The Winning of Souls by I. H. Evans

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 12, 1914

The Winning of Souls

By I. H. Evans

(Reading for Sunday, December 13)

The Winning of Souls

I. H. EVANS

THE greatest work ever committed to man is that of winning souls to the kingdom of God. There are many callings, which possess merit and bring reward, that are good for men to follow; but never has a work been committed to man equal to this great work of winning souls.

The Value of a Soul

The parables recorded in the fifteenth of Luke give some idea of the value that the Son of God puts upon a soul.

Before him was a mixed multitude,—publicans and sinners, scribes and Pharisees, haughty doctors of the law,—ever ready to ensnare the Teacher; men who came to cavil and sneer; others who hung upon his words for comfort and life; rich and poor, high and low, blooming youth and feeble age; some proud and self-satisfied; others humbly longing for pardon and cleansing. It was, in fact, such a throng as would gather before him today if he were present in the flesh; for in its pride and its sin and its great and overwhelming need, the human heart does not change.

“And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

As sinful beings, our senses are too gross, our ideals too material, our desires too earthly, fully to appreciate the value of salvation. Sinless beings alone know the value of eternal life. Only the Maker of man can appreciate the possibilities of eternity.

On another occasion, our Saviour showed how precious are the believers to the heart of God. “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me,” he said, “it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”

One purpose, and one only, actuated the Son of God in his earthly life,—“to seek and to save that which was lost.” This was his life work. And those who have accepted the salvation bought at so fearful a price, and tasted its joy in the heart, can render no service so valuable in the sight of Heaven as to carry on his work,—to seek the lost, find them, love them, and if possible save them, turning them to righteousness. Those who do this work, for Christ’s sake, live his life in their labors, and multiply the life of Christ in their service.

In the past some have experienced this hungering for souls in a very marked manner. The great Gentile apostle felt its compelling power. He gave utterance to this consuming desire when he said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” And again: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” Matthew Henry said: “I would think it greater happiness to win one soul for Christ than to gain mountains of gold and silver for myself.” Doddridge is quoted as saying: “I long for the conversion of souls more sensibly than for anything besides. Methinks I could not only labor but die for it, with delight.” Many other men have there been, such as Whitefield, the Wesleys, Finney, Moody, and Spurgeon, who could truly say,—

“The love of Christ doth me constrain To seek the wandering souls of men. With cries, entreaties, tears, to save, To snatch them from the fiery wave.”

The early ages were blessed with many consecrated souls who gladly gave life and all for the extension of the work of the gospel. So ready were they to endure persecution, and so little did they fear earthly powers and oppressive legislation, that some writers have even charged the people of God with courting a martyr’s grave.

Travail of Soul

There have been but few born into the kingdom of God without great travail of soul on the part of some one. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” When a new life begins, some one has suffered. Zion cannot beget her children without travail.

Every great revival is preceded by prayer and seeking God. Pentecost followed ten days of heart searching, fasting, and prayer. If Peter, James, John, and the other disciples had spent these ten days in committee work, studying Parthia, Media, Judea, Pontus, Asia, Egypt, and other lands where the truth must be preached, drafting recommendations, assigning to each the part he was to act in spreading the gospel, there could have been no Pentecost. It was the travailing of soul in that upper chamber that prepared the way for the descent of the Holy Spirit, resulting in winning thousands of souls to Christ.

Prayer has ever been a mighty factor in extending the kingdom of God. Martin Luther said, “The church converteth the whole world by blood and prayer.” And Wallace wrote, “Prayer moves the hand that rules the world.” It was John Knox’s prayers that moved Scotland to accept the Protestant religion. “Lord, give me Scotland, or I die,” was the cry of his heart. So earnestly and with such power did he call upon God that the queen said, “I fear that man’s prayers more than the armies of England.”

No great reformation nor any great revival has ever been carried to a successful termination without much prayer by the leaders and the people. Soul winning and growth in the spiritual life depend far less upon human wisdom and native ability than on communion with God in prayer.

We have a great work, a work that is soon to be finished. It is world-wide in its movement, it reaches every nation of earth. No people ever before undertook such a program as we. Looking at it from a human standpoint, we can see “Impossible” printed in bold type. Then it is we reckon without our Leader. But our strength is not in man’s wisdom or power, but in the living God; and when we seek him with all our hearts, the work can and will be done.

SHANGHAI CHURCH SCHOOL, TAKEN IN FRONT OF ONE OF OUR CHAPELS
The man on the left is the gatekeeper. The next two are our native evangelists.
The two at the right are school teachers. — SHANGHAI CHURCH SCHOOL, TAKEN IN FRONT OF ONE OF OUR CHAPELS The man on the left is the gatekeeper. The next two are our native evangelists. The two at the right are school teachers.

