Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday morning and evening, Jan. 27, 2002, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia.
SEVEN G’S OF SOUL-WINNING
By Michael D. O’Neal Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church Albany, Georgia
Scripture Reading: Psalms 126:1-6
Text: Psalms 126:6
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Introduction: I’ve titled this morning’s message, “Seven G’s Of Soul-Winning.” I probably should have preached this message last year when our church theme was “2001: A Soul-Winning Odyssey.”
The letter g stands for a unit that is commonly used to describe forces we feel. One g is equal to the force of earth’s gravity. When the space shuttle takes off, the astronauts feel about 3 g’s of force (three times the force of earth’s gravity).
There is a ride in Las Vegas called The Big Shot at the Stratosphere. It advertises the ride saying, “Soar off into space and be one with the astronauts as you’re launched 160 feet in a mere 2.5 seconds at 45 mph, getting a taste of weightlessness as 4 G’s of force lift you literally off your seat. (Astronauts experience about 3.2 G’s on lift-off.)”
Other amusement park rides make similar claims.
Randy Howell, a pilot for Redstar Air Shows in Byron, GA, says the Aero L-39 he flies there can reach a top speed of 711 MPH and pull EIGHT G’s of force.
NASA has a space simulator called a High Capacity Centrifuge. It is 120 feet long, and it makes 38 RPM’s for THIRTY (30) G’s of force!
Today I’m going to ask the Lord to give us SEVEN G’s of force to lift us literally off of our seats of “do-nothing” and get out into the world witnessing for Jesus Christ!
The first G is:
I. GOING
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
“He that GOETH FORTH …”
A. We need a heart for going
- We need to think about unsaved people. I’ll talk about this more in my next G of Soul-Winning.
B. We need a habit of going
- You will never win souls to Christ unless you get into a regular habit of going. That is one of the main reasons why we have our soul-winning training program. It helps discipline us!
- People who enrolled in our program actually started going soul-winning every week!
- We have had people “drop out” of the program, using every excuse in the world, but the truth is, EVERY person who dropped out QUIT soul-winning altogether!
- Sow a thought; reap a deed. Sow a deed; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap character. Sow character; reap a life! You don’t ever need to miss even ONE WEEK of soul-winning! If you’re physically able to go to the grocery store, you are able to go soul-winning. If you can go visit grandma, you can go visit LOST people!
- Newton’s First Law of Motion is that objects at rest tend to stay at rest; objects that are moving tend to continue moving.
- That is simply an observation of life! If you stop going soul-winning for even a single week, you probably won’t go NEXT week. Once you get going soul-winning, each week will help you to KEEP going.
The next G is
II. GROANING
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
“… and WEEPETH …”
This one will really help LIFT you out of your seat!
This is a weeping in a perception of the lost, in prayer for the lost, and in presenting the gospel to the lost!
This G comes from
A. Looking upon others
- As the Lord looks upon them
B. Living among others
- We do need to practice personal separation, but we don’t need to get so isolated from unsaved people that we lose sight of them and their great need of salvation!
III. GIVING OUT THE GOSPEL
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
“… bearing precious seed …”
If we can make a practice of giving out the gospel, it will KEEP us giving out the gospel.
A. Always remember tracts
B. Always remember your testimony
C. Always remember to TAKE TIME to go soul-winning!
- You may need a break from your job, but you don’t need a break from soul-winning!
- You may need to take a vacation, but you should NEVER take a vacation from soul-winning!
- Soul-winning is ACTION, but it should also be a part of your LIFE.
D. Always remember to TELL people how to be saved!
- People do NOT get saved without a presentation of the gospel!
IV. A GUARANTEE
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
“… shall DOUBTLESS come again …”
The guarantee of a thrill will motivate a child to go to an amusement park.
The guarantee of catching fish will motivate a fisherman to a pond or lake.
The guarantee of a bargain will motivate a woman to go to the mall!
The guarantee of CONVERSIONS should motivate a Christian to go soul-winning!
A. Look at the results
- Yourself!
- Your brothers and sisters in Christ!
B. Look FOR results
- Encourage lost people to make a decision to trust Christ!
- EXPECT lost people to be saved!
Another g of soul-winning is:
V. GLADNESS
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
“… shall doubtless come again with REJOICING …”
There is JOY in soul-winning!
A. This is a “side benefit”
- We should win souls because it is RIGHT.
- We should do it because we love God!
- We should do it to keep people out of hell!
- However, joy is still one of the promises of soul-winning
B. This is a special motivation
- It is not the PRIMARY motivation, but we do tend to do things that produce joy.
- Soul-winning produces joy in the soul-winner, joy in the convert, and joy in heaven!
Another “G” that should lift us off our seats and propel us into the fields of harvest is:
VI. A GROUP
Psalms 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Notice the last part of that verse:
” … bringing his sheaves with him.”
It should motivate us to realize that some day we will all join one another in heaven as
A. A converted group
- From all kinds of sins
- From all types of life
B. A close group
- We’re now in the same family!
The final “G” I want to mention that is a powerful motivation in soul-winning is:
VII. GOD
Psalms 126:3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
A. GOD is concerned about soul-winning
B. GOD came to earth as the man, Christ Jesus
C. GOD commissioned us to this work
- It is not God’s SUGGESTION; it His COMMAND for us to win souls!
D. GOD completes the task of conversion, using us as a tool!
- He seeks the lost man
- He sends the soul-winner
- He speaks to the heart about sin, righteousness, and judgment
- He shows the Savior, crucified for our sins according to the scriptures, buried, and risen the third day according to the scriptures
- He supplies LIFE to he believing sinner,
- He secures him for all eternity
- He seats him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!
What a blessing!
If you’re sitting down, let these SEVEN G’S OF SOUL-WINNING propel you into the fields!
If you’re tired and thinking of taking a break from soul-winning, let GOD motivate you by these precious truths to do whatever is necessary to CONTINUE to witness for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!