SPECIAL ISSUE BRINGINGIN THE SHEAVES

"But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, andwere scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.Then saith he unto his disciples, The Harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray yetherefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will sendforth labourers into his harvest" (Matt. 9:36-38).

Henry Thayer says of "Harvest": ". . . the crop tobe reaped, i.e. fig. a multitude of men to be taught toobtain salvation, Matt. ix. 37 sq.; Lk. x. 2 . . ."

(p. 289)."Plenteous" means "much, many, numerous, great, abundant, plenteous."

"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly isgreat, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore theLord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2).

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and thencometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35).

The Bible pictures man as a lost and hopelesscreature without the gospel of Christ, which is thepower of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). God's greatlove is expressed in the great sacrifice of His Son forthe remission of sins unto all those who obey His will(John 3:16; Rom. 5:8, 9; Acts 10:34,35). But withoutthe knowledge of this great love and sacrifice one

would not know what to do to receive the remission

of sins. The gospel must be preached.

From Matthew 9:36-38 we want to focus attention

upon two or three significant points that should move

us to action today. The multitudes followed Christ

because he was healing them and giving them hope

through his doctrine. Neither the apostles then, nor

any of us now, can really see the great harvest of

souls unless we look through the eyes of Jesus. He

saw the multitudes and was moved with compassion

toward them. Their outward appearance may have

done little to excite the compassion, but the real pity

comes from the moral and spiritual poverty that

gripped the masses. They were blind to the truth;

prejudiced and enslaved by rotten traditions and were

"faint." The figure turns to that of lost sheep,

scattered, and without a shepherd.

This view of the lost world should move us to some action to proclaim the saving gospel to all who will listen. We need to be seriously aware and keenlyconscious of the need in this country and abroad toreach the lost. It is doubtful if many of us see themasses as a lost and undone generation swiftly , traveling toward the judgment and eternal damnation. What do you see in your community? inyour own family? in your travels over this land? Howdo you look upon the peoples of other nations and theireternal destiny? Millions of these people are eagerlywaiting for someone to tell them the story of God'slove and tell them what to do to be saved. This can not be taken lightly.

The denominational world is bankrupt and

destitute insofar as giving spiritual sustenance and

hope is concerned. There are large numbers in the

churches of men who are so disillusioned and

discouraged that they are looking for you to tell them

the way of salvation.

The multitude who followed Jesus were in a

deplorable spiritual condition "because they

fainted"—not that they lacked in intellectual powers,

but they were lacking spiritual knowledge,

understanding and the feeling to do right. They

were scattered abroad, having no shepherd. Such sheep left to themselves would wander away from the fold andhave no protection from wild dangers. They did notknow the way back home. In losing their way, thesheep would become scattered and would lose interestin each other. And the Lord, passing from this scene of scattered sheep without a shepherd to "the harvesttruly is plenteous, but the labourers are few," is stressing the picture of the lost multitudes that should excite the desire to take action, and to amplifythe need for more workers.

The plenteous harvest is not necessarily that thetime is ripe for the gospel to be preached more thanat other times, but rather that there were far morewho needed to be taught the truth than there are truequalified teachers to teach them. It is the greatnessof the work as compared to the few who really work.

The harvest truly is plenteous today in the sensethat there are millions of people within the reach ofsome of the most powerful means of communicationknown to man. Especially is this true in metropolitan areas. In what is called the "Bible Belt" there is a conservative estimate of nearly eleven hundred lostpeople to every faithful worker in the church, if everymember of the church were an effective teacher. But considering the population of the United States, there are more than eight thousand lost souls for every faithful worker. This should give us some idea for thegreat need of workers in the great harvest.

The need may be multiplied a hundred times if weconsidered the countries of the world where freedom of speech would allow us to carry the gospel ofChrist. One of the sad aspects of this need is that inmany of the foreign countries people are begging forsomeone to teach them the gospel of Christ. Many ofthem are laboring under great difficulties to escapethe horror chambers of paganism, Catholicism, andprotestantism.

I am ashamed of many of my brethren who spendtheir time quibbling about a small amount of moneyand crying because "their preacher" will be gone anextended period of time in some foreign country topreach the Gospel. Those who have such a view oftheir "duty" and their sense of "saving the Lord'smoney" have never been able to see with compassionthe plenteous harvest of which the Lord spoke inMatthew 9:37.

Jesus said "The harvest truly is plenteous, but thelabourers are few" (Matt. 9:37). Our Lord was nottalking about a few preachers who were specializingin "foreign mission work". He was talking about those who were God's husbandry. "For we are labourers together with God; ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building" (1 Cor. 3:9). Theobligation of every child of God is to prepare himself and put forth the effort to teach somebody the gospelof Christ.

One of the reasons why we have so few teachers isthat somewhere in the past two or three generationswe have developed a "clergy" system. This means we(the church) have hired one man to do our labor forus. This will not get the job done. In addition to thisproblem, we have ignored the many ways that we

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weeks among faithful brethren in Italy. The thrill offinding people who had an eagerness for the gospel ofChrist that is seldom found in this country issomething never to be forgotten. The Lord willing,my plans are to spend three weeks preaching the gospel in Italy in November and December of this year. The fields are white unto harvest in the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, England and Europe and several South American countries. Thisdoes not cover all the areas, but it should make usaware of the places where great good can be accomplished. "The harvest is plenteous!"

Bringing in the Sheaves

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing preciousseed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psa. 126:6). Thisjoyful Psalm gave rise to the hymn I heard so often as a child, "We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves." Psalm 126 pictures the jubilation of thosewho were released from captivity in Babylon. Themidnight of their history would be over. This Psalmstands in sharp contrast to Psalm 137 which paintsone of the most forlorn scenes in the Old Testament. There we see captives uprooted from their homes andhallowed places and set in strange surroundingswhere they hanged their harps upon the willows andwondered how they could sing the Lord's song in astrange land. But Psalm 126 sees the captivityended. It would be like a dream come true (v. 1)."Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and ourtongue with singing" (v. 2). "The Lord hath donegreat things for us; whereof we are glad" (v. 3). Theyhad sown in tears but would then reap in joy (v. 5). Thesheaves of harvest were reward enough to overshadow the long hours of toil.