Spurgeon said: “The Lord give me a dozen importunate pleaders and lovers of souls, and by his grace we will shake all London from end to end yet. The work would go on without the mass of you, Christians,—many of you only hinder the march of the army; but give us a dozen lionlike, lamblike men, burning with intense love to Christ and souls, and nothing will be impossible to their faith.”

Today our denominational strength lies in our praying people, those who have learned to wrestle with the angel and to prevail with God. Unless we stand with God, we labor in vain to give the message to the nations of earth. But the work will be finished; it will be completed in God’s appointed time. Those who hear these words may have a part in that work. But let us not forget that before the loud cry of the message reaches its fullness, there must be great travail of soul among God’s people. “For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”

Personal Work

We often think our greatest source of strength, next to divine help, is our ministry, while we overlook the value and importance of personal work. We expect and, rightly, too, great things from our ministers, for they are God’s ambassadors; but our ministering brethren can never do the work that he has laid upon each individual. Personal work is the strongest, surest method of leading men to Christ. Most of the conversions recorded in the four Gospels were the result of personal work. Christ came in close touch with those whom he won. He spoke to them with a personal appeal which was irresistible.

Such work is the need of the world today. They have reading matter of all sorts. They have clubs, society meetings, and social functions till the very life seems crammed, stuffed, crowded to the limit. But here and there are hungry hearts, yearning for help, comfort, peace. It is personal help that many such souls need, and to which they will most readily respond.

A young boy, the son of one of our ministers, was in a meeting where many were seeking God. He seemed unmoved. He resisted the sermon; he hardened his heart against the pleadings of the Spirit. Finally his mother came to him, and putting her arms of love about him, with tears flowing down her cheeks, asked him to give himself to God. For a moment he hesitated, but when his mother bent down to speak to him, and he saw her soul anguish, he cried: “I will, mother; I will serve God for your sake. Your tears will break my heart.” What hosts of sinners have found the Lord through the strong personal appeal of others!

The Finishing of Our Work

We have a definite, positive, reformatory message. It is hedged in by time. It is one of those great warning messages that from time to time God has sent to this lost world, and it must be given to accomplish his purpose. It is not a man-devised message. Behind it are all the heavenly agencies used by God in saving men. This message is from heaven, and it must be given to the world. If God’s people hold their peace, if man refuses to proclaim the warning, the God of heaven will see that it is proclaimed by some agency; for it is due the world, and it must be given.

And just as truly as the message is to be heralded to the world, it is also to be finished. There must come a day when it can be said, “The work is done.” Then there will be nothing left for any of us to do for souls. There will not be another sermon to preach, for the time for preaching will be past; not one more book need be sold, for reading will not lead another soul to God; not a tract given away, for the hour will be past in which to find salvation; not a prayer for the lost uttered; all will then have been finished.

Mercy will have closed her gates. The flood tide of God’s wrath against sin will have been opened, and on every hand will be widespread suffering, unutterable distress, and hopeless despair. The presses now used in printing books and papers that contain the message, will be rusting in idleness. The keys to the doors of our offices, schools, and other institutions will then have been turned for the last time. The work then will have been finished in all the world.

At that time, the workers, the soul winners, will look in solemn silence into one another’s faces, and each know the others’ thought,—“It is done.” The minister, the colporteur, the writer, the teacher, the physician, the nurse, one and all will say, “The work of God on earth is finished.”

No more will be heard the warning voice against sin; no more will Christ be pointed to as the sin bearer. Hope will have died in the hearts of all save the chosen company. They will look upon their friends and neighbors, knowing that the warning messages of Revelation 14 are finished. The mother will look upon her first-born son who is out of Christ, and she will know his final lot. The wife will look into the face of her husband, and will know that she is gazing upon a lost soul. The work of warning the world will be ended. Far and near the plagues will be tormenting the people, while those who have chosen God’s service will wait the coming of their glorious King. The work of earth is done.

Brother, sister, the day of service is now. Your work for souls must be done while you are living, while you have probation. The time has come to finish the work. Now, this very time, belongs to us for service. The church of Christ must rise with renewed and holy zeal, and warn the world of its soon-coming doom. We must do personal work. We must plead for sinners to accept Christ and escape the wrath to come.

The Reward

As the work of soul winning is the greatest work ever committed to man, so is the reward for such service the greatest reward ever bestowed. It is a lasting

an enduring, and eternal reward.

Every other work will perish in the day of God’s wrath. The cities, with all their wealth, art, and beauty, will be laid in ruin; the inventions of men, developed by generations of constant application and patient labor, cannot endure; the thoughts of men whose fame has commanded the respect of the ages will be of no value; the honor of man, which has so often been purchased by wasting war and the sacrifice of human life, will count for nothing. All earthly things will avail not; they must perish. But the souls we are instrumental in saving will be our eternal glory, our crown of rejoicing. The redeemed, saved by the power of God through our efforts, will be stars in our crown through endless ages.

“He that winneth souls is wise.”

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.”