Let's turn to Proverbs. And we're going to continue on from last week. I was giving you some stuff on soul winning. We're going to keep that going. Proverbs 11 is just a good starting verse here and where I draw the title from. He that winneth souls. Proverbs 11. Look at verse 30. For the righteous is a tree of life, and he that wineth souls is wise. And I don't even know how much longer I might go another week, I might not, but I want to give you some things on the importance of this thing and why you're called to it. And that's the hardest thing is to convince Christians, one of the hardest things is to convince Christians that the Lord gives them the responsibility. to go out and reproduce other Christians. And they'll put it off on anybody else. They'll put money on the plate to support a missionary to do it. They're happy to hear when other people do it, but they're too afraid to do it themselves. They don't want to get involved. And the Lord is sitting here telling you that you're a fool if you don't win souls. He that winneth souls is wise." There's wisdom in it. Well, there's foolishness in putting it off. Let me get praying here before I get going. Father, I ask You now to please bless Your words and bless the teaching and the preaching here, Father. I pray, God, that it be a blessing. I do pray, Father, You'll fill me with the Holy Spirit, Lord, and that these folks, Lord, will get something from You that they can take out, Lord, and it can mean the eternal difference for them and some soul out there, Lord, that's searching. that's lost and condemned and bound for hell. Father, we love You and pray all Your Son's name. Amen. Look at 1 Corinthians 1. That's going to be a hodgepodge of information here because as I was putting it together, it started getting real practical and then it's getting spiritual in us. So just give me a few minutes here to kind of get settled and hopefully it will come together. 1 Corinthians 1, look at verse 17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Skip down to 21. For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed. And that's why you stand on a street corner and hold up a Bible and look like a fool. Because it pleases Him. That's why you interrupt somebody's day and put a gospel track in their hand. Because it pleases Him. And it might look like foolishness to somebody else. What are you trying to make me a proselyte? You're going to try to convince me? And they're picturing some dead Jew hanging on a tree. And that's what pleases the Lord. That's how He chose to save people. And He chose you to do something about it. Look at verse 22. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ. Now He's saying we. He started by saying, God sent me, but now he's talking to the whole stinking church at Corinth, the most carnal church. And he's saying, we, we're supposed to be preaching. We preach Christ crucified under the Jews, a stumbling block and under the Greeks foolishness, but under them, which are called both Jews and Greece, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Skip down to chapter two, verse one. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Now if there's anyone who could have come with them with excellency of words, and man's wisdom, and philosophy, and the law, and all the material that he could have, he could have brought something great, he would have sounded like a Calvinist preacher. And I don't know if you've ever listened to those guys. Listen to those guys try to give the gospel that gets so philosophical and all that deep stuff. And he said, I determined not to know any of that stuff. I determined to bring you the cross. I determined to bring you that you're a sinner and that you need salvation. And he kept the thing real simple. Now you're called to that. You're called to go out and win some souls. And I'm talking to you. If you're in here and you're a you, I'm talking to you. And it's not specific to a minister or something like an evangelist or anything like that. Look at Acts 1. But you're called to be a soul winner. You're given the Great Commission. I won't show it again, but I believe it's 2 Corinthians 5, I went to last week, where it says you are given the ministry of reconciliation. You. Look at Acts 1, and I want to show you this. You know these verses here, but just look at it briefly. Acts 1, look at verse 6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in His own power. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be... What's the word? Witnesses and that the same the word we still use You know, it's interesting I've mentioned this in passing especially teaching on 144,000 you get in all the witness stuff and all the time the word witness shows up in the Bible the two witnesses and all that a witness if you were to take that thing down to its The actual definition of even in a courtroom a witness is somebody like an eyewitness I saw this thing take place and so he says you guys are going to be my witnesses but don't you have something that you can witness to and Don't you have something in your own life, what Jesus Christ has done for you, that you can say, hey, I'd like you to hear about what happened to me. I'm a witness of what Jesus Christ did for me. So he's called them to be witnesses. Where? Unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and in the uttermost part of the earth. So he brings that thing down, and if you were talking about right