Resources/Articles
White Fields
There are several people who are not being reached with the gospel. There may be a lot of reasons why this is happening, but one of the reasons could be that we rely too heavily on pulpit preaching and not enough on our own personal efforts to reach a lost soul. That is not to say we are idle. We are probably busy people, but our lips are sealed. Do those we have reached amount to the few we speak to who visit our assemblies? What do we do when we hear the words “Go teach” (Matthew 28:19,20)? Have our eyes looked upon the harvest lately (Luke 10:2)?
Has our effort to restore New Testament Christianity included being disciples who are working at making more disciples? When you review the history of the New Testament church, disciples were teaching others to become disciples (Acts 8:4). History proves that the most effective teaching in the church is done by individual Christians.
The appreciation of the value of a soul is where this effort begins. Someone cared enough to teach you. Someone loved enough to help you understand the will of God. Someone knew how much your soul is worth. It is the same value of those you meet at the grocery store, at the ball game, at school, or at work. It is hard to drive by a large skyscraper and witness its unique design without considering the price of such a structure. It is hard to comprehend the cost of operating a corporation that makes cereal, jewelry, or furniture. It is equally difficult to imagine the billions of dollars involved in war. Then we struggle with the worth of one soul. It is worth more than all these things. Nothing has more grandeur than a person being created in the image of God. Maybe we do not realize the worth of our own soul. “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Do not give up on teaching someone before you try. Do not pre-judge those you would like to speak to as people who will not accept the truth. It is true that the majority of the people will not obey (Matthew 7:13,14). Jesus knew that, and He did not convert everyone He spoke to. It is not your fault everyone will not obey, but it is your fault if you do not try. Do not say there is no one left to teach. Look around. Look inside your own house. You may not find but a few, but that few is more than what God has now. What we are called upon is faithfulness. Unless we believe in the message, how can we persuade others to try it?
If we really believe in the Lord, if there is love in our hearts for the souls of the lost, if there is any hope in our hearts, we will not be discouraged, nor will we be silent when the majority refuses to hear. Folks, there are some good people out there like Cornelius waiting for your help. There are some honest people like Lydia who want to be right. There are some people out there like the jailor who have no hope and wish someone would stop them before they ruined their life. There is someone out there who needs to hear about Jesus. Tell them what it means to live for Him.
