Folks, it is. of Jesus Christ. Folks, that never gets old. Sharing the gospel of what Jesus Christ has done in your life and what Jesus Christ can do in their life is what we would often call soul winning. Now, I'm titling this little lesson here this morning, if you're taking notes and I've noticed over the last many sessions here, many of your note takers, we're going to talk this morning just briefly about the analogies of soul winning. explanation, or clarification. So, and in that, I can soul winning to. Righteous is a tree of life and he that, next two words, winneth souls is wise. Soul winning. And we're going to talk a little bit about that in just a moment as it relates to the battle really that we are in for the souls of men. We think about winning souls. Do you know why we have to win souls? Because Satan is trying to steal them. Right? We're in a battle. I shared last evening, we won't take time to go there now, but 2 Corinthians chapter number 5 there, and it talks about how the God of this world has blinded the minds of those that would believe. Bag them to hell. Jesus wants to save them. And we are the ambassadors to go and tell them the good news of the gospel, right? So how many of you know that sometimes going soul winning is a difficult thing? It's a it's a it's a battle. It's a it's a battle between good and evil, a battle between God and Satan. And as I said, that that battlefield that we are on, How many times have you been knocking doors and maybe you start into the gospel witness with someone and then their phone rings, right? Or the dog starts barking or the baby starts crying. Yesterday Mark and I were talking to a Jewish man. He actually came to the door carrying a little baby and then he took the baby back and some other family member was back in there. We spent about 20 minutes talking to David and just kind of sharing and trying to pull in the Old Testament and knowing that he was of the Jewish faith and introducing to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And I could tell he was listening very intently but about 12 minutes in the baby started crying. You know why? Because Satan did not want David to hear a true presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So my point is that it is a battle often when we are striving to win souls. So an analogy is something that we can maybe understand that is likened to what the Bible is calling soul winning or witnessing. You know Jesus did this a lot when he gave parables, did he not? Jesus was trying to teach a truth. And so he would give something that was something that we would understand a little more easily. And so that's what we're going to try to do in the Bible study this morning. So with that in mind, I want you to go to John chapter number 15. And we're going to real quick, we're going to be all over the scriptures here this morning. And just in the remaining moments that we have here, let me just give you four or five things that the Bible likens soul winning to. Number one, if you are a note taker, go ahead and write down the word fruit bearing. Soul winning is analogized or is likened to fruit bearing. We come to John in chapter number 15 and notice with me this very famous verse, verse number one. I am the true vine, my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away. And every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye Now, this is a familiar verse. a familiar passage. Did you notice he's talking about bearing fruit? He says the father is the husbandman, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, we are connected to him and he says when you abide in me I want you, the manifestation of that is that you will bear fruit. Fruit bearing is an analogy of soul winning. Now, let me just say, there's a lot of other kind of fruit that a Christian can bear in one's life. We could go to Galatians chapter number five, we won't turn there, but the Bible talks about the fruit of the spirit, right? We're to have love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, temperance, faith, meekness, all of those things. Those obviously are fruit of the Spirit as well. Let me just analogize this as it relates to soul winning. Think about an apple tree. What kind of fruit does an apple tree bear? It bears It bears apples, right? Why? Because the root is an apple tree root, right? So you are going to bear what you are, right? You are to bear fruit of what you already are. And so as it relates to soul winning, I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I am a Christian. And so a part of my fruit bearing should be bearing other Christians. Does that make sense? It's this idea of bearing what you are, of producing fruit as to what is already in your heart. So I think that one analogy of soul winning is fruit bearing. The fruit of a Christian can be another Christian. And notice, skip down to verse number 16, notice what Jesus continues to say here to the disciples. He says, you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should. What's the next phrase church go and bring. We're in chapter 15, 16. All right. Verse 16, go and bring forth fruit and that your, what your fruit should. Remain that once you ever used to ask of the father of my name, he may give it you. Isn't it a great blessing to win someone to Christ, to begin to disciple them and to see that it is fruit that remains? Do you know what's even better than that? When your convert begins to bring other converts to Jesus Christ. Come on now. That's fruit bearing in a multiplied way. Did you notice in John 15, he said, I want you to bear fruit. I want you to bear more fruit. I want you to bear much fruit. And I want that fruit to remain. So, we're not just talking about all about numbers, we're not just saying. You know, just get a bunch of people to pray a bunch of prayers. We're not speaking about that. Mark and I had a really good conversation about that. The Holy Spirit has to bring conviction, right? And the Word of God has to be there. We understand all of that. But isn't it an amazing thing when someone understands their need of the gospel, they get saved, they receive that, and then they want