here, we'd say, well, this is Divide, Colorado. then you'd spread it out to Teller County, you'd spread it out to the state of Colorado, you'd spread it out to America until you're going to the whole world in missions. Now here, let me show you something. Look at Proverbs 24. Let me hit some scripture for a few minutes and then I'll try to give you some practical stuff here. Proverbs chapter 24. You say to yourself, well, Why has it got to be me? Why do I have to say something? Why isn't it someone else's job? Well, the Lord holds you accountable for the light He gives you. To whom much is given, much is required. And if the Lord gives you truth, you are then accountable with that truth, and you're accountable to open your mouth about it. Look, Proverbs 24, look at verse 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear... That's like holding something back. if thou forebear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain. If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works? I know we're in the Old Testament, but man, you could make some spiritual application there. He's got a hold of your soul, doesn't He? Aren't you born again? Don't you have everlasting life? Well, now He's sitting there saying, you knew, and I gave you the truth, but you held it and kept it for yourself, and you didn't give it out. Now, that's one of the most terrifying things to consider about the judgment seat of Christ, is that you're going to give account for the truth you knew and didn't tell. Didn't you know this? Didn't you have this truth in your own life? And didn't you know these things? And you didn't say anything? Or you were too afraid? Or you were too lazy or too busy to open your mouth? Look at Job chapter 26. Job chapter 26. I can't prove this, but I've definitely wondered if these are some questions you'll get at the judgment seat of Christ. I can't prove it. But you read these questions right here and just imagine the Lord asking you these questions on the other side of this life and consider how terrifying the answers would be. Job 26.1, and Job answered and said, How hast thou helped him that is without power? How savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom? And how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words, and whose spirit came from thee? Do you realize that if those were the only questions the Lord asked you at the judgment seat of Christ, you'd be in pretty sorry shape? If He just stuck to that right there. To whom hast thou uttered words? You say, what words? These. Jesus Christ gave you his words. And the Lord says, who'd you tell those words to? You know what he's gonna have to do to Laodicea? He's gonna have to sit all of Laodicea down, including Bible believers, by the way. Oh, we're rough and tough, and we tear off people's hides and all this stuff, yeah. How hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? because you have a tendency to pull the thing back. You have a tendency in preaching to pull back on the judgment, and pull back on hell, and pull back on the edge, and try to soften the blow. And the Lord says, did you just declare the thing as I said it was? And just give the thing as it should be? Now you're called to preach. You are. Look at Titus 1. Now here's some things that when it comes to soul winning and when it comes to personal work, that's what I'm talking about specifically. When it comes to dealing with people one-on-one, you need these words to do it, and you're called to not just tear their hide off, although that's good and has to happen sometimes, but you're called to do a few things. Look at Titus 1.9. Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." Soul winning is convincing someone that they're lost. And that is so important and so key. And one of the hardest parts of the whole situation. And that's the problem, legitimately the problem with modern-day soul winning, is that they just want the sinner to think God loves them, and then there's no point where they take the person and say, listen to me, you are lost without hope and without God in this world, and bound for a devil's hell if you reject Christ. And they won't key in on that thing. There has to be a convincing that takes place. They have to be convinced that they're lost before they'll look for salvation. A simple thing, look at 2 Corinthians chapter 5. You're supposed to convince them. And that's not an easy process. And let me say this right now, for you out there that have a heart for soul winning, you've got to slow way down. Because the idea, I might never see this person again, you might not be the only person God's going to send their way. Now listen, what you don't want to do is pull off fruit that's not ripe. It's so important, and that's the problem with these Hiles guys. They'll sit there and they'll go up to a door, and I've watched them. I've been with a Hiles guy down here in Colorado Springs one time, a real short little chubby fella, and he had all the moves, man. They open that door open, he's got his foot in the door like he's a police officer making sure they won't shut it, and he's trying to lead someone to the Lord. They won't open the door this month. You think their heart's open to the gospel when they won't open the door that much? They got the door open that much, and he led them in a prayer by the end of the thing. And they're just trying to get rid of him. I'm sitting there like, man, you're