STEP 1 PREPARATION - CHAPTER 6
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Just like growing grapes in a vineyard, God provides the rain, sun, and much more in developing and ripening the grapes. But He uses men and women to help pick the grapes and maintain the vineyard, and it is the same in finding the lost in soul-winning.
The Holy Spirit carries out his work of convicting, pursuing, and carrying out the new birth. We do our part and are responsible for presenting the Gospel. We are co-laborers in the ministry of sharing the Gospel. The confusion regarding our separate and different responsibilities creates problems and fruitlessness. The Holy Spirit always works on the unbeliever first then leads the Christian to the individual.
The Gospel of Christ is a powerful instrument that brings those without Christ to Salvation. The Gospel is the tool whereby men, women, and children are saved. To get people saved, we must use the Gospel. No one will be saved without it. There are three elements involved in the winning of Souls.
(1) There is the Gospel, which is the tool.
(2) The Holy Spirit uses this tool (the Gospel) to bring conviction and draws souls to Christ.
(3) There is the Believer, who has the responsibility of giving out the Gospel.
THERE ARE 3 FORCES INVOLVED IN REACHING LOST SOULS FOR CHRIST.
1. THE GOSPEL - THE WORD (THE SEED)
a. That it is a fact of God's love in providing His Son to die for us.
b. That it is the message of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
c. That it is the awareness of redemption through His shed blood.
d. That it is the understanding of His substitutionary death for us.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." (Romans 1:16).
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT (THE WORKER) (John 16:8)
(1) He convicts the sinner, helping them realize their lost condition.
(2) He purses, draws and pulls the sinner to Christ.
(3) He reveals and unveils Christ to their heart as Savior.
(4) He carries out the new birth.
"...because our Gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake." (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
3. US (SOWER) (1 Corinthians 3:9)
(1) We are the sowers of the Gospel.
(2) We are the vessels that God works and operates through.
(3) We are co-workers of Christ.
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14).
We are the instrument carrying and giving the seed (The Gospel) and are referred to as witnesses, fishers of men, preachers, ambassadors, evangelists, messengers, soul-winners, and teachers. The Holy Spirit brings His work and task of convicting and drawing out after we have shared the Gospel message 'the seed." If this were not the case, we could say the Holy Spirit fails when souls are not being saved. But the truth and the reality is that we must start the soul-winning effort by sowing the seed. Then the Holy Spirit joins and goes along with the seed, convicting the sinner and drawing and pulling the lost to Christ.
When the lost are not being saved in our churches, it is certainly not the Holy Spirit's fault; neither is it the Gospel's fault, nor is it always the sinner's fault. Often, it is OUR fault for not carrying out our responsibility for sowing the seed. (Pause and Reflect!)
Consider the Holy Spirit's response to the Believer meeting his responsibility:
iWHEN WE DO THIS - THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES THIS
We sow the seed. - He impregnates the heart.
We water the seed. - He gives life to it.
We fertilize the seed. - He causes it to grow.
We dig around. - He prunes it.
We weep. - He ripens it.
We go. - He accompanies.
We tell the story. - He brings conviction.
We lift up Jesus. - He reveals Him to their heart.
We declare the Good News. - He draws.
We plead. - He woos.
We pray. - He empowers.
We ask for a decision. - He performs the Spiritual Birth.
We are encouraged to find out that we are not alone in our endeavors to lead the unsaved to Christ. God will see that each soul who has an honest, sincere, and seeking heart will one day find a Christian who is being prepared to explain the Gospel to that person. Without a doubt, when we engage in sharing the Gospel, we are "co-workers in God's service." (1 Corinthians 3:9). Of course, how useable we can be to the Lord leads us to the second perspective for success in sharing the Gospel from yesterday's study guide.
PRAYER IS THE "CATALYST" IN SOUL-WINNING (Yesterday's Study Guide)
First, God is at work in the lives of those prepared to be used in sharing.
Second, God is at work in those individuals searching for the truth.
It should be easy to see that prayer would play an important and essential role in sharing the Gospel. In the conversion and regeneration of Cornelius, it was his prayers that caused God to take notice and concern. (Acts 10:1-4) .And it was a man named Peter given to prayer that the Lord chose to use to reach Cornelius with the salvation message. (Acts 10:9-23).
PRAYER BOOKMARK IN SHARING THE GOSPEL PDF DOWNLOAD HERE
(Recommend Printing Bookmark PDF To Use In Your Bible Daily.)
RECOMMENDED PRINTING PRAYER GUIDE PDF HERE
THE POWER, INFLUENCE, AND IMPORTANCE ARE IN THE SEED (WORD)
The Word of God (The Bible) has always been capable and reliable of influencing and guiding people, accomplishing the desired purpose. (Isaiah 55:10-11). In Hebrews 4:12, it is both "alive and powerful." This is most DEFINITELY true of the Gospel of Christ, the "power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16).