to come to church. They want to get discipled. They want to get in that baptistry tank. Why? They are growing in their faith. So soul winning can be likened to bearing fruit. The second thing I want to say this morning is that soul winning can be likened to farming. Let's take our Bibles and go to Matthew chapter number 13. These all start with the letter F as you can tell here. Matthew chapter number 13, another very familiar passage. Jesus is giving a parable of the sower and the seed, right? The sower and the seed. And so we're going to liken soul winning not just to fruit bearing, but we're going to liken soul winning to farming. Matthew 13, verse number three, Jesus is speaking here. Behold, a sower went forth to sow, and when he sowed some seeds, it fell by the wayside. And then you know the rest of that story. Just for the sake of time, we won't tell it all. But verse five, stony places. And verse seven, fell among thorns. And verse eight, but other fell into good ground. And it brought forth, watch this, it brought forth some a hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. So you know the story here, the parable, the sower of the seed and the soil. Now who's the sower in this story? Who's the farmer here? It would be the Christian, right? It would be the believer that says the seed is good, look what the seed has done in my own life. I want to take this seed and I want to sow it out onto the soils of man's heart. Now how Unfortunate it is that in this story, only 25% of that soil was good soil, was fertile soil. Hey, can I just say, don't get discouraged by when you go soul winning that maybe everybody's not gonna listen to you. Maybe everybody's not gonna accept what you have to say. Everybody's maybe not gonna take that gospel track. They may not allow you to even get into the gospel presentation. Why? Because the Bible here says some of that soil falls by the wayside. Some of that soil's stony ground. They've been hurt. They've got burdens and bitterness. The church hurt me. You know, I grew up in church and then something happened. And you hear all the stories. Don't let those discourage you. Keep on going because someone down the block, there may be a good soil that's ready for you to plant the seeds of the gospel. Amen. So I'm saying that soul winning sometimes is likened to farming, just continuing to get the seed out there. Now let me just stop and say, there's nothing wrong with the seed. The seed is not what is the problem here. The problem is either the sowers are not sowing or when they do, the soils are not receiving. The problem is not with the Word of God. And I could take you to another place where the Bible, where Jesus said, the seed is the Word of God. So we know he's talking about God's Word here, the giving of the gospel in our soul winning presentation. And so obviously we know that Jesus continues In the parable here, skip over to verse 18, then he's kind of give the teaching from the parable. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When anyone, now notice this phrase, heareth the word. I want everybody to look this way. Soul winning sometimes is just us going and giving the gospel so they can hear it. What they do with it is up to them. You understand that? My conscience is clear when I give the gospel. I want them to hear the word of God. Now look, if they shut me down, that's on them. I did my part. Does everybody understand that? When I gave that gospel tract, I did my part. I wanted to get the gospel to them. It's up to them whether they hear or not. So notice, he's talking in verse 19, when anyone heareth the word. Go down to verse 20. but he that receiveth the seed into stony places, the same as he that, watch, heareth the word. Let me stop and say again, for someone to hear, someone else has got to be talking. Did you get that? Soul winning sometimes, friends, is just going and talking. Just start the conversation. Don't be so scared about it. And can I just stop and say, listen to me, soul winning is not just to be done at Saturday morning from 10 to 12. It can be done as any opportunity presents itself. And sometimes we, we, the cat's got her tongue, right? Sometimes we're not willing to speak. He's talking here that for the seed to be able to grow, they've got to hear it. And so on and on. Verse 22, same thing there. He that received the seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word, but the cares of this world, they choke the word. and such. But look at verse 23, but he that receives seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word and what, what's the next word, phrase, church? Understandeth it. Can I say this? Look this way, look this way. Sometimes soul winning is just taking the gospel and making it understandable to them because the natural man receiveth not the things that are of the spirit of God, their foolishness unto them. Mark and I were talking yesterday, but I had such a great time with Mark. Is he here this morning or is he, is he, did he go out? There he is, hey there. Man, I enjoyed our time together. We had such great time. Another benefit of soul winning is between the doors. You get a lot of fellowship. Come on now, right? And fellowship is always good. But my point is, I have no idea what the point was I was getting ready to make. Understanding, yeah, understanding. Our job, we were talking about how this generation, this younger millennials on down. We're talking people in their 30s on down. They're biblically illiterate these days. We take for granted that they know who Adam and Eve is. Don't take that for granted. They probably don't know who Adam and Eve is anymore. They may not even understand Jesus and that he was the son of God and that 2,000 years ago he died on a cross. What we took for granted 20 years ago that they knew, they don't know. So it brings me back here. A soul winner is to bring understanding to the hearing of the gospel. And so it's opening our mouth. It's giving this witness. And it's, what is it? It's sowing the seed. And before I move to the third one, look at the end of verse 23. I stopped reading. It says, he that heareth the word and understandeth it, now