crowns for the wise - gunnip

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rowns for theWise

"He who wins souls is wise."Proverbs 11:30

Randy Gunnip

Harvest Time PublicationsP. O. Box 1334

Colleyville, Texas 76034


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Crowns for the Wise

ISBN 0-9666779-1-9

First Printing, March, 2001

2001 Randy Gunnip

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in Whole or Part WithoutWritten Permission is Prohibited. Printed in United States ofAmerica.

All Scripture is from the New King James Version unlessotherwise noted.

Published by:Harvest Time PublicationsP. O. Box 1334Colleyville, Texas 76034(817)485-6452


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cknowledgements

o successful endeavor is accomplished alone. At every

juncture of the journey, there are people who encourageyou, inspire you, motivate you and challenge you to press on, topursue your vision, to never give up.N

I have experienced this in my professional life, in mypersonal life, in my ministry life... and I've experienced it in thepreparation and writing of this book. Soul winning is the passionof my life. I am very grateful to all of the people who have had asignificant part in the creation and writing of my passion.

To four proven and faithful men of God who inspired meand gave me invaluable information in the research stages...

Dr. Jimmy Simple, Director of State Mission Commission,Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Dr. Bailey Stone, Director of Evangelism, Baptist GeneralConvention of Texas.

Dr. George Worrell, Director of Evangelism (ret.),Mississippi Baptist Convention.

Dr. Roy Fish, Distinguished Professor, School of Theology,Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.

To my good friend, Mr. Bill Wilkinson, president ofInternational Fellowship of Christian Businessmen, who is agreat soul winner and tremendous example. I appreciate the

sincere encouragement Bill consistently gives.

To Evangelist Victor Small and his wife, Billie, for theircommitment to pray daily for me and the completion of thisbook. Victor was able to direct me to valuable sources ofinformation on evangelism.

To my special friend Dr. Nasir Saddiki, founder of WisdomMinistries, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Nasir's personal support of my

soul winning ministry and his hosting me on TBN have been agreat encouragement.

To Sam Martin, one of the greatest soul winners of our time.

To Patrick Morley, author of the book, The Man in theMirror.

To my good friend, Mike Evans. As an evangelist for over


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30 years, his ministry is responsible for millions coming toChrist. Mike's passion to see people saved is a great inspirationto me to reach every person I can. Mike shared with me manysoul winning experiences and scriptures.

To the creative writing team who made my dream a reality:To project editor Pat Blais, who has overseen this project fromstart to finish with editorial skill and special expertise. To editorElizabeth Prestwood, whose considerable talents we could nothave done without. I am also grateful to my brother, Robert W.Gunnip for his editorial input early in the project. To KelleyMajors for her artistic input and cover design. To artists DainHampton and Dan Pomeroy for their graphic illustrations.

Thank you all for helping with the most importantobjective...winning souls.


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mission are not expendable. They are valuable. Theircommander will see to it that their needs are met, that they are

well cared for and that they have all the tools they need toaccomplish their mission. In the same way, Jesus must havespecial thoughts of a loving relationship, of close friendship andof continual regard for those who willingly and wholeheartedlytake up His cause (Alexander Maclaren, D.D., The Victor'sCrowns, Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York, p. 50).Because when they do, He responds with protection andprovision. In fact, just like a soldier watches the backs of his

comrades, God watches ours. The Word says He goes out beforeusHe leads the wayand His glory becomes our rear guard(Isaiah 58).

When we live in such close communion with Jesus,following His lead, He makes a way for us and protects us fromthe enemy who would try to catch us unaware. He also sees to itthat we are fully equipped to fight and win the war. Isaiah 1:19

promises us that if we are willing and obedient, like a goodsoldier is, we shall eat the good of the land, which means wewill be blessed.

Instead of our having to chase after the blessings of God, theblessings will begin to chase us. They will come on us andovertake us because God is so thrilled with our true laborleading people to Christ.

If we let Jesus live His life through us, we will make Hismission our mission. We will then touch the heart of God andchange the hearts of people. For, as William Evans has written,"There is no Christian, however humble or insignificant he mayfeel himself, or others esteem him to be, who is not appointed bythe Spirit to be a winner of souls" (Personal Soul Winning,p. 5).

After the end of our lifetime, when we are in heavenstanding before the judgment seat of Christ, we will be rewardedcrowns based on what we did with our talents, abilities andopportunities. Within that context, how many people we lead toChrist will greatly affect the extent of our reward.

Those who are wise follow the example of Jesus Who came

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Introduction

to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Thosewho are wise receive the crowns for the wise.

We all want to shine, to have our lives count for somethingand a truly wise man will. A wise man's brilliance will neverbe extinguished, even by death, if he has heeded the exhortationof the prophet Daniel: "Those who are wise shall shine like thebrightness of the firmament, and those who turn many torighteousness like the stars forever and ever "(Daniel 12.3).

Winning souls isn't as hard as many Christians think, nor is

it an option. When you love God with all your heart, with allyour soul, and with all your mind, then it becomes easier to winsouls.

Yes, there are things to know and understand from His Wordconcerning it. Yes, there are ways to share your faith that arecomfortable and easyand I'll teach you these. But when youtruly love God, the life of Christ on the inside of you will

naturally spill over onto others. You can't help but win souls!Embark on a journey with me...a journey to change the way

we've lived.. from focusing on our own lives to being consumedwith the lives of others.. from pursuing our own agendas topursuing God's highest agenda.. winning the lost.

Randy Gunnip

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Contents

Introduction vii

Chapter 1There's More to Life Than Just Living It 13

Liz's Story 22

Chapter 2

Going After Real Rewards 25Pat's Story 36

Chapter 3Run to Win 39

It Is Never Too Late 53

Chapter 4

Loving PeopleYour Greatest Mission, Your Greatest Reward55

Reaching the Taxi Drivers 63

Chapter 5Working God's Plan to Reach the Lost 65

No Heart Is Ever Too Hard 78

Chapter 6How to Be an Effective Witness 81

Lisa's Story 91

Chapter 7The Heart of Soul WinningLearning to Pray for the Lost 93

Because Someone Prayed 104

Chapter 8The 3-Step Process of Soul Winning 105

The Couple at the Party 124

Chapter 9Living A Life of True Significance 125


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Chapter 10Get Started Now 141

Sources of Gospel Literature 150


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hapter 1

1 here's More to Life Than

Just Living It

ot long ago I had the privilege of spending the day withSam Martin. Sam is a 78-year-old man who has spent his

lifetime leading people to a personal relationship with Jesus

Christ.

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From his youth, he has been a soul winner. As a teen, he ledPastor and Evangelist John Osteen to the Lord.

As I witnessed just one day in the life of this modern-daysoul winner, I was amazed.

He was so genuine, so real, so caring, so alive!

When I picked him up at his Houston home, he told me thatwe had a divine appointment. The Holy Spirit had told him so. Ilooked into his face and knew it too. This man had something Ineeded and wanted more of in my life.

As we arrived at the hotel, I began seeing what I longed forunfold. When we stepped out of the car and greeted the bellcaptain, Sam said to him, "Hi, I'm Sam Martin. I want to tell youabout a friend you need Who will never let you down. I'd like to

give you something. If I do, will you read it?"

That's all he said, and he gave the man a tract.

We entered the restaurant lobby. As the maitre d' greeted us,Sam said, "Hi, I'm Sam Martin. I want to tell you about a friendyou need Who will never let you down. I'd like to give yousomething. If I do, will you read it?"


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That's all he said, and he gave the man a tract.

As we were seated, Sam greeted the waiter. "Hi, I'm Sam

Martin I want to tell you about a friend you need Who will neverlet you down. I'd like to give you something. If I do, will youread it?"

And on he went. Every person with whom Sam had anycontact, he offered them the opportunity to meet the Lord JesusChrist. He never missed a single one. All day long I watched aman in action who truly loves His God and people.

As I observed all this, I evaluated my own life. I am a soulwinner, but I've never addressed the issue of salvation withevery single person I've encountered. Obviously, I could domore.

