Soul Winning Heaven’s Way
George Burnside
Soul Winning As Heaven Sees It
In deciding the importance or otherwise of any subject, it is a safe course to note carefully what God says on the subject. If we are on God’s side we are sure and safe and can go forward with confidence.
Therefore, what is Heaven’s Opinion of Evangelism?
HOW DO THE ANGELS VIEW EVANGELISM?
Luke 15:10. “Joy over one sinner that repents.”
(Note - this was spoken to church members, (Luke 15:2). But alas, they despised the unsaved and rejoiced not at their conversion. They criticized instead.)
“The conversion of souls to God is the greatest, the noblest work in which human beings can have a part.” 7 Testimonies, page 52.
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S SUPREME WORK
CONVERTING AND CONVICTING.
John 16:8. The Holy Spirit’s first work is to “bring conviction” (Goodspeed) or reprove of sin.
Luke 4:18. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel.”
“The greatest work to which human beings can aspire is the work of winning men from sin to holiness.” Ministry of Healing, page 398.
Why Did Jesus Leave Heaven to Suffer and Die on Earth? Matthew 18:10. “The Son of Man is come to seek and save that which is lost.” Matthew 4:19. “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
Are you following? Are you catching men?
Romans 8:9. “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.”
“The greatest work, the noblest effort in which man can engage is to point sinners to the Lamb of God.” Gospel Workers, page 18.
THE SUPREME OBJECT OF THE FATHER’S LOVE
John 3:16. He “gave” to save.
“In comparison with the worth of one soul, the whole world sinks into insignificance.” 5 Testimonies, page 614,
GREATEST POWER FOR THE GREATEST TASK
Matthew 28:19,20. Think of the power with us as we “make disciples.” The greatest work. The greatest power. The greatest reward.
IT IS THE WHOLE GOSPEL TO THE WHOLE WORLD
“All power.” “Go therefore.”
Men of faith do not look at the mountains but to the One who made the mountains. Evangelism is therefore not dead, not dying, not even sick.
“Nothing is to be permitted to hinder the work. It is the all-important work for time; it is to be far-reaching as eternity.” 5 Testimonies, page 456.
OUR TASK
Revelation 14:6. “The context suggests that it is the’ last call to repentance which will be offered to men this side of eternity.” Note on Revelation 14:6, Knox Version, (Popular Modern Catholic Translation).
1 Kings 20:40. Busy, but not in vital work.
THE TIMES DEMAND EVANGELISM
Amos 8:11,12. The coming World Famine.
“Every Christian is bound to be a Bible Worker, to do something in imparting to others the great truth for this time.” General Conference Bulletin V3, Number 2, page 38, 1899.
THE TASK BEFORE HEAVEN
Matthew 24:14. Evangelism must be a passion and a program, not merely a slogan.
THINK OF THE REWARD!
Daniel 12:3. “As the stars for ever and ever.” This is God’s promise to latter day soul winners.
GOOD TEXTS FOR DECISIONS ON SABBATH
“Its new to me - what shall do about it?”
Revelation 22:14 “Do His Commandments.”
Revelation 14:12 “Keep His Commandments.”
Revelation 12:17 “Keep the Commandments.”
Matthew 19:17 If enter life “keep the Commandments.”
Jeremiah 6:16 “Ask for old paths and walk therein’
“I’m in poor health, I’m afraid to change my religion.”
Psalm 107:20 “He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them.”
Isaiah 58:8,12,13. Health springs forth when the Sabbath is kept.
“How Can I Make a Living and Keep the Sabbath?”
Psalm 37:25 “Not begging bread.”
Psalm 34:10 “Not want any good thing.”
Matthew 6:25,26 “Take no (anxious) thought.”
Isaiah 57:10,13 (Margin) Found a living
Deuteronomy 30:19,20 “He is thy life.”
Proverbs 28:21 “For a piece of bread that man will transgress.”
“I’ll Lose My Job.”
Isaiah 51:7 “Fear ye not men.”
Psalm 90:16,17 “Establish thou the work of our hands.”
Job 13:14,15 “Put my life in mine hand.”
Psalm 119:72,127 God’s commandments “better than thousands of gold and silver.”