not convincing anyone. So what do you do? Well, you let the fruit get a little riper. You take their number. I'm giving practical advice here now. What you do is you give them a gospel track, throw your phone number on the back of that thing, and say, listen, if you ever have any Bible questions, give me a call. Do you mind if I come back in a week or two? Maybe go back after a month and pray about seeing if that thing's ripe. Here's a simple example that we heard from prayer requests this morning. My mom asking prayer for that atheistic girl. You witnessed her on the plane, I'm sure. You gave her the gospel, right? Took her contact information. She wasn't ready for the gospel then. She was hard as nails back then. What's happened since then? Fella dies, kills himself. You think, I bet you that heart's a lot softer now. Well, you don't want to rip the fruit off when it's not ready. You take your time with it. Where am I at? 2 Corinthians 5, look at verse 11. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Now, there's a convincing... I'm sure those are very synonymous words, but you're called to persuade. You're sitting there dealing with a sinner, and you can't just force the thing. I'll give you an example. Within the last week or so, I was witnessing that fellow down at McDonald's that my mom had talked to, and I went in to deal with him after. And that fellow kept looking down at his phone and kept messing around, and there was no persuading going on by the end of it. So I just left him a track. I wasn't going to force the thing. But you try to persuade. Look at Isaiah 1. Isaiah chapter 1. And look at verse 18. Here's the preacher. Watch how he's dealing with them. Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." There's some reasoning going on. And I've been up there preaching before, even street preaching, and I'll do this verse, and I'll say, can't you be reasonable and reason with me? And I'm just trying to get, you're sitting there dealing with a lost person and saying, listen, I know you believe it this way, but would you consider this and reason with them? All right, well, you say this, but what about the Bible? Simple things like that, and you're trying to deal with that thing. Sorry, I'm looking over my notes. I want to see how much of this thing, how far I want to go with it. Look at Acts chapter 18. I'm going to skip some notes here. Look at Acts chapter 18. I'm afraid I have too much material. That doesn't happen all the time, but I just talked about going too long, and I'm not going to do it, amen? Acts chapter 18. Yeah, I know, that's too much. Look at Acts 18 and look at verse 4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. See that thing? See how simple that is? Look at verse 5. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. Now, what happens immediately after? I'm just giving you some stuff here. He's reasoning with them. Notice what happens when you read. They were persuaded. And they're accepting Christ. Well, what happens immediately after? "...And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean from henceforth, I'll go unto the Gentiles." Immediately, there's opposition to it. Folks, that's par for the course. What you're dealing with, and I've heard, I think it was Brother Vogelpol said this, and I've never forgot it. He said, one thing you have to do with personal work and dealing with somebody is you have to balance that thing in your mind that you're dealing with the villain and the victim, and they could be in the same person. You're sitting there dealing with somebody and inside that body is a lost soul that's bound for hell. That's the victim. And inside that body might be just as full of the devil and that's the villain. And you're sitting there having to counterbalance that thing. And you're sitting there, you might have to cut the mess out of the villain. and you're trying not to kill the victim. See that thing? I know this is just some real practical, simple stuff. If you're a soul winner, nothing I'm saying is new. But you're sitting there dealing with that person, and that person could have just a broken heart, and down on their luck, and just looking for some hope. And then because they live in a lost world with the devil all around, they might also have a devil in them, and you're sitting there having to deal with both of those things. Now, what you're going to have to realize is that there's going to be opposition, and don't take it personally. It's not against you, it's against Him. You have the Holy Spirit in you, and whatever devil you're dealing with, and that thing is fighting against you, and you are just trying to get on the same page with Him and deal with that person and try to see them saved. Simple as that. Look back a chapter. Look at Acts 17. here you're going to have some public evangelism here and that's what this soul winning thing is about, is about getting out and actually reaching some people. Acts 17.1, and when they had passed through Amphiphilus and whatever, they came to Thessalonica where was a synagogue of the Jews and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. That's what you're supposed to be doing. Holding fast the faithful word to be able to convince, to be able to persuade, and reasoning with some people. Keep going, verse 3. Opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ, and some of them believe. Now that is a blessing, folks. Sometimes you're going