What The Bible Says About Soul-Winning
- To Do Witnessing… or Be a Witness
Series - Part 2
“Those who are [spiritually] wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, [will shine] like the stars forever and ever.”- Daniel 12:3 AMP
The darker it gets, the easier it is to see the stars in the heavens. They twinkle and dazzle and are the amazement of any observer. God is the One who set them in the expanse and has blessed us with these incredible lights to illuminate the darkness. One of the interesting things about the stars is that they are fixed, so that when you look up out of the darkness, you can see the same stars and constellations shining brightly every night. Yes, as the earth moves you may see different stars, but just be patient and the same stars will reappear at a different hour or season.
As a child, my favorite constellations were the Dippers and Orion, the great warrior. Knowing that the same stars and constellation would appear every night has always been somewhat comforting to me. However, there will soon come a time during the Great Tribulation when the natural stars that we all love will lose their brightness and will no longer shine. It is hard to imagine a sky without stars, as some will even fall to the earth. (see Matthew 24:29) And yet, during this time there will be something else brightly shining, just like the stars. Even now, at the current time, there is something amazing letting forth incredible Light. This unquenchable light will shine forever and ever. What is this unavoidable Light? It is the children of God. It is those who are leading others to righteousness; the righteousness of God that comes through faith.
The Holy Spirit chose to use this starry analogy to describe those who use their spiritual wisdom to lead many to righteousness. Just like the stars of the heavens, these people will shine very brightly and will shine forever. Why? Because they are fixed, just like the stars. There is also something in them that can’t help but shine and will shine forever and ever. It is a supernatural power source and they will shed their light all around this darkened world. If you are feeling like you are in the dark right now, just look around. You “will” notice the Light, as it will be as bright as the brightness of the expanse of the heavens. You won’t be able to miss it!
In this series, we are exploring the truth from God’s Word concerning “Soul-Winning.” But if you managed to catch our first article in the series (see Part 1), you will have discovered that we are taking a slightly different approach to learning about “Soul-Winning.” That is because we are concentrating first on equipping and strengthening you, the “Soul-Winner.”
In the last article, we learned that one of the first things that will help you as a “Soul-Winner” is being assured that you are saved yourself, and that you contain the Light and Life of Jesus Christ. This is what will cause you to have confidence that you are already a light, because you contain “The Light” within you. Let’s be reminded of this powerful Scripture…
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” - John 8:12 NASB
We also learned a whole lot about the promise that God made to the Patriarch Abraham concerning his descendants. God promised a 100 year old, child-less man that his descendants would be as the stars of the heavens. God is continuing to fulfill that promise even now, as the Scriptures declare to us that Abraham’s actual descendants are those who have the same faith as Abraham had, and have believed in the promised Son of God. These “Shining Stars,” the true descendants of Abraham, are declared righteous with God because of their faith...the same faith that Abraham had, and God is adding to their number daily. Let’s revisit the truth about the faith Abraham had that put him in a right relationship with God, and how our own faith brings us to righteousness, as well...
“But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith, giving glory to God,
being fully convinced that God had the power to do what He had promised.
Therefore his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God).
Now not for his sake alone was it written that it was credited to him,
but for our sake also—to whom righteousness will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead—
who was betrayed and crucified because of our sins, and was raised [from the dead] because of our justification [our acquittal—absolving us of all sin before God].” - Romans 4:20-25 AMP
So, dear Friend, if you have believed the promise of God, that Jesus Christ was crucified for your sin and was raised from the dead because God has justified you and cleared you of all guilt and punishment for sin, then you have been declared righteous before God and are one of Abraham’s descendants through faith… a Shining Star! You have become filled with the Light of Life...the Light of Jesus Christ!
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16 NASB
Yes, in order for a light to shine, it has to be lit. We’ve already established that if you are a believer in the finished work of Christ and are united with Him through faith, you have been lit with His everlasting light. I really want to encourage you with this, because something unexpected and strange occurred in our recent past that we need to address. I am speaking in particular about what happened during this latest pandemic.