Then, I thought of all those people Sam talked to... andwondered who it was in their family or circle of friends that waspraying for them...that caused God to send Sam, a laborer of the

harvest, across their paths.That got my attention.

Think of the souls that would be saved if we all acted likeSam.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone yielded to the HolySpirit in Nebraska (or wherever) and began telling your sister orbrother or mother about Jesus?

And wouldn't it be even more wonderful if you yielded tothe Holy Spirit and began to tell someone at yourworkplace...someone who happens to be the friend, dad orcousin of someone who has been praying for a Christian towitness to them?

If we all won souls, multitudes would be saved, their livesmade whole, their families restored and, most importantly, they

would have a relationship with Jesus Christ for eternity. Andthey would have the key to life and to everything we all trulywant out of life... health, happiness, joy, peace, genuinefriendships, prosperity, success...all the goodness of God.

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There's More to Life Than Just Living It

That is what God has always had planned for each of us.

God Has More of Everything for You!

Life is no accident. God had an orderly design, an objective,a reason for creating us. God's plan not only covered the overallscheme of life: the balance of nature, the stars, planets and sunbeing held in place, and so on. But God's plan is individual andpersonal. You are in His plan. Before He ever created the world,He knew you and had a purpose for your life.

"For he chose us in him before the creation of theworld"(Ephesians 1:4,New International Version).

Before the worlds were framed, before the stars were set inplace, before you were even conceived in your mother's womb,God had an overall design and objective for you. This plan is aplan for good and not for evil, a plan which will bring you greatjoy, unshakable peace and tremendous blessing (Jeremiah 29:11;

Psalm 139:14-18). It is a plan which will bring you the deepestsense of fulfillment in this life and the greatest reward in thenext.

It is an awesome plan that cannot be improved upon byanything we can conceive.

God has always wanted your life to be better. He wants yourmarriage to be better, your personal fulfillment to be peaked,

your heart's cry to be answered, your job to be fulfilling. Inshort, He really wants your dreams to come true.

However good your life is, God has more for you!

But you have to access it. You have to conform to His plan.You have to live your life so that what is most important to Himis most important to you. You have to re-prioritize your life sothat your priorities match His priorities. You have to become a

soul winner. When you do, you will have found the key to thebrilliant lifeone where the power and presence of God areguiding you, providing divine wisdom and power to conquerlife's challenges.

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Paul said in Ephesians 6:8 that any good thing a man does,God will repay him in this life. When we become soul winners,

something dynamic happens which does not happen beforehand.By making our life's mission to seek those who are lost, we areenthroning Jesus in our hearts more deeply. We are exalting Himand following Him more intimately. We are surrenderingourselves to accomplishingHis most important mission.We are letting Him live Hislife through us. In essence, the

power of God is permeatingour very life. We become Hismouthpiece, His hands, Hisfeet, doing His bidding withHis power.

By committing ourselvesto God's true agenda, we

become soldiers of Christ. In asense, we step out of thecivilian ranks of Christianityand enlist in God's army. As aresult, He cares for us as acompassionate commanderwould care about his soldiers.

Soldiers who lay their lives on the line to accomplish themission are not expendable. They are valuable. Theircommander will do everything he can to see that their needs aremet, that they are well cared for and that they have all the toolsthey need to accomplish their mission. In the same way, Jesusmust have special thoughts of a loving relationship, of closefriendship, and of continual regard for those who willingly andwholeheartedly take up His cause, for those who voluntarily

enlist (Alexander Maclaren, D.D., The Victor's Crowns, Funk &Wagnalls Company, New York, p. 50). Because when they do,He responds with protection and provision. In fact, the Wordsays He goes out before usHe leads the wayand His glorybecomes our rear guard (Isaiah 58).

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When we become soul winners,something dynamic happens

which does not happenbeforehand. By making our life'smission to seek those who arelost, we are letting Him live Hislife through us. In essence, the

power of God is permeating ourvery life. We become His

mouthpiece, His hands, His feet,doing His bidding with His

power.


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When we live in such close communion with Jesus,following His lead, He makes a way for us and protects us from

the enemy who would try to catch us unaware. He also sees to itthat we are fully equipped, possessing everything we need towin the war. Isaiah 1:19 promises us that if we are willing andobedient, like a good soldier is, we shall eat the good of the land,which means we will be blessed.

Instead of our having to chase after the blessings of God, theblessings will chase us. They come on us and overtake us

because God is so thrilled with our true laborleading people toChrist.

God established this pattern in Deuteronomy 28:1-2: "Nowit shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the

LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandmentswhich I command you today, that the LORD your God will set

you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessingsshall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the

voice of the LORD your God."

God wants to bless us right here, right now. Proverbs 11:30-31 reaffirms this fact: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,and he who wins souls is wise. If the righteous will berecompensed on the earth, how much more the ungodly and the

sinner."

To be recompensed is to be rewarded. This scripture is not

merely stating that it is wise to win souls, but it says that a soulwinner will experience a wisdom concerning the affairs of thislife that is not necessarily readily available to others.

Daniel 12:3 is another confirmation: "Those who are wiseshall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those whoturn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

The world highly esteems people who have the brilliance to

create billions of dollars in net wealth, even though their privatelives may be in shambles. One of the earthly rewards for being asoul winner is a rare wisdom that causes you to shine in all theaffairs of life...how to deal with your family, friends, business,

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ministry, finances and health.

This wisdom produces success and is attractive to the

unbeliever. He wants to know what is different about you. Hesees not only your success, but he sees that you know things hedoes not know. Not only that, you seem to know them innately,as if you have inside information! This "inside information" isthe wisdom of God.

Let me give you an example. One time, years ago, the Lordwoke me up at 1 o'clock in the morning and told me to call a

client in Laredo, Texas. My first thought was, But Lord, it is 1o'clock in the morning! I can't do that.

But I knew it was God's voice on the inside of me telling meto do it. So, I obeyed. After I spoke to my client, I learned thathe was about to enter into a business deal the next day. I knew Ineeded to be there, so I told him not to do anything until I gotthere. I caught the next flight to Laredo later that morning.

What occurred that day, as I advised him in his businessdecision, optimized his business interests and forever altered mylife financially as well. But the point is, God took special care ofmy interests. I believe it is because I put His interests, Hismission and His passion first in my life.

This kind of success, tempered with a godly love and respectfor people, will attract the world to us and provide a wide opendoor for telling them about Christ.

In 1 Chronicles 4:10, the Bible records an interesting prayera man named Jabez prayed to the Lord, "Oh, that that Your handwould be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that Imay not cause pain!' So God granted him what he requested."

Jabez was an old covenant believer and it sounds like heunderstood the principle of the overtaking blessings Godmentioned in Deuteronomy 28. What would happen if a newcovenant believer asked and believed for the same thing? Couldit be there are unclaimed blessings for you and me? And could itbe that even though we may have had a painful start in life, wecould end up blessed, influencing others for Christ and bringing

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honor and glory to God? Could it be that God wants to expandour influence so that we can win many, not just a few, to Christ?

Absolutely!The truth is, our Christian life comes more fully into focus

when we accept the call to be soul winners. Jesus said, "Freelyyou have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). In order toexperience the abundant life of Christ fully, you must freelyexpress His gift of eternal life to others, by turning them toChrist. The greatest gift you have received, if you are a

Christian, is the gift of eternal life. You have been ransomed,redeemed and translated out of the power of darkness into thekingdom of God's dear Son (Colossians 1:13). Every person whois born into the world has the right to this same gift, but howwill they know unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:14-15).If you ask God to expand your realm of influence like Jabez did,you will get involved in the most exciting, exhilarating, fulfillingmission available, which is giving others a chance to accept

Christ.Remember what it was like when you made Jesus the Lord

of your life? Everything that previously seemed hopelesssuddenly started brimming with hope. Purpose and meaningcame into your heart. Destiny began to give birth... and soonexpectancy began to unfold.