to get somebody saved. but you gotta go fishing. And you'll never catch any fish if you don't throw out the line. But some of them are gonna get saved. And concerted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks, a great multitude, and of the cheap women, not a few, praise the Lord, getting some people saved. What happens in verse five? But the Jews, which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar. What is that? Opposition. As soon as you lead someone to Christ, there'll be opposition. Immediately. And it normally happens to them. I can't tell you how many times I've seen somebody save, lead someone to Christ, and the next day the Jehovah Witness shows up. Don't you tell me that God touched that Jehovah Witness on the shoulder. What spirit came from that? I mean, I remember Maria getting saved, and within a week, a charismatic guy asks her out and starts dating her. In a week? That quick? That guy had known her for years and years and years. We lead her to Christ, and Think a devil shows up and starts knocking on the door. That's opposition. That's par for the course, folks. That's just how it goes. If Jesus Christ gets glorified, the devil's going to show up and mess that thing up. Now, I'm going to skip ahead here. Look at Proverbs 29. Proverbs 29. There's one main reason why most of you won't open your mouth and say anything. Proverbs 29. And look at verse 25. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Now there's the reason why most of you won't say anything. Because you're snared. Because you're afraid. And folks, greater is He that is in you than he that's in the world. You're already triumphing and victorious in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the problem is, you just care too much. Maybe it's cultural. Maybe it's social media. Maybe it's you're worried about the thumbs up and the thumbs down in your own life or something. But something keeps you from that thing. And the problem is, if you fear man, you won't fear the Lord. But if you'll fear the Lord, you won't fear man. And you're giving yourself away. You're giving yourself away, the fact that you have more fear for them and what they think and how they feel than you do about what does the Lord think? Are you fearing Him or are you fearing them? Alright, let's get to some real practical stuff here for a minute. Hopefully this will be a blessing. Look at Psalms 126. Psalms 126. Psalms 126 and verse 5. Here's another great example. You can find so much soul-winning material in the Old Testament that makes a good spiritual application. Here's another one. Psalms 126.5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. I'm not going to key in on the tears this time. I've got a whole sermon on that. But what I'm getting at here is that there's some things that you can expect if you'll go out and you'll sow one. And one of them is simple, but you can be sure that you'll have some joy in your life if you'll go sow one. That's the promise of this verse. The Bible says you'll come again with rejoicing. reaping in joy, bringing your sheaves with you. And it's interesting, the Bible talks about rejoicing, all of heaven rejoicing over one sinner. Luke 15, 7, I say unto you that likewise, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. Now, if you've never been a soul winner, if you've never won something to Christ, you won't know what I'm talking about, but I'm telling you, you're going to have to take my word for it until you get one, there is joy in seeing a soul come to Christ, and it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. And I've found that the joy of your own personal salvation can sometimes be superseded by seeing someone else get saved. the joy of leading a man to Christ, it's greater sometimes than the joy maybe even you found when you got saved yourself. You say, well, how? How could that be the case? Well, for some of you, getting saved was a breaking up time. You had a real hard heart and the Lord had to break that heart up. And for some folks, it can be a time of real depression, real sorrow when they're first coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. You say, well, who's that? Well, did you see when Paul got saved? I guarantee you Paul's time of salvation was not a time of rejoicing. He got knocked off his donkey there onto his back and blind as a bat for three days. That's not a time of joy. He got saved, praise the Lord, but not a time of joy. I guarantee you the salvation of the thief on the cross was not a time of joy. He's dying on a cross, a slow, lingering death with both his legs shattered and suffocating. It sounds like the Holy Spirit's filling him up and he's getting the visions of the Holy Ghost there. No, that's a time of breaking up. Many times salvation experience is not really a time of joy leading up to it. Many times it's a time of depression and sorrow, but this is superseded later when a Christian realizes that they get to be a part of leading people to Christ and watching someone else get saved. There is nothing like it, man. There is nothing like actually being able to convince and reason and persuade somebody that they need Christ and watch them accept Christ. I was telling Brother Logan about Costa's getting saved, man, and he's sitting there moving his shoulders as he's accepting Christ. He's going like this. Man, something just came off of me. That's sin, man. It all just came off of you just right there. But that thing is... there's nothing like it. So with soul winning, according to this passage, you can be certain of joy, but you can also be certain of some results. Notice the wording there. It says he'll doubtless come again, bringing his sheaves with him. Doubtless. That's a promise. Let me show it to you. Look at Isaiah. Look at Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55 and look at verse 10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, watch. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereinto I sent it. Doubtless, folks. Here's one of the greatest promises in the whole Bible, and God is promising to bless His Word. He's promising to bless that Word, unlike He's promised to bless anything else in the whole book. On the face of this earth, there's something special about His words. And God says that those words, they're going out of His mouth, and they will not return void. They're going to accomplish the purpose there. There's one thing that God's promised to bless. I mean, more than anything else, it's His Word. So put it out. You know what's interesting? God may bless your testimony, but he doesn't promise to. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've used my testimony many times, and the Lord can use a testimony to open the eyes of a sinner to the truth. I remember one time giving an illustration to a lost Roman Catholic lady when I was working down in Pensacola at the hospital. And she wasn't listening, she was kind of trying to run me off, and I said, let me give you a quick illustration. And I've told it here before, I won't give it again, but the illustration of the two brothers, and the one is sinking down in that mire, and the other one digs underneath him, and he's sinking in sinking sand, and when they found that youngest brother, he's up to here in the quicksand, they pull him out and they say, where's your brother? And he said, I was standing on his shoulders. And that woman, man, I tell you, she turned away from me in tears trickling down her cheeks. She's trying not to look me in the face. And I said, you're not going to get to heaven without standing on his shoulders. And she's like, I got to go. I got to get out of here. Well, the Lord can bless illustrations, but He doesn't promise to. The Lord can bless a good joke. I've joked with people about stuff and sit there and deal with that thing. There's no getting around it. The Lord can bless that stuff. He can bless an experience and all that, but He hasn't promised to bless it. The only thing He's promised to bless for sure, the only thing that He's promised would prosper is His Word. So the question is, do you have it? Now, I know where I'm at. I don't have to press this thing real hard, but you don't just have a reliable translation, amen? Because if you did, He wouldn't promise to bless it. He promised to bless His Word. And those of us who have the Word of God, we preach it because we're told to preach the Word. Amen? And we're told to believe it because faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And we read it to keep ourselves clean, and because the Lord said it was truth. And those of us who have it, and have copies of it, we love it, and believe it, and read it. I have it in my possession. It's right here. Amen? These words right here, and these are the ones we have it in our language. It's infallible. It's authoritative. This book is alive. It's quick and it's powerful. And without one proven error, I don't give a flip what they say anywhere else. And we have His words. You know what the Lord says? Put it out. You know why? I promise to bless it. You can be certain it'll bear fruit. And if I'm standing on a street corner and I just rear back and just yell one Bible verse, He promises to bless it. You say they're revving the engine. He promised. I trust him with it. I promise it will not return void. You can be certain, doubtless, amen, that it'll bear fruit. And you're not going to win over everybody you talk to, but you will win some. And it'd be a wonderful thing. I thought about it. I was doing some quick math. If you won 2% of the people you witnessed to, that's extremely small margin there. If you witnessed to one person a day and only saw a 2% conversion rate, you could see one person saved every two months. That means that six times a year, though, you'd get having to get rowdy and shouting and excited. And at 10 years, I mean, that's 60. So I know that's not a ton, but that's something, isn't it? Isn't it better than what some of you are doing? If you could just give out a gospel track a day, open your mouth once a day, and you saw 2%, you'd give one every two months. That's not terrible. I mean, it's not great, but it ain't terrible, amen? You could be a part of heaven getting excited. Now, how are you supposed to go about all this soul winning stuff? Well, here's some practical advice. First of all, you ought to be looking for and praying for opportunities and then going after them. And the Bible says, if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God. And if you're a naturally timid or a bashful person, maybe you're introverted, the thing to do is, first of all, just pray and say, Lord, I need some wisdom. Lord, I need some courage. Lord, I need some boldness. And just be real honest with the Lord. If you study your Bible at all, He'll deal with you if you're honest with Him. And you just go to the Lord and