The Joy of Reaping

Our Lord spoke of sowers, soil, seed and harvest.He viewed the saving of souls as the gathering of aharvest. He said "The harvest truly is plenteous, butthe laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord ofthe harvest, that he will send forth laborers into hisharvest" (Mt. 9:37-38). Rejoicing always attends the bringing in of the sheaves. On the day of Pentecost"they that gladly received his word were baptized"and later continued with "gladness and singleness of heart" (Acts 2:41, 46). The Ethiopian treasurer washarvested and "went on his way rejoicing" (Acts8:39). When Barnabas came to Antioch and saw thegreat harvest of souls there, he was "glad, and exhorted them all" (Acts 11:23). Paul reviewed theconversion of the Thessalonians who had "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1Thes. 1:9). Then he said "For what is our hope, orjoy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in thepresence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"(2:19).

A scene of more than twenty years is stamped inmy memory. The sermon had ended and we weresinging an invitation song. There was a rustling in

the seats about five rows back and two people stepped out into the aisle — a young girl aboutseventeen, and beside her a woman whom I regarded as a very strong Christian. I thought "What has Betty done? Why is she coming forward?" Then it dawned that the young girl was a neighbor to Bettywith whom she had been studying the Bible. The girlwas ready to obey the gospel but was shy. Betty wasjust "bringing in the sheaves."

Any who have ever had a part in leading a lostsoul to Christ knows exactly the joy of which wespeak. Preachers, Bible class teachers, those conducting home studies and those who have taught fellow-workers or neighbors, have seen theirhopes realized and prayers answered when the sheavesare brought in. There is no greater joy on earth than this.

Is the Seed Yet in the Barn?

The aged prophet, Haggai, had the difficult task ofstirring the hearts of a sluggish people to finish thetemple. Years had passed since they began amidfeverish excitement. But they grew weary and turnedaside to their own houses and pursuits. They hadsuffered one reverse after another and Haggai said itwas time to "Consider your ways." The reason for their trouble was "because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man into his own house"(Hag. 1:9). The seed for their blessing was in attending first to the Lord's house. Then they would be blessed. But that seed was "yet in the barn" (Hag.2:19). What good is seed in the barn? There can beno harvest until it is sown in the field.

When congregations stop growing it is time to ask"Is the seed yet in the barn?" It is not enough tosettle back in comfort and "keep house" for the Lordwith two or three gatherings a week, two of whichwill be attended by about half the people. When a congregation of 300 has only 10 souls added within ayear, then something is wrong. Even the preacherought to be able to bring in more sheaves than that.Why must it take an average of 30 ransomed souls toreach one sinner in a year? Not only should preachers, elders and deacons be working to bring insheaves, but so should every Christian. I heard PeterWilson say once that the reason we are not successfulas fishers of men is that we don't have enough linesin the water. When we capture the spirit of the earlyChristians who went "everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4), then we will see the sheaves beingbrought in with great rejoicing.

There Are Sheaves To Gather

For too long we have been intimidated by themournful laments of those who have assured us that "this is a hard place" and "nobody is interested in the gospel anymore." Paul thought Corinth was ahard place but God assured him with these words:"for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10).He brought in sheaves for a year and a half. But from what sources shall we gather sheaves?

(1) We must bring in our loved ones. Some of usare not even leading our own children to the Lord.Noah was able to save only his family out of all living humanity. It will be the cause of eternal rejoicing if we can save our own. Is there any joy tocompare with seeing your children, husband, wife,father, mother, brother or sister, obey the gospel?

(2) Many of the morally bankrupt can be reached.Sin is a terrible master. It creates a burden of guiltand emptiness, breaks hearts and homes, wrecks health and hands one down to his grave only toreceive eternal misery in the world to come. Nothingbut the gospel can fill the void made by sin. TheGentile world of the first century was spiritually bankrupt. But many turned from idolatry, fornication, homosexuality, stealing, covetousness, drunkenness and many other vices to be washed, sanctified and justified (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Our society isfull of such people today. The Lord died for them.Let's bring in these sheaves. (3) There are sheaves to garner from religiouserror. Never before in our time have so many been sodisturbed over the shifts and changes being feltthroughout the fabric of denominationalism. Manyare tired of being fed the empty husks of politicallectures, social reforms, book reviews, endless club and committee meetings and recreational activities.They do not hear Bible preaching. Comfort in thisworld has become the end of all things rather thanpreparation for the world to come. Many are hungering and thirsting for the word of life. If youdon't believe this, then persuade some friends fromsuch backgrounds to come with you to hear a simplegospel sermon and watch their reaction. In my ownwork I am speaking to more denominational peopleduring gospel meetings now than at any time in my memory. If we will arrange studies in their homesand do a good job of sowing the gospel seed, therewill be a harvest.

It is time to abandon every excuse, overcome ourlaziness and indifference and get the seed out of thebarn and into the field. All of us need stirring along these lines. To this end, we have prepared this special issue of Searching The Scriptures. We believe our writers have done an exceptional work inpreparing this material and send it forth with thehope that it will cause all who read it to sow moreseed and thus "come rejoicing, BRINGING IN THESHEAVES."

In Luke 8:4-15, Jesus told a parable saying, "a sower went out to sow his seed." In this special issueof Searching The Scriptures called "Bringing In The Sheaves" it is my privilege to write on the sower of the seed.

Who Is The Sower?

Since Jesus said "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11), we need to identify the sower. One of thereasons some seed never gets sown is many do notknow they have the responsibility to be sowing theseed, the word of God.

I am afraid that the common conception some brethren have is that the sower of the seed in the parable is the preacher. Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. If we wait for only preachers to sow the seed, much of it will "never get out of the sack."It is true all preachers should be sowing gospel seed,but the job is too great for preachers alone to do it.

In the first century, the apostles, prophets and evangelists were not the only ones found sowing theseed of the kingdom. When the church was scattered the apostles remained in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1) but therecord says "they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria" and "they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word" (Acts 8:1, 4). The result of thesedisciples preaching the word is seen in "the hand ofthe Lord was with them; and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord" (Acts 11:19-21).What if every Christian today used the opportunitiesthat knock at his door to preach the gospel, to say nothing of the opportunities that He could make? Innearly any city, if such were the case, it would besaid, "these that have turned the world upside downare come hither also" (Acts 17:6).

Phillip did not wait to "be sent" but rather "went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christunto them" (Acts 8:5). If you are wondering what"church work" you can do, try following the exampleof Phillip.