This is the story of almost every believer. Yet, for some

reason, our hearts become cluttered with life. We become sobusy achieving, attaining and acquiring, that we miss learninghow to simply receive the unclaimed blessings reserved for thefaithful. What believers need to learn today is how to get back tothe plan...God's plan...and extend the greatest gift of all to thosewho have not yet received it.

Becoming a Christian is the greatest gift we can receive onearth. Few would deny the difference it has made in their lives.Few would deny its ability to affect their lives. Yet, tellingothers is something that we resist doing, even though it openswide the door to tremendous blessings.

Sam Martin hasn't resisted. And God has blessed him. Sam

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has enjoyed the rewards and blessings reserved for whose whowalk in God's plan.

Special Rewards Reserved for the Faithful

God wants to reward you, not only with blessings here onearth like wisdom in your affairs, but with heavenly rewards ineternity.

God has reserved special rewardsattainable by everyChristianthat will be granted on a great reward day in heaven.

Those rewards will eclipse even the highest earthly rewards,those that come from being a Nobel Prize winner, or an OlympicGold Medal winner, a Medal of Honor winner, or any otherpossible reward.

These eternal rewards are metaphorically expressed in theBible in the form of crowns. We become candidates for thesecrowns when we fulfill His plan in our life and in the lives of

others.The crowns are representative of a life of blessing now on

earth and later in heaven as rewards we will throw at Jesus' feetas worship and honor to Him.

Nonetheless, the majority of Christians are satisfied tosimply have their ticket to heaven. They joyfully anticipate theday when they will pass from this life into the glorious presence

of God. But there is more to heaven than just getting there.In 2 John 1:8, the Bible admonishes us to, "Look to

yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, butthat we may receive a full reward."A full re-ward is availableand we can receive it if we will choose to be faithful andpassionate. To choose to be diligent soul winners will help set uson course to receiving a full reward. The nature of God's rewardsystem is a greater capacity for enjoying life, both on earth and

in heaven.

Why would anyone aim for less? If someone told you thatyour labor would earn ten million dollars or ten thousanddollars, wouldn't you choose the ten million? That is what God

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is telling the church. There is a full reward to be received andyou can be a contestant.

Scripture foretells of a glorious day when we will bow downbefore our Lord and Savior in worship and adoration, andthrowing our crowns at his feet, we will say, "You are worthy, O

Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created allthings, and by Your will they exist and were created"(Revelation 4:11). Matthew Henry's commentary on this versesays that we will cast our crowns before the throne, giving God

the glory for the holiness with which He had crowned us onearth. He says that we owe Him all the honor and joy, all thegrace and glory because His crown is infinitely more gloriousthan ours, and that it is our glory to glorify Him.

Whatever honor and glory we receive from our rewards willbe our love offering to Him, because He created us and withoutHim we can do nothing.

Sam Martin understands the richness of God's Word and Hisrewards. He made the choice years ago to seek God's wisdom, toexperience the fullness of God. I, too, have made that choice.

For a truly wise person, earthly success will not be enough.A truly wise person will seek to win the incorruptible crownsGod has reserved for the faithful and the wise. A truly wiseperson will win souls (Proverbs 11:30). The real measure of aman's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.

My heartfelt desire in writing this book is to show you thepowerful blessings that will flood your life if you will choose tobe wise and win soulsthat you will get more out of life thanjust living it, letting the years pass you by.

God is eager to pour out His blessings. He searches the earthjust looking for people who will receive His goodness. If youwill consider the contents of this book, chapter by chapter, you

will not only begin to desire to win souls, you will learn theeasiest and most comfortable ways to do it. It is certainly nothard. Just think if someone had resisted telling you.

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Liz's Story

I was raised in church, so from the time I was small I wastaught to love God. But I never really knew Him personally.

When I was 13, I went to a large high school. There I metRoxanne, a Christian who loved God. Looking back, Roxannesowed seeds of the gospel in my life, but never pushed.

My sophomore year I met Beth Anne. She too sowed seeds,as did Carol.

Two weeks before my 16th birthday, I felt drawn to open myBible and read it. I had never done that before. I didn't evenknow how to look up Bible verses. I didn't understand thechapter and verse concept.

I "accidentally" opened my Bible to 1 Corinthians 13... thelove chapter. I was amazed that I could understand it. It was sobeautiful, so pure.

A week later I met Ronnie. He was a Christian, and notbashful at all at taking me to gospel singings for dates. It was awhole new world to me.

A month later I was saved. The message had pricked myheart. Ronnie had been bold.

I'm grown now, married to a strong Christian man I met incollege and have two children. Ronnie and I are still friends, but

more importantly, I have lived for Jesus now for almost 22years.

Before I was saved, I wasa scared, confused 16-year-old whose parents haddivorced. My world hadcrashed.

Jesus brought peace, loveand answers. He has guided me through all the decisions of mylife...what to major in, where to go to college, whom to marry,where to move, when to have children, where they should go to

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Jesus' great and mighty giftsdidn't end with your salvation.That was just the beginning of

what He wants to give you, anddo through you.


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school...every day, every decision.

I'm so thankful to Roxanne, Beth Anne, Carol and Ronnie.

They told me about Jesus. Their reward will be great.

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hapter 2

2 oing After Real Rewards

alvation is the greatest gift we will ever receive on thisearth. It is the first and foremost opportunity God offers us.

When we receive this gift, it alters the entire course of our livesin a greater way than even the choice of whom we marry. Thepower that comes from one simple decision to become a

Christian is staggering.

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And God made it so easy to receive. Titus 3:4-8 confirmsthat our salvation is the kindness and love of God appearing inthe form of His Son as a gift, one that cannot be earned.Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been savedthrough faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast." In His wisdom and

mercy, God knew that without Him we were helpless, spirituallybankrupt and hopeless. Thus, He freely gave His Son to anyonewho would desire a relationship with Him.

Once we receive God's free gift of salvation, He offers us asecond opportunityto become a worker for Christ.

The Scripture says, "For we are God's workmanship,created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared

in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10, New InternationalVersion). Our salvation is not by works, but we have been savedso that we can do the works God prepared in advance for us todo.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that since the kindness of Godhas appeared in the form of free salvation, we are "to be ready

for every good work" (Titus 3:1). He continues his message,


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saying, "These things I want you to affirm constantly, that thosewho have believed in God should be careful to maintain good

works. These things are good and profitable to men"(verse 8)."Every good work" means that no good work is excluded.

The phrases "affirm constantly" and "maintain good works"denote a continual, ceaseless, habitual declaration to do goodworks. He concludes by saying that a lifestyle of good works isprofitable.

The Bible also says, "Whatever you do"that means any

thing you do in lifeyou are to "work at it with all your heart,as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that youwill receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the

Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24, NewInternational Version).

To do the workswhatever they areearns rewards indirect proportion to your labor. Winning souls is part of your

being a worker for Christ...it should be a natural part of yourday-to-day life.

Your Realm of Influence

Becoming a worker for Christ is not a call to drop yourpresent vocation and go into the full-time, fivefold ministry ofeither an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher. God hasnot called everyone into the fivefold ministry, but He has called

everyone to do good works.

We all have varied vocations. We all wear different hats. Weare employers, employees, professionals, business owners,husbands, wives, parents, Christian ministry workers, children,brothers, sisters, friends. And each of these stations has variousactivities and responsibilities. To become a worker for Christ isto fulfill these stations "as unto the Lord."That is, to seek the

wisdom of God and the mind of Christ. It is to do them with aspirit of excellence. When we receive God's wisdom,appropriate it and pursue excellence, it creates a platform ofsuccess that draws people to us so that we can influence themfor Christ.

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truth.

The world worships success. Your success attracts people to

you and becomes a platform for sharing Jesus with them. If youdo everything wholeheartedly so that you become successful atyour task, you create a platform of credibility and favor withpeople, which makes them open to hearing about Jesus. Whenpeople respect you, they will listen to you.

God's plan is so wonderful. He created us for this veryreason: to glorify Him through our good works (Matthew 5:16).

