72 Sermon Illustrations on Soul Winning

Although more than 10,000 Southern Baptist churches didn’t baptize a single person last year, there’s no real secret to seeing new believers stir the waters of the baptistery, says a pastor who baptized 29 on a recent Sunday evening.

When people have “experienced the power of the Gospel personally ... they want to share that with others,” said Jeff LaBorg of College Heights Baptist Church in Gallatin, Tennessee.

New believers, he noted, are the fruit of soul-winning by church members who “love the Word of God and have been taught by exposition and example from their leaders that soul-winning is a requirement and not an elective.”

College Heights members “love everybody that comes through the door, regardless of appearance, affluence, or economic status,” the pastor said. “On Sunday, they flood the altar with tears and intercession, and then they go out and pursue the very ones they have been praying for. They are bold about sharing their own testimonies of how Christ changed their lives.”

For example, church members recently discovered a family who had moved to the area to work in the booming construction industry, but heavy rains had delayed the work. They had spent all their resources and were living in a tent in a local campground. The church family ministered to their needs and shared the Good News of God’s love, LaBorg said.

“Today that family has a home, a job and, most importantly, a family of faith....”

DON’T BE RELUCTANT

LaBorg urged believers not to be reluctant to witness to people.

“People are hungry for truth -– unapologetic truth that sets the captive free and doesn’t merely offer a mask to cover the misery,” he said. “The unchurched are weary of the standard religious answers that ignore the real issues, and they are willing to pay the price –- if only someone will tell them the truth.”

For London Smith, it only took a friend’s invitation to lead him toward the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Smith was one of the young men baptized at College Heights Aug. 28.

“I was raised in church and made a decision at age 12, but it was just routine. I wasn’t saved,” said Smith, a 20-year-old employee of Dell Computer Corp. “I had been into a lot of bad stuff that I’m not proud of –- drugs, drinking, getting mad over small things. When a friend invited me to come here, I instantly felt the power. My life has turned around 180 degrees the other way. It’s amazing.”

‘AT A DEAD END’

Frank Boone, a 42-year-old landscaper from Gallatin, was baptized that evening because he had experienced Christ’s power to change a life in trouble.

“I used to drink a lot, going to bars, picking fights, using pot and cocaine. I ruined my life,” Boone confessed. “I wasn’t thinking about my kids. I was a poor excuse for a dad. I brought misery to everyone around me.

“The Lord had been knocking on my door for a long time. I knew it, but I thought, ‘Why try being a Christian when I know I’m not going to commit to it?’

Then, in mid-August, Boone finally understood he was at a dead end.

“I was on my way home -– it’s about an hour’s walk -– and I was drunk,” he recounted. “It was hot and I was sweating. I had blisters on my feet. And Christ was talking to me the whole way.”

Tears welled up in his eyes as he relived the experience.

“I stopped at a bridge and sat down. I told Christ, ‘Lord, I can’t do it on my own. I’ve tried all my life and I’ve done nothing but cause misery and pain for myself and my family. I’m ready. I’ll give up everything. I want a new life. I want my kids to hug me and tell me they love me and be proud of me.’

“Now, it’s not what can God do for me; it’s what can I do for Him,” Boone said, his face breaking into a wide smile. “He gave His Son up for me. I couldn’t do that. I just praise God for not giving up on me, even with all the disrespect I’ve shown Him over the years.”

INCOMPARABLE JOY

Nothing compares to the experience of leading someone to Christ, LaBorg said.

“When I look into their eyes and see a peace that words cannot explain -– where only a short time before there was fear and confusion –- I am filled with the awe of God’s miracle of regeneration,” the pastor said.

That’s a joy too many Christians are missing out on, when more than 10,000 Southern Baptist churches don’t baptize anyone, LaBorg said.

“Evangelism is simply introducing people to the Lord and sharing the relationship that has forever changed your life and altered your destiny,” he said. “When we have experienced the power of the Gospel personally, we want to share that with others. The more we love Jesus, the more natural it becomes for us to share our faith.

“As we grow in love for Jesus, His passions become our passions. Just as He loves sinners and seeks the lost, we follow His example. If we don’t exhibit the characteristics of our Father, then something is wrong.”

BY WORD AND EXAMPLE

Pastors must show their people by example and from God’s Word that soul-winning isn’t optional, LaBorg continued.

“This church’s founding pastor, Larry Gilmore, is now leader of the evangelism strategies group for Tennessee Baptists,” he said. “He taught them by exposition and example that soul-winning is a requirement and not an elective.

“The pastor is key. Pastors have to set the evangelistic example by prioritizing evangelism in the life of the church by returning to soul-winning training, evangelistic rallies, intentional evangelistic outreach.”

With so many Americans experiencing turmoil and uncertainty, sharing the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ is an urgent priority, LaBorg said.

“This is the day of salvation. There has never been a greater opportunity to mobilize the church with the Gospel than right now,” he said. “As the backdrop of natural disasters and economic upheaval grows darker, we could not be in a greater position to let our light so shine that the whole world would see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.

“It is time for those at ease in Zion to awaken and behold the incredible opportunity we have to rescue the perishing.”

*

Nell Kearley sat quietly as her two team members talked with a mother and father about their need for a relationship with Jesus Christ. When the parents refused the invitation to pray and ask for forgiveness and salvation, the evangelism team prepared to leave.

“Wait a minute. I want to talk to the daughter,” said Kearley, who had been observing the 15-year-old girl.

“You’ve heard everything that was said tonight, haven’t you, Danielle?” Kearley asked.

Danielle nodded.

“And would you like to give your life to the Lord?”

The young teen nodded again and then prayed a prayer of repentance from her sins and of commitment to Jesus Christ.