I am concerned over an attitude that if one is not "sent" then one can not go with the gospel message.Every Christian should be working to tell someoneelse the gospel story. We have been saved to save.Many claiming relationship to Christ have never taught anyone the truth. I know of a congregationthat made exceptional progress without a building and without a full time preacher. The reason was they did not have a preacher being supported so he could work full time and the brethren had to do the work that was done. Do we not often feel when a preacher is supported that our responsibilities have been fulfilled? It will not be until we have restored the New Testament concept of every Christian preaching and teaching those they contact in dailylife that we will be charged with turning the worldupside down.

Our problem is that we do not believe the plan willwork. A friend recently told me of a car salesmanmaking about $2,500 his first month. He said the reason was, he believed what he was told while in training and put it to practice. If we would believe God's plan, put it into practice and quit wondering what the results will be, the results would have a wayof being taken care of by God.

Seed Is Important

The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11). The creeds of men will not make Christians, for seed produces after its kind.

Paul stated "I have planted" (1 Cor. 3:6). It was told "Apollos watered" but it was said "God gavethe increase." Maybe the teaching you do is wateringwhat another planted or another will water what you and I plant. One thing we need to remember for sureis "for as the rain cometh down, and the snow fromheaven, 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: soshall 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 prosperin the thing whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:10-11).

When the tendency is for one to exalt himself because he is sowing seed, the lesson Paul wrote toCorinth is needed. "Neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveththe increase" (1 Cor. 3:7). The teacher of truth, the sower of seed, needs to remember he did not originatethe plan, he did not die so men might be saved, andit is not his body to which men are added whensaved. This should cause all of us as we sow the seed from heaven to realize the life of the seed is not in us. Nearly any old crow can drop a seed, but he can notclaim credit for the beautiful flowers that it produces.

Good Sower Characteristics

(1) Know the TRUTH. Jesus said there was a condition to knowing the truth (John 8:31-32). Theword of God is truth (John 17:17); truth is not whatsomeone thinks the word of God says. There is adifference. Paul said he preached the "word of God"which was "truth" (1 Thess. 2:13) and the truth preached was the "commandments of the Lord" (1Cor. 14:37). Only the truth will free from sin (John 8:32). If one is teaching, he has the responsibility to teach the truth the first time. Much effort is required today getting error out that has been planted in people's hearts before room can be found for truth. Teach nothing if truth is not taught the first time. (2) Understand People. Insulting people is not the way to teach them the truth. I am impressed that Jesus said the Father will "draw" the sinner to him

(John 6:44-45). In the drawing process there is (1) hearing, (2) learning and (3) coming. Many do notknow the difference in drawing and driving, or insmart aleck speeches and in teaching so men mightlearn. Until we reach people's hearts we will not reach their heads. This does not mean compromising the truth, but it does mean "as sheep in the midst of wolves" we should be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matt. 10:16) or "let your speechbe always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye mayknow how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:6).To be sure, people will have to be told they are lost,but if you convey to them that you love them and areconcerned about their soul, such will not be resented; however, if you tell them in such a way as to indicateyou are glad they are headed toward hell and takegreat delight in telling them, you could not evendrive them into the kingdom of God if such werepossible.

Jesus gives us an example of how to handle theword and people in John 4 when he talked with, notat, the woman at the well. She first addressed Jesus as "sir" (verse 11) but He did not "tell her off. Instead, he continued to instruct leading her to recognize him as a "prophet" (verse 19) and finally asthe "Christ" (verse 29). It would be difficult to know how many people have been turned away from Christ,not by the gospel, but by men who either did not understand people and the word of God, or who did not care and took great delight in getting someonetold, rather than in teaching them.

(3) Good example. A godly example is hard to argue with. Paul told Timothy, "be thou an exampleof the believer, in word, in conversation, in charity,in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). Further,he said, "take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1Tim. 4:16). What does the word of God do when translated into life? If "truth in life" produces goodresults, others will want to follow; however, if evil isthe result, few will care for it. Many times truth hasbeen hindered by ungodliness in life. (4) Faithfulness in sowing. In Matt. 20:116 Jesus taught the lesson of a householder going out for the purpose of hiring laborers into his vineyard. He did this "early in the morning," atnine, twelve, three and five o'clock. Among otherlessons taught by this passage, the lesson of patience and per- sistence in seeking those to serve Christ stands out. How often do we give up on someone when they are not baptized after we talkwith them the first time? Most people want to investigate and look around before they buy. Why should it be any different when one is looking atreligion? The sower probably did not obey the gospelthe first time he heard it, so why should he expectothers to be different? What if the one who taughtyou the truth had given up the first time you heard it? Why should you expect one to do or to know atone sitting, to hear the gospel, what it has taken you twenty years to learn?

Remember the Lord said "my word that goethforth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, andit shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it" (Isa.55:11). The Lord said "It shall not return unto me void", "it shall accomplish that which I please," and"it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it." God did not promise a harvest at the time we thought it ought to be. If we will sow the seed at every opportunity that we have, leaving the resultsto God, He will take care of the harvest. We can"force" a crop failure if we are not careful by our impatience.

In our day we are bombarded on every hand by super sales techniques which overwhelm by the "pitch" and, more often than not, almost lose sightof the product. Salesmen are engrossed with selling the "sizzle" and care little about the steak. If the sack packaging the product is attractive and appealing to the eye that seems to be more importantthan what is in it.

This philosophy has invaded the thinking and attitudes of citizens in the kingdom. Super salesmenhave sold gimmick after gimmick under the guise ofmaking the gospel appealing until many are trapped in this gimmickry and all but forget the gospel. We plead with all for an awakening to the fact that it isthe seed and not the sack which will produce a plenteous harvest. The bus ministry craze with its various reward and incentive tricks, ranging from money hidden under the lucky seat to cokes and snacks for the riders, is representative of the conceptof Christianity enamored by the "sizzle" instead ofthe steak. While expressions of this materialistic, childish and undignified approach to the spread of theglorious gospel are varied and limited only by humanimagination, this single, though not exhaustive, reference will suffice to illustrate.

We even get swept up in this program craze in ourefforts to do personal work. There is a constant seeking for a better plan, a more "fool-proof" method of contacting and teaching the sinner that he mightbe converted to Christ. Reams of paper have been used to publish complex and sure-fire outlines of personal work programs designed to get everyChristian busy teaching others the truth. When it isall said and done we end up with the same problem,motivation. We, in our emphasis on the program, thetheory, the "how-to" plans, are concentrating on the sack when it is the "seed" that is essential to fruit.