This is our purpose in life. The good works do not earn oursalvation, but they do earn rewardsright here on earth andlater in heaven.

The Great Reward Day

If we will live our lives as wise men and women and winsouls, we will experience the most rewarding life Christ has to

offer us now, in this lifetime. And when we die and step intoheaven, by the grace of God, we will experience another kind ofreward when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

You may have cringed when you read the words "judgmentseat of Christ." Many people do because it brings up negativethoughts and images of condemnation and failure. This is due toan unfortunate and inaccurate understanding of this wonderfulevent.

The judgment seat for those who become Christians, orbelievers, will be a joyous occasion, because judgment for thebeliever will be based on rewards, not punishment (readRevelation 7:14; 20:11-15; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). The gospel isa redeeming, not a condemning message. Jesus said, "For Goddid not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, butthat the world through Him might be saved"(John 3:17). Those

who have received and believed the message of the gospel areredeemed, not condemned. Therefore, for them, facing thejudgment seat of Christ is not something to fear.

The purpose of judgment for the Christian is to be

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Going After Real Rewards

motivational, not fearful. Its purpose is to give us incentive andinspire us to good works.

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, "Thereforewe make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well

pleasing to Him. For we mustall appear before the

judgment seat of Christ, 'thateach one may receive thethings done in the body,

according to what he hasdone, whether good or bad."We have been saved so that

Christ might live His life through us. We will be rewarded to thedegree that we have allowed Him to do so.

The evaluation of the believer's life that takes place at thejudgment seat of Christ relates to how we have conductedourselves since our salvation. A study of the word judgment seat

confirms this: The Greek word for judgment seat is bema, and itmeans a platform or raised place. W. E. Vine's Expository

Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981, Fleming H.Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey) explains that the term wasused to denote "a raised place or platform, reached by steps,originally that at Athens in the Pnyx Hill, where was the place ofassembly; from the platform orations were made." References tothis usage are in Matthew 27:19, John 19:13, Acts 12:21, 18:12-17, and 25:6. The term bema, has several usages in the Bible,but in this context it is the place of judgment and awarding ofrewards at the Greek athletic games, for it appears this is themeaning Paul referred to in his writings:

"Do you not know that those who run in a race allrun, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that

you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the

prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtaina perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight:not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body

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When we are coronated at thejudgment seat of Christ, it will be

grander than the coronation of

any earthly king or queen.


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and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preachedto others, I myself should become disqualified" (1

Corinthians 9:24-27).

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished therace, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up forme the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, therighteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not tome only but also to all who have loved His appearing"(2 Timothy 4:7-8).

What was Paul saying? He was saying that the samequalities which make an athlete a winner earn heavenly rewards,metaphorically spoken of in the form of crowns, for theChristian. In his commentary of 1 Corinthians 9:26-27,Theodore Epp states: "In Paul's day, freeborn Greek citizenswere the only ones allowed to compete in the games. For theheavenly crowns, only born-again ones are eligible to be

contestants. Salvation is the starting point, not the goal. We donot strive to enter into salvation. We enter into salvation byfaith, and then we work to win the crowns" (Harlan D. Betz, The

Nature of Rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ, DallasTheological Seminary, 1974, p. 29).

It is good to consider our ways...to reflect on how we think,what we speak, what deeds we perform and what our motivesare. Our rewards for all eternity depend on how closely we walkin the footsteps of Jesus and let Him live His life through us.

At the judgment seat this will be reflected in what we haveto worship Jesus with...no crowns, a few crowns, or many.

On that day, as we stand before the great throne, we will bejudged.

Our thoughts and motives will be judged (Hebrews

4:12-13). Our words will be judged. Jesus said, "But I tell you

that men will have to give account on the day of judgmentfor every careless word they have spoken" (Matthew

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12:36, New International Version). That which is spokenin privategossip, grumbling, complaining, backbiting,

judging and criticizingwill be shouted in public, for"there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed,and hidden that will not be known"(Luke 12:2).

Our faithfulness will be judged. God has given each ofus talents, abilities and opportunities. Matthew 25:13-30records the parable of the talents. Jesus used this parableto teach us that we will be held accountable for our

talents, abilities and opportunities. He also illustrated thatwe are all equally responsible to use our gifts, regardlessof how much or how little we receive. In other words, weare responsible for what we are given.

Jesus used another allegory, the parable of the laborers inMatthew 20:1-16, to illustratethis point. We will not be ableto make excuses: "I am not as

talented as Joe Christian." Orto shift blame: "I never got topreach to thousands, it is notmy fault I led no one toChrist." Our reward is notbased on the length of ourservice, or how talented weare, but on our faithfulness tothe opportunities afforded us.

Everyone will receive his own reward according to his own labor(1 Corinthians 3:8).

In light of all this, God will hold us accountable for ourfaithfulness to do the works He ordained for us to do. It is notthat we will be punished for sin, but that we will forfeit ourrewards for our lack of temperance, stewardship, accountability

and responsibility, for Jesus cautioned "Hold fast what youhave, that no one may take your crown"(Revelation 3:11).

At the judgment seat of Christ, we will either be rewardedfor our faithfulness or we will face Christ with no offering of

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Our rewards for all eternity

depend on how closely we walkin the footsteps of Jesus and letHim live His life through us. Atthe judgment seat this will bereflected in what we have to

worship Jesus with...no crowns,a few crowns, or many.


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gratitude for the costly salvation He gave us. What utterdisappointment to walk away empty-handed, saved from hell,

but not having received any of the extra rewards for being afaithful, dutiful and loyal worker in His kingdom. What futilityto have no love offering to cast at Jesus' feet. The opportunitiesfor earning those rewards will have been squandered by ourunfaithfulness or consumed by fire because we lived our liveschasing success rather than winning souls and letting successchase us.

But if we are obedient and win souls, oh, how wonderfulthat will be. When we are coronated at the judgment seat ofChrist, it will be grander than the coronation of any earthly kingor queen. With our crowns we will worship the King of kings.

Wood, Hay and Straw

According to 1 Corinthians 3:8-15, there are things that willbe consumed because God is going to test the foundation of ourworks. The Apostle Paul said:

"As a wise master builder I have laid thefoundation, and another builds on it. But let each onetake heed how he builds on it. For no other foundationcan anyone lay than that which is laid, which is JesusChrist. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with

gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each

one's work will become clear; for the Day will declareit, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire willtest each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's workwhich he has built on it endures, he will receive areward If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss;but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

Jesus is the foundation. Each of us builds on that foundation,

with either perishable materials, which will be burned up at thelast day, or with imperishable materials which will endure.Winning souls is imperishable.

Wood, hay and straw represent any works we do which do

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not originate with God and will be burned up.

Jesus set the example. He said:

"I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accordbut only as I amtaught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear,

I judge [...as the voice comes to Me, so I give adecision,] and My judgment is right..because I do not

seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to dowhat is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own

purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the FatherWho sent Me"(John 5:30, The Amplified Bible).

Jesus submitted His will to His Father's will and madeHimself accountable to God. In setting this example, He said, "Ifanyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and takeup his cross, and follow Me"(Matthew 16:24).

So wood, hay and straw represent anything not built on thefoundation of Christ, or, that does not follow the example Heset.

We are required to learn to hear the voice of God, makeourselves accountable to God, and deny our own will so that wecan accomplish His will. When we do not do these things, wecan become deceived thinking that much of what we do is ofeternal value when it is not.

For example, church work which is done because we feelpressured to do it is not Christlike. Building ministries forpersonal gain rather than for the benefit of others is notChristlike. In fact, doing any good work for personal gain doesnot exemplify the life of Christ and will not be rewarded. Wood,hay and straw are anything built apart from our total surrender toGod's will.

Gold, Silver and Precious Stones

Gold, silver and precious stones represent just the opposite.The only works which will pass the test of the fire are those

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which result from our intimate relationship with God. Intimacywith God entails personal, private time spent getting to know

Him through the Word, through prayer, through hearing Hisvoice and through depending on His power within us toaccomplish His will.