All around the world, believers were hiding their light under a basket. Never have I witnessed so much fear, apprehension, confusion as to the will of God, defeatism, and even cowardice, as was apparent during this latest world-wide trial. Now, I am not saying this to whip a dead horse, but perhaps we may look back at our weakness, learn from it, and be better established before the next unexpected trial occurs.
While many in the body of Christ found creative ways to work around the mandates and still preach the Gospel and evangelize, there were also many who hid in their homes and refused to come near their own brethren in the faith. Some people even hid from their own family members. This broke my heart and it broke the heart of the Lord, also. I will never forget the day I reached out to shake a brother’s hand and they refused to touch me, or the day I tried to give a sister in the Lord a hug, but she felt as stiff as a corpse and wanted to get away from me, as if she had just been defiled by a leper. Let us never again allow the fear of the world to cause the carriers of the Light of Jesus to cover His Light under a basket. We have the Light of Life! We have the power of Almighty God living on our insides. That ought to make us fearless.
So as we continue preparing for “Soul-Winning,” we are going to consider the “Power of the Light” we possess. Having confidence that the Light is stronger than the darkness around us will encourage us to not allow the darkness to keep us in paralysis and fear.
The first thing we discover in the very beginning, is that God has a particular interest in light.
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” - Genesis 1:3-5 KJV
Light was the first thing mentioned in the Bible that God, our Creator, spoke into existence. Once He spoke, there was light. It is interesting that the darkness was also there, but God never calls it “good.” In fact, He makes a division between light and darkness, and we see that division typically spoken about all through the Scriptures. So, let’s be clear, “light is good”, and darkness is...well, it’s just darkness!
Now, here is an awesome revelation. This is what the Apostle John reports that he learned from Jesus…
“And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way].” - 1 John 1:5 AMPC
So, we learn that God created light for us to live in, but He Himself is light, and there is no darkness in God at all. Now we understand why God never called the darkness or the night... “good.” God spoke Light, Light is good, and God is Light, so we can conclude here, that God manifested His own Light nature from day one.
Okay, so follow the logic for a moment... If God is Light and Light is good, and you are a child of the Light and have the Light of life within you, then that makes you... “good!” Did you make sense of that, my Friend? If you are in Christ Jesus, you are Light as He is Light and Light is good! You are “good”, my Friend...Let that sink in a bit!
Another thing we learn about the nature of God from 1 John 1:5 is that “...there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way].” The Amplified Classic version brings this out really nicely. In the Greek language, which is the original language of the New Testament, this statement is a very strong negation. The Greek scholars Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown tell us it means“No, not even one speck of darkness”; no ignorance, error, untruthfulness, sin, or death.”
Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, lived this out perfectly for the world at that time to witness, in person, what God was like. The report of the Scriptures declare that Jesus, who is the “True Light” (according to 1 John 2:8), had not a speck of darkness or sin in Him. Look at these other Scriptures...
“You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is [absolutely] no sin [for He has neither the sin nature nor has He committed sin or acts worthy of blame].” - 1 John 3:5 AMP
“He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,” - Hebrews 1:3 AMPC
These Scriptures seem clear enough, that in God there is no darkness at all.And yet, it is amazing how often unbelievers and believers alike, ignorantly ascribe troubles as coming from God, as if He has created the trouble or allowed it, somehow. This is simply untrue in this dispensation. Let us examine what the Scriptures really say about troubles and what God does for us in the midst of them…
“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” - James 1:2-8 NLT
You see, in the midst of troubles, God wants us to come running to Him with our questions, because He is eager to give us answers that will help us. As believers, we need to be confident in this, because our faith in God is what will stand out, shine brightly, and be a witness to the world that God is good and He has the help they need...if they will simply stop looking to the world for answers and come to Him.
As we continue a little further down this chapter, we learn that God is a “Blesser”, and He takes care of those who are experiencing troubles, especially those who continue their steadfast trust in Him as their solution.