A young preacher friend of mine, in fact my son-inlaw, was commenting on how often he used to hearabout the need for personal work classes, reading books on personal work, various "how-to" courses,and the like. He opined, "these are all good, but thebest way to teach one how to do personal work istake someone with you while doing it. Let them seehow it is done and pretty soon they will be doing it."I like that, a simple, yet clear, workable conceptwhich places emphasis on the practice instead of thetheory, the seed and not the sack.

Where does the emphasis truly belong? Where isthe power to accomplish the purpose of almighty Godin the saving of the souls of men? The apostle Paulwrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel ofChrist: for it is the power of God unto salvation toevery one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also tothe Greek" (Rom. 1:16). Take note of the fact that itis the gospel that is "the power of God." Properenunciation as this verse is read emphasizes theword, "power," and such is a complement to thegospel. Try reading it aloud with this in mind. In the same epistle we take note of two additional statements which emphasize the means of accomplishing the purposes of God among men. Paul"ministering the gospel of God, that the offering upof the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctifiedby the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 15:16) worked "through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spiritof God; so that from Jerusalem, and round aboutunto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel ofChrist" (15:19). Preached what? The gospel. Why? This and only this is the "power of God unto salvation." The dignity that attaches to such a solemn and glorious task cannot tolerate a foolish, even childish, commercialization by the humanly devised trappings which some see as a complementary carriage to the message of the cross.

Does our world need the subtle approach of advanced sales techniques? I am persuaded our worldis little different basically from the world of Paul's day. In all likelihood our day and time, the city whereyou and I live, is very comparable to Corinth, ourworld to the world of apostolic time. Take the situation to which Paul addressed himself in the Corinthian letter. Here is a city enraptured byintellectualism, rhetoric and human philosophy, allof which created a barrier to the progress of thegospel and had some effect both within and without the church. Corinth represented the ultimate in Greek culture. Steeped in the vices andthe wickedness of idolatry, to "Corinthianize" had come to describe the most vile and degenerate course of life. To a people so engulfed, overshadowed by adverse influence, what was the apostle's approach, what did he preach? We have the benefit of his inspired reflection. Acts 18 is the history of the activities.

The need of our day is no different from Paul's day, from the city of Corinth. The mournful cry ofsinful men is the same. The tender response of God isthe same. Knowledge of "Jesus Christ and him crucified" as such comprehends the "testimony of God" (1 Cor. 2:1-5) is the answer. Let us never beguilty of responding to the cry of sinful men with agaudy package, an empty sack, which can but dullthe sincere longing for the security and hope thatonly the "seed" (Lk. 8:11) can satisfy.

In this Corinthian situation let us profitably takenote of the preaching of Paul. Negatively, it was notwith excellency of speech. There is no reflection hereupon either method or ability. Rather we see a contrast between human standards of effectiveness and acceptance, and the divine. The strength of thegospel does not depend on rhetoric, neither uponorations of eloquence. The impartation of human wisdom was not Paul's object at Corinth. He camenot as a philosopher to join the ranks of the greatthinkers and establish his own superiority. Rather hecame as a herald with certain facts and truths to proclaim which set forth Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul does not here identify as an enemy tohuman wisdom, neither is the gospel antagonistic tolearning. Such is despised only as a means of humanredemption and is contemptible only when it transcends its sphere.

Paul came to Corinth presenting that which wascertain, sure and unfailing. His was the testimony ofGod, summed up in "Jesus Christ and him crucified." Here is embraced the person and history,the office and purpose of Jesus. Jesus is "savior," Christ is "anointed of God." Crucifixion marks the consummation of heaven's will, the payment of redemption's price, sin's atoning sacrifice. The gospel has as its basis certain facts concerning the life,teaching, miracles, suffering, death and resurrectionof Jesus Christ. The apostles could render personaltestimony based upon precise and accurate knowledgeof these facts which they by inspiration, proclaimed.However, their concern was not with facts for factssake alone, rather as throwing light upon the person,mission and saving power of Jesus. They declaredsalvation comes by a personal trust in Christ; a trustdependent upon personal confidence. A confidencebased upon knowledge. Therefore they went everywhere preaching the gospel, declaring the "testimony of God."

In preaching "Jesus Christ and him crucified,"Paul and all others give emphasis to the mission andpurpose of Jesus. Without the crucifixion of the Sonof God his mission into the world would have been a failure. The gospel would be but a moral scheme andnot the "power of God unto salvation" through theobedient faith of the believer. Jesus Christ is the blending of humanity and deity. The crucifixion culminates, endows the Son of God with his present saving power. Here there is a joining of the crosswith the throne of God as he is raised from the dead and ascends on high.

Let us take note that Paul said "not with enticingwords of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4). In every argument,in every miracle, it was the Spirit working in theapostles. The result of this, in the receptive heart,was a conviction of sin and the need for a savior, the conviction that Jesus Christ was that savior. Words and human wisdom could not produce this, it tookthe power of God as demonstrated by the Spirit inthe apostles. The Spirit is now demonstrating thatsame power through the word of truth, the gospel.

There is a definite aim to the preaching of thegospel, to the preaching of "Jesus Christ and him crucified." What is it? The awakening of faith. Theplaudit of men is not the aim and object, and in thisrespect the gospel is quite unlike the rhetoric andphilosophy of men. A faith that should indissolublybind to Christ through obedience and blossom intoChrist-likeness through conformity. A faith that iswell founded, not standing in the wisdom of men, not built upon beautiful words and theories. Such isaimed at divinely wrought conviction and conversion.All of human origin is swept away that hearts andminds might be fixed upon the God-sent savior andHis victorious mission as comprehended in the cross.This is the power of God, the demonstration of theSpirit, and is the crying need of every day and time. The cheap promotions, gimmicks, and gaudypackaging of our day serves only to cheapen and detract from the faith the gospel will produce.

There is a summation of this in 1 Corinthians 15:14 which begins, "Moreover, brethren, I declare untoyou the gospel which I preached unto you, which alsoye have received, and wherein ye stand; By whichalso ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what Ipreached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain."

Some who might be inclined to reason that all the "flim-flam" and "fol-do-rol" used is but a means to attract attention to the gospel and the church. Reminds me of the ole' farmer who explained hishittin' his mule with a two-by-four. "Just gettin' hisattention," he excused and explained. Some have become so addled with the sack that the seed is all but forgotten and any lasting effect lost. Let us everremember the "gospel is the power of God unto salvation" and it requires no "sack" to convey it tohonest and sincere hearts, only the concerted effort ofthose devoted to it.