Seven years ago, Danielle was the first person to accept Christ in conjunction with Kearley’s witness.

“That’s where I got my start,” Kearley told Baptist Press. Seven years later, she has seen nearly 1,900 people turn to Christ.

A longtime member of Beulah Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C., Kearley said she learned to tell others about Jesus through the church’s FAITH outreach, which utilizes Sunday School classes for evangelistic outreach. “Since then, everywhere I go I talk to someone about the Lord,” she said.

Kearley recounted witnessing to several workers at the Yadkin County Fair through the meal ministry of the South Yadkin Baptist Association, where she volunteers one day a week.

“‘Why are you talking to us?’ they asked me,” Kearley said. “‘We’re dumb, we’re dirty and people shun us.’” That didn’t matter to Kearley as she led 11 of them to faith in Christ. She also gave them Bibles.

“I knew the devil was mad at me the next week,” Kearley said. “It hit me hard that something bad would happen to me.” It did. While walking across her lawn, she slipped and fell, breaking her shoulder in three places.

Kearley wasn’t in the hospital long before she realized how many people in the facility she could tell about Jesus. She sent for some Bibles from the Baptist associational office, and anyone who came into her room got a Bible and an invitation to salvation in Christ. Kearley gave away more than 100 Bibles.

“Hospital employees called my room the ‘holy room,’” said Kearley, who, after she was able to get out of bed, began witnessing to other patients at Iredale Memorial Hospital, where she once served as a volunteer assistant to the hospital’s chaplain, Tom Sherrod.

“Nineteen people in the hospital prayed to receive Christ,” Kearley said.

“The devil thought he had me” she said. “But he threw me in the right briar patch, just like Br’er Rabbit.” On a subsequent visit to the hospital, six more prayed for salvation.

“Nell has such a gift of putting people at ease and presenting the Gospel,” Sherrod said. “She has a great sense of humor coupled with a sense of urgency that people find compelling.” It was Sherrod who encouraged Kearley to keep a journal of those who prayed to become Christians.

When the spouse of one patient complained about Kearley’s evangelistic efforts, she was forced to stop. So, she joined the volunteer staff at the Baptist association office where she interviews people who avail themselves of the association’s food pantry and clothes closet.

“I have a few, but not many, who reject the Lord,” Kearley said. “They say, ‘I’m not ready. I’ll do it in my time.’

“I talked with one young woman who said she’d rather go to hell than give up her men. And I told her, ‘Honey, you’re on your way,’” Kearley recalled.

“Nell has an extra cup of evangelism. That’s her gift,” said Sandra Harrison, church and community ministries director for the South Yadkin Baptist Association.

“People around her just get saved. It’s a lifestyle for Nell,” Harrison said.

“She’s a bit like a bulldog,” Harrison added. “If Nell knows you’re not saved, she can be very persuasive.”

Kearley also is a volunteer Sunday School teacher at an assisted living facility where 10 have died in the last two years. “But they’re all with the Lord because I told them about Jesus and they gave their lives to the Lord,” Kearley said.

A 92-year-old woman’s condition prohibited her from attending the Sunday School class. When Kearley visited the woman in her room and began talking about salvation in Jesus Christ, the woman said, “But I’m Catholic,” Kearley recounted. “I told her that didn’t matter and that Catholics need forgiveness too, and she prayed for salvation.” Two months later, the woman had died.

Kearley also shares the Gospel wherever she finds someone who’ll listen. As she was paying for a meal at a local restaurant, Kearley learned the cashier was not a Christian. Minutes later, the cashier was praying, committing her life to Christ.

“I’ve had people come to my house and ask me to tell them about Jesus,” Kearley said. One young man found the Bible that Kearley had given to his deceased father, a man with whom Kearley had shared the Gospel. Because Kearley had written her name in the Bible, as she does in any Bible she gives away, the man was able to find Kearley -- and also find Jesus Christ.

“I believe God sent me to your house. Would you tell me about Jesus?” the young man asked.

“We sat right in my den and talked, and he prayed for salvation,” said Kearley, who later delivered a Bible to the young man. That’s when the man’s wife and 12-year-old daughter also prayed to commit their lives to Christ.

“It’s everywhere you look; people are wanting the Lord,” Kearley said.

People sometimes ask Kearley how she knows if everyone who prays for salvation actually means it.

“I tell them that the Lord didn’t tell me I have to know if they meant it,” Kearley said. “I can’t find it in the Bible where I have to know this. But if I ask them if they meant the prayer, most times they say yes.” Kearley told Baptist Press that the association refers those who profess faith in Christ to a local church, and pastors of those churches often provide positive reports of the new members.

“I just tell them about the Lord and leave the rest to Him. He gets a-hold of them and He changes them,” Kearley said. “Besides, I’m just an old gray-headed woman who loves the Lord.”

She’s got more than gray hair. At age 73, Kearley suffers with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diabetes and arthritis.

“I love the Lord,” said Kearley, explaining why she tells so many about Jesus. “It’s just my life and I’m happy doing it.

“And I don’t want anybody to go to that terrible place called hell. But no one else is telling them,” Kearley said. “There are lost people out there who need the Lord. And we need to reach them.”

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

Wise soul winners do not despise small things. They rejoice to see the faintest response to their tender, loving care for souls. They will be as faithful in talking to a small group as when talking to a large group. They will be as happy when serving in an obscure part of God’s vineyard as when serving in a more prominent place. — D. M. Hunter.

Toil on, faint not! Keep watch and pray!

Be wise the erring soul to win;

Go forth into the world’s highway,

Compel the wanderers to come in.

