Have you ever considered the basic convictions that motivate a soulwinner to be faithful? Convictions are the spark plugs that keep the engine of faith going forward. And biblical convictions regarding the eternal souls of men and women move us forward in reaching the lost for Christ.
Urgency
Perhaps the most basic conviction of the soulwinner concerns the urgency of the harvest. The prophet Jeremiah was a man who understood this urgency. In Jeremiah 8:20 he mourned over those who delayed responding to God’s message: “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
Imagine that you’re a farmer surveying your fields on a hot August day. Your harvest is mature and ready to be gathered, but storm clouds carrying large hailstones are rolling in. Although you may have machinery squeaking for repair and errands demanding attention, your highest priority today will be gathering your harvest before it is too late. At this point, the harvest is urgent.
So it is for the soulwinner. The urgency of the harvest moves him to action.
Eternity
Every person is born with an eternal soul that will live somewhere for ever. Scripture plainly states that those who do not trust Christ as Saviour will spend eternity in Hell (Revelation 20:15), and those who receive Christ’s gift of salvation will spend eternity in Heaven (1 Peter 1:3–5).
This is a serious matter, but we can do something about it. We can warn people of their lost condition and point them to Christ.
Salvation
Acts 4:12 states that salvation is exclusively available through Jesus Christ: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Sometimes we forget that every person with whom we come in contact has an eternal soul, and those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ will not spend eternity in Heaven. Yet there are many—some in your hometown—who would trust Christ if you told them the good news of the Gospel.
We so easily become sidetracked from the task Christ has given us, and without knowing it, our hearts become cold—deadened to the convictions of the soulwinner.
These convictions are why we have purposefully made soulwinning the central purpose at Lancaster Baptist Church. Indeed every local church exists to fulfill the Great Commission: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
If we really believe and remember these truths concerning urgency, eternity, and salvation, we will be passionate to tell others of Christ. These convictions will carry us out to the harvest field.