"And he spake many things unto them, inparables, saying, Behold, a sower went forthto sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fellby the way side, and the fowls came anddevoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: Andforthwith they sprung up, because they hadno deepness of earth: And when the sun wasup, they were scorched; and because they hadno root, they withered away. And some fellamong thorns; and the thorns sprung up, andchoked them: But other fell into good ground,and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold,some sixty fold, some thirty fold. Who hathears to hear, let him hear" (Matt. 13:3-9).

This parable presents a clear view of the differentkinds of soil into which the seed of the kingdom,which is the word of God (Lk. 8:11), is sown. According to our Lord's own explanation of the parable (Matt. 13:18-23), the soil represents the hearts of men. The primary emphasis is placed upon HOW men hear, and, consequently, that which accounts for the difference in the reception given theword (Matt. 13:9; Lk. 8:18).

This parable is a refutation of that tenet of Calvinism which affirms total depravity. This doctrine cannot be true, if the hearts of the unconverted are different, and indeed they are,according to this parable. Even some hearts among thealiens are good and honest (Lk. 8:15). Furthermore, itequally refutes the doctrine of the immediate or direct influence of the Holy Spirit in conversion.Whatever fruit is produced, from whatever soil, mustbe accounted for upon the basis of the relationshipbetween the seed and the soil. This is true of everykingdom. The products thereof always spring fromthe seed. It follows, therefore, that the soil (heart ofman) cannot produce any fruit apart from the seedwhich is the word of God (Lk. 8:11).

This parable also shows how imperative it is thatthe gospel be preached to every creature in the wholeworld (Mk. 16:15). The soil throughout the world (thehearts of men) can never be converted short of ourplanting the seed into the soil. May God help everyChristian to sense the weight of this responsibility!

Overcoming Despair

Unfortunately, some, having failed in their effortsto convert some friend, neighbor, or loved one, have

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given up. They no longer are active in "personal work." Some say, "What's the use?" These, nodoubt, have overlooked a significant point. Jesus teaches in this parable that not all the sowing of theseed is expected to produce a harvest. Brethren,many of our efforts in sowing the seed will go fornaught. Not all hearts are alike. Some are waysidesoil. Others often fail before harvest time. Be not discouraged, however. Somewhere there is fertile soiland in the end there will be a bountiful harvest!

Different Attitudes

The four soils picture to us four different attitudesof heart. Understanding these attitudes should helpus in our efforts at bringing in the sheaves.

The Wayside Soil. In Palestine narrow paths, opento the public, separated the small fields. Frequenttravel over these paths hardened the soil, hence, itwas unreceptive to any seed that fell on it. Such seedwas soon devoured by the birds. There are hearts likethat. When they hear the truth they "understandethit not." Why? Their heart has become hardened. They were not born that way. Like the wayside soil,conditions and circumstances made it that way. Inthe case of the human heart, Jesus shows that theindividual is responsible:

"For this people's heart is waxed gross, andtheir ears are dull of hearing, and their eyesthey have closed; lest at any time they shouldsee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, andshould be converted, and I should heal them"(Matt. 13:15).

This hardening process begins with the searing ofone's conscience. Hence, God demands that a clearconscience be maintained (1 Tim. 1:5). Conscienceurges man to do what he knows to be right. If helacks knowledge, he may have a clear conscience andyet be wrong (Acts 23:1). Hence, conscience is not acreature of education, but the individual is. As theindividual receives knowledge, conscience urges himup to the point of his knowledge. Failure to so actbegins the searing process. Continual suppression ofconscience will put to death a God given power designed to help save one's soul. Thus, many become wayside soil.

The Stony Soil. This soil was shallow because of an underlying ledge of rock. Seed sown here sprangup quickly, but because of a lack of depth, was soonscorched by the sun and withered away. There are individuals who receive the word readily, but who aremotivated more by impulse, emotion, and carnalthings than by conviction. These act without due deliberation and in time of trial turn "and walk no more with him" (Jno. 6:26, 66). The sower can improve the soil condition here by proper motivation. The cost, too, must be counted (Lk. 14:25-33).

The Thorny Soil. This soil did not produce fruitbecause when the seed began to grow "thorns sprangup with it, and choked it." Jesus explains that thethorns represent the cares, riches, and pleasures ofthis life (Matt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19; Lk. 8:14). We cannotbring in the sheaves, unless those converted truly "seek first the kingdom of God, and hisrighteousness" (Matt. 6:33). Many precious souls arelost each year simply because of undue interest, time,and effort expended upon otherwise legitimateresponsibilities of life. Others trust in a false sense ofsecurity through the riches of this world. Still othersbecome "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God"(2 Tim. 3:4). Thus, the word is choked and, consequently, there can be no harvest.

The Good Soil. Here is soil that produces fruit andmakes possible our "bringing in the sheaves." Jesus explains that this represents an honest and goodheart (Lk. 8:15). Many are honest with everybody except themselves. We sometimes sing, "Oh, who tohimself will be true?" One cannot do this, unless heacts in harmony with what he believes. How manyknow and believe the truth, but do not obey it? Arethey true to themselves? Are they honest with self?They may brag about not being a hypocrite, butreally, are they not a hypocrite when they believe one thing and practice something else?

Here is the honest and good heart, according toJesus: He hears and understands (Matt. 13:23); receives the word (Mk. 4:20), hence, obeys it. Furthermore, he keeps the word (Lk. 8:15), which means that in the face of all pressure, trials, andtemptations he keeps on keeping on "holding fast ... without wavering" (Heb. 10:23). Therefore, he "withpatience" (Lk. 8:15) brings forth fruit to the glory of God. Here is soil that enables us to "Come rejoicing,bringing in the sheaves."

Men and women by the thousands are dying allover the world every day without the gospel ofChrist. Many of these might have been saved had someone taught them God's word. It is equally truethat many of these would not have obeyed the truth even had they learned it. Notwithstanding this, Godhas charged the faithful in every generation since the Pentecost of Acts 2 to preach the truth to the whole creation and this for the purpose of providing all men with the opportunity to be saved. Their acceptance orrejection of the truth will rest upon their own shoulders. The responsibility for making possible thisopportunity to all men rests upon God's faithfulchildren. WE must transfer this responsibility assoon as possible.