If people are going to be converted and changed, it will certainly not be through smooth and slick speech or elegant presentations using "hi-tech" equipment. But through the life-changing truth of the Gospel. Yes, we can surely use modern-day aids and helps to present the Gospel. Nevertheless, we must make sure that they are faithfully and consistently communicating the Word of God.
Genuine conversion (which consists of a spiritual rebirth) will take place only if we plant and sow the correct "seed." We need to plant the right seed, even if we do not see the desired results maintaining the proper perspective, attitude, and mindset.
"PARABLE OF THE SOWER" (Luke 8:4-8) & (Luke 8:11-15) (Please Read First)
From the "Parable of the Sower," we learn how important it is to maintain a level of excitement and determination in reaching the lost. It removes the discouragement and frustration and avoids the apathy that paralyzes many today. And it instills enthusiasm and eagerness in serving as laborers in the vineyard of the Lord. The "parable of the sower" is found in Luke 8:4-8, and the explanation is found in Luke 8:11-15 (check it out.) The first guideline we can learn from this parable is that . . .
THE TYPE OF SOIL DETERMINES THE OUTCOME! (Luke 8:4-8)
We see that in the "Parable of the Sower," the same seed, when planted and sown, produced and generated four different results.
The First Result was no response whatsoever in verse 5. "Some fell on the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up." The seed could not grow and sprout up on the hard ground (the path) and was immediately snatched away. Critical for you to discern that not everyone will welcome your witness or message.
The Second Result was the seed only had temporary growth on stony ground in verse 6. "Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture." However, the seed was planted and grew; its roots were not deep and withered in the sun.
The Third Result was a short-lived success story as the thorns and weeds overtook the seed in verse 7. "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants."Over time, the seed could be planted and grow but could not compete with the number of thorns that overtook it. Over time, worldly cares, pleasures, and desires made the seed useless and unprofitable. Mark 4:7 says, "It yielded no fruit."
The Fourth Result was just one of these out of the four results was bearing and producing fruit in verse 8. "Still, other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." The ground was good soil for the seed to be planted deep and grow strong and produce much fruit.
THE TYPE OF SOIL THAT DETERMINES THE OUTCOME
(Luke 8:11-15) (Please Read First)
Jesus told the Parable of the Sower to reveal and illustrate to His followers and disciples how there are different responses and reactions to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as in verse 11. "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God."
The seed is the Gospel - The Word of God.
The First Explanation is the hard ground (the path) that represents and illustrates someone with a hardened heart full of sin who hears the Word of God. However, they do not accept and recognize it as in verse 12. "Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved." Satan is in a position to try to keep this individual from growing and flourishing at all. We continue to share with the lost so they can never say they didn't have an opportunity.
The Second Explanation is the rocky ground is a person who shows curiosity and interest in the Gospel, as in verse 13. "Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing, they fall away." Their heart is not convicted so that when problems and difficulties come to their faith, their conviction is not powerful enough to endure and stand.
The Third Explanation is that the thorny ground is an individual who receives and accepts the Gospel yet has plenty of otherworldly distractions and interferences in life, as in verse 14."The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature." Which take over their mind, thoughts, and heart, and they cannot grow and mature in the truth of God's Word.
The Fourth Explanation is that good soil is somebody who has heard, discovered, received, accepted, and experienced the Word of God. They allow and enable it to take root and grow and flourish within their life, producing a desire to share the Gospel and see many souls come to Christ as in verse 15. "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." This individual represents and illustrates the true Salvation that develops and produces excellent and desirable fruit as a co-worker and a vessel used by God to bring many to the saving Grace and Mercy of God.
Jesus told us the Parable of the Sower to instruct and guide us on how important the state of our heart is to receive and encounter the Gospel and exactly how our Salvation is verified and demonstrated through our choices, decisions, and actions after hearing the Gospel.
WHERE LIES THE BLAME?
a.
Upon the SEED? (The Gospel - The Word) - NO!
b. Upon the HOLY SPIRIT? (The Worker) - NO!
b.
Upon the SOWER? (Us) - NO! (As long as we are prepared and ready to share.)
c.
Upon the TYPE OF SOIL? YES!
This explains and emphasizes where the area of responsibility and accountability lies.
Important that the sower carries out his responsibility and obligation by sowing the seed (Ezekiel 3:17-19).
If ever the soil rejects the seed, the soil is accountable; the sower should not feel responsible. (Acts 13:44-46).
The practical implication is that: Each time we sow the seed, we are certainly successful! If an individual rejects it, we have not fallen short and failed; they have! ("Pause and Reflect.")
This is important as we need to discover the joy of sharing the Word (the Gospel) for its own sake! There is such joy in sharing Christ (Good News) with other people. We are happy and pleased to serve our Lord in this way, whether or not people accept Him. We are thrilled and grateful when people believe and accept Jesus as the Lord of their lives. However, we ought to consider it as the "icing on the cake." Even though we don't get to experience the "icing," we can continue enjoying the "cake!"