say, Lord, I'm shy. I'm timid. Would you please just give me some boldness? I need to witness for you. And Lord, you know how I am. You know I'm backwards. You know I just can't do this thing without you. Could you just give me a chance to say something for you? Turn to Ephesians chapter 6. Everybody alright? Alright, Ephesians 6. Ephesians 6.18 excuse me, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, Paul's asking for prayer, that utterance may given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Here's Paul, hey guys, I got a personal prayer request. Probably the greatest soul winner of all time, maybe the greatest witness for Christ in history. I need some prayer. What's the prayer for, Paul? That I be bold and I'd say some things that I ought to say. You think he needed prayer and you don't? You gotta write that thing down. That'll be in your prayer diary. Lord, please help me to have some boldness, because I don't have it naturally. And ask him, Lord, help me. Lord, I want to please you. I want to witness for you. This stuff makes me nervous, Lord. I don't like doing this stuff. Could you help me? And go to him. That's the first thing you ought to do. So obviously the first thing you do is prayer. And the problem is this. People treat the prayer like it's the last resort. It should be the first one. It should be your go-to response. The first thing you go to. So start with prayer. The next thing you do, and this is just as practical as it gets, but you ought to try to deal with people your own age and your own gender if possible. That is practical, soul-winning advice, if you can. That is, if you're a teenager, try to deal with teenagers. If you're a young man, try to deal with young men. If you're a middle-aged woman, try to deal with a young woman. Amen? I think they say with preaching, and this is just practical, but they say that a preacher, as a general rule, his age, he'll draw people about 10 years older and about 10 years younger, as a general rule. So if a preacher's real old, he struggles there with getting people that are not much older than him, and he struggles to get people younger. And the same thing for me. crowd this size. I don't have a bunch of older people. I draw people closer to my age." And the same thing applies. There's a reason. That's real practical advice. But if you can, pray about that and try to find people your age. Now, that's not to say, of course, that the Holy Spirit won't prompt you to deal with somebody else. I've dealt with much younger people and much older people than myself. This is just some practical advice. I've heard stories of teenagers leading their parents to Christ. The Lord can do it. I've heard of much older people leading young people to Christ. D.L. Moody did it all the time. But generally speaking, as a general rule, try to deal with people your own age and your own gender, and you'll have a better chance with that thing. Are you ready for the most practical advice I can give you? Try to be courteous. Try to be polite. And don't be overbearing. Don't be too talkative. Let them talk. People love to talk about themselves. So ask questions and then pay attention for a natural opening. And that's honestly my bread and butter with dealing with people. I don't have a go-to way of talking with people. I just try to strike up a conversation. The Lord made me pretty extroverted. And so I just wait for a chance and I try to just take it when I can. Something simple like that. But people, they do. They love talking about themselves. And you don't have to run up and grab somebody by their collar. Where are you going to go when you die? No, that's not the best way to do it. If you die tonight, you're going to heaven or hell. You don't have to do those things. Try to use some common sense. Now listen, I'm going to talk about this probably in the afternoon. This is why gospel tracts are such a great way for a natural opening. because you're offering them something. That's why we have the track rack back there. Please don't leave without taking something. And just go up to somebody and just say, hey, you ever read one of these before? I do that all the time. I'll ask them, you ever get one of these? And that's a natural opening because they'll normally say, what is it? Then you got a chance. And you're just looking for somebody. Now, you know what's going to happen nine times out of 10? They're either going to say, oh, thanks, and move on. Or they're going to say, no, thanks. But what about the 1 in 10 that says, oh, what is that? What's that? Tell me more about that. I remember I've told the story here before of handing a track to a fellow at a gas station one time, and I just handed it to him. And he goes, what is this? And I started to turn away, and I said, it's a gospel track. And I started to turn away again, and he goes, no, but what is that? Explain it to me. And I get to lead him to the Lord right there. And that's just, he's just looking for something. You can go up to him and say, hey, let me give you something to read, a little food for thought. Simple, just quick opening, something like that. If you got saved by the gospel of Jesus Christ, you go up to them and you say, hey, I'm going to give you something. Somebody told me about this one time and it changed my life. I just thought it might be a blessing to you. Something simple. And you're just looking for a natural opening there. I like to, this is just a