The Bible teaches us that men are lost and the gospel is the power of God to save them (Rom. 1:16).Jesus said to his disciples that they should go andpreach into all the world to each nation and everycreature (Mark 16:15, 16; Matt. 28:19, 20). It isevident that this command in our generation falls farshort of the Lord's expectations. Jesus said in Matt.9:36, 37, " ... the harvest truly is plenteous, but thelaborers are few . . ." and then ". . . Pray yetherefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will sendforth laborers into his harvest." Brethren, we notonly need to pray for more laborers but we need tocombine our prayers with action in providing morelaborers. If the harvest is plenteous then there mustbe people who will obey the truth when they learn,many of them. The scarcity is not in the harvest butin the number of harvesters. Many of us seem to getthis turned around and think the harvest is scarce while the laborers are plentiful. Jesus said it is not so.

The Problem. The scarcity, then, of laborers is the problem. They are few. The Lord needs all the preachers he can get. Several hundred preachers for the whole world is not enough. They must be of the"worker" type and not of the "drone" variety. Thereare some would-be preachers who are nothing butlazy heads. They view themselves as some sort offigurehead. Any of this kind is too many. The Lord wants those who will labor. Labor is always neededwhen there is "work" to be done.

To the many faithful preachers who are working sohard, spending and being spent, becoming all thingsto all men for the kingdom of God's sake, we takeour hats off. There are others who are heading in thatdirection. Some want to be full-time workers but the brethren will not help them and they have to maketents and thus diminish the amount of kingdom workthat can be done by them. Whether in local work orin some distant field brethren ought to be willing tosupport those who preach the gospel and thus makeit possible for them to use their time to the fullest inproclaiming the word.

There are still others, particularly the young men,who hesitate in becoming full-time workers in the Lord's vineyard. Why do they hesitate? Perhapsthere are many reasons. If a man has the ability topreach then he should get on with it. If he shakesand trembles a little this is good. It will keep him from being arrogant and cocky. That is far betterthan a man being so overconfident that he presentshimself to the brethren as the model in know-how. Such are destined for a fall and the sooner they falldown on their knees and realize the need for humility the better. No one should worry as some doabout whether or not they will get their daily bread.Will God go off and forget those who are doing Hiswork? Not so. He will not forsake us. If a man is worth his salt he will have enough of what he needs.There might be times when it will be beans insteadof steak but they both are nutritious. He need notthink he will become a millionaire preaching thegospel but the fringe benefits as well as the mainevent (heaven) are terrific. If the brethren fall downon support (as many shamefully do sometimes) thenmake a tent or two to keep in the preaching businessbut do not let tent making become the main object.

The Lord needs preachers with strong convictionand plenty of faith mingled with raw courage. Suchmen will have the needed stamina to stand whatever may be the test and will not faint at every turn in the road. We never read of Paul having a nervous breakdown. Listen, young men, there is no greater or more fulfilling endeavor than the preaching of thegospel of Christ. Read up on Abraham a little andmake your decision to preach. He was not afraid topull up his tent stakes and go wherever God had inmind for him to go. Neither should you. We needmen of that caliber to preach the gospel of Christ.Do you have that much faith?

Another reason there are so few workers in the kingdom is that some men of great ability quitpreaching and go back to secular work. This reducesthe number of workers. Some men have so hurt their influence by misbehaviour that they might as well quit but not the Lord. Preachers who misbehave canrepent but they may have to settle for less front linework as a result. If this is true then that is their place to work but they still should work as far aspossible from within the ranks of the people.

The ranks of preachers are reduced at regularintervals by the decease of faithful men of God who have served their time and have gone on to theirreward. This is the best way to go, in a period of faithfulness to God. They are missed and they leavean empty place but the work must go on and so wemust close ranks and encourage others to help withthe work.

Some Statistics. So far we have talked about the scarcity of preachers in the work of the Lord. Whatabout the average member of the church? Let us givesome consideration to them. Does not each individual Christian, preacher or not, have some obligation tohelp in preaching the word? Absolutely! We fear that some have not yet become aware of this, however.Many church bulletins carry certain statistics relatingto yearly growth from time to time. One such churchof 228 members announced that during the year 11were baptized. Another with 400 had 12 and anotherof 80 members had 13. All of this is for one whole year. This is shameful. Do you mean to say that 228Christians cannot convert more than 11 to Christ in a year? The 400 church did about half as well and the80 church with its 13 did far more. But who wants to be the first to say this is good work? Dare we? It is a shame and disgrace. This is only a small samplingbut it is peculiarly representative. This should stirus. Better still, it should shock us into a self-examination. Now we must hasten to say that anywho are saved are precious and for such results we are glad. But is it enough? Does it reflect the capability of the brethren in these congregations? The pathetic thing about all this is that in these situations too often it was the preacher and the elderswho converted those who did obey. It may in somecases not be a good year's work for them even. But what was everyone else doing? The real problem inworker scarcity is in getting the average member ofthe church to realize that he too must engage in soul-saving efforts. Do the members think that they cando their work by proxy? Can someone else do theirsoul-saving for them? Friend, no one can dischargewhat God holds you responsible for but yourself. Wemust get involved personally. You may not be able toteach a class or preach a sermon publicly but youmust strive to reach your friends, relatives,neighbors, co-workers, and all with whom we comein contact day after day. We all have Bibles, we haveaccess to tracts and suitable materials to teach others. Excellent film-strips and charts are availableto aid you. Spend a little of your personal money andequip yourself so you can work effectively for theLord. We cannot put it all on the preachers and elders. They should not be regarded as our scapegoats on whom we can heap our own inadequacies thinking that this relieves us of obligation to the lost.

Getting Started. Getting ready to commence tobegin to start soul-saving is the problem of most. We will do it tomorrow and that fantastic day nevercomes for us. We need a fire built under us so we will come alive. We need motivation or thrust. The latter is a contemporary word. We need thrust to get offthe launching pad. To do this we will have to thinkabout the great need for soul-savers. Then ask yourself this question, "What can I do about it?" Ifyou will do this sincerely and objectively you will findthe right answer. You must think after this fashion.If the world is ever going to be converted it looks like I'll have to do it myself. Think how close this wouldcome to being accomplished if enough would think ofit this way and do something about it.

