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In this sermon, I am condensing and editing a chapter from Dr. Rice’s book, The Golden Path to Successful Personal Soul Winning (John R. Rice, D.D., Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1961, pp. 275-296).

The real Christian who wins souls has special blessings, which nominal Christians, and church members who aren’t soul winners, do not have. The church member who does not win souls is not a good Christian, does not have as many promises, does not have as much joy, does not have as many prayers answered, as one whose life is centered on soul winning. To be a Bible scholar is not as good as being a soul winner. To be a defender of the faith is not as good as being a soul winner. To be a martyr, to suffer persecution and death for your convictions, is not as good as being a soul winner.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).

Those who win souls are wise. They will receive great rewards in Christ’s coming kingdom. But wait! There is more. The zealous soul winner has many earthly blessings – blessings right now!

I. First, the soul winner is the best Christian.

Soul winners are still imperfect, frail mortals, as are all Christians. Some soul winners are better Christians than others. But it is still true that a soul winner is nearly always a better Christian than a church member who does not win souls. Since Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and since “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15), then those who do the same thing Jesus did please Him far more than those who do not win souls. “Today we reap.” Sing it!

Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
     Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.
(“So Little Time” by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980).

Dr. Rice preached a famous sermon on “The Seven-Fold Sin of Not Winning Souls.” He listed those sins again in this message. Here are seven sins committed by those who do not win souls.

(1) The Sin of Disobedience to the Main Command of Christ.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

So every new person is to be taught to observe all things Christ commanded the Apostles to do. New converts, then, are given the great commission to win souls. This is the main command for every real Christian. Not to obey it is grievous sin.

(2) The Sin of Lack of Love for Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21).

Clearly, then, a person who does not obey Christ’s great command to win souls and make new disciples, lacks love for Christ. Those who do not win souls may say that they love Jesus, but their unwillingness to win souls proves they are only saying words, that they don’t really love Him at all.

(3) The Sin of Not Following Jesus.

     In Matthew 4:19 Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In Mark 1:17, Jesus said, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” Then it is clear – Those who follow Jesus will be soul winners. Those who do not win souls are not following Jesus in the sense of those Scriptures.

(4) The Sin of Not Abiding in Christ.

     Jesus said, in John 15:5, “...He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Jesus was not speaking of the “fruit of the Spirit” here. He was speaking of the fruit of a Christian, that is, making more Christians by soul winning. Peaches, apples and oranges are the fruit of trees. And the fruit of a Christian is another Christian. Orange trees bear oranges. Apple trees bear apples. Real Christians bear other real Christians by winning them. In the Book of Genesis we read, “God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind” (Genesis 1:25). So it is with real converts. They produce other real converts, “after their kind.” When a false or nominal churchgoer tries to win souls he can’t do it. He can only mess them up, and make them carnal, “after his kind.” Like the Pharisees, a religious but lost church member can “compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). The law of kind “after their kind” applies here. Lost people can only produce other lost people, as we have seen in our own church, and in other churches. “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

(5). The Sin of Dishonesty.

    Those who hear the Gospel, but do nothing to win others are dishonest and crooked. They do not pay an honest debt. To the servant who hid the money given him to invest, the master said, “Thou wicked and slothful servant” (Matthew 25:26). To take and not give is dishonest. So, then, the church member who does not win souls is dishonest and crooked.

(6) The Sin of a Shortsighted Fool.

    “He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). The soul winner is wise – he lays up treasure in Heaven, and will be blest with eternal rewards. But the short-sighted church member who does not win souls is not wise, but is a fool, God says.

(7) The Sin of Soul Murder.

    Listen to this warning given by the prophet Ezekiel,

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:17-18).

    As Ezekiel must give an account, and be blood guilty if his negligence let people die in their sins, so every real Christian is accountable. The Christian who lets loved ones and acquaintances die unwarned has blood on his hands and will face the Lord to give account at the judgment seat of Christ! “Today we reap.” Sing it!

Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
     Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).

II. Second, the soul winner has special nearness and fellowship with Christ.

The soul winner, here on earth, has a degree of joy, and peace, and comfort, which nominal Christians cannot have.

At the end of the Great Commission Jesus gave this promise to soul winners,

“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

Only those who win souls have that promise. Intimate fellowship, conscious nearness, protection, and success are promised only to soul winners. So the soul winner has an intimate fellowship with Jesus, sent by Him, specially loved by Him, special peace given by the Lord Jesus. “Today we reap.” Sing it again!

Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
      Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.

III. Third, the soul winner has the fullest blessing of the Holy Spirit, given only to soul winners.

Of course we know that every truly converted Christian has partaken some of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. He was convicted by the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). Every real Christian is “born of the Spirit” (John 3:6). Every true Christian has the Holy Spirit as comforter, teacher, and prayer helper. The Holy Spirit lives in every true Christian (I Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 8:9).

Yet it is clear that there is a special enduement of the Holy Spirit for soul winners. When the Day of Pentecost came, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:4) for soul winning and they witnessed with great power, and saw three thousand people saved. But later they were filled with the Spirit again, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 4:31) and they, again, won many souls. We are told of Barnabas, “He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord” (Acts 11:24). It is very clear from these and many other Scriptures that the fullness of the Spirit is only for soul winning, and comes only to those who are committed to soul winning.

The fullness of the Spirit is given for soul winning power, according to the clear statements of the Scriptures. This is a blessing nominal Christians do not have. “Today we reap.” Sing it!

Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
      Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.

IV. Fourth, the soul winner has joys above other joys of Earth.

Does it seem that I am claiming a tremendous lot for the soul winner? Indeed I am. Psalm 126:5 and 6 says,

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

To win a soul, keeping that person out of Hell, is better than receiving a check for five thousand dollars! A soul winning Christian has joys beyond the joys of other people. Dr. Rice said, “I am poor in this world’s goods. I preach so plainly against sin, modernism [liberalism] and unbelief that some people hate me and many of them think it would be a blessing to the country if I were dead. I am slandered and abused, yet my heart is lifted up beyond measure by the love and confidence and gratitude of thousands who have come to Christ under my ministry. I know that the soul winner’s joy is above the other joys that men have. God is my witness, I would rather have the knowledge of the thousands of people who have trusted Christ through my ministry than to have a million dollars! Oh, it is wonderful to be a soul winner!” “Today we reap!” Sing it!

Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
      Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30).

I have been preaching to real Christians in our church, encouraging them to be very busy helping lost souls find Christ. But you are not yet converted. You have never repented of your sin, and have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ. Oh, how we pray that you will come into our church family, and come to our wonderful Saviour, Jesus. He died on the Cross to pay for your sins. He rose physically from the dead. He is now in the third Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father.

We have been kind and friendly to you new people.  We have been nice to you, and we have prayed for you. It is our greatest prayer that you will turn from sin and come to Jesus. May you do so is our plea and our petition to God. Amen. Please stand and sing the last song on your song sheet.

So little time! The harvest will be over,
     Our reaping done, we reapers taken Home,
Report our work to Jesus, Lord of Harvest,
     And hope He’ll smile and that He’ll say, “Well done!”
Today we reap, or miss our golden harvest!
     Today is given us lost souls to win.
O then to save some dear ones from the burning,
     Today we’ll go to bring some sinner in.
(“So Little Time” by Dr. John R. Rice, 1895-1980).

(END OF SERMON)
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at www.realconversion.com. Click on “Sermon Manuscripts.”

You may email Dr. Hymers at rlhymersjr@sbcglobal.net, (Click Here) –
or you may write to him at P.O. Box 15308, Los Angeles, CA 90015.
Or phone him at (818)352-0452.

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Dr. Kreighton L. Chan: Proverbs 11:28-31.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:
“The Price of Revival” (by John R. Rice, 1895-1980).