DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - THURSDAY: The Wisdom of Soul Winning

"We give ourselves to prayer. We preach a Gospel that saves to the uttermost, and witness to its power. We do not argue about worldliness; we witness. We do not discuss philosophy; we preach the Gospel. We do not speculate about the destiny of sinners; we pluck them as brands from the burning. We ask no man's patronage. We beg no man's money. We fear no man's frown…Let no man join us who is afraid, and we want none but those who are saved, sanctified and aflame with the fire of the Holy Ghost." - - Samuel Chadwick
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The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. -- Prov 11:30

Continuing in our study of The Wisdom of Soul Winning, we have this exciting statement of Jesus to Simon… "Don't be afraid! From now on you will bring in people instead of fish." Luke 5:10b (CEV).

Jesus Himself, the greatest Soul Winner who ever lived, has promised that if we faithfully follow Him, He will make us rescuers of men, plucking them as brands from the burning fire. Rescuing them from everlasting damnation and leading them into the wonderful freedom that is in Christ.

How may we begin this school of discipleship in which the Master Teacher will impart His knowledge and skills to us, enabling us to accomplish this wonderful ministry? I believe that firstly we should seriously and prayerfully consider...

THE AWESOME VALUE OF ONE SOUL
The nature of its origin… created in the image and likeness of God. Each human soul is of inestimable value because it was fashioned in the image, and after the likeness of God Himself. The imprint of God's creative genius is upon every human being. No matter how low sin may bring that soul, it is still fashioned in God's image and He places a tremendous value upon it, a value which cannot be estimated in human, material, or monetary terms.

Jesus said in Mark 8:36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? The clear implication of this statement is that one soul is worth more to God than the whole world. How it must rejoice His heart when we bring people back to Him through the ministry of reconciliation.

Every person, irrespective of colour, culture, education, social standing, success or failure, is of tremendous worth to God. They are likened to His Treasured Possessions. "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. -- Mal 3:17b

The story is told of a South African farmer who disliked his occupation and envied those who were into the diamond business. Farming provided a meager existence, but those who discovered diamonds seemed to live a life of luxury. Accordingly, he sold his poor farm and joined countless others in search of diamonds. Soon after, he hit tough times, became financially ruined and committed suicide.

Meanwhile, the new owner who bought the farm came across an unusual stone as he toiled over his farm. He carried the stone home, put it on his mantle and consequently forgot about it. One day, a friend dropped by and noticed this unusual stone. With permission, he took it to a dealer and to their surprise, the stone turned out to be one of the largest diamonds ever discovered and the poor farm was transformed into a huge diamond mine. If only our first farmer friend had been more patient. – Source Unknown

The Tremendous Cost Of a Soul's Redemption.
The height, breadth and depth of God's love for fallen mankind were on view at Calvary, where Christ suffered and died. God wants us to look at, and meditate upon the price which He and His Beloved Son paid at Calvary and understand that through this indescribable scene, God is saying, "THIS IS HOW MUCH I LOVE MANKIND. THIS IS THE VALUE I PLACE ON EVERY HUMAN SOUL."

If God could pay so great a price in order to redeem a soul, how can we refuse the meager sacrifice required in order to tell the story of so great a love.

"How is it that the soul being of such value, and God so great, eternity so near and yet we are so little moved?" --William Bramwell

There is nothing more that Jesus can do, nor does He need to do more. The work of redemption was completed at the Cross. He has broken Satan's grip and provided liberation and freedom for every soul.

This is the Good News He has entrusted to us. We have the delegated authority to lead men out of the dark bondage of Satan's dominion, into the freedom of Christ's deliverance. “…and he who wins souls is wise.”

Loving Father, I desire so much to be a soul winner for you, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to put these principles of soul winning into action, so that I may see souls brought into your Kingdom. In Jesus wonderful name! Amen!