The thing is you can’t just label someone a ‘Calvinist’ in that they believe everything Calvin held, or what now is called Calvinism which is probably somewhat removed from what Calvin believed... Regarding Limited Atonement (or Particular Redemption) it seems to me, there must be a qualifier - that Christ died for every human being in a certain sense - He loves all, desires all to be saved, displayed unlimited saving power for every person - yet I can’t see how the sins of the unsaved could have been effectually paid for by His blood... It seems that the actual effectual forgiveness of sins by His death could only have been for the elect... The unsaved “die in their sins” so their sins could not have been imputed to Christ on the cross, they were retained by the unregenerate... Anyone who’s sins were imputed to Christ has had their sin debt paid and will be saved... The unsaved die with their sins unpaid for at the cross (often trying to pay their own sin debt by good works)...

Brother Cloud’s comments:

I DO NOT TREAT ALL CALVINISTS THE SAME

It is important to understand that there is a great variety of doctrine and practice among Calvinists, and by no means do I consider a man to be an enemy of the truth just because he accepts some of the Calvinist theology. The book SPURGEON VS. HYPER CALVINISTS: THE BATTLE FOR GOSPEL PREACHING by Iain Murray (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth Trust, 1995) does an excellent job of describing some of the differences among Calvinists. There are soul winning Calvinists, Calvinists with great evangelistic and missionary zeal; and there are Calvinists who condemn these things. Some interpret Calvinism in such a way that they do not believe in offering salvation to or preaching the gospel to all sinners; they do not even believe that God loves all men. According to Murray’s definition, these are “hyper-Calvinists.”

Charles Spurgeon refused to try to reconcile every seeming contradiction in the Bible, and he was wise enough to know that he could not understand every mystery of God. He said:

“That God predestines, and that man is responsible, are two

things that few can see. They are believed to be inconsistent

and contradictory; but they are not. It is just the fault of our

weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other.

If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-

ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man

is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my

folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever

contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can

ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall

be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel,

that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never

discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will

meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence

all truth doth spring” (C.H. Spurgeon, New Park Street Pulpit,

Vol. 4, 1858, p. 337).

Spurgeon warned about creating theologies that attempt to reconcile every biblical difficulty:

“Men who are morbidly anxious to possess a self-consistent creed,

a creed which will put together and form a square like a Chinese

puzzle, -- are very apt to narrow their souls. Those who will

only believe what they can reconcile will necessarily disbelieve

much of divine revelation. Those who receive by faith anything

which they find in the Bible will receive two things, twenty

things, ay, or twenty thousand things, though they cannot

construct a theory which harmonises them all” (C.H. Spurgeon,

“Faith,” Sword and Trowel, 1872).

In these matters, Charles Spurgeon was a Calvinist but he was much more than a Calvinist; he was a Biblicist. It has been said of Spurgeon, that if you pricked him, even his blood was “bibline.” He loved theology and studied theology earnestly, but the bottom line was that he had childlike faith in everything the Bible says.

And while Spurgeon was a Calvinist, he was at the same time a great evangelist and believed in offering the gospel to all men and urging all men to be saved. Spurgeon believed that more sinners could be saved if the gospel was preached to them, and he did not try to reconcile such a view with God’s election. He believed his responsibility was to preach the gospel to as many sinners as possible. He believed that tools such as prayer could result in a greater harvest of souls. He had prayer meetings before the preaching services and every Monday night and on other occasions. Sometimes when the auditorium of the Metropolitan Tabernacle was full, a group would remain in the downstairs prayer hall and pray during the preaching (as per an e-mail from Mrs. Hannah Wyncoll, Administrative Assistant, Metropolitan Tabernacle, June 2, 2000). Spurgeon loved soul winning and taught his people to be soul winners. His famous book The Soul Winner is still in print. There were some in Spurgeon’s church who “made it their special work to ‘watch for souls’ in our great congregation, and to seek to bring to immediate decision those who appeared to be impressed under the preaching of the Word. [Bro. Cloud: Note the word ‘decision’ in Spurgeon’s description of this soul winner!] One brother has earned for himself the title of my hunting dog, for he is always ready to pick up the wounded birds. One Monday night, at the prayer-meeting, he was sitting near me on the platform; all at once I missed him, and presently I saw him right at the other end of the building. After the meeting, I asked why he went off so suddenly, and he said that the gas just shone on the face of a woman in the congregation, and she looked so sad that he walked round, and sat near her, in readiness to speak to her about the Saviour after the service” (C.H. Spurgeon, The Full Harvest, p. 76). Thus we see that Charles Spurgeon was a man who was very zealous for the winning of souls, and his Calvinism and his convictions about the sovereignty of God in no wise hindered that.

On the other hand, many Calvinists of that day opposed Spurgeon vehemently from their pulpits and in their magazines and denounced his practice of giving invitations for sinners to come to Christ. (He did not have the people actually come forward during the church service as is commonly practiced today, but he invited them to come to Christ all the same; and he believed that a sinner was saved in every seat in the Metropolitan Tabernacle’s massive auditorium of that day.)

For example, one popular Calvinist paper of Spurgeon’s day was the Earthen Vessel. In one of its issues in 1857, it boldly stated that “to preach that it is man’s duty to believe savingly in Christ is ABSURD.” Well, that was exactly what Spurgeon preached, so to a great many Calvinists of his day, Spurgeon was an absurd fellow!

This reminds us that there are different kinds of Calvinists and it is not wise to lump them all into the same mold.

I have had the privilege of knowing, and communicating at a distance with, many godly soul winning Calvinists. Though I am in strong disagreement with such men on the subject of Calvinist theology, I do not consider them enemies.

At the same time, I believe that our differences in theology are great enough to disallow us to minister together or to be members together of the same church.