“I’M Buying a Car and Must Pay if off.”
Isaiah 2:7,8. Chariots can become idols.
Isaiah 2:18 “The idols He shall utterly abolish.”
“How Can I Pay off My House?”
Psalm 127:1 “Except the Lord build the house.”
Matthew 7:24-27 Foolish to build on sand.
Proverbs 11:30. “He that wins souls is wise.”
Some Christians are “educated” and “scholarly,” but they are not “wise.” Others are wise, but are not considered “educated” or “scholarly.” That is, they may not know the dead languages such as Latin, Greek or Hebrew etc., but education is good, if we are “wise.” Education without being wise ends in tragedy. Many churches today want educated preachers, but God wants “wise” men arid says “He that wins souls is wise.”
Our God could have preached through angels. He could have thundered the message through the skies like an atomic blast. He has a thousand ways and methods He could have used. Then why use men? Here is the answer.
Proverbs 11:24,25. “He that waters shall be watered also himself.” To withhold will tend to poverty. This is shown in the tragic account of the Jews.
Proverbs 11:30. “He that wins souls. Notice, the perfect Word of God ascribes conversion as the work of men.
Daniel 12:3. “They that turn many to righteousness.”
James 5:19,20. “And one convert him.” “He shall save a. soul from death.”
When, through the grace of Christ we work for souls, our Lord gives us all the credit and the stars. Of Christ it was said, “He saved others, Himself He cannot save.” This the Bible says of us. We save others, but ourselves we cannot save. May we burn ourselves out in soul-winning for our King.
Of the Drug Stores in the U.S.A. it has been said, “They sell everything except drugs.” The grave danger that faces us today is that we are doing everything except our main task and privilege - soul-winning.
None but He who made the world can make a soul winner.
Luke 15:10. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.”
Luke 15:2,3. Christ spoke this parable to the Pharisees and the Scribes. “He spoke this parable unto them.” It was one parable - not three parables - but one parable in three parts.
At the close of the first and second parts Christ repeated the statement of the angels’ joy over the salvation of one soul. But while there was rejoicing in heaven, there was no rejoicing among the Pharisees over souls that were won.
The last section of the parable was a rebuke to the self-righteous Pharisee who had no interest in evangelism. Too often modern Pharisees give no encouragement or support to evangelism. Some even delight in criticizing those who endeavor to do this work for the Lord. The first great purpose of the Lord Jesus is for souls.
Luke 19:10. He “came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John 17:20. In His final prayer Jesus prayed for not only those with Him, but “for them also which shall believe on Me.”
Matthew 28:19,20. Christ commanded that His whole Gospel was to go to the whole world by the whole Church membership throughout the whole age.
Too often we hear “if we cannot go, we can send.” This is a popular coined phrase, but we are never told to either “go” or “send.” We are commanded to go - to your personal world. This cannot be done by proxy, but only in person.
Ephesians 4:12. For “the perfecting of the saints, for the doing of service.” “With a view to the fitting of the saints for the work of ministering.” Rotherham. “In order fully to equip His people for the work of serving.” Weymouth.
Satan divided the church into the Clergy and the Laity. Then came the devil’s millennium - the Dark Ages. Gibbons wrote, “The progress of the ecclesiastical authority gave birth to the memorial distinction of the laity and of the clergy, which had been unknown to the Greeks and the Romans.” Gibbons, Volume 1, page 476.
1 Peter 5:3. “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage,” = “kleros,” - “clergy.” We are all brethren.
A minister asked a member to lead in prayer. The answer was “Pray yourself. That do we pay you for?” Too often the mute reply of members is “Win the lost yourself. That is what you are paid to do.”
The devil hates evangelism, because He knows by it he is overcome. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11.
Proverbs 11:25. “He that waters shall be watered also himself.” We multiply committees, conferences, and boards, but if the spiritual food is not worked out, the suppressed truth turns sour in the stomachs of the saints and the result is spiritual dyspeptics, and they are ready to condemn, criticize, or fight at a moments notice over trifles.
Matthew 28:20. “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Therefore success, will come.
Isaiah 55:1I. “My word shall not return unto Me void.”