Intimacy with God is based on love, loyalty andcommitment, not fear, pressure or obligation. We will beconfident in our ability to correctly discern the voice of Godwhen we are able to say, like Jesus, "I do not seek my own will,

my own aim or my own purposes." True ministryworks builton the foundation of Christwill be out of the overflow of ourpersonal relationship with God.

That which was builtthrough wood, hay or strawwill be incinerated like trash,leaving the believer sad thathis efforts produced little or

nothing of eternal value, andleaving the Master little forwhich He can commend him.

That which stands thefiery test, that which was builtof gold, silver and preciousstones, will become an eternal

testimony of faithfulness, acrown of incorruptibility, and the commendation of his Lord,"Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

Jesus taught that it was better to gain the kingdom of Godand build an imperishable treasure in heaven than to lose one'ssoul and gain the wealth of the world, which can be stolen ordestroyed by rust and moths (Matthew 6:19-20). He lived whatHe taught by totally surrendering His will to His Father's willand to eternal purposes (John 5:30).

In Romans 12:1-2, we are exhorted to do the same. Our totalsurrender to Christ is the test of His Lordship in our lives. If wedo not obey Him, we cannot honestly say He is our Lord (Luke

34

We will be confident in ourability to correctly discern the

voice of God when we are ableto say, like Jesus, "l do not seekmy own will, my own aim, or myown purposes." True ministry-

works built on the foundation ofChristwill be out of theoverflow of our personalrelationship with God.


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6:46-49). The foundation of everything we do as Christians mustbe Christ. No other foundation will stand the fiery test and earn

for us special crown rewards in eternity.

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Pat's Story

Being raised in church, I was devout in my faith and wantedto serve God with all my heart, but my relationship with Himwas distant and impersonal. I had always believed God was

someone I would get to know some day after I made it to heaven.If I died without the stain of sin on my soul, my salvation wouldbe sure, so I sought to live a morally clean life.

But 24 years ago, at age 27 I was diagnosed with cancer

and came near death during surgery. Believing my life had beenspared for a purpose, I experienced a deep desire to know thetruth about salvation. I agonized over the question haunting mymind: What if I had died, would I have gone to heaven?

I knew that Jesus died for the sins of the world, but I neverfelt connected to Him or to God. I also believed spiritualitywasn't something a person wore on his sleeve. I thought religionwas a private matter. But in my thirst to know the truth, I met

several people who talked openly about their "personalrelationship with Jesus Christ." Their boldness to speak of sucha personal issue piqued my interest. Soon, after listening to

several people's stories, I told God that I wanted this personalrelationship but that I didn't know how to have it.

God answered my questions by sending more and morepeople into my life who knew Jesus this way. I didn't seek them

out, they seemed to be seeking me out!Over a period of several months they led me to a completely

different understanding of the gospel. Salvation was not aboutme, it was about Him and what He did in my behalf I discoveredthat while Jesus had died for the sins of the world, it was my

place to accept Him as my personal Savior. When I did this byfaith, trusting in God's forgiveness, suddenly God was no longer

distant and impersonal. I had a direct relationship with Himthrough Jesus Christ, and Jesus became my closest and mostloyal friend.

Now I can talk to Him about anything, any time, and Hetalks to me.

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What I learned about salvation came as a direct result ofpeople being bold enough to tell me about their personal

experiences with Jesus. Twenty-four years later, I am stillgrateful that someone cared enough to witness to me.

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hapter 3

3 un to Win

o run the race of our liveswinning soulsis to fulfillour highest mission and express God's greatest passion. It

is the kind of life that is built upon a foundation of gold, silverand precious stones. It is the kind of life that, through thegraciousness of God toward us, can win crowns for the wise.

T

When Paul spoke of running the race to win the prize in 1Corinthians 9:24-25, he said that athletes practice strictdiscipline to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.The key qualification for earning incorruptible crowns istemperance. To be temperate is to show restraint in thought,action or feeling. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, lethim deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me"

(Matthew 16:24, King James Version). Therefore, theseincorruptible crowns cannot be achieved by Christians who areliving a loose, wanton lifestyle.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation hasappeared to all men, teaching us that, denyingungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for

the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our greatGod and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us,that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and

purify for Himself His own special people, zealous forgood works"(Titus 2:11-14).

A carnal person, one who is impure and immoral, will not beone who is longing for the appearing of Jesus Christ. His


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thoughts, his decisions, his desires and his actions will not bewrapped up in eternal things, but in the things of this earth. The

one who yearns for the appearing of Christ will temper his lifewith restraint in all things which displease his Lord.

Another key to obtaining an incorruptible crown is humility.It takes the power and grace of God to be a worker for Christ,and one cannot have the power of God when pride is in the way.God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (1 Peter5:5).

Humility is that quality which causes a person to douncommon things in a common way. A humble person aspires todo great things, but he does them quietly and without fanfare. Ahumble person knows that it is Christ in him Who enables him todo anything that is of eternal significance and value. The storyWarren Wiersbe and Lloyd Perry tell about missionary HudsonTaylor in The Wycliff Handbook of Preaching and Preachers isa fine example of true humility.

Taylor was invited to speak at a large Presbyterian church inMelbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introducedhim in eloquent and glowing terms, telling the largecongregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China. Afterlisting his accomplishments, the moderator presented him as"our illustrious guest."

Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his

message by saying, "Dear friends, I am the little servant of anillustrious Master."

Humility does not mean one thinks little of himself. It meanshe doesn't think of himself at all, but thinks of Christ. John theBaptist, speaking of Christ, passionately cried out, "He mustincrease, and I must decrease" (John 3:30). John understoodthat he could get in the way of God. Perhaps that is the best

description of pride. It is the weakness of a man who thinks he isof any significance apart from the power and grace of Godworking in and through him.

"The more humble a man is in himself, and the more

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obedient towards God, the wiser will hebe in all things, and themore shall his soulbe at peace." (Thomas a Kempis).

A wise person will not only take care of business in theaffairs of this life, but he will also understand that it is thosethings which are eternal which are the most significant. This lifeis but a vapor. Vapor is short-lived. Perhaps that is why theBible speaks of incorruptible crowns. Incorruptibility refers to

permanence, which refers toeternity. Obedience, humility

and temperance are eternalvalues. To aspire toward

winning crowns for the wise,is to be heavenly minded, notearthly minded.

The Bible lists thesecrowns. While not all scholarsagree on the number, they all

agree they are incorruptible.For example, some Bible scholars say there are five crowns: thecrown of incorruptibility, the crown of righteousness, the crownof life, the crown of glory and the crown of rejoicing. However,most Bible scholars group the last four crowns under oneheading: the crowns of incorruptibility. In other words, thecrown of incorruptibility is not an individual crown, but the

general description of the other four crowns, all of them beingincorruptible. I concur.

Most Bible commentaries also emphasize the fact that theimportance of a crown is not the crown itself, but what itrepresents. Each crown stands for the type of labor for which thebeliever receives it. In the following pages I will teach you abouteach crown and while only one is of key importance to our studyof soul winning, it is reasonable to conclude that someone who

cares enough to win souls may gather the other crowns along theway.

The Crown of Righteousness

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Humility is that quality whichcauses a person to do

uncommon things in a commonway. A humble person aspiresto do great things, but he does

them quietly and withoutfanfare.


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The first crown, mentioned by Paul toward the close of hislife to Timothy, is the crown of righteousness.

"For I am already being poured out as a drinkoffering, and the time of my departure is at hand I have

fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I havekept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crownof righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but alsoto all who have loved His appearing " (2 Timothy 4:6-

8).

Notice that Paul was not ashamed to say that he anticipateda reward for his labor! Neither was he ashamed of modeling thisattitude to his protege, Timothy, knowing that "to a laborer, hiswages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation(something owed to him)"(Romans 4:4, The Amplified Bible).

Furthermore, he states that the reward is reserved for all

who anticipate and love the appearing of the Lord. Therefore,anyone can be a candidate for the crown of righteousness.