personal thing, I'm extroverted and I'm kind of loud, so it works for me, is I go up to people and I'll point out what's on their shirt and give them a chance, or on their hat. If I go buy a truck or a Jeep I like, I say, man, that's a good ride, man. Hey, mind if I give you something? Listen, the Bible says, why is a serpent harmless as a dove? I'm not being sneaky or deceptive. I'm just looking for a chance to give them a gospel track. I have pretended to like Alabama football to give a gospel track out, amen? I pretended to like a bunch of football teams. I don't give a flip about it. Hey, Missouri, something or other. Here you go. And you just kind of bond. I can't remember what the shirt said. I went by some guy, and he had some rock concert thing. I didn't know it at the time. I don't know if it was Motley Crue or something. I don't think I've ever heard one of their songs. But I sat there. Something on the shirt. made me think it was funny. And I said, hey, are you such and such? And he goes, yeah. And I said, me too. It's something to do with his shirt. Maybe it said he was a crazy person or something. I was like, me too. Let me give you something from one crazy person to another. Thanks, man. He grabs the track out, just looking for a natural opening right there. Now, see that thing? Just trying to find a way. These are just real natural, simple things that you can use to deal with somebody, talk to them about something. Be courteous you don't got to be brutal and blunt and uncouth to do personal work Now you may have to in preaching you guys that are learning to preach That's not the same as personal work. They are two very different things I'm supposed to stand up here and take your hide off sometimes I'm supposed to stand on a street corner and preach on sin righteousness and judgment. That's that's my calling and And there's a difference whenever you're slowing that thing down and personal work is trying to reach the person as an individual, as a soul that's bound for hell. And you need to slow that thing way down and deal with that person. And the phrasing is right. You are leading a person to Christ. You're not whipping them to Christ, amen? You're not behind them driving them to Christ. You're supposed to say, come here, I want to show you. I'd like you to meet somebody. That's soul winning. Now here's some practical advice. Deal with the person alone if at all possible. I preached a long time in Scotland there and you're dealing with crowds and you're dealing with groups all the time and what happens in a crowd, you'll deal with a guy and he starts trying to save face for his buddies and he puffs his chest out and wants to argue with you and he'll say things he doesn't even believe. He'll give an excuse that's not even a real excuse but when he's alone. You can just slow that thing down a little bit, and he's more apt to be open to a heart-to-heart thing. And that's real important in places like your workplace or a construction site or the military. If you ever get to dealing with a fellow with a crowd around you, you know what he'll do? He'll puff up like a frog, and he'll try to prove himself and joke and do all this stuff, and he'll cuss you out and all that stuff and give you an alibi. But if you can get him alone. All right, so take your time with that thing. The best time to witness is alone. That's one of the reasons why I like hospital visits. That person's been sitting in there thinking about death and judgment and God and salvation and then you come in there and you're able to, that fruit starts to ripen up in there. And it may not always be possible. Sometimes you go in and there's somebody else sitting there. And I've had, that's awkward. I've had that before where I'm dealing with somebody and this person is definitely not on the same page as me and I'm having to kind of, do this trying to deal with the person. But sometimes you got to do that. And if you can, get them private. John chapter 3 with Nicodemus and Jesus Christ, the woman at the well, Jesus Christ, just all alone, just dealing with them. That's how you get to the heart of the thing. And this is practical advice, but if an argument starts there and the other fellow starts, listen to me, I'm all about arguing. I'm all about pulling out the sword and fighting. It's just in my nature. I feel it. But sometimes that's not important. And you just say, well, I'm not really here to argue with you today. Mind if I pray for you before I go? And just have to cut the thing off and come back another time. That's not a bad strategy. Pray over that thing. Let me show you. Look at Ecclesiastes. Your job is to put it out and let the Lord do the work. Look at Ecclesiastes. And here's a great passage. I'm not going to read all of it. I might do it another time and give you more here. But here's just a real simple thing. Ecclesiastes 11.1. cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days. You don't find it right away. So what you do in soul winning is you just put it out. You're just casting, that sower is sowing the seed, it is not gonna grow tomorrow. it's going to grow throughout. It's not ripe right away. And you're just throwing it out there. Your job is to put it out and let the Lord work. And you might not see a soul saved the first time, or the second time, or the tenth time that you're dealing with them. Just put out the Word and pray over it. I remember dealing with a fellow one