“But it shall accomplish that which I please,” (perhaps not what we desire’).
On the last great day, there will be but two things left.
In the ash heaps will be your motor cars, houses, dresses, shops, lands and dollar notes. What will you say when you stand before the great white throne?
Helpful Suggestions On Giving A Bible Study
Length
Not longer than 45 minutes.
Conclusion
Leave as soon as possible after study. Leave with lesson in hearer’s mind.
Study
Get reader to use Bible.
Seeing makes greater impression. Helps them to know Bible. It teaches reader to take God’s Word instead of man’s word.
Clear
Aim at clarity
Suggest where text is located. For instance:
Psalms - middle of Bible and Job is book before Psalms.
Say, “Let us see what God says.” NOT, “I will show you what the Bible says.”
Be Punctual
Show you are on the King of Glory’s business.
This is important.
Failure to be on time shows you do not regard others time.
Preparation
Be full of your subject.
To be convincing you must have conviction.
“Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men.”
It is a good thing to read a Scripture or Spirit of Prophecy passage before going to study for your own inspiration.
Subject
Keep to subject, avoid being side tracked.
Emphasize part of verse on the subject.
Do not attempt to explain every point.
Side questions answer briefly and then back to subject.
Remember Satan tries to side track the mind.
Be Considerate
Remember the hearer does not always see as you do. Be a Bible teacher, not a lecturer. Leave reading material on the subject.
Lending library, (books to loan) is of value.
Review
Meeting Opposition
Seek One Soul Audience
Questions
General
A. Order of Subjects
I aim at presenting the Truth in Christ and leading the audience in three steps. Thus the Truth is presented in three phases, regardless of which subjects I open with. Phase one is my first object,
PHASE ONE
This also proves there is a God. No man can unerringly read the future, yet a third of the Bible is prophecy. Therefore God has given us the Bible - it is the Book from Heaven.
Phase one aims at proving the Bible is true, that there is a God, and that God loves us. Therefore we should love Him. This leads to conversion.
In a nine-month series of lectures, I would spend the first three months in laying down this foundation. Do not take anything for granted.
Your listeners may claim to believe the Bible. But would they be burned at the stake for it? Would they, in these days of unemployment, be willing to lose a job for the Truth? You must build faith first of all. Therefore, do not take anything for granted. Build a solid foundation. This applies to all religions, or no religions at all.
PHASE TWO
In this I aim at showing that Seventh-day Adventists have the Truth for today. I take up Revelation 14:6-16, the Sabbath, the State of the Dead, and aim at answering every question and objection. In doing this never give your opinion, but use God’s Word. 2 Corinthians 5:20 - an ambassador gives only the opinion of his government. Never urge people until they are thoroughly convinced.
PHASE THREE
Here I aim at bringing people to a decision.
B. Order of Subjects
PHASE ONE
GOOD OPENING SUBJECTS
GOOD EARLY SUBJECTS
PHASE TWO
To teach God’s Truth for Today. Seventh-day Adventists have God’s Truth. 1. The Three Angels of Revelation 14:6-14.
(1) The Seal of God in the Forehead.
Besides a Mansion in the City of God will Christians own Property on Other Planets?
Why Does God Call Christians Out of Babylon?
(1) Herod - Why Did Jesus call him “that old fox”?
(q) Communism in Bible Prophecy.
Judged by the Bible. .
Revelation 20:11-13. All will be judged by “the books” = Byblos = the Bible.
Questions about the Bible are fatal for soul winning. No soul-winner questions the unerring, infallible Word of God. He will not listen to anyone who finds flaws in the “Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” A soul-winner who is a skeptic is an impossibility.
Our Task is Clear.
We do not need new programs or plans. The Lord has given us our task, our work, our program. Let us not insult Him by making other plans. We have nothing to do but obey and follow His plan.
Daniel 12:3. “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 wise, they are soul winners. The ignorant and foolish by those who are wise in their own eyes. But when this world is going down in “the time of trouble,” (Daniel 12:1) and the dead are rising, (Daniel 12:2) the wisdom of the world will be seen to be foolishness. But those who turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars forever and ever.