"Winning Souls" - Brian Amerman

Recently we concluded a 6 week Wednesday night study called “WINNING SOULS”.  We based this on a pamphlet, a little hand out that our friend David Hart found in an old family Bible.  He doesn’t know how long it had been there. He speculates that it is at least 50 years old, perhaps older.  It was originally prepared for the members of Park Hill Baptist Church in Pueblo, Colorado by Rev Fred Brewer.  He was pastor there from 1955 - 1961, so David’s estimate is right on.  This is one of the oldest churches in Pueblo, founded in 1912.  It’s still there.

We have extra copies of this pamphlet on the little table in the entry way behind you.  Pick one up as you leave if you’d like a copy.

As I went thru this pamphlet each week preparing for the lesson I became moved by the Holy Spirit to do something special, something different, with this class.  We did some roll-play, practicing our witnessing to one another.  Yeah, this was a little scary, but we had fun with it too.  What better place to practice witnessing than at church, among friends? This class was designed to prepare us to be better disciples for Jesus, as we have been commanded to do in the Great Commission in Matthew 28: 18-20.  Let me read that to you:

Notice that this is not called “The Great Suggestion.”  Jesus is telling us that we have work to do.  We were not saved to sit comfortably in the pews on Sunday and rejoice in our salvation, keeping it to ourselves.  No, we have been saved to do important work for Jesus ….. winning souls, throughout the world.

 Let me use this example:  You are driving on a dark night, fast down a highway.  Suddenly, right in front of you is a man waving a red road flare and motioning for you to stop immediately.  You slam on the brakes and come sliding to a stop just a few feet from the edge of a huge hole in the road, the result of a bad washout.  Down at the bottom of this huge hole is deep, swirling water and you can see the wreckage of other cars down there that didn’t get stopped in time.  No doubt the occupants of those cars did not survive the crash.

You are very grateful to this man for stopping you in time, for saving your life.

So what do you do?  Do you just turn your car around, thank him kindly, and drive away?  “Gee Mister, I’m sure glad that you saved me from certain death.  I hope that you are able to save some others.”  No, if you are truly thankful for being saved from certain death you will park your car, get out and help that man save others!  It’s a dark night. He’s the only one there trying to stop others from going over the edge in to the deep water below, to certain death.

Well, if you are going to save others from certain death in that deep washout you are going to need some tools.  In the trunk of your car you have some road flares and a very bright flashlight.  But you don’t know how to use them, so you just get out a little Bic lighter and wave that around, trying to get the attention of rapidly approaching cars headed for the edge of the washout.  Do you think that will work very well?

Well, Jesus is like that man that saved us on the highway from certain death in the washout.  He needs our help.  He has a job for us to do.  We were saved, so that we might save others.

If we have a job to do we’d better have some tools to do it with!  Since the job that Jesus has for us is to WIN SOULS for Him, what tools do we have to work with?

- GOD’S WORD - THE BIBLE

- YOUR OWN PERSONAL TESTIMONY - PRAYER

- THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

Today I want to talk about the powerful tool that we have in God’s word, the Bible.  In Isaiah 55: 10-11 God tells us that His word does not return to Him empty, or void, but that it accomplishes that for which He sent it, just like the rain and snow accomplish that for which He sends them.  So we know that we can use God’s word to accomplish great things. Believe me, winning another soul for Christ is a GREAT THING !!

But what if you don’t know God’s word?  What if you don’t even know flag down approaching cars with just a Bic lighter.  You’ve got road flares where to look up important passages in the Bible that will help you to win those lost souls?  Or that you don’t have them clearly marked so that you can find them fast?  Or that you don’t have any verses memorized to use when witnessing to others?

Well, YOU’D BE LIKE THAT GUY ON THE DARK HIGHWAY, trying to and a bright flashlight in the trunk, but you don’t know how to use them, and you are out there with a tiny Bic lighter trying to save people’s lives.  What sense does that make?

So this morning I’m going to CHALLENGE you to memorize some scripture that will help us to WIN SOULS for Jesus.  We’re going to do that, right here, right now.

Oh Gee!  THAT’S TOO HARD!  I can’t do that!  I don’t have time.  I’ll never use that.

YES YOU CAN and YES YOU WILL.