The crown of righteousness represents a pure soul whichremains blameless. In anticipation of the coming of the Lord he"purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). Nothinginspires purity and holiness before God and decency andintegrity before men like the expectation of the Lord. No one

would want to be found carnal and corrupt on the day of Hisreturn. While every believer freely receives the gift ofrighteousness (right-standing with God), only those who keepthemselves pure will receive the crown of righteousness(Romans 5:17). The key word is keep. It is possible to receivesalvation and not receive this reward.

A pure Christian is not a perfect Christian, rather he is onewho, when he commits sin, does not keep sinning. He repents

and keeps himself pure. He is one who deals honestly withothers, one who is chaste in word, thought and deed. He isundefiled by the world. The Christian who keeps his life pureand is obedient to the Word of God can expect the crown of

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righteousness. He can anticipate the joy of worshiping at Jesus'feet and saying, "I kept myself pure and I offer my purity to You

as a gift because I love You!"

The Crown of Life

The crown of life is awarded for enduring temptations andtrials. Two Bible passages reference the crown of life. First,

James wrote:"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; forwhen he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life

which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James1:12).

Second, John wrote in Revelation 2:10, "Do not fear any ofthose things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil isabout to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested,and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death,and I will give you the crown of life."

The crown of life is the reward for those who remain faithfulto the Lord through hardship, including the possibility that thehardship may lead to death (martyrdom).

James made a curious statement concerning this kind ofadversity. He said: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever

you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testingof your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finishits work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking

anything"(James 1:2-4,New International Version).

Perseverance, or patience, as theKing James Bible calls it, isnot an inherent quality. Patience is a quality which must bedeveloped, and it is developed through trials and tribulation(Romans 5:3). It is easy to be patient when we are not beingtested. But tests prove us.

We will all face tests and trials because we are redeemed

people living in an unredeemed world. As Christians, we aretraveling in opposite directions of the world, and this createsresistance. Some common trials Christians face are:

Persecution at home for our faith. A Christian wife who

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lives with an unbelieving husband may face attacksbecause he resists her lifestyle, because he belittles her

faith or because he refuses to repent of his own sin. Hemay even forbid her from attending church or Biblestudies. Believing children living with unsaved parentscould face the same type of criticism and assaults on theirGod-given freedom.

Persecution at work. A Christian who practices a godlylifestyle and godly principles of business will most likely

bring resistance and criticism from his unsavedcoworkers, or even from his boss.

Persecution through the world. At its worst, persecutionin the world may come in the form of imprisonment forour faith, or even martyrdom. Although Americans do notusually face this type of persecution, we face it throughthe continual chipping away at our religious freedoms,and through the moral decay of our nation. We are

pressured to be "politically correct," and to acceptalternative lifestyles. To concede is to condone sin, yet, toresist is to bring persecution.

The trial of our faith, through a temptation or test. Wehave a spiritual enemy, named Satan, whose only purposeis to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). When hemaneuvers with circumstances to do one of these three

things, we are obligated to resist him. These trials couldinclude, but are not limited to, sickness, disease, financialruin, family ruin, sin, drugs, immorality, mediocrity,laziness, hatred, unforgiveness, overindulgence and so on.

According to theScripture, faithful enduranceof temptations, tests, and trialsresisting the inclination toretaliate or rebelbrings thetemporal reward of undisturbed peace andcomposure in the face of

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As persons of faith, we arecommitted to a good report andto maintaining a good spirit inthe midst of tests and trials.


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adversity, and earns for us the crown of life.

The Bible calls these "light afflictions" and contrasts them

with the "eternal weight of glory" they will produce on judgmentday. If we are faithful, Jesus will see that the scales tip in ourfavor and for His glory (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for alittle while, if necessary, you have been distressed byvarious trials, that the proof of your faith, being more

precious than gold which is perishable, even though

tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and gloryand honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter1:6-7,New American Standard).

The New International Version adds even more clarity: "Inthis you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you mayhave had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come sothat your faithof greater worth than gold, which perishes even

though refined by firemay be proved genuine and may resultin praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

In the last chapter,I explained that firewill destroy wood,hay and straw, butit only purifies

gold. This is ametaphor that saysgold is moredurable than wood,

hay and straw. In this passage, Peter is saying that, ultimately,even gold will be destroyed because everything of this world istemporal. Gold signifies earthly riches and represents the higheststandard of earthly values. As the New International Version

states, our faith in God is of more value than gold, because goldis not eternal.

Life brings times of trial and hardship which we endurethrough a love for Christ. As persons of faith, we are committed

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The purpose of tests and trials is not todestroy us, but to enable us to develop

patience, to appropriate the power and thelove of God, and to walk in the Spirit rather

than the flesh. Tests and trials mature andcomplete us so that we will lack nothing.


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to a good report and to maintaining a good spirit in the midst oftests and trials. As we triumph, we experience the joy of victory

and qualify for the crown of life.

The Crown of Glory

It is fitting that the Apostle Peter introduces the crown ofglorythe crown awarded to the faithful shepherd and feeder ofthe flock. When Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him and Peterresponded affirmatively, Jesus said, "If you love Me, then feed

My sheep "(John 21:15-19).Peter later wrote: "Shepherd the flock of God which is

among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion butwillingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lordsover those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; andwhen the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of

glory that does not fade away"(1 Peter 5:2-4).

The dearest things to the heart of God are His sheep. That'swhy He reserves a crown for everyone who genuinely reachesout to His sheep...who feed His flock as either a:

Sunday school teacher

cell or home group leader

Bible study leader intercessor

a counselor

an elder

or anyone, in any capacity, who feeds His sheep

Jesus' love for His sheep runs deep. He identifies with Hissheep. When He confronted Saul, the persecutor of the Jews, onthe Road to Damascus, He did not say, "Saul, Saul, why do youpersecute the Jews?" He said, "Why do you persecute Me?"

(Acts 9:4).When we take care of Jesus' sheep, we are directly

ministering to Him! First Peter 5:2-4 is a clear indication of Hisheart. When you lead or oversee members of a flock, by being a

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good example, by modeling godly behavior, then He promises animperishable crown of glory.

God loves it when we encourage His people. Hebrews 3:13says, "Exhort one another daily...lest any of you be hardenedthrough the deceitfulness of sin. "Anyone who feeds the flockof God through encouragement, teaching, Bible study, leadingby examplewith a godly and right attitudeis living in such away as to be awarded the crown of glory, because those actionspour the Word of God into the sheep and mature them in Christ.

Hebrews 6:10 promises us, "For God is not unjust to forgetyour work and labor of love which you have shown toward Hisname, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."Ministering to the flock of God flows directly from one of thetwo great commandments. The first great commandment, Hesaid, is "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your

soul, and all your mind. "And the second is like it: "You shalllove your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:38-39).

Ministering to the sheep is a by-product of loving your neighboras yourself. It means meeting their needs as you would want tohave your needs met.

The Crown of Rejoicing

The final crown is directlyrelated to our study of soul

winning. It is the crown ofrejoicing. The Apostle Paulmentions this crown in 1Thessalonians 2:19-20.Addressing the believers hehad personally won to Christ,Paul said, "For what is ourhope, or joy, or crown of

rejoicing? Is it not even you inthe presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For youare our glory and joy."

He mentions this crown again, in Philippians 4:1:

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To commandeer an immortal

soul from the eternal fires of hellis to save the most preciousheavenly commodity. It is the

most holy service one canrender to God and it is the mosthonorable sacrifice one can give

to man.


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"Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy andcrown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."Notice here that

although he does not use the term "crown of rejoicing," Paulcouples the thought of a crown with joy. The fullness of joy inheaven will be seeing those who, through our personal influence,are safe in the presence of the Lord forever!

I believe it is the most significant crown a believer can attainbecause of what it representsall the souls you have led to

Christ through your soul winning activities, either directly or

indirectly.There are four reasons why I believe the crown of rejoicing

is the most significant crown.

