The Great Commision

Audio Version

Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

We see from the two scriptures here that the soul that sins shall surely die. Now we all know that we will die a natural death if we die before the Lord returns. So when we speak of a soul dying, we mean that the soul that was created to be eternal will enter a place reserved for departed spirits that do not know the Lord. Hell was created of course for the devil and the devil’s angels when they rebelled against God. It was created as a place of confinement on the day God brings final judgment and He rids the world of any sin. Souls that die in their sins will end up in this place so that sin cannot continue on and on influencing more people and causing more to be lost. God eventually will put a final end to sin.

The soul that sins shall surely depart into this place of eternal torment if we do not reach them for Jesus Christ. Jesus came to save all who would believe from their sins but He uses vessels that He fills with the Holy Ghost to win the lost to Jesus Christ.

We know that unless the soul is cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ that soul will die in their sins. The blood of Jesus has to cover the sin and cleanse the soul from sin before they can enter the kingdom of God and be granted eternal life. For those that have been saved from sin, when they die, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. There is absolutely no such thing as soul sleep.

If there had been another way to save lost mankind, God surely would not have allowed His Son to become a man of flesh and pay for the sins that we committed. Why allow His Son to pay for something we did if it would serve no purpose? Jesus died for our sins even thought He didn’t deserve to suffer death because He did not sin even one time.

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

We need to get this message to as many people as possible while there is time and while we have the freedom to do so. The church has no time to “Play golf”. I’m not against recreation and golf but I’m trying to make a point, we do not have time play. The time is at hand, the Lord is coming and it is time to become in one mind and one accord and win the lost to Jesus Christ.

Except a soul is born again by the spirit of God, they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father but by me.”

It is urgent, now is the time. We start out this great commission by prayer and by being filled with the Holy Ghost.

I’m not interested in worrying about whether one receives the Holy Spirit when they are first saved or whether He comes later. No matter when the Holy Spirit comes, we need to be filled with the Spirit at all times in order to win the lost to Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God is what draws a sinner to salvation. We need to rely on the Spirit of God and not on programs and formats.

We all have different callings and they are different. I’m not into which church is right or even what church to go to. I’m interested today in getting us to start seeking God in our prayer closets and in small groups to get direction and be filled with the Spirit so that we will begin to get direction from the Holy Spirit about doing our part in winning souls for Jesus Christ.

Our part may be to be a prayer warrior, start in home bible studies or prayer meetings. We may be called to preach the gospel, teach in-depth bible studies, be missionary, raise money for missions, or start a church. The place to start all these things is to begin to pray.

There is no time or worry about whether or not a woman should preach, whether we should be independent or be part of a denomination, whether we should have church in a building or in someone’s house, my main concern is not traditions but in getting people who are lost to Jesus Christ and to encourage the believers to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, be filled with the spirit and begin to listen to the call of God no matter what that call it. We need to break out of our shells and start reaching beyond our own traditions and four walls of our churches.

The church needs revival and we need to start praying for revival. Not praying for revival in my own local church but revival all over the world.

Before we even begin though we must remember to walk in love. Jesus said “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples when ye have love one to another.”

Without this perfect love, we might as well quit right now. Our young people and children have enough entertainment to last a lifetime. They don’t need the church copying the world and trying to keep them interested in church with more entertainment. We’ve got to get the kids to Jesus Christ and the best method we can have is not more programs but first just love them. They need someone to love them and care about them as individuals.

They need someone to be interested in them and what happens to them. We can plan youth conventions, bring in famous singers who can draw crowds and get kids to the altar with a lot of emotional hype but what happens when the emotion is gone and there is no music playing and the bands leave and go to another town? We have to love them, care what happens to them and pray fervently for them. We have them all the time not just when the big stars leave.

Peter says:
Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.

So do we need to take soul winning classes? We could if we want to mimic and copycat what someone else does? Or we can begin to pray and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into what we are to do and how we are to do it? If we faithfully study God’s word, the Holy Spirit will faithfully bring the right things to our remembrance at the right time.

I read things about soul winning and one thing they said was not to use words like being saved or born again. Well Jesus used those words, why can’t we? They have watered down the message of salvation from, “Repent the kingdom is at hand” to “Just raise your hand if you want to accept Jesus in your heart.” Where in the bible does it say that?
 
The gospel is simple but it does involve being “born again” by the spirit of God. It involves being cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus said “He that believes in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” To believe in Him is to partake of Him. I guess you could say that one was accepting Him in their hearts but we must first recognize we are sinners in need of a savior. We must have a heart that is willing to forsake those sins and allow Jesus to remove them. He then clothes us with His righteousness and we become “born again” by His spirit.

We do receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved. If we did not, we could not be saved. What confuses people is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that gives power for service. That can come at salvation or later, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to continue to fill us once we are saved. There is no time to sit back and think we have it all and there is nothing more that we can receive from God. No. We must receive and then we must freely give what we receive.

Is our calling praying for the sick, evangelizing, pasturing, teaching, exhorting other believers, or something else I am not thinking of? Receive all that God wants us to have, must be our goal so that we are equipped to serve by the spirit of God and not by our own traditions, methods, programs and such.

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Listen to Peter’s simple message. Repent and be baptized and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. On the day of Pentecost there were many that were around seeing and hearing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They heard something different and they wanted to find out what it was that was happening. Peter got up and took the opportunity to preach the simple message of repentance and believing in Jesus.

So many get sidetracked off this message and worry about formulas. Whether we are baptized in the name of Jesus or the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Whether we speak in tongues or whether we don’t. Whether water baptism saves or not. Whether we are baptized in water and then receive the Holy Spirit.

In the book of Acts we see it happening so many different ways. Some receive the Holy Spirit first and then are baptized in water. The apostles found some that received Christ but were not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit so the minute we try to make formulas; we will find God doing things differently.

I read an article on the Internet about rules concerning a pastor’s hospital visits. He is only supposed to stay so long and never give any medical advice. There was a list of things a pastor should or should not do. Well I noticed that some pastors break every rule. Sometimes, not all the time but sometimes we have to break some rules or traditions to be led by the Spirit of God. I say that with caution because there are some nut cases that do things that are crazy and unscriptural and claim they were led by the spirit. Yet, I know that we have to be willing to be different than the main stream if we want to walk in the spirit. The Spirit of God, the word of God and a life of holiness is the very opposite of what is accepted by society or what we call the main stream. We cannot please those In the world and please God at the same time.

Our main focus should be on seeking to walk in the spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to shed the love of God in our hearts.

In-depth bible study is also important for the church to keep us from being deceived. Some of us may be called for this type of ministry and believe me it is just as important as preaching the gospel because of the words of Jesus:

Luk 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Luk 21:14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
Luk 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Luk 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not a hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

We need also to remember to receive the word of God into our spirit. In James it says:

Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Jas 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
Jas 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
 
As we get concerned about the things of this life, the troubled economy, jobs, and being accepted by the main stream we must remember the words of Jesus:

Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

I’ll close by encouraging us to seek the old paths: This verse is one of my favorites and it is where I get my email address from:

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

Let us receive the engrafted word that is able to save not only our own souls but those that may hear us.  Let us be willing to share what we receive from God. 

-Dorna

pastor@lwlfellowship.com.