However, even the very faithful soul-winners may find themselves in circumstances and situations like Jesus, Apostle Paul, Jeremiah, and many other prophets. Where very few people paid attention and took to heart their message. Do we count them failures? No! Instead, we count them FAITHFUL and CONSISTENT in SOWING the SEED! There is an eternal reward for our faithfulness.
But there is yet another importance and understanding of this. God also uses "flawed" seed-throwers (Philippians 1:15-18). Not just flawed in motive, but also in the practical experience! Because the power is actually in the seed, not the sower!
For that reason, we should not feel like we need to be experienced salespeople or strong Christians to share the Gospel. The Lord can utilize even individuals who tremble and may not be eloquent and feel insignificant to reach lost souls. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
And then there is:
THE CONCEPT OF SOWING AND REAPING.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6, "Rember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." We find this fundamental concept explained, and it is quickly seen in lots of various aspects of life. In sales, the ratio of success is often one sale out of ten calls. One real estate person said that sometimes it takes up to 20 to 50 showings to sell a home. Large companies receive at least 200 resumes for one job opening. In the "Parable Of The Sower," one out of four produced favorable results, which is very encouraging in the big picture of sowing and reaping.
In conclusion, we desire to reap; even more; we have to be willing to sow much more! Some folks fail in the area of soul-winning because they "sow sparingly" and get disheartened by the meager and unfruitful results. Successful salespeople recognize that the secret to success and results is to increase the number of their contacts, time, and efforts. When we expand, improve, and grow the level of sowing, the amount of reaping will increase proportionately.
Finally, one last perspective for success in soul-winning!
QUITE OFTEN, ONE SOWS, AND ANOTHER REAPS! (John 4:35-38)
Winning souls involves both "sowing" and "reaping." Precisely what is the difference involving "sowing" and "reaping?" Sowing (planting) is the work required to reap one day. In farming, sowing includes preparing the soil, planting the seed, and developing it to maturity. Sowing to those lost similarly entails planning, preparing, planting, developing the relationship, and introducing them to the Gospel.
The point to keep in mind is that sharing the Gospel entails both "sowing" and "reaping." Sometimes what you sow will be reaped by somebody else. Allow this to be an encouragement and motivation when it seems that you are not reaping as you would expect. We are a team together. Thousands of testimonies can speak of this truth.
A native man who shared the Gospel and gave me a Bible over 50 years ago in a 90-minute conversation has never known to this day what his sowing reaped. You, in a lot of cases, will never know what your sowing has done until you get to heaven. God, in His Grace, so plans and designs for certain people to cross our paths that we might contribute our part in that soul saved. Even when we go through difficult circumstances or severe tests come our way, it helps open the door for us to relate and share with individuals who are going through something similar. Our witnessing is vital in God's economy of bringing that soul to Salvation. Keep on witnessing (sharing the Gospel.)
FINAL THOUGHT
A crucial aspect of effectiveness and success in sharing the Gospel is persistence (STICK-TO-ITIVENESS.) Those individuals who persist in sowing the seed sooner or later produce fruit. The issue with some individuals is incorrect perspectives and harmful attitudes and mindsets, which causes failure. Hopefully, the points of view shared above can help us maintain the positive attitude necessary to see many come to our Lord and Savior. Pray, you will have the right mindset on sharing the Gospel.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
1. The three forces involved in the Gospel (The Word), The Holy Spirit, and Us.
2. Parable of the Sower - 4 Seeds - Reaching lost souls for Christ!
Hard Ground (Path) | Rocky Ground | Among Thorns | Good Soil
3. Quite often, "One Sows and another Reaps."
SPIRITUAL BIRTH
We have learned there are three distinct responsibilities, four results from the seed, and one sows and another reaps involved in soul-winning. The Apostle Paul says that the Gospel is the power or the dynamite of God that brings men and women to Salvation. If it is the Gospel the Holy Spirit uses to lead folks to Salvation, then it is not our eloquence or illustrations. It is not our large church buildings, stained-glass windows, our gift of gab, or our super-duper personalities.
It is the Gospel of Christ, the message of God's love for sinners in giving His Son to die on the cross, that brings men, women, and children to Salvation. Jesus being lifted up at Calvary and resurrected on the third day causes the Holy Spirit to begin his work of convicting and drawing the unsaved.
A baby cannot even start forming until the sperm or seed is germinated with the egg. There can be no spiritual birth apart from the Gospel seed being germinating (growing) in the sinner's heart. Then the Holy Spirit can begin His work of convicting, drawing, and saving that soul (giving birth.)
Friend, it is encouraging to know that when we give out the Gospel, the Holy Spirit begins His work in the sinner's heart. Somewhere down the road, perhaps that individual will come to Christ.
PRAYER: "Lord Bless And Use The Sower's And The Reaper's As The Time Is Short!" Amen.
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