Some might say, "Well, this is right but where do I start?" This is a good question but it should beeasy to answer. Some are like the little girl in thestrawberry patch who stood there crying because shecould not decide where to start picking the lusciousred berries that were all around her. Why do you notstart with the first you can get to? Is that notlogical? Would it make much sense to jump across 15rows to get to the berries on the other side of thepatch when all we have to do is stoop down? No, itwould not make much sense as well we know. So start where you are and get busy. It will unfold itselfnaturally from there on. But brethren, by all meansSTART somewhere, sometime.

Our Example. If each member of the church wouldconvert one soul to Christ in a year just think whatthat would mean. The 200 church would have 400,the 80 church would have 160 and the 400 church would have 800. Consider also that some would do better than this and you have a staggering picture of conversions to Christ. Please do not say that this isjust hypothetical. It really is not. In Colossians 1:23Paul was able to say in his day that the gospel "...was preached to every creature which is under heaven..." This was done without any of the mass mediaof our day and without modern communications andtransportation systems. Brethren, the laborers do nothave to be few and you can be one of them. Will youincrease the number by one today?

LET'S GO FISHING FOR MEN!

Some time ago a young man came to me quiteupset because of a problem he was having. He saidthat recently on an airplane flight he had looked about and had realized that he was likely the onlyperson aboard the plane who was a Christian. Suddenly he felt a compulsion to jump up and preachthe gospel to passengers (Talk about a captive audience!).

But this young Christian felt a sense of real failurebecause he had been unable to muster enoughcourage to follow through on that compulsion. Heasked me what he could do to increase his courage.

I told him that courage was certainly essential andthat zeal was to be admired, but both needed to betempered with reason. I then asked if he had thought of simply entering into a conversation withthe person seated next to him and trying to lead himto a knowledge of the good news. He said such had not occurred to him.

Perhaps this incident typifies our problem. When

we do get worked up over a lost and damned world,we tend to forget that the fellow next to us is part ofthe world.

J. T. Bristow, in the April, 1977 issue of Outreach, told a story that illustrates the solution. He writes that something wonderful recently happened to June.She multiplied!

"You see, June had made up her mind that shewould not rest until she had done what the Lord had commanded in Matt. 28:19. Jesus, in this passage,was saying to his disciples that 'as they were going'throughout the world they should make others to belike them, that is, make disciples. When one disciplemakes another disciple, he (or she) multiplies self.June was nervous—and excited—when she met with Sue for a Bible study. She planted the gospel in Sue'sheart, and a marvelous thing happened. Sue was baptized into Christ, and became a disciple! It wasdifficult to tell which one was the happiest over the event.

"Sue was so excited over her new life in Christ that she had an inward compulsion to tell the good newsto someone else. The very first week of her new life,she set up a Bible study with Cathy. Using a verysimple guide to plant the gospel seed, she taughtCathy. Another marvelous thing happened. Cathywas baptized into Christ, and became a disciple!

"Now, instead of one disciple (June), there werethree • ■ • June, Sue, and Cathy. Just think aboutwhat would happen to the church if every disciplewould do what Jesus said to do—multiply! In amatter of weeks the church would triple! In a matterof a few more weeks it would triple again! This is thekind of growth Jesus intended and anticipated. InActs 6:1 we read that it happened, 'the number of the disciples was multiplied.'

"When Sue and Cathy continue to multiply, and the disciples they make multiply, then those disciplesmultiply . . . there perhaps will be several hundreddisciples as a result. When it is all traced back (andperhaps it will be in the day of judgment), it will allcome back to June, who decided to do what the Lordsaid.

"This process, which started with the original disciples of Christ, has worked for almost two thousand years, and it still works today!

"The process will work—if we will work. If you willmultiply, the Lord will add."

Such is the pattern we find so clearly marked outin the New Testament. Some of the greatest lessonsof our Lord we find recorded in one on one situations. Perhaps the outstanding example of this is His conversation with the woman at the well (John 4).

We might observe in the first place that we have,in this place, every possible excuse for not botheringto confront this person with spiritual things.

Jesus was traveling. How often do we feel compelled to share the gospel with strangers we meet on a trip? We're too often in a hurry and tend to rationalize that a brief conversation would neither be appreciated nor do any good. It mighthelp us to pause and consider that Jesus, who had the greatest mission of anyone to tread this earth,never seemed

to get in a hurry, and yet He always had time to do His Father's will!

Jesus was tired and hungry. We excuse ourselvesfor getting hard to live with when we're tired and hungry. But our Lord became so involved in thegreat work of instructing a lost soul that He becameoblivious of His hunger (v. 31-34).

The person was socially, nationally, and religiously different. Every possibility for prejudice was present (v. 9). It seems that the woman indicated in her immediate remarks a great dealof prejudice. Probably the difference in sex was offar greater significance than it is in our culture. Jewshad no dealings with Samaritans, the woman said. And the religious differences between them had provoked great envy and bitterness.

God apparently does not agree with some of ourbrethren who opine that it's best for whites to preach to whites and blacks to blacks . . . Northerners to Northerners and Southerners to Southerners, etc. When He got ready to send the gospel to the Gentiles, He selected one of the most prejudicedGalilean Jews He could have chosen. In our wisdom (?) we would have undoubtedly sent one of the Grecian Jews who had adopted some of the customsof the Gentiles. But God sent Peter.

The person was immoral. She had had five husbands, and was then living with a man who wasnot her husband. Had we been there, perhaps wewould have reasoned that it is no use trying to teachone such as this. Jesus did not let this stop Him.

The person was rude. When the Lord asked for a drink, she said, "How is it that thou being a Jew,askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?" Most of us would have probably dropped anyintentions of bringing up spiritual matters at thatpoint.

The second thing that should capture our attentionin this encounter is the different steps that the Lordtook in teaching her. Paul E. Little in his book, How To Give Away Your Faith, has outlined "seven principles for action" from this account:

1. Contact Others Socially. In order to reach and teach people, we must first meet people.Jesus associated with sinful people. He came not tocall the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke5:27-32). We are to be separate from the world, butthis does not mean we are to isolate ourselves from the world (John 17:15; 1 Cor. 5:9-11).
2. Establish a Common Interest (v. 7). Some of us may pride ourselves on "getting right to the point." It would benefit us to remember that Jesus did not think Himself above leading gently into the con- versation. Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People has been the butt of much ridicule by some brethren. But there are common sense principles in that book which wouldhelp any of us "win souls and influence people for heaven."
3. Arouse Interest (v. 9-15). The Lord led her gently from where she was to where He wanted her tobe. We cannot move people by shouting at them fromacross the room. The Lord threw out bait as a "fisher of men." He aroused in this person enough interest toquestion Him regarding spiritual truth.