watch this, which also beareth fruit. There's that fruit bearing again, bringing forth some 100 fold, some 60 and some 30. All right. The third thing I want to talk to you about quickly, because our time is running out. Go to Luke chapter number 14, Luke chapter number 14. So soul winning is likened to fruit bearing. Soul winning is likened to farming. Soul winning is likened to a feast. Now we're Baptist here, we all like to eat. Can I have an amen right there? Well, I'll tell you what, some of that food last night, wow, that was good stuff. Those barbecue meatballs that I voted on and gave my thumbs up to, that was awesome. Whoever made the apple pie too, I don't know who, I should have been the judge on the dessert table. Is that yours right there? Do you have time this afternoon to make me another one to bring it tonight? Wow, that was really good stuff. But we're Baptists and we all like to eat. So Jesus, Luke 14, he's using an analogy of a feast. Now, you know the story. It picks up in verse 16. A certain man made a great supper and he bade many. And he sent his servants at suppertime and say to them that were bidden, come, for all things are now ready. Look at me, church, and I just got to watch my time here. That's a lot what we do for Sunday. We get everything ready. We are preparing a great spiritual feast. And then, as you know the story says here, we're inviting the guests to come and eat. In fact, what's the old song we sing? Come and dine, the master calleth, right? Do you know what soul winning is sometimes? It's inviting someone to a spiritual feast. And you remember the story, those that were invited, they started making excuse. And when those didn't show up, there was all of this food that was still there for the taking. So look at verse 21. So Jesus said, so the master says to the servant, okay, now I'm down to verse 21. So the servant came, showed his Lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets. and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind. Doesn't that sound a lot like soul winning? You're going out where the people are. Doesn't that sound a lot like a bus route? You're going out where the folks are spiritually deprived. Maybe they don't understand, never have heard the knowledge of the gospel. They need to hear the good news. And so we go out and we compel them to come in. What a great thought about soul winning. It's compelling them. It's asking them to come. So often soul winning would be likened to a feast. Can I say number four quickly? I love this. Soul winning is also likened to a family. Do you know that when you get saved, you become a part of the family? of God. I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God. You know that great song? I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by his blood, joined heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, for I'm part of the family, the family of God. When you got saved, you got born again. I was witnessing to David yesterday there, Mark will remember this. And I was talking to him that when you get saved, you not only get, because he had mentioned that he had been adopted. Is that right? He had been adopted. And look, when you're soul winning, you're always looking for things they say to try to bring in scripture. So it's something they understand, right? So I showed him in the Bible where not only in John 3, when Jesus said to Nicodemus, when you get converted, you become born again. Not only the birth, the natural birth there and the spiritual birth. Then we talked about Romans 8 where it says that I'm also adopted into the family of God. Hey, I'm God's child twice by spiritual birth and by adoption. And isn't that a great thought there of what salvation truly is? So I'm born again. I shared with him John 1 12, but as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. So look at me, friends. So when we are soul winners, you know what we're trying to do? We're trying to build God's family. We're trying to bring new members into the family of God. And can I just stop and say sometimes, now a soul winning church isn't like this, your church isn't like this, but there are some churches that it's kind of like this is our little club, we have just us, we kind of enjoy each other's company, we don't really want anybody from the outside coming in. Can I tell you that is not a biblical concept. We ought to want as many sinners walking in these doors as possible so we can get them the gospel of Jesus Christ, right? Because we want them to be born into our family. I don't know about you, but when a new little baby is born, five and a half months ago I had a brand new baby granddaughter. Alessi is her name. She is the most beautiful baby in all of the world. All of the joy, the gender reveal parties, and the baby showers, and all of the things leading up to it, and the birth, and all the excitement and why don't we get that excited when someone gets saved. Amen, why don't we treat them then like little babies? Hey, when they walk in, they maybe aren't gonna be just like you are after 25 years of being saved. They need someone to take care of them. Come on now, we need some spiritual nursery workers here in this soul winning thing of entering these little spiritual babies into the family of God. And my time is gone, but can I just give you the last one because it fits the theme. Soul winning is likened to fishing, right? Isn't that your theme? Jesus said, and we sang it yesterday, right? I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men. He was speaking to Peter who was a fisherman. Don't tell me that Jesus doesn't use analogies of something we can understand. All right, Peter, you're used to going and catching fish. From now on, I want you to go catch men. Now all the single girls in this room here are thinking, yeah, I'm trying to catch me a man as well, right? Come on now, listen to me. Soul winning is going out with the gospel of Jesus Christ and saying, can I tell you the greatest story you've ever heard? You're not trying to reel them in just to be a part of your church. We're trying to give them the gospel story that can change their eternal destiny.