An epidemic is defined as any communicable or non-communicable disease that affects a disproportionately large number of individuals within a population, community or region at the same time. Throughout history, our world has seen its share of epidemics -- black death, bubonic plague and malaria, just to name a few. More recently, the attention of the medical community has been turned toward epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and the West Nile Virus. Epidemics tend to come out of nowhere. Much like wolves in sheep’s clothing, they sneak in unaware and before you know it half the flock is missing.

I’m convinced that there’s an epidemic that has infected the Western church of the 21st century. I’ll simply refer to the epidemic as myopia. No, I’m not referring to the medical condition in which objects can be seen distinctly only when held very near to the eye. I’m talking about spiritual myopia -- a kind of Christianity that has become so focused on self that it no longer resembles the faith of our fathers.

The side effects of this spiritual myopia can be seen and heard all around us. Christian bookstore shelves are lined with volumes that entreat us to “live our best lives now” and “become a better you.” Much of the music that receives a substantial amount of airtime on Christian radio stations is devoid of any reference to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Gospel or the mission of the church. Those references have been replaced with much more subjective ones that focus on me, myself and I. Songs are now intentionally written with a much more man-centered focus in the hope that they will receive playback on mainstream media outlets.

Even preachers have not been immune to this debilitating epidemic. In some circles the sermon no longer is seen as the vehicle through which men of God seek to communicate the truth of God “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). Preachers increasingly have given into the temptation to allow their congregations -- and not the Word of God -- to shape their messages. Consequently, some preachers have traded substance for style and our congregations are showing the myopic effects of the exchange.

Just recently, I experienced a striking example of this epidemic in my own community. I was driving down the road when I noticed the backside of a church sign. The sign was intended to bear a message to the church’s parishioners as they left the church parking lot. The sign simply read, “Claim your blessing today!” Immediately, I thought to myself, “What happened to the signs that used to say ‘You are now entering your mission field’?” Spiritual myopia has left us in such a stupor that the person we focus on the most as we come to and depart from God’s house is ourself.

Having identified the epidemic and its tragic side effects, we need to turn our attention towards a cure. The only cure I’m aware of is to take the focus off of ourselves and to “turn our eyes upon Jesus.” How do we begin to do that? I think we’ve got to start from the top. Pastors must stop allowing the culture and their congregants to determine their message. God’s ambassadors must faithfully deliver the message of their King once again by preaching “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Preaching the whole counsel of God might not always draw large crowds, but if it is a huge following that the pastor is seeking, he is part of the problem and not the solution.

Further, our churches need to recapture a passion for the vital ministry of prayer. Of course, we could list a number of verses that encourage us to be men and women of prayer, but just think practically for a moment. When you have spent time humbling yourself in prayer, are you more prone to think about your own desires or the desires of God? My own experience has proven that I’m never more concerned about the things of God than when I am praying. As the old song says, “The things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Finally, we must make the Father’s business our business once again. We’ve all found ourselves asking this question: “Is God really satisfied with what I’m doing right now?” There are many details of God’s will that can cause us to wonder about such things. Yet, when we attempt to fulfill the Great Commission, the questions and doubts begin to go away. The one thing Jesus commanded us to do when He ascended on high was to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). He said that we should be a people constantly committed to the work of going, baptizing and teaching. A cure for our current epidemic will surely be found as God’s people begin to turn their attention towards the fields that are “white for harvest” (John 4:35).

A Christian songwriter from yester-year apparently found the cure for our spiritual myopia. Exactly 50 years ago he penned the words to a song that we seldom sing, “Win the Lost at Any Cost.” The words of the chorus go like this:

Souls are crying, men are dying,

Won’t you lead them to the cross?

Go and find them, help to win them,

Win the lost at any cost.

Go out and win, rescue from sin,

Day’s almost done, low sinks the sun,

Souls are crying, men are dying,

Win the lost at any cost.

When we “turn our eyes upon Jesus,” surely our lives, our families and our churches will express this same manner of urgency as well. May God grant healing from our present epidemic very soon. The transformation of our lives and the salvation of the lost is depending upon it.

________

Todd Stinnett is pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Morristown, Tennessee

Theological education is fruitless unless it is Christ-centered and evangelism-driven, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. told new and returning students at the seminary's convocation Aug. 29.

"These days there is some confusion about what theological education is all about or should be all about," Mohler said. "... It is clear that some theological seminaries see themselves as training schools for religious professionals. And others see themselves as academic research centers for theology and religious studies."

But Mohler said the role of Southern Seminary -- as well as that of other evangelical institutions -- must be different.

"We ought to define who we are as an institution by thinking of ourselves as ground zero for the cause of the gospel," he said. "There is always the danger of missing the obvious. A true test of a theological seminary is its faithfulness to the gospel. Is the gospel truly central?"

During the convocation ceremony, three professors signed the seminary's statement of belief, the Abstract of Principles: William F. Cook III, associate professor of New Testament interpretation; Thomas J. Nettles, professor of historical theology; and Gregory A. Wills, associate professor of church history. Every tenured faculty member has signed the document since the seminary's founding in 1859.

Preaching from John 3, Mohler used the story of Jesus and Nicodemus as an example of how knowledge can sometimes blind a person to the true meaning of the gospel. Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, but he initially failed to understand what Jesus meant by "born again."

"Why do the simple understand it [the gospel], and why do those who consider themselves wise have such a hard time coming to terms with it?" Mohler asked.

Knowledge cannot take the place of a heart for evangelism, Mohler said.

"In Luke 15, Jesus tells us that joy in heaven comes when one sinner repents," he said. "This becomes a diagnostic test for a gospel people. Is this our great joy? Does true and automatic celebration occur when we see saving grace claim a sinner? Academic detachment from personal and congregational evangelism is the kiss of death for a gospel seminary.