How many of you know the words to an old Beatles song?  Maybe a Marty Robbins song?  A Christmas Carol?  Well, you didn’t have any trouble memorizing them, did you?  So let’s put a little effort into memorizing a few short pieces of GOD’S POWERFUL WORD so that we will have them available to use when witnessing to others about His Plan of Salvation for a lost world.

WRITE THESE DOWN: 6 short verses that will be your “tools” for winning souls.

- PHILIPPIANS 4:13 (10 words)

- ROMANS 3:23 (12 words)

- ROMANS 6:23 (20 words)

- JOHN 3:16 (25 words)

- JOHN 14:6 (20 words)

- EPHESIANS 2: 8-9 (32 words)

- PHILIPPIANS 4:13 (again)

Wait a minute Brian …. that’s 7 verses.  You said Philippians 4:13 twice.  I know.  I REALLY LIKE PHILIPPIANS 4:13 !!!!!!!   And we can start & finish with it.  I’ll explain.  Let’s get started.

PHIL 4:13 “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU CHRIST, WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”  Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

The best way to memorize something is to repeat it, over & over if you have to.  Repeat it to yourself, silently, throughout the day.  Work it into your prayers morning & evening.  Write it down, over & over … whatever it takes.

Today I’m going to ask you to repeat each of the verses listed several times.  I know this may sound corny, or old fashioned, but let’s try it anyway.  We need to have some scripture memorized to have in our “tool belt” when it comes time to tell others about our relationship with Jesus, and about God’s plan for their salvation.

 

Why Phil 4:13 “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU CHRIST, WHO STRENGTHENS ME?”  Because ……

- YOU CAN memorize scripture!

- YOU CAN witness to strangers!

- YOU CAN pray for opportunities to witness!

- YOU CAN be the disciple that Jesus wants you to be!

How can you do all this?  PHIL 4:13.   Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

- YOU CAN read your Bible more often!

- YOU CAN mark the pages so that you can find verses fast!

- YOU CAN carry your Bible with you everyday!

- YOU CAN find the right words to say when the time comes!

How is this all possible?  PHIL 4:13   Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

See?  There you go!  You have one very powerful verse memorized already.  Let’s move on to the next one.

You might ask, “Why have I chosen these particular verses to memorize, to use when winning souls?”  Well, if you want to convince somebody that they need something in their life that they don’t already have, it helps to point out the problem they have, the solution to that problem and then explain how that solution works.  We call this THE BAD NEWS and THE GOOD NEWS.

First - THE BAD NEWS:

ROMANS 3:23 “FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.” Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

What does this mean?  Well, it’s simple.  I’m a sinner, Pastor Todd is a sinner, you are a sinner and the person you are witnessing to is a sinner.  We all are, and we fall short of the glory of God.

DARN!  That’s a problem now!  But it gets worse, much worse.

ROMANS 6:23 “FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD.”               Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

Death.  Yeah, we’re all going to die.  Nobody lives forever, right?  But this is not talking about physical death.  We all can expect to experience that, unless the Rapture comes real quick.  No, what this is talking about is eternal death, because the solution is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord, as the scripture clearly states.  This death that is talked about here is eternal separation from God, otherwise known as Hell.  We will all spend eternity someplace, either Heaven or Hell.  It is up to us to make that decision during our time here on earth as to where we will choose for that to be.

So, we’ve told them the BAD NEWS first, that we all are sinners and that the wages of that sin is eternal death.  But half way through Romans 6:23 it starts to bring us to the GOOD NEWS, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

Now, what do you have to do to receive a gift?  Any gift?  Do you have to work for it?  No.  If you did it wouldn’t be a gift, it would be something that you earned.  You simply have to ACCEPT it.  You have to simply take it from the one who is offering it.

 

So … the solution to a person’s sin problem is the gift from God of eternal life in Christ Jesus.  That’s good to know.  I’ll accept that gift any day.  Anybody would, you’d think.  But there is more to it.  How does this work?  The person you are witnessing to will want to know more.

JOHN 3:16 “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

So they have to believe in Jesus?  YES.  They have to believe that Jesus is who the Bible says He is, the Son of God, who lived among men, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day.  He ascended into heaven and is there, alive, to this very day.

It’s that simple.  To receive the gift of everlasting life we simply have to believe in Jesus, according to John 3:16.

Like the huckster on TV says: “BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!”  There is more to the solution to our sin problem.