“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” - James 1:12-18 NLT
So, we discover that in our troubles, God wants to give us answers, He blesses us when we endure in faith, He’s not behind our troubles, and we are to expect that what God sends down to us is a gift and it will always be good and perfect. This is an accurate character description of our God!
Now, at first, this may seem unrelated to “Soul-Winning,” and yet it is extremely important to know and understand the true nature of our God; our God who is Light, and Light is good. If we are going to be fearless in the darkness, we need to be clear that there is no darkness related to our God at all. He is not behind any of our own troubles. He is not behind any of the dark things we see happening in the world, although He has told us in advance through prophesy what will take place. He is not putting us to the test, because He never uses evil to tempt or test (the devil is behind all of that – for more on this look up1 Peter 4:12-5:10).
In this passage, James, who is the half brother of Jesus, has witnessed to us that only good and perfect things come down from God the Father. He gave us His only begotten Son through His love (John 3:16), and He is withholding no good thing from us…
“For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” - Psalm 84:11 NLT
It is so important to be established in our faith of who our God and Father is and what He is like, what He has done for us and what He has given us in Christ, and how that can bring hope to someone else who needs to become acquainted with Him and His goodness. We need a proper revelation and understanding of the source of the troubles we face in our own life. If we are uncertain of some of these truths about God, we may inadvertently misrepresent Him to a hurting and fearful world. We don’t want to do that. A good and effective “Soul-Winner” has walked with God through troubles, has experienced through faith in Him His hand of mercy and blessing, and is confident that if God would help them by His grace, He’ll help anyone.
Here is another very clear description of our loving God and Father. This is a bit long, but stick with me through it, because this Scripture is our confidence of all He has made available to the believer who is experiencing trouble…
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.
But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:23-39 NLT
Wow! Dear Friend, I hope you go back and read that Scripture again. There are some very powerful assurances listed in that amazing source of Light. We learn that God has given us the power of the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of our glorified future. This is power to help our minds and bodies currently in times of weakness. We are promised a new, completely glorified body for the future. The Holy Spirit even helps us with our prayers and lands the plane right in the center of God’s will for us. How awesome is that!!!
We are assured that God is going to work everything out for our good. This is an absolutely amazing promise. No one, but God, can promise you that everything will work out for your good...all the time, any time! This tells us that God’s purpose for every believer is “good.” When the world looks at you and sees good coming out of your troubles, they will have to recognize that only God can make that truly happen. We call that a testimony! So keep that in mind, dear Friend...Your trials will work out for your good through the grace of God, and that will become your testimony.
There is so much more that could be gleaned from that passage, but the thing I really want to highlight is that if God would give up His own beloved Son for us, there is nothing lesser that He would withhold. The Scriptures declare to us everything that we have gained in our union with Christ. We need to become intimately acquainted with these facts. We also need to be confident of the kind of sacrificial love that our Father has for us, so that even in the midst of our trials, our testimony of faith in Him will shine brightly for all to see. The Christian doesn’t have a trouble-free life, but we always have the victory. There may be trouble, but then comes victory...trouble, then victory...trouble, but we have the ultimate victory...this is for certain. The unbelieving one has trouble, but no guarantee of victory...only death and final judgment.
Friend, if you are reading this today, and you are not sure that you have this victory that I am speaking about, it is because you have not been born again. Jesus came to die for your sins and give you life and life more abundantly (John 10:10), but you must receive it by faith. Jesus explained to a Pharisee named Nicodemus that while we have all been born in a fleshly body, we must also have a birth in our spirit. Our physical birth was not a choice, but our Spiritual birth is. Take a look…
“Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].” - John 3:3-7 AMP
In order to truly have the life of God and be enabled to live in victory, we must be born of the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit could not reside in us when we were soiled with sin, so the only way this could be accomplished was to have our sin nature removed. The only way for our sin nature to be removed is that we had to be punished for our sin, and the punishment was death ( Genesis 2:17). However, if we died physically, there would be no hope for saving us, so God sent His sinless Son into the earth to be born in human flesh to become the sacrifice to atone for our sin. Jesus would die our physical death and the punishment for our sin would be transferred to Him. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that God made the transfer, but it is our faith that receives it...
“Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],
so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.” - John 3:14-17 AMP
Once our sin was atoned for, God raised Jesus from the dead because we had been acquitted of all guilt for sin. Faith in the Son of God and what He has done is what brings us into the Kingdom of God and gives us life, righteousness (which is a right relationship with God in right standing with Him), and a new birth for our spirit. The Spirit of God is now free to come live inside of the person who has been justified (or declared “not guilty”) of a lifetime of sins... past, present, and future. All judgment is past...
“Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].
This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned.” - John 3:18-20 AMP
Dear Friend, don’t be afraid… Come to the Light! Your sins have already been judged in the body of Jesus. Your salvation is right on the tip of your tongue. Just follow the instructions in this Scripture and you will be saved… born again of the Spirit of God… filled with His life and light…
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 NLT
Simply declare this from your heart and with your mouth…
“I believe in Jesus! I receive Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Father God, for forgiving my sin and cleansing me of all unrighteousness. I look forward to enjoying my everlasting life and being able to receive all of your blessings in Christ.”
Congratulations, my Friend! You are now a child of God, a new creation, a member of the ever-growing body of Christ… a “Shining Star.” You are also now qualified and equipped like the rest of us to be a natural “Soul-Winner,” someone who carries the Light of Life to the hurting and dying world. The more you fellowship with the Father through the written Word of God and learn about all you have been blessed with in Christ, the more brilliant your Light and testimony will become.
So let us all be reminded, that since we have the promise of guaranteed victory in Christ over all of our troubles, we must be willing to remove the bushel or basket and uncover the Light of Jesus, then hold it out boldly in the midst of the darkness around us without any fear or trepidation.
I’d like to conclude with a few more thoughts about the “Power of the Light.” The darker the world becomes and the more pre-Tribulation signs appear to be happening, there is always the possibility of increased fear and retreat among the members of the body of Christ (see Hebrews 10:25). But we need not slip back into fear. We need to walk as the children of the Light that we are (Ephesians 5:8). I want you to carefully notice how the Psalmist describes God in the midst of darkness…
“If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, And the night will be the only light around me,”
Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, But the night shines as bright as the day; Darkness and light are alike to You.” - Psalm 139:11-12 NLT
Dear Friend, God is not affected or bothered by darkness. Because God is Light, wherever He goes, He is walking in His own radiance. Darkness is not dark to Him. Wherever He is, it is always super bright. This ought to encourage us greatly. Since we carry the Lord into every place that we go and His presence never leaves us, we are always in His light. So, obviously the darkness should not feel dark to us, either.
“For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light.” - Psalm 36:9 NASB
Let’s review… So far we have discovered that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are the stars (or descendants) of Abraham; those who have believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, as the atoning sacrifice that purged us of all sin, guilt and condemnation. We are filled with the Light of Christ and we shine already. We’ve learned that our God is Light and the source of our life and light, and that Light is good. That Light is so powerful that it overwhelms the darkness. We have the promise of Jesus in John 8:12 that if we follow Him, we will never walk in darkness. Darkness may seem frightening to the rest of the unbelieving world, but it doesn’t bother us, because we are always in the Light of Jesus, and the darkness will never overpower His Light.
Go into the future with confidence, my Friend, and be the Light that you are. Let the Light of Jesus loose and watch it cut through the darkness in this world.
“In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].” - John 1:4-5 AMPC
Now that, dear Friends, is grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (November, 2022)
Copyright © 2022 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Artwork © 2022 Kaylee R. Jacobs. All rights reserved.
To the New Believer:
Congratulations &
Welcome to the Family of God
If today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, this is an exciting day! All of Heaven is rejoicing over you, and your name has been officially written in the Lambs Book of Life.(Luke 10:20)
“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” - Luke 15:10
We would like to encourage you to write this date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth, like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence.
This date or marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself, or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was forgiven and saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us at info@EileenJacobs.org to let us know!
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