Heart For Christ Expressed in Heart For Souls
Posted by Don Johnson on
The natural spiritual desire of every born-again heart, thankfully rejoicing in the Lord His Saviour, desires to be used to win others to the Lord, just as Andrew brought his own brother Simon Peter to Jesus (John 1:40-42). Andrew told the one closest to him about the Saviour he had found.
Enthusiasm motivated by genuine love for Christ and for souls sparks an interest in others, and is a necessary ingredient for soul-winning. Let us not forget that the Lord wants to use me to bring those whom I touch in life to know Jesus as Saviour. Every soul that we come in contact with is a soul for whom Christ died. Oh! that they knew this wonderful Saviour! "He that winneth souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30).
What can I do? One effective witnessing tool is the Gospel Tract. Tract distribution is seed sowing, the seed being the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). God can cause the seed to spring up into life—eternal life. This eternal life or new birth in a soul is brought about by the action of the Word of God and the Spirit of God. It takes but a second or two to drop a seed into a person's hand or into a place where it can be picked up later, but God can use that seed to bring eternal life by His Spirit. Life is made up of seconds and minutes to be used for Christ. Our lives touch others, sometimes through Christian love shown on a daily basis over a long time, and sometimes through a witness given in a fleeting moment.
The challenges to tract distribution seem greater today than in times past. Some local regulations prohibit the distribution of literature in certain public areas, but the greatest change can be seen in peoples' attitudes about the Gospel. Today's world is a world of "anything goes," and moral absolutes have been abandoned in favor of personal opinions. But God's voice in the Scriptures can still be heard today, and needs to be heard as much as ever, if not more. That voice speaks to man's rebellious heart, showing him to be a sinner in need of a Saviour. True, men's hearts are hardened against the testimony of the Word of God, but that is where Gospel Tracts can play a powerful role. A single tract can be used by the Lord as a voice of testimony to His Word, convicting of sin, and drawing a soul to the Saviour. I thank God that I can have a part in this work by scattering the living seed. It is a joyful service for the Lord.