The Bible says in Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Ephesians 4:12 teaches that the work of the ministry belongs to the saints; and John 15:16 says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
God has given every Christian a job, a responsibility, a command. You can obey God’s command or you can disobey it, but your orders are to witness. I say this because many Christians feel that soul winning is a leading, not a command. Occasionally someone asks me, “But what if you don’t feel led to witness?” I always reply, “Soul winning is not a leading; it is a command.” Suppose I said to my son, “Go mow the lawn.” And my son smiled and said, “I don’t feel led to do that. But praise your name, Father, I love you!” I would look at my son and say, “Did you understand what I told you to do?” “Yes, Sir.” “Well, then you go and mow that lawn!” If my son didn’t mow the yard immediately, I assure you it would not be long until he would be in the lawn-mowing business, whether he felt led or not. Now Christians are to win souls whether they feel like it or not. We are to do it because it is the clear command of Scripture.
I have heard folks say, “But I don’t have the gift of soul winning,” as if soul winning were some special gift. A careful reading of I Corinthians 12 and Romans, chapter 12, will reveal that soul winning is not listed as a special gift. The truth of the matter is, soul winning is a command. And every Christian has the clear command from God to win others to Christ. Disobedience to that command is a sin, just like disobedience to any other command.