"... The danger is that we will know more about evangelism and let that substitute for being an evangelist. This is a deadly danger. It does not take long to tell whether a congregation is evangelistic. The same is true for a seminary."

Mohler gave three ways to determine if the gospel is central at a theological institution. First, the school must be theologically sound. Second, the entire curriculum must be designed for maximum service to the gospel. Third, there must exist a passion for the gospel.

The Christological emphasis of John 3 can be seen as one test of an institution's priorities, Mohler suggested.

"The academic vandals of the Jesus Seminar do not like this passage," he said. "Their verdict [is], and I quote, 'Nicodemus is a fictive dialogue partner.' Further [they conclude,] 'This scene belongs entirely to the imagination of the storyteller.' Those who reject the gospel must reject this passage."

Christianity's claims aren't popular in a pluralistic and postmodern society, Mohler said, but they are biblical. To make his case, Mohler referenced Marvin Anderson's book, "The Battle for the Gospel." Anderson, a Southern Seminary professor who died in June, believed that the Reformation was about what the Scripture taught concerning the gospel.

"And yet the heirs of the Reformation have been quick to compromise all of this away," Mohler said. "Among Protestant liberals, there is no problem of sin and no need for a savior."

As evidence, Mohler quoted a recent speech from pastor Dirk Ficca of the Presbyterian Church (USA). "God's ability to work in our lives is not determined by becoming a Christian. ... So what's the big deal about Jesus?" Mohler quoted Ficca as saying.

"The Rev. Ficca used a stained-glass metaphor to say that all the religions of the world are like different stained-glass windows, offering different pictures, but the same light comes through each," Mohler said. "He said to impose Christianity -- to make exclusive claims [and] to seek to convert non-Christians to Christianity -- is a form of what he called ethnic cleansing. He also suggested that Jesus came to reveal salvation -- not to accomplish it."

Such theology must be rejected, Mohler said.

"We must stand by the gospel as revealed by Christ and as preached by the apostles," he said. "Sinners are saved by the redeeming grace of God, who sent the Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified for our sins. His substitutionary atonement accomplished our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith to the glory of God."

This Christ-centeredness should be reflected in each facet of the institution, Mohler said.

"Every course, degree program and syllabus should be infused with gospel priority," Mohler said. "Our eagerness to be a gospel seminary should be evident throughout the curriculum. It must drive our teaching and our research. Our biblical studies should train us to see the gospel of Jesus Christ in every text of Scripture."

Mohler said the initial ignorance of Nicodemus should serve as a warning to professors and pastors alike.

"Any theologian, any biblical scholar, any seminary professor, any preacher who does not understand the gospel is a false teacher," Mohler said. "He is a false prophet. It is not just how much you know. It comes down to what you know, what you believe and what you hold most precious. It comes down to this, 'Is it the gospel?'"

A parallel can be seen between Nicodemus and the churches of today. They both ask, "How can these things be?"

"How do we explain the fact that so many churches and denominations have abandoned the gospel?" Mohler asked. "It must be because they have asked this question, 'How can these things be?'"

Mohler said the churches conclude that the gospel "doesn't make any rational sense. This doesn't meet the demands of modern thinking. This doesn't line up with contemporary culture. So we need something new."

The passage, Mohler said, testifies to God's sovereignty.

"What does it mean when Jesus says, 'The wind blows where it wishes'? It must be a testimony to the sovereign, saving will of God," Mohler said. "We cannot see into the human heart. This passage must mean at least that we have no diagnostic test -- humanly speaking -- of response to the gospel.

"We can't look at an individual, we can't look at a people group and measure the likelihood of response to the gospel. It is the sovereign work of God. It is the wind of God. We see the result of it, and we feel the passing of it. But we cannot predict it. We can't explain it."

The story of Jesus and Nicodemus has great significance, Mohler said.

"Why go back in this convocation message to something so simple?" he asked.

"Because we need continual reminding of the gospel and its priority."

The thing is you can’t just label someone a ‘Calvinist’ in that they believe everything Calvin held, or what now is called Calvinism which is probably somewhat removed from what Calvin believed... Regarding Limited Atonement (or Particular Redemption) it seems to me, there must be a qualifier - that Christ died for every human being in a certain sense - He loves all, desires all to be saved, displayed unlimited saving power for every person - yet I can’t see how the sins of the unsaved could have been effectually paid for by His blood... It seems that the actual effectual forgiveness of sins by His death could only have been for the elect... The unsaved “die in their sins” so their sins could not have been imputed to Christ on the cross, they were retained by the unregenerate... Anyone who’s sins were imputed to Christ has had their sin debt paid and will be saved... The unsaved die with their sins unpaid for at the cross (often trying to pay their own sin debt by good works)...

Brother Cloud’s comments:

I DO NOT TREAT ALL CALVINISTS THE SAME

It is important to understand that there is a great variety of doctrine and practice among Calvinists, and by no means do I consider a man to be an enemy of the truth just because he accepts some of the Calvinist theology. The book SPURGEON VS. HYPER CALVINISTS: THE BATTLE FOR GOSPEL PREACHING by Iain Murray (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth Trust, 1995) does an excellent job of describing some of the differences among Calvinists. There are soul winning Calvinists, Calvinists with great evangelistic and missionary zeal; and there are Calvinists who condemn these things. Some interpret Calvinism in such a way that they do not believe in offering salvation to or preaching the gospel to all sinners; they do not even believe that God loves all men. According to Murray’s definition, these are “hyper-Calvinists.”

