immature, childish ways.
Incorrigible – unruly, not easily controllable.
Implacable – a person not easily pleased.
Impatience – not waiting for God to work in lived.
Irritable – angry, mean spirited, downright ugly in spirit.
Immoral –lacking in integrity and morals, allowing flesh to control their life.
Insecurity – always suspicious; thinks people are always trying to do them in, constantly craving for attention.
Insolent – rude, condescending, and disrespectful.

He Is Honest Concerning The Afflictions Of His Soul

In verses 15-19 David tells us he is distressed, desperate, and in way over his head. He knows that without God he will not make it. Transparent leadership is honest in its assessment, but it is also humble in its approach.

Transparent Leadership Is Humble In Its Approach.

David is brought to the end of himself in this Psalm. I reminded of what the Lord said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 5:3) Someone who is poor in spirit is someone who is broken. It is an individual who is at the end of himself. Unfortunately, to many times we put ourselves in this place. When we are conceited, proud, and haughty, the Lord catches us off guard, and allows afflictions to come our way to teach us that we are nothing! “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5b) David teaches us:

We should learn to pray through humility (Vss. 1,2)
We should learn to be patient through humility (Vss. 3-5)
We should learn to be pliable through humility (Vss. 9,10)
We should look for pardon through humility (Vs. 11)
Lastly, we find that transparent leadership is heavenly in its ambition.

Transparent Leadership Is Heavenly In Its Ambition.

True transparent leadership is not humanistic, or dependent on self. True transparent leadership is heavenly in its ambition. To be heavenly is to get our attention, our focus, our ambition on the eternal and not the temporary.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

A Heavenly Ambition Is Concerned About The Safety Of His Soul (Vs. 1)

Worse than being in physical danger is to be in spiritual danger. David was in spiritual danger because of things that caught up with him. He is saying "don’t let me fall into the place where I am ashamed to come to you: to you alone I lift up my soul!"

A Heavenly Ambition Is Comforted About The Satisfying Of His Soul (Vss. 12-14)

A transparent leader is satisfied with where God leads him; how God leads him, and when God leads him.

A Heavenly Ambition Is Contented Concerning The Certainty Of His Soul (Vss. 20,21)

Real leadership is transparent. Transparency involves honesty, humility, and a heavenly mindedness. It's a leadership that is clearly motivated to glorify God, and that gives Him honor. May all the leadership team at this local New Testament church begin to lead with transparency.

-    Pastor David Carroll, Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” Acts 16:25

As we read through the account of Acts chapter 16, we are amazed at the response of Paul and Silas. It seems that Paul throughout his entire ministry faced severe opposition to the Gospel. Paul's preaching of the Gospel had such a far reaching impact that he is often the subject of many sermons preached out of the New Testament only second to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But Paul's witness had more depth than just a few verses that he had memorized and often quoted. He and his companions lived a life that was in close fellowship with the Lord. When we come to this account starting at the beginning of chapter 16, we become enamored with the situation that unfolds and perhaps miss a key element in what resulted in souls saved and a local New Testament church being birthed. Notice the order of what transpired in the above verse:

They Prayed to God.
They Praised God.
The Prisoners Heard.

What a wonderful testimony to our great Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Paul and Silas in the midst of severe affliction are helped through their worship of God. Here also the prisoners are affected by Paul and Silas’ worship of God. There is a great lesson for you and I in this passage. Likewise, in the book of James we also find this twofold instruction, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” (James 5:13)

Our testimony to those that are without should raise up Jesus Christ. Our Savior speaking of his impending crucifixion stated, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).  Oftentimes though, we put on a sour face and portray God as a hard taskmaster requiring us to do what we do not want to do. And yet here Paul and Silas are affected and affect those around them simply by praying and praising God! Psalm 103 is a tremendous example of the many things that we can praise God for! This list is by no means exhaustive because of God's great goodness and glory, but it does help us to once again focus our attention on how good God is.

So what can we praise God for? Well the psalmist David tells us:

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;" (v2,3)
1.    We can praise God for forgiving all our iniquities (those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior). Psalm 103:3

2.    We can praise God for our health. Psalm 103:3 – The Great Physician has blessed us with physical and spiritual health. 


"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;" (v4)
3.    We can praise God for redeeming “thy life from destruction.” Psalm 103:4 – He has done more than just forgiven us, He has received us into His house.

4.    We can praise God because he has shown us “lovingkindness and tender mercies;” Psalm 103:4

"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (v5)
5.    We can praise God because he has given us what we need to be satisfied. Psalm 103:5                      “No man is ever filled to satisfaction but a believer, and only God himself can satisfy even him.” – Charles Spurgeon The Treasury of David

"The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed." (v6)
6.    We can praise God that He is the Just Judge and will continue to execute righteousness and judgement. Psalm 103:6

"He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." (v7)
7.    We can praise God because He has made known His ways unto His children. Psalm 103:7

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." (v8)
8.    We can praise God because He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounds in mercy. Psalm 103:8 God is not as man, fickle in forgiveness. God has not stated as Peter, “how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Matthew 18:21 How low we stoop in our mercy towards others!

"He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever." (v9)
9.    We can praise God He does not reprove indefinitely. Psalm 103:9 God corrects us perfectly. 


10.    We can praise God that “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 103:10

"For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." (v11)
11.    We can praise God for His mercy cannot be measured. Psalm 103:11 His mercy is “Like the height of the heaven” if thou can measure that!

"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (v12)
12.    We can praise God because our sins are gone, nowhere to be found. They are impossibly removed from retrieval. Psalm 103:12 – “Fly as far as the wing of imagination can bear you, and if you journey through space eastward, you are further from the west at every beat of your wing. If sin be removed so far, then we may be sure that the scent, the trace, the very memory of it must be entirely gone.” - Charles Spurgeon The Treasury of David

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him." (v13)
13.     We can praise God because He has compassion for you and I. Psalm 103:13

"For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth." (v14,15)
14.    We can praise God because He “knoweth our frame;” Psalm 103:14,15 God knows how we are constituted for He is our Maker. “…we are dust….” and our “…days are as grass…” 

"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;" (v17)
15.    We can praise God for though we fade away as a flower, His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting; immeasurable. Psalm 103:17 (and 15)

"To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them." (v18)
16.    We can praise God because He is a covenant keeping God. What He has promised to do, He will do it. Psalm 103:18

17.    We can praise God because He expects us to be obedient. Psalm 103:18 What loving God would not guide us in the paths of life? 

"The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." (v19)
18.    We can praise God, because He is the Almighty. Psalm 103:19 God’s is sovereign over all, His throne is higher than all ‘thrones.’

"Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." (v20)
19.    We can praise God because of His creation; the heavenly host. Psalm 103:20 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:14

"Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure."(v21)
20.    We can praise God because of His magnificent work. Psalm 103:21 – God in His great plan has chosen to allow you and I to participate in this wonderful work. “Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.” Psalm 103:22

Perhaps if we would be a praying people that are praising the Lord more people would turn to Jesus Christ for salvation and give glory to God!

-    Pastor James Grandinetti, Community Outreach Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church