What does it mean to be a Soul Winning Church Church in Kansas City? It means that we are not just a building full of people, but we are a church outside of the building giving JESUS to a hurting world.
And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! Whoever believes the good news and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe the good news will be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (TPT)
When Jesus said to go out into all the world this charge was for everyone. This is the reason for the existence of the church. And this was the last and greatest things Jesus wanted to leave with us.
The bulk of salvation comes from the church. There are people who hate the church and will point out everything they can see wrong. The church is not perfect because people are in it. But the heart of God extends to a lost and dying world. If we don’t evangelize there is no reason to be committed and unified. There is nothing to reproduce. We must reach the world!
Why did Jesus emphasize this? Because there is no other name by which we may be saved and without that name, there is only hell. If you believe in heaven and hell, and you believe Jesus is the only way, this should affect your life. It should affect the way you pray, give, serve, and live your life.
Jesus at the end of His life emphasized evangelism. Paul did the same. He was in prison about to be beheaded he had one concern.
When Christ Jesus comes asking, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. So with God and Christ as witnesses, I command you to preach God’s message. Do it willingly, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins. But also cheer them up, and when you instruct them, always be patient. The time is coming when people won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear. They will turn from the truth and eagerly listen to senseless stories. But you must stay calm and be willing to suffer. You must work hard to tell the good news and to do your job well.
Now the time has come for me to die. My life is like a drink offering[a]being poured out on the altar. I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful. So a crown will be given to me for pleasing the Lord. He judges fairly, and on the day of judgment, he will give a crown to me and to everyone else who wants him to appear with power.
2 Tim 4:1-8
There are so many responsibilities tied to our walk with God. I am not discounting the importance of ministry, bible study, or church attendance. But sometimes we lose the true goal of Christianity. The goal is for people to not spend an eternity in hell.
Webster’s defines evangelism in this way,
the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ.
Have you ever brought someone to Christ? This needs to be the priority of your life. The purpose of our discipleship is to win the lost. Jesus spent time with people then He sent them out to evangelize.
Do you realize that every apostle, except John, died horrible deaths for telling people about Jesus? They were martyred because they really believed.
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you. 2 Cor 5:16-20
Really much of the church is far from the heart of God. They have lost their urgency for the lost. We see humanity living a life so far from God but we hesitate to be bold enough to tell them because we don’t want to mess up their good time.
People can live their Christian lives with a bunch of rules and have no tolerance for those whose lifestyles are different. Jesus reached out to the woman at the well why she was living with her boyfriend. He hated the sin but reached out in love.
Why is it so hard for believers to evangelize? People are often insecure, or they fear rejection or find themselves intimidated by confrontation. And because they don’t share the gospel people outside the church see Christians as holier-than-thou. People can’t relate to us because they don’t know us. Do you remember what it was like when you met a real Christian? Did you feel uncomfortable?
Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matt 9:10-13 NLT
Jesus faced some intense opposition from the religious community. He ate with people the Pharisees would have nothing to do with. Listen, a relationship with God that goes unexpressed becomes a religion. Is your lifestyle affected by your theology? Do you have friends you have never witnessed to? Do you hold back the tithe and offerings that can be used to spread the Gospel?
Jesus cares about the one you are called to reach. It’s good people invite folks to church, but why don’t we consider introducing them to Jesus first.
PRAY THIS
Father help me to not just put a flyer in someone’s hand. Grant me compassion. Give me a heart that not only prays with a soul but walks with them until Christ is formed with them. Help me to care that people are going to hell. Amen.
MEDITATE ON THIS
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” LUKE 2:49 NKJV
For the full message go here!