The first reason is the cost involved. God paid the absolutehighest price possible. He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, for allmankind. Jesus' blood was more than enough for you and me andfor every person to be redeemed from living an empty life and

then spending eternity in hell. If the price alone were the soledeterminant, then the crown of rejoicing is clearly second tonone among the crowns.

The second reason is the

mission. Following HisFather's example, Jesusreaffirmed the significance ofsoul winning by making the

Great Commission the chiefand primary commandment to

the Church. This mission is both individual and corporate. Inresponse to our obedience, I believe God compensates us withthe most significant reward a believer can achievethe crownof rejoicing.

The third reason is that souls are the only thing that we

will be able to take to heaven. when we leave this earth, wewill leave behind our houses, our cars, our bank accounts,everything. The greatest treasure we can build in heaven is soulswon to Christ. Nothing is more valuable because souls areeternal. To commandeer an immortal soul from the eternal fires

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The greatest treasure we canbuild in heaven is souls won to

Christ.


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of hell by leading him or her to Christ is to save the mostprecious heavenly commodity. It is the most holy service one

can render to God and it is the most honorable sacrifice one cangive to man.

The fourth reason is the glorious splendor of the reward.No other crown offers an eternal reward of extraordinarybrilliance like the crown of rejoicing. Daniel 12:3: "Those whoare wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, andthose who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and

ever."If we lead others to Christ, we shall shine in heaven like

stars...many stars! Only one other condition can make us shinein such increasing and continuous glorybeing a believer.Proverbs 4:18 promises us that, "The path of the righteous is likethe first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light ofday" (New International , Version).

By accepting Christ we begin to shine in increasing splendoruntil we are as bright as the sun, but that is only as bright as onestar.

By leading others toChrist, we experience no limitto the glory and splendor Godbestows on us. He describes it"as the stars"plural and

limitless in number"foreverand ever," an inconceivableglory.

All throughout Scripture a star is a symbol of royaldominion. In the book of Revelation, Jesus made a promise tohim who overcomes temptation and tribulation that is directlyrelated to dominion. In chapter two, verse 28, He said, "And I

will give him the morning star."The morning star is not the giftof Christ, for every Christian possesses Christ through the workof redemption (1 John 5:10-13). Rather, the morning star is thebrilliance of being like Christ in royal splendor! It is anotherinconceivable reward of being an overcomer and a soul winner.

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Daniel 12:3 paraphrased:"Those who turn many to

righteousness shall shine likethe stars forever and ever."


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In 1 Thessalonians 2:20, Paul said those whom we lead toChrist are ourglory and joy. So, every soul you win to Christ is

your glory and your joy. This glory is part of your special eternalreward. It is part of the eternal weight of glory and the shiningbrilliance you will exude in eternity as you throw your crowns atJesus' feet.

God wants us to fully realize how important winning souls isto Him. Just think about the efforts He has put forth to get us todo it. He even created a special crown for it! A glorious crown!

In direct reference to Daniel 12:3, Sam Martin calls a soulwinner"A BRIGHT STAR MAN!" A bright star man is onewho leads many to righteousness. He will shine in heaven likethe stars forever and ever... stars that are multiplying second bysecond as the universe continuously expands.

The greatest way to honor God is to highly esteem what Hehighly esteemsand saving a soul from hell is obedience to the

chief and primary command of Christ to win souls. It glorifiesHim. It honors Him. It demonstrates our love for Him.

Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree oflife, and he who wins souls iswise."

The most gratifying fruitof the tree of life is a soul wonto Christ. "He who turns a

sinner from the error of hisway will save a soul fromdeath and cover a multitude

of sins" (James 5:20). What better fruit can a Christian bear?Jesus said that we glorify Him when we bear much fruit. What ismore valuable than a living soul?

Every person we win to Christ will be in heaven with us

when we receive our eternal reward. This reward will not be amomentary honor, esteem, respect or recognition, but it will lastfor eternity. Our crown of rejoicing is what we will lay at Jesus'feet as our offering of love, devotion and respect to our King

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God becomes our debtor whenwe labor for His kingdom. Webecome more usable to Him

when we make His agenda ouragenda.


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our offering of love to Him! We will say to Him, "I was notselfish with the gift of salvation. I offered it to everyone I knew,

because I love You."

Run Life's Race

Start a new course today. Start running after souls. Startrunning to minister to the needs of others. Start running afterrighteousness and true holiness. This is the race Paul was talkingabout. It is the race he ran. Your quest will run you directly into

persecution and hardship, but at the same time God will run afteryou to bless you. God becomes our debtor when we labor forHis kingdom. We become more usable to Him when we makeHis agenda our agenda.

Be wise! Make your talents, your energy, your efforts, yourcreativity, your compassion and your time count for eternity.Those who seek only to shine in this life, to gain fame, glamorand fortune, the glory of which will all fade, are not wise. Theheroes of today can become the scandals of tomorrow. We haveseen it happen often with Hollywood actors, professionalathletes and even famous preachers. Even the brightest star inthe celestial heavens is just a ball of gas which will eventuallyburn itself out.

We all want to shine, to have our lives count for somethingand a true wise man will. A wise man's brilliance will never

be extinguished, even by death, if he has heeded the exhortationof the prophet Daniel: "Those who are wise shall shine like thebrightness of the firmament, and those who turn many torighteousness like the stars forever and ever"(Daniel 12:3).

Those who are wise follow the example of Jesus who cameto "seek and to save that which was lost"(Luke 19:10).

Being willing to share the gospel, being willing to ask God

to teach you how to naturally and comfortably share such apowerful and life-changing choice, is all that's required tobecome a soul winner for Jesus.

When you put God and His passion for every soul to be

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saved first in your life, He quickly moves into the middle of yourlife with blessings. He is longing to bless you, and when you live

in obedience to His Word, He can.Be willing to touch the heart of God and move the hearts of

men.

When you love God with all your heart, with all your souland with all your mind, then it is easy to win souls.

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It Is Never Too Late

After church one day, as was my custom, I dropped by thelocal nursing home to talk to, encourage and minister to these

sweet, old, often discarded citizens of a past era.

Today, I felt a prompting to go beyond my usual rounds tothe far rooms in the back of the facility. Led to one of the veryback rooms, I approached an old woman who, upon furtherinquiry, turned out to be quite senile, as were several of the

others I approached.Regardless, I asked each if they knew Jesus loved them,

smiled, and moved on, not receiving any response, except wild,raving sounds. At the back of the room, in a rocking chair, satanother old woman with obviously blind, opaque-blue eyes,rocking gently. I knelt down, repeating the question I had askedthe others.

A loud, "What?" was the reply."Did you know Jesus loves you?" I shouted in the nearly

deaf woman's ear.

She listened intently as I shared Jesus and the plan ofsalvation with her.

As it turned out, the woman had been a world traveler,looking for God all her life.

As she prayed a simple salvation prayer with me, her face litup with such joy, as she said, "You know, I have searched all mylife for God...and now I have found Him."

I left her there in her chair, rejoicing in the privilege ofbeing used by the Lord to be His tender hand, reaching out toanswer the heart-cry of a dear, old woman at the very end of herlife.

All I did was take the time to ask and harvest a soul.

Barbara

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have been with Me from the beginning."

Mark 16:15-16: "And He said to them, 'Go into all the

world and preach the gospel to every creature. He whobelieves and is baptized will be saved; but he who doesnot believe will be condemned."'

Luke 24:46-48: "Then He said to them, 'Thus it is written,and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and torise from the dead the third day, and that repentance andremission of sins should be preached in His name to all

nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnessesof these things."'

John 20:21-22: "So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace toyou! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. 'Andwhen He had said this, He breathed on them, and said tothem, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. "'

Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy

Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses toMe in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and tothe end of the earth."

Jesus had made His message clear. There was no way thedisciples could misunderstand that their job was to announce theGood News to everyone.

Not only had Jesus made the message clear, but most of the

disciples had been personal witnesses to the crucifixion andknew of the resurrection firsthand. The message of salvation wasfresh. Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. Salvation, which hadbeen long awaited and long anticipated, had come.

