What is your priority Number one?
I met a businessman in Chennai recently. He is the owner of a company and deeply involved in missions. He is not only a successful businessman but also a successful soul winner. He has led many people to Christ in the midst of his leadership in his company. He used all possible ways to lead others to Christ. His motto is to use all means to win others to Christ like Paul.
In the midst of his heavy work in his company, he accepts invitations to preach in churches and finds time to involve in missions. He conducts two Bible Studies every week in his company to all his workers. He encourages his workers to study the Bible and gives incentives, if they pass in examinations in Scriptures. His first priority is not his company. He has given his business to the Lord. He says that the Lord is giving him the vision to train leaders who will start many ministries as per the biblical principles in India. He is a tentmaker like Paul. His commitment and vision is a challenge to us.
This was the case with revivalists. They gave importance to winning others for Christ because of the passion for souls. D.L Moody once said, “When I see young men by the thousands going in the way of death, I feel like falling at the feet of Jesus with prayer and tears, to come and save them.” We need to have passion for souls like Moody to win others for Christ.
Do you think that this will be possible with you? You may not be a manger of a company. You may not be a revivalist. But the Lord has given you opportunities to mingle with many people in your vocation or place. You will be able to involve in the ministry of leading others to Christ, if you have passion for souls like Moody.
The life of Paul is a challenge to all of us. He gave his all to Christ to win people for the Lord. Let us study the convictions of Paul, which made him give priority to God and plant churches wherever he went.
Reasons for Giving Priority to God’s Ministry:
When the king of England asked William Booth, the founder of Salvation Army, “What is the ruling force of your life?” Booth replied, “Sir, some men’s passion is for gold, other men’s passion is for fame. But my passion is for souls.”
William Booth did not have passion for money or fame in this world. He had passion for the perishing souls because he believed that winning souls is more important than the worldly things.
Paul gave importance to winning souls mainly because of his convictions. Let us study some of the convictions of Paul, which made him win souls for Christ.
Paul considered the things of this world as loss and rubbish:
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Phil. 3: 7-10).
Paul fixed his eye on the things not seen:
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4: 18).
The homeland of Paul was heaven:
“But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from there. When he comes back, he will take these dying bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same mighty power” (Phil. 3 :20-21).
Paul was convinced that he was a debtor to preach the Gospel:
“I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also” (Rom. 1: 14-15).
Paul was certain that he was appointed to defend the gospel:
“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel” (Phil. I: 15-17).
Paul was constrained by the love of God:
“For the love of Christ constrains us because we judge thus: that if one died for all then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).
Results of his Convictions:
The Lord used John Wesley to revive two continents. This was because of his convictions and commitment to win many souls to Christ. His convictions motivated him to involve very deeply in ministry. He exhorted his pastors also to have this conviction to continue the revival. He urged them, “Let us all be of one business. We live only for this, to save our own souls and the souls of those who hear us.”
His commitment to ministry made him to say, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth.”
God used John Wesley and his follower to win millions for Christ. This was mainly because of their conviction that winning souls is very important. This conviction motivated them to sacrifice everything and involve in the ministry like Paul.
Let us study the way in which Paul involved in the ministry because of his godly convictions.
Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1: 16).
Nothing could separate Paul from the love of Christ:
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
He became all things to all men to win more:
“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to ail, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win· those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” ( 1Cor. 9: 19-22).
Paul was deeply committed to God and nothing could stop him from serving God:
“And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:22-24).
Paul fully preached the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire:
“For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation” (Rom. 15: 18-21).
Paul served the Lord night and day with tears, and lived a model life:
“Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears …. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak” (Acts 20:31-35).
Paul sacrificed everything and involved in the ministry because of his convictions. Do we have heavenly convictions like Paul? Where do we fix our eyes? (2 Cor 4: 18) Paul fixed his eyes on the things, which are not seen. So he gave himself to win souls to Christ.
David Brainerd, the missionary to American Indians, had convictions similar to Paul. He wrote in his diary, his heart cry, which challenged many believers. He wrote on April 19, 1742, “I set apart this day for fasting and prayer to prepare me for the ministry …. In the afternoon, I felt a power of intercession for immortal souls …. In the afternoon … God enabled me so to agonize in prayer that I was quiet wet with sweat, though in the shade and the cool wind. My soul was drawn out very much for the world: I gasped for multitudes of souls. I think I had more enlargements for sinners than for the children of God, though I felt as if I could spend my life in cries for both.”
Again on July 21, 1744, he wrote, “I cared not where or how I lived, or what hardships I went through so that I could but gain souls to Christ. I continued in this frame all evening and night. While I was asleep, I dreamed of these things, and when I waked, the first thing I thought of was this great work of pleading for God against Satan.”
The Lord sent a revival among the Red Indians because of David Brainerd’s biblical convictions, compassion for souls, prayer and preaching. Brainerd’s passion for souls and prayerful sharing of the gospel led many people to the Lord. He gave first priority to win souls to Christ. May the Lord help us to give first priority and win souls in large numbers by presenting the gospel to others.
(Dr. C. Barnabas, taken from True Discipleship, March-April 2006)