JOHN 14:6 “JESUS SAID, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”  Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

The first two words of this verse are important, “Jesus said”.  These are the words of Jesus Himself.  He is telling us this for a reason, and we need to pay attention.

OK, what does this mean?  What does this tell the person that we are witnessing to?  How does it help them?  How does this work?  Jesus is the WAY, the ONLY WAY.

Jesus is the TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but the TRUTH.  You can believe His every word.  Unlike men, He never spoke a lie.  He could not.

Jesus is the LIFE.  We should try to model our own life after Jesus.  We should follow the example that He set for us and strive to be more like Him every day, in every way.

There is NO OTHER WAY to reach our Father in Heaven except through Jesus Christ.  We must become a follower of Jesus to reach Heaven.  It is that clear, in the words of Jesus Himself.

EPHESIANS 2: 8-9 “FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH - AND THIS IS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD - NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.”

Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

 Darn It Brian!!  That’s a long verse.  32 words!  How will we ever memorize that?  That’s too hard.

Do I need to have you refer back to PHIL 4:13 so soon?   YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST, WHO STRENGTHENS YOU.

So what does this mean?  This is how the solution to our sin problem works.  We are saved by Grace, through Faith. First off, what is Grace?  It is receiving something good that you do not deserve.  Here’s an example:  You are in the Fourth grade in school and you have a book report due …. this morning!  You have not done it.  What do you deserve for not having your homework done?  An F.  An F is what you deserve.  But when you get to class the teacher says that she will give you an extra day to get your book report done.  She will give you a “grace period” of an extra day.  She has shown you grace.  You didn’t earn it, in fact quite the opposite, you earned an F by your laziness.  But by the teacher’s grace you have an extra day to turn in your work.

What do we deserve from God, since we already know that we are all sinners and fall short of His Glory?  Death.  Eternal death is what we deserve.  But by GOD’S GRACE He has chosen to offer us the gift of eternal life instead.  And this is GRACE THROUGH FAITH.  Faith in what or who?  Faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior & Lord.  Faith that He is who the Bible says He is, and that He has died for our sins so that we might live, for eternity, through our FAITH in Him and the sacrifice He made for us on the cross. “and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  This means that there is NOTHING that we ourselves can do to assure our eternal life ….. other than accept God’s gift.  That’s all we have to do.  And the rest of the verse clarifies that “not by works, so that no one can boast.”  We can’t help enough little old ladies cross the street, can’t teach enough Bible classes, can’t tithe enough, can’t avoid sin enough to EARN our way into Heaven.  The only way is to accept the gift of God and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And that brings us right back to PHIL 4:13   Repeat … Repeat … Repeat

- YOU CAN memorize scripture!

- YOU CAN witness to strangers!

- YOU CAN have the right words to say!

- YOU CAN have your testimony ready to give at all times.

PHIL 4:13  Repeat ….. Repeat ….. Repeat

- YOU CAN lead that Sunday school class!

- YOU CAN lead that Wednesday night Bible study!

- YOU CAN read scripture on Sunday morning when Pastor asks you to.

“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”

- YOU CAN flee from temptation!

- YOU CAN flee from sin!

- YOU CAN call on the name of Jesus to help you in times of trouble.

- YOU CAN be the disciple that He wants you to be !!

- YOU CAN be the disciple that He wants YOU to be !!

WHY ??  BECAUSE :  PHIL 4:13 …… 

There, now you know some scripture, some useful, powerful scripture to have when witnessing to non-believers when the opportunity presents itself.  And it WILL present itself if you pray for that to happen.  And you WILL have the right words to say when the time comes, if you pray for that too.  But you need to be prepared, you need to have these tools available and ready for use at all times.  You never know when you’ll encounter a washout on the road ahead.

Are these the only verses that you will ever need to memorize?  No.  There are lots of passages that you can work into your own personal witnessing tool bag.  It all depends on how much you want to add.  I’ve selected these few because of the “Bad news, Good news” angle that we played up during this particular Bible study.

I wanted to end this series in this fashion, so that it might be more memorable for you.  Maybe you’ll remember some of this easier that way.  I hope so.  I know that I will.

I’m thankful for each and every one of you here today.  I thank Pastor Todd for letting me do this.  I thank you all for your encouragement.

* Pastor Todd, any final words?