Armed with this bold, personal testimony, theyenthusiastically and passionately passed the news along. Therewas nothing else to do other than spread the message as quicklyas possible. The result of their conviction and their passion toshare it was massive growth in the early church.

Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, begins where he left offin his gospel by recording the initial fulfillment of the church'smission statement in Matthew 28:19-20. While the gospels

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Loving PeopleYour Greatest Mission, Your Greatest Reward

record the acts of Jesus during His earthly ministry, the book ofActs records the acts of the apostles and the first disciples of

Christ after His resurrection. Interestingly, the key word in thisbook is growth. The early believers not only grew in theirknowledge of Jesus and the Scriptures, but their numbers alsogrew daily.

Acts 2:47 says the believers were "Praising God and havingfavor with all the people. And the Lord added to the churchdaily those who were being saved."

Acts 5:41-42: "So they departed from the presence of thecouncil, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame

for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, theydid not cease teaching and

preaching Jesus as theChrist."

Acts 16:5: "So the

churches were strengthened inthe faith, and increased innumber daily. "

This growth pattern can also be seen in the following verses:Acts 1:15, 2:41, 4:4, 5:14, 6:7, 9:31, 13:49 and 19:20. Althoughsigns, wonders, miracles of healing, and more can be seen aswell, they were not the focus. The focus was church growthbecause they recognized soul winning as their first duty and

responsibility. It was how they grew. Their primary focus waspersonal witnessing, not evangelistic meetings. No one wasexempt from witnessing, regardless of his position or title. Thepastor, deacon, elder and the lay person all accepted soulwinning as his or her first and primary function.

The mission has not changed. Our job is to announce thesame good news.

Unfortunately, winning people to Christ is foreign to manybelievers. For the most part, the church neglects the unchurchedmasses. Jesus said that the harvest of souls is truly plentiful, butthe laborers who want to bring them in are few (Matthew 9:37).

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The believers in the early churchnot only grew in their knowledgeof Jesus and the Scriptures, but

their numbers also grew daily.


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The average church member seems comfortable with his churchattendance and with resting in the assurance of his salvation. As

a result, the average church member is missing out on hisgreatest mission and his greatest reward. Not only does theindividual Christian miss out, but the church misses out as well.

Since a large portion of the church neglects the ministry ofsoul winning, they do not experience the blessing of growth.Church growth follows soul winning and new births into theKingdom of God. It does not

follow signs and wonders. Theby-product of new believersbeing added to the church isthe signs and wonders thatmany churches seek. Jesusnever said that He came todemonstrate signs andwonders! He said that He

came to "seek and to save thatwhich was lost"(Luke 19:10).Then He commissioned His disciples to do the same. "Follow

Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). Toseek signs and wonders is to miss the mark. To seek souls is tohit the mark.

The reason most Christians have never led anyone to Christis not because they could not or would not, but because theyhave never fully realized that it is their privilege and their dutyas Christians. The fact that God rewards the soul winner with acrown indicates what an honor it is. The fact that soul winning isJesus' central commandment to the church tells us that it is ourduty.

One of the best indicators that a person is a Christian is thathe wins the unsaved. A person who truly understands what he

has been saved from will want to see others saved as well.

Second Corinthians 5:20-21 explains that we are God'sspokespersons and that it is our responsibility to tell others aboutthe free gift of salvation: "Now then, we are ambassadors for

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The fact that God rewards thesoul winner with a crown

indicates what an honor it is.The fact that soul winning is

Jesus' central commandment tothe church tells us that it is our

duty.


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Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we imploreyou on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him

who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become therighteousness of God in Him."

Jesus went to the cross, now we are to take up our crossesdaily and follow Him. The cross is sacrificing for the sake of themission. Soul winning is the mission of the church, therefore,soul winning is the mission of every believer.

Even though soul winning (or evangelism) is our duty, it is

only one aspect of a balanced Christian life. The balanced,healthy Christian lifestyle revolves around evangelism,fellowship with other believers, discipleship, ministry to thesaints and worship. A believer who develops in one or more ofthese areas without developing equally in the others will lackbalance in his Christianity. The imbalance will drain hisspiritual, emotional and physical energy and render himineffective. Balance is the key to a healthy and effective

Christian life and ministry.

Remembering the importance of balance, we must alsoremember that soul winning is the Great Commission. The earlychurch knew this well and worked diligently to fulfill their God-given mission.

Since Jesus said that the job is massive but the laborers arefew, we must answer the question, why, for the most part, do we

not follow the example of the early church? The missing link isattitude. God is not complacent, apathetic or passive. Rather, Heis compassionate and passionate. To God, each lost person is alost child. What parent would not go to the greatest lengths tofind and restore a lost child?

Develop Your Compassion for the Lost

When we find out God's deep passion for peopleto savethem and bless themthen we can adopt His attitude, receiveHis compassion and be passionate about winning the lost.

God's passion for people is most easily seen in how He

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interacted with His own chosen people, the nation of Israel.

Historically, Israel was a nation of people who sometimes

served God, but mostly rebelled against Him, disregarded Hislove and turned to idol worship. For example, the book ofJudges records how, during a 400-year span, and in seven

distinct cycles of sin to repentance,Israel set aside God's law forwhat was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). This pattern isseen throughout the Old Testamentfrom Genesis to Malachi.Israel's history is a picture of a roller coaster ride. Sometimes

they were upserving God and enjoying the blessings of God.Other times they were downworshiping idols and reaping theconsequences of their disobedience.

While Israel's heart grew colder and colder with each cycle,God's heart remained hot with passion. With earnest longing andaffection, He said, "How can I give you up, Israel?...My heartwill not let me do it! My love for you is too strong"(Hosea 11:8,The Good News Bible).

The New Living Translationputs it this way: "Oh, how can Igive you up, Israel? How can I let you go?...My heart is tornwithin me, and my compassion overflows. "

Isaiah 30:9 and 18 give another account of the rebellion ofIsrael and the passion of God to have her restored in spite of herhard heart: "For this is a rebellious people, faithless and lying

sons, children who will not hear the law and instruction of the

Lord...And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting,looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore Helifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and showloving-kindness to you" (The Amplified Bible).

God's love is boundless and unchanging. Even today, Heignores rejection and continues His passionate pursuit of theobject of His affectionmankind.

Even the most rebellious cannot escape the quality of God'slove. Jeremiah 31:3 says: "The LORD has appeared of old tome, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."

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Deuteronomy 7:7-8 says: "The LORD did not set His love onyou nor choose you because you were more in number than any

other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but becausethe LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which

He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with amighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage,

from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

The Berkeley Translation of Deuteronomy 7:7-8 uses theexpression "fastened His love" for"set His love."This paints a

picture of God permanently gluing Himself to the object of Hislove. In other words, nothing can change Him. He won't budgeor bend. God loves the murderer, adulterer, child molester, thiefand extortioner. He loves everyone, regardless of his or her sin.He does not love the sin, but He does love the sinner. There isno sin conceivable that will cause God to stop loving the sinner.His love is constant, continuous, endless, enduring and undying.

These are some of the qualities of God's love for Israel in the

Old Testament. What about today? What hope of God's love dothe vilest of sinners have? Romans 5:5-8 states the answer:

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love ofGod has been poured out in our hearts by the HolySpirit who was given to us. For when we were stillwithout strength, in due time Christ died for theungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;

yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare todie. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, inthat while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

God clearly shows us that He has fastened His love upon us.Now we need to fasten our love on the unsaved. The ApostlePaul said that the love Christ has for sinners is a constrainingfactor (2 Corinthians 5:14). It confines us to one attitudeto

love the sinner. We need to tap into that same compassionateheart of Christ that will not let go, that loves in spite of notbecause of.

No amount of earthly gain can make up for the inexpressible

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loss of a single person's soul. Luke 9:25 reveals the value Godplaces on the soul of one person: "For w

crowns for the wise - gunnip

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