Charles Spurgeon refused to try to reconcile every seeming contradiction in the Bible, and he was wise enough to know that he could not understand every mystery of God. He said:

“That God predestines, and that man is responsible, are two

things that few can see. They are believed to be inconsistent

and contradictory; but they are not. It is just the fault of our

weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other.

If, then, I find taught in one place that everything is fore-

ordained, that is true; and if I find in another place that man

is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is my

folly that leads me to imagine that two truths can ever

contradict each other. These two truths, I do not believe, can

ever be welded into one upon any human anvil, but one they shall

be in eternity: they are two lines that are so nearly parallel,

that the mind that shall pursue them farthest, will never

discover that they converge; but they do converge, and they will

meet somewhere in eternity, close to the throne of God, whence

all truth doth spring” (C.H. Spurgeon, New Park Street Pulpit,

Vol. 4, 1858, p. 337).

Spurgeon warned about creating theologies that attempt to reconcile every biblical difficulty:

“Men who are morbidly anxious to possess a self-consistent creed,

a creed which will put together and form a square like a Chinese

puzzle, -- are very apt to narrow their souls. Those who will

only believe what they can reconcile will necessarily disbelieve

much of divine revelation. Those who receive by faith anything

which they find in the Bible will receive two things, twenty

things, ay, or twenty thousand things, though they cannot

construct a theory which harmonises them all” (C.H. Spurgeon,

“Faith,” Sword and Trowel, 1872).

In these matters, Charles Spurgeon was a Calvinist but he was much more than a Calvinist; he was a Biblicist. It has been said of Spurgeon, that if you pricked him, even his blood was “bibline.” He loved theology and studied theology earnestly, but the bottom line was that he had childlike faith in everything the Bible says.

And while Spurgeon was a Calvinist, he was at the same time a great evangelist and believed in offering the gospel to all men and urging all men to be saved. Spurgeon believed that more sinners could be saved if the gospel was preached to them, and he did not try to reconcile such a view with God’s election. He believed his responsibility was to preach the gospel to as many sinners as possible. He believed that tools such as prayer could result in a greater harvest of souls. He had prayer meetings before the preaching services and every Monday night and on other occasions. Sometimes when the auditorium of the Metropolitan Tabernacle was full, a group would remain in the downstairs prayer hall and pray during the preaching (as per an e-mail from Mrs. Hannah Wyncoll, Administrative Assistant, Metropolitan Tabernacle, June 2, 2000). Spurgeon loved soul winning and taught his people to be soul winners. His famous book The Soul Winner is still in print. There were some in Spurgeon’s church who “made it their special work to ‘watch for souls’ in our great congregation, and to seek to bring to immediate decision those who appeared to be impressed under the preaching of the Word. [Bro. Cloud: Note the word ‘decision’ in Spurgeon’s description of this soul winner!] One brother has earned for himself the title of my hunting dog, for he is always ready to pick up the wounded birds. One Monday night, at the prayer-meeting, he was sitting near me on the platform; all at once I missed him, and presently I saw him right at the other end of the building. After the meeting, I asked why he went off so suddenly, and he said that the gas just shone on the face of a woman in the congregation, and she looked so sad that he walked round, and sat near her, in readiness to speak to her about the Saviour after the service” (C.H. Spurgeon, The Full Harvest, p. 76). Thus we see that Charles Spurgeon was a man who was very zealous for the winning of souls, and his Calvinism and his convictions about the sovereignty of God in no wise hindered that.

On the other hand, many Calvinists of that day opposed Spurgeon vehemently from their pulpits and in their magazines and denounced his practice of giving invitations for sinners to come to Christ. (He did not have the people actually come forward during the church service as is commonly practiced today, but he invited them to come to Christ all the same; and he believed that a sinner was saved in every seat in the Metropolitan Tabernacle’s massive auditorium of that day.)

For example, one popular Calvinist paper of Spurgeon’s day was the Earthen Vessel. In one of its issues in 1857, it boldly stated that “to preach that it is man’s duty to believe savingly in Christ is ABSURD.” Well, that was exactly what Spurgeon preached, so to a great many Calvinists of his day, Spurgeon was an absurd fellow!

This reminds us that there are different kinds of Calvinists and it is not wise to lump them all into the same mold.

I have had the privilege of knowing, and communicating at a distance with, many godly soul winning Calvinists. Though I am in strong disagreement with such men on the subject of Calvinist theology, I do not consider them enemies.

At the same time, I believe that our differences in theology are great enough to disallow us to minister together or to be members together of the same church.

Personal evangelism is one of the most effective methods of sharing the Gospel with friends, family and strangers. According to an article written by Thom S. Rainer, author of “Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them,” about two-thirds of new believers his research team interviewed said someone had shared with them personally how to become a Christian.

But what then is the next step? How do believers nurture new Christians to grow in their faith? What are the responsibilities of believers in following up those with whom they have shared the Gospel? Some good examples of sincere follow-up can be seen in the evangelism ministry of First Baptist Church of Colleyville, Texas, and one of its members, Ron Cogburn.

Frank Harber, pastor of the Colleyville church and former evangelism professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, recounted his church's strategy for encouraging members to have a lifestyle of involvement in the lives of others, called “I2,” which stands for “Invest and Invite.” Members are challenged weekly to invest themselves in relationships with the lost and then invite them to church.

First Baptist Colleyville has quadrupled in size in the last two years, from 400 to 1,800 members, and from a budget of $1.2 million to $4.1 million.

“We tailor everything in our church for our people to come and bring people. That's why our church has grown so fast,” Harber said. “The church is the New Testament strategy to reach people on this planet. So the church has to be involved in the mindset to do this.”

