God's Ultimate Goal For Every Believer Is Soulwinning

Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Luke 8:15, “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”  John 15:5-8, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

God didn't save us to merely eat, drink and be merry because someday we die. Hebrews 12:1-2, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” This passage helps to explain Luke 8:14b, which mentions being “choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” The parable of The Sower And The Seed is often misunderstood, errantly being applied to salvation. But the passage is about soulwinning, which is evidenced by the word “fruit” in Luke 8:14 and 15. God's ultimate goal for every Christian is to mature so that we bear much fruit.

Granted, only God can save a soul. 1st Corinthians 3:6-7, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Our Christian duty is to preach the Gospel to “every creature” (Mark 16:15b). Some human beings resemble a creature more than a man, but the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was willing to die for each and every one of them (John 3:16). God loves all humanity unconditionally (Romans 5:6-9). There are no ugly humans in God's sight. God doesn't make junk! The vilest criminal will no doubt be viewed upon by society as being a monster, but God still commands us to preach the Gospel to “every creature.”

John 15:5-8, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” If you are saved, Christ's Spirit abides in you (Romans 8:9). But unless we abide in Him, by keeping His commandments, we won't bear fruit. It is important that you learn as a believer the difference between Christ abiding in you (i.e., salvation), versus you abiding in Christ (discipleship). 1st John 3:5-8, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 

Carefully notice that these Bible verses speak of “abiding in him,” not Christ abiding in us. This Bible passage does not deal with salvation, but our fellowship with the Lord. If we choose to live in willful sin, then we are of the Devil. The church at Corinth was “carnal” (1st Corinthians 3:1). God wants His children to fulfill the law (Romans 3:31). We don't keep the law to BE saved, but because we ARE saved. Titus 2:12 says that saints “should” live godly. What saith the Scripture? Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Here we see that it is possible for a child of God to LIVE in the Holy Spirit (i.e., He lives in us), but fail to WALK (obey) the indwelling Holy Spirit in accordance with the written Word of God (2nd Corinthians 10:5-6). This proves that discipleship is an entirely separate matter from salvation. Evangelist John Bunyan writes these helpful words:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan (1628-1688)

I love that quote! This one truthful quote exposes what is so wrong with Lordship Salvation, which mixes and confuses service (discipleship) with salvation. We must always keep these two things separate! 

God's desire is for every believer to share the Gospel with others. Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” The Bible speaks here of God's imputed righteousness, which is by faith in Jesus Christ, and not our own self-righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We are saved by trusting Jesus Christ, which God counts for righteousness (Romans 4:5-6).

If you know how you got saved, then you know what to share with others. If you don't know how you were saved, then something is wrong. I have many excellent helpful resources on my ministry websites to help you become an effective soulwinner. But always remember that it is THE GOSPEL, and not our cunning wisdom or eloquent words, that is the power of God unto salvation unto them that BELIEVE. Romans 1:16, “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.” We hear about a lot of religious activity in the world today, and talk of spiritual things, but there is no mention of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Bible warns us about in 2nd Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” That “power” is the Gospel, by which men are saved. We saw this apostasy in a recent global prayer event.

The world is dying for Christians who are real, who care, who speak the truth. People can spot a phony Christian very quickly. The evidence of a real Christian is that they care, that they are willing to suffer for their convictions, that they refuse to compromise. 2nd Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” I share the same attitude of the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 9:16, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” Most Bible colleges (and the unfortunate corrupted churches they influence) are not preaching the Gospel anymore. Instead they are preaching another gospel of Lordship Salvation, which Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses also preach. Woe unto me if I preach not THE GOSPEL! Are you a soulwinner dear Christian? Time is running out.