time, and I was dealing with him, and it was going really well. And I said something, man, and it just tipped him off. I thought he would agree with me, and he didn't. And he fussed and fought and argued with me, and I only argued with him for maybe two or three minutes. And the Holy Spirit said, shut up. And I did. And I was right, by the way. And I just got real quiet and let it go. And within about two or three weeks, I got to lead him to the Lord. And the Lord just said, shh, that is not important. He can believe that until the day he dies and he'll go to heaven. He'll be wrong, but he'll go to heaven. And I just backed off the thing. And so just let that thing go out there. When I talk to somebody one-on-one, I don't charge in there like I do when I'm street preaching. It's not the same. Or when I'm up here. Up here, I'm supposed to be teaching and preaching the whole counsel of God. And in personal work, I'm aiming for the individual's soul, and I'm trying to lead them to Christ. And there's a difference. It can be hard, but you've got to do your best to be soul conscience. That is so hard sometimes. You look at that person and you think one thing and you're wrong because you don't know the soul. And you have to get in tune with the Holy Spirit. And if you're not in tune, you're going to judge by the outward appearance when He's looking on the heart. And what I have to do sometimes when I'm dealing with somebody is in my own heart, I've got to shut my eyes and say, Lord, I've just got to use some spiritual eyes and look at them the way you look at them. Can you help me see what's going on in here? Because the outside doesn't mean anything. Let me show you another verse here and we're almost done. Look at Psalms 142. Psalms 142. I know this is just real practical stuff, but I hope that maybe some of it rings true and you're able to use it. Psalms 142, look at verse four. I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me. Refuge failed me, no man cared for my soul. Now folks, you're supposed to be soul conscious. And think about that thing. Think about how that would sound if somebody stood before God one day and that's what they said. Sometimes I'm dealing with a fellow there, and this is just how I do it. Maybe you don't. Maybe this is just something that'll help you. I'm sitting there dealing with that fellow, and you gotta look past the tattoos and the... the earrings and all the cursing and you gotta look past whatever filth he believes in and all the sin. You gotta look right all past that stuff and I think to myself, I wonder if he has a mama praying for him. And I'm trying to look at the soul. I'm looking at that guy and I'm thinking to myself, maybe there's a sister somewhere that's praying for this guy and I'm the brother to him that she can't be right now. That's just personal. I'm sitting there dealing with an older woman and I just sit there and I think to myself, What if my mom was lost? I'm sitting there dealing with an older fellow and I think to myself, what if my grandfather wasn't saved? And I'm just trying to get down to the soul of that thing. And just a simple thing like that will help you not deal with that. That person is fussing at you. They're mad you're on their doorstep. They're mad you're even trying to hand them a track. And you're going to have to look past all that stuff and realize there's a lost soul there that needs saving. Imagine this lost soul. Now I want you to stop for a second. I'm almost done. Just let me preach. I want you to imagine a lost soul standing before the great white throne judgment someday. Imagine them, they're standing there, they've got chains on them, they're about to get drug down into hell, the demons are already starting to tug. And imagine a condemned and damned soul looking up at the judge of all the earth, and he looks to his right hand and nobody's there. And just like this verse says, he looks around him, and he looks up at his creator and says, no man cared for my soul. And that's why I'm sitting here today. No one cared for me. Now I want you to stop and I want you to imagine the face of a lost soul that's in your life right now and put it in that person right there. Because you got somebody. There's somebody in your life, maybe it's a lost co-worker, maybe it's a family member, who is already condemned by God. And they will stand right there. they will stand before the judge of all the earth one day. And he'll look down with the fiery eyes of judgment and damnation. And are they going to look up there and think of you and say, no man cared for my soul, Lord. That's why I'm bound for hell right now. Now, on the other hand, I'll end positive as the pianist comes. I want to end with this thought right here. Imagine the opposite. Imagine a soul standing up there before God and the Lord looks down and says, I see that the blood of Jesus Christ is over you. How did you hear about that blood? And they can point over at you and they can say, somebody cared for my soul. Don't you want that to be your testimony? Alright, let's all stand now. The Lord's dealt with you all. You can take a minute and come pray. We won't have a long invitation. Amen. All right. Well, you visitors, there's plenty of food. Just give the ladies a few minutes. They'll ring a bell. And we'd love to have you run through the line first and get some food and all that. Rob, would you mind blessing the food, brother, please? Close us out.