Regardless of the sermon topic, Harber presents the Gospel in every message. “People receive Christ every single week. Our people know that our church is a place that they are going to hear the Gospel,” he said. “We've created a climate where people know how to bring their friends.” Events and programs that are good entry points for new people into the church are noted in the church bulletin with the “I2” logo.

Inviting people to church is a powerful but sometimes overlooked method of follow-up, Harber said. But what about those outside our daily reach -- those who respond to the Gospel through mission trips, business trips, or others with whom we are not likely to have regular contact?

Ron Cogburn, chairman of the deacons at First Colleyville and president of a Dallas consulting firm, has many times witnessed to people he is not likely to see again until Christ returns. On a business trip to Saipan, Cogburn shared the Gospel daily, with passengers he sat next to on airplanes, hotel employees and others he met along the way.

As people responded to the Good News of Christ, Ron sent home e-mails requesting tools to help them understand their new relationship with God, such as Filipino Bibles and a book called “Going Forward with Jesus Christ.” Cogburn also requested prayer for each person he had witnessed to and for those who had become new brothers and sisters in Christ through his witness.

One of Cogburn's friends, Kyle Mabry, said of the e-mail reports, “I don't want to over-dramatize this, but you almost felt like you were reading one of Paul's letters. 'Send this person one of these. Provide this person a copy of this.'“

While in Saipan, he also visited with a Baptist missionary, Bob Berkley, who made contact with the new converts and invited them to attend church services there.

Closer to home, Cogburn became aware of some impoverished Hispanic neighborhoods in Grapevine, not too far from his church -- people not likely to enter the doors of First Baptist Colleyville. Upon discovering their plight and the fact that no church was doing significant ministry there, Cogburn inspired church leaders to organize an annual December event called Mission Colleyville.

The church advertised through fliers that they would send buses to pick up anyone who wanted to attend the event to receive a meal, free groceries and toys donated by church members. More than 1,000 people attended, and more than 200 responded to the Gospel that night.

FBC still visits that neighborhood regularly, offering assistance for physical needs and sharing the Gospel.

“Mission Colleyville has really jumpstarted a move of God in the Hispanic community,” Cogburn said. Since then, a church has been established in the neighborhood. Cogburn said FBC also works closely with GRACE, a local charity organization, to continue meeting needs in that area.

Harber acknowledged that follow-up may not always be possible, but that should not stop people from spreading the Gospel. He looks to the parable of the sower for his evangelism philosophy. “Evangelism is really sowing. Only one in four in the parable are responding in the different soils,” he said. “But the sower was maniacal about spreading the seed, which was the Gospel. Some people will only witness to people they think will respond. We should throw it out everywhere. We don't know what's going to happen. If we sow and faint not, we will reap.”

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #931]

Nell Kearley sat quietly as her two team members talked with a mother and father about their need for a relationship with Jesus Christ. When the parents refused the invitation to pray and ask for forgiveness and salvation, the evangelism team prepared to leave.

“Wait a minute. I want to talk to the daughter,” said Kearley, who had been observing the 15-year-old girl.

“You’ve heard everything that was said tonight, haven’t you, Danielle?” Kearley asked.

Danielle nodded.

“And would you like to give your life to the Lord?”

The young teen nodded again and then prayed a prayer of repentance from her sins and of commitment to Jesus Christ.

Seven years ago, Danielle was the first person to accept Christ in conjunction with Kearley’s witness.

“That’s where I got my start,” Kearley told Baptist Press. Seven years later, she has seen nearly 1,900 people turn to Christ.

A longtime member of Beulah Baptist Church in Statesville, N.C., Kearley said she learned to tell others about Jesus through the church’s FAITH outreach, which utilizes Sunday School classes for evangelistic outreach. “Since then, everywhere I go I talk to someone about the Lord,” she said.

Kearley recounted witnessing to several workers at the Yadkin County Fair through the meal ministry of the South Yadkin Baptist Association, where she volunteers one day a week.

“‘Why are you talking to us?’ they asked me,” Kearley said. “‘We’re dumb, we’re dirty and people shun us.’” That didn’t matter to Kearley as she led 11 of them to faith in Christ. She also gave them Bibles.

“I knew the devil was mad at me the next week,” Kearley said. “It hit me hard that something bad would happen to me.” It did. While walking across her lawn, she slipped and fell, breaking her shoulder in three places.

Kearley wasn’t in the hospital long before she realized how many people in the facility she could tell about Jesus. She sent for some Bibles from the Baptist associational office, and anyone who came into her room got a Bible and an invitation to salvation in Christ. Kearley gave away more than 100 Bibles.

“Hospital employees called my room the ‘holy room,’” said Kearley, who, after she was able to get out of bed, began witnessing to other patients at Iredale Memorial Hospital, where she once served as a volunteer assistant to the hospital’s chaplain, Tom Sherrod.

“Nineteen people in the hospital prayed to receive Christ,” Kearley said.

“The devil thought he had me” she said. “But he threw me in the right briar patch, just like Br’er Rabbit.” On a subsequent visit to the hospital, six more prayed for salvation.

“Nell has such a gift of putting people at ease and presenting the Gospel,” Sherrod said. “She has a great sense of humor coupled with a sense of urgency that people find compelling.” It was Sherrod who encouraged Kearley to keep a journal of those who prayed to become Christians.

When the spouse of one patient complained about Kearley’s evangelistic efforts, she was forced to stop. So, she joined the volunteer staff at the Baptist association office where she interviews people who avail themselves of the association’s food pantry and clothes closet.

“I have a few, but not many, who reject the Lord,” Kearley said. “They say, ‘I’m not ready. I’ll do it in my time.’

“I talked with one young woman who said she’d rather go to hell than give up her men. And I told her, ‘Honey, you’re on your way,’” Kearley recalled.

