The greatest need in the church today is not so much more preachers, elders, deacons, meeting houses or better Bible classes, etc. True, these are all needed, but one of the greatest needs in the Lord's church is for more members to be personal evangelists. When we compare our efforts today with the successful efforts of the church of the first century (Acts 8.4;.17:6; Col. 1:23), we see that there is definitely something lacking. The great commission is one of the most familiar teachings of Jesus and yet, it is one of the mast neglected It says "go ye" but when we apply it to ourselves, it says, "go me" Possibly one reason why Christians are not going is due to indifference and/or a lack of motivation to be soul winners. That indifference can be removed by going to the Bible and there learn why every Christ to be a soul winner.

1. Christ n as a soul winner, He was always willing and ready to teach multitudes (Matt.S-7),oranindividaluwaJn.3:1-13:4:1 26),I3e r came to save sinners and his aim was always the same, that is to challenge every individual to obey God's will. As Christians (which means Christ-like) we must strive to imitate the Lord's example in seeking the lost.

2. Early Christians were soul winners. They were to In Jerusalem preaching the gospel to every creature in their generation. Even persecution did not keep them from their task for they taught "daily ... in every house" (Acts 5:42) and "went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:1-4). The Christians of the first century took the great commission seriously. They understood what the Lord cant when he said "go." "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk.16:15).They did go, and so must we.

3. The Scriptures reveal that every Christian has a personal responsibility to seek the lost. By reading Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:2 and I Peter 3:15 we learn that every. Christian is implicated in the great commission. Each child of God is responsible m do his part. In fact, individual responsibility is emphasized throughout the New Testament; Notice what "many of the brethren" did in Philippians 1:14; and to whom Jude 3 ("earnestly contend for the faith') was written ("to them that are sanctified." v. I). Every Christian must shoulder his responsibility. If a congregation has 100 members, it should have 100 personal evangelists. Therefore, it is urgent that every Christian get involved and seeking the lost now, wherever they are or whatever they are doing. We can do what the Lord wants us to do!

4. Soul winning is good for the soul winner. It has been stated that "the saved are saved to save others!" Truly, every Christian needs to be faithful (in.15.1-5; Matt. 25: 14-46), but seeking the lost also pays great dividends in this life. Personal evangelism promotes consecration, dedication, faithfulness, prayer, more Bible study, as well as a sense of contributing to the cause of Christ. Thus, soul winning is a spiraling type of f encouragement which leads to eternal happiness.

Being a soul winner is important because it produces results. It helps every individual Christian as well as the local church to go, grow and glow for Christ. You can be a soul winner for Jesus Why not start today?

Guardian of Truth, XXXVII, No. 23, p. 4
December 2, 1993