“Nell has an extra cup of evangelism. That’s her gift,” said Sandra Harrison, church and community ministries director for the South Yadkin Baptist Association.

“People around her just get saved. It’s a lifestyle for Nell,” Harrison said.

“She’s a bit like a bulldog,” Harrison added. “If Nell knows you’re not saved, she can be very persuasive.”

Kearley also is a volunteer Sunday School teacher at an assisted living facility where 10 have died in the last two years. “But they’re all with the Lord because I told them about Jesus and they gave their lives to the Lord,” Kearley said.

A 92-year-old woman’s condition prohibited her from attending the Sunday School class. When Kearley visited the woman in her room and began talking about salvation in Jesus Christ, the woman said, “But I’m Catholic,” Kearley recounted. “I told her that didn’t matter and that Catholics need forgiveness too, and she prayed for salvation.” Two months later, the woman had died.

Kearley also shares the Gospel wherever she finds someone who’ll listen. As she was paying for a meal at a local restaurant, Kearley learned the cashier was not a Christian. Minutes later, the cashier was praying, committing her life to Christ.

“I’ve had people come to my house and ask me to tell them about Jesus,” Kearley said. One young man found the Bible that Kearley had given to his deceased father, a man with whom Kearley had shared the Gospel. Because Kearley had written her name in the Bible, as she does in any Bible she gives away, the man was able to find Kearley -- and also find Jesus Christ.

“I believe God sent me to your house. Would you tell me about Jesus?” the young man asked.

“We sat right in my den and talked, and he prayed for salvation,” said Kearley, who later delivered a Bible to the young man. That’s when the man’s wife and 12-year-old daughter also prayed to commit their lives to Christ.

“It’s everywhere you look; people are wanting the Lord,” Kearley said.

People sometimes ask Kearley how she knows if everyone who prays for salvation actually means it.

“I tell them that the Lord didn’t tell me I have to know if they meant it,” Kearley said. “I can’t find it in the Bible where I have to know this. But if I ask them if they meant the prayer, most times they say yes.” Kearley told Baptist Press that the association refers those who profess faith in Christ to a local church, and pastors of those churches often provide positive reports of the new members.

“I just tell them about the Lord and leave the rest to Him. He gets a-hold of them and He changes them,” Kearley said. “Besides, I’m just an old gray-headed woman who loves the Lord.”

She’s got more than gray hair. At age 73, Kearley suffers with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diabetes and arthritis.

“I love the Lord,” said Kearley, explaining why she tells so many about Jesus. “It’s just my life and I’m happy doing it.

“And I don’t want anybody to go to that terrible place called hell. But no one else is telling them,” Kearley said. “There are lost people out there who need the Lord. And we need to reach them.”

WONDROUS LOVE AND OTHER GOSPEL ADDRESSES by Dwight L. Moody

submitted by Kevin Burden

A stage-driver away on the Pacific coast — as I was told when I was there about three years ago — while lying on his dying bed, kept moving one of his feet up and down, saying, “I am on the down grade, and cannot reach the brake.”

As they told me of it, I thought how many were on the down grade, and could not reach the brake, and were dying without God and without hope. I plead with you as a fellow-traveler; don’t go out of this hall without saying, “Heaven is my home, and God is my Father.” Don’t let the scoffers laugh you into hell; they cannot laugh you out of it. The Blood is upon the mercy-seat, and while it is upon the mercy-seat you can enter into the kingdom. God says, “There is the Blood; it is all I have to give. As long as it is there, there is hope for you. I am satisfied with the finished work of my Son, and will you be satisfied?” Don’t leave this meeting until you can claim this as yours.

How dark and sad it is to go to the bedside of a dying infidel or atheist, or one who is dying without the light of the resurrection morn. But if we trust to Christ, death has lost its sting, and the grave its victory.

An eminent minister in America, Alfred Cookman, the Robert McCheyne of his day, was dying, and when his friends were gathered round his couch, waiting to see him depart to be with Christ, his face lit up, and with a shout of triumph he said, “I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the Lamb!”

And this echoes and re-echoes through America today: “I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the Lamb!” May these be our last words, and may an abundant entrance be granted us into the gates of the heavenly city! Who, who are these, beside the chilly wave, Just on the borders of the silent grave; Shouting Jesus power to save, Washed in the blood of the Lamb. Sweeping through the gates of the new Jerusalem Washed in the blood of the Lamb!

On one occasion in the early days of the Society of Friends, a Quaker was riding across a moor when he heard the sound of hoof beats behind him. In a moment a highwayman drew abreast and, pointing a pistol at him, demanded, “Your money or your life!”

Without a moment’s hesitation the Quaker pulled out his purse and handed it to the man.

“That’s a fine horse you have,” observed the robber. Then he ordered, “Get down! I’m taking him.”

Calmly, without a word of protest, the Quaker dismounted, and the robber changed horses. As the robber was turning the horses around to ride off, the Quaker stepped in his path and, taking hold of the bridles, began to talk to him.

“How can you,” he asked with quiet earnestness, “a man made in the image of God, be happy living a life of crime and violence? Repent, my friend, before it is too late!”

The robber drew his pistol and pointing it at the Quaker’s head, snarled, “How dare you preach to me, you … Another word and I’ll shoot you where you stand.”

The Quaker never flinched. “Friend,” he smiled, “I know you could kill me. I wouldn’t risk my life to save either my purse or my horse, but I would gladly lay it down if I could save you from eternal damnation!”

Without a word, the robber returned the pistol to its holster, sprang off the Quaker’s horse, and returned it to him with his purse. Then, mounting his own horse, he rode off, saying, “If you’re that concerned for my soul, I’m not taking anything.”