1. Don't Go Too Far Too Fast (v. 13-16). Jesus gave this woman only what she was ready for. Eventually He revealed Himself as the Christ (v. 26).
2. Don't Condemn (v. 16-19). The Lord apparentlydid not subscribe to the theory that to not quicklyand vociferously condemn a thing is to condone it.The woman was probably conscious of her sin. Jesusdid not need to impress that upon her mind. Rudedenunciations do not open doors for us. If we live lives which reflect the light of God's love as well as His word, we need not fear that people will not knowwhere we stand.
3. Stick With the Main Issue (v. 20-26).The Samaritan woman attempted to sidetrack theLord from the main issue. We can always tell folks, "That's an interesting question and we can discuss it later." Don't be diverted off the main road and find yourself discussing a subject that really makes very little difference.
4. Confront Him Directly. We should never lose sight of our goal in discussing the truth withothers. It will not help them to accept the truth mentally if they do not obey it. We should think carefully about how to best bring to a successful climax our study of the gospel with others. One way or another, they need to be confronted with the choice that faces all men: "What shall I do with Jesus?"

The success that Phillip had in Samaria (Acts 8)may well have been due to this one on one encounterthat Jesus had with the Samaritan woman. She multiplied (v. 39-41).

Brethren, let us follow in His steps.

Multitudes of God's people have convinced themselves that they cannot convert others to Christ.Myriads of excuses are offered in an attempt to justify their attitude We call these excuses, "Roadblocks to Reaping."

Enjoined upon every child of God is the responsibility of saving the lost (Rom. 1:14). Paul became all things to all men that he might save some(1 Cor. 9:22). The great apostle loved the souls ofmen and this was the driving impetus in his life thatmade him a traveling missionary—a personal worker.

Let us analyze several of the excuses that brethrenuse for not doing personal work and suggest whatcan be done to overcome these stumblingblocks tosoul-saving.

(1) "I cannot do personal work." Do you havetrouble talking to people about something you areenthusiastic about and sold on yourself? How manyhave trouble talking about a bargain at the store, anew detergent that takes care of "ring-around thecollar," a new gadget that saves money, who is going to win the World Series, a favorite politician, etc.,etc.? We all talk freely about these things to ourfriends and neighbors, and there is no reason why wecannot talk to them about Jesus Christ. Maybe someof us are not as enthusiastic about Jesus as we are about new cars, food recipes and gardening.

When Andrew found the Christ, he could not wait to go tell his brother, Simon Peter that he had foundthe Messiah. The Bible states, "And he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:42). When we are sold on something, we will want to share it with others. There will not be anybody saying, "I do not knowhow to tell others about it."

(2) "I do not know how to do personal work." One can learn. We learn to do about anything we set ourminds to do. We learn to be mechanics, engineers,farmers, lawyers, physicians, teachers, cooks and many other things. We can also learn to be a soul-winner. This means learning the Bible and knowinghow to properly answer the religious errors of thosewe try to teach. If you run into a problem you cannothandle, ask someone to help you who is better prepared. The next time the problem comes up, you will be ready for it.

Surely, if we can take the time and expend theeffort of learning how to be successful in the world,we can do the same for the Lord and the good of men.

(3) "People do not want to listen to the Bible."

This is true with many people, but such is not thecase with everybody. Our job is to find those withhonest and good hearts and teach them the truth.

A good salesman never prejudges a potentialbuyer. He knows that a certain percentage is going tobuy his product. His job is to find that percentage.The same is true with Christians. We should never presume as to who will and will not be interested inthe gospel. Try them all and a certain percentage willrespond—the honest people.

Who would have thought that Saul of Tarsus would have obeyed the gospel? If some of the brethren had lived back there in Saul's time, he would have been the last choice as a prospect for conversion. Look at the Corinthians. Some of them were murderers, thieves, homosexuals, idolaters, etc.Who would have thought of them as being touchedby the gospel. But they were!

Brethren, our trouble is not the lack of people willing to listen, but rather the lack of church members willing to tell them. Shame on us!

(4) "I am just too busy. " We generally find time todo what we want to do. Perhaps this is the reason fornot doing personal work—we are busy doing what wewant to do, and personal work is not one of thosethings.

There are 168 hours in each week. Let's say youwork 40 hours, so you are left with 128 hours. Butyou have to sleep about 56 hours, hence, you nowhave 72 hours left. Some of this is spent in eating,necessary work around the house and some leisure.Alright, what about the rest of the time?

"Well, preacher, there is bowling, golfing, television, club meetings, shopping, house cleaning,gardening, and there is just not anytime left for thispersonal work." Now we are seeing what the problemis relative to time. The time is there but it is consumed on selfish interests and personal pleasures. These brethren need to learn to put thekingdom first (Matt. 6:33).

Hardly anybody in the world has anymore sparetime than the American people. Everything is so automated that we get things done much faster thanwe used to. We are still busy, nevertheless, but not about our Father's business. Our business is the transitory and mundane things of life.

(5) "I am not going to do it by myself." It is discouraging when hardly anybody in the congregation does any personal work. We reason thatsince nobody else will go visit the lost and talk tothem about their souls, then we are not going to dothe work ourselves. "Why should I be the one whodoes all the work around here," some rationalize.

But let us remember that our service for the Lord is an individual matter. If nobody else fulfills hisduty, that does not relieve me of my responsibility."So then every one of us shall give account of himselfto God" (Rom. 14:12). We should not get sidetracked by the other fellow. Jesus said to Peter when he asked about John, "If I will that he tarry till I come,what is that to thee? follow thou me" (John 21:22).Let our main concern be whether we are followingJesus.

(6) "I am afraid I will hurt somebody." Certainly,we do not want to hurt anybody. But souls are atstake. Men and women are lost and need to be saved. Would we rather see them go to hell than risk hurting some feelings by telling them what the Bibleteaches?

Jesus did not make everybody happy. He told therich ruler that he would have to sell what he had and give to the poor to be his disciple. The young man went away sorrowful (Matt. 19:22). Peter's sermon on Pentecost cut to the heart many of those who crucified Jesus (Acts 2:37). They were brought to theLord.

We should not be rude with people, but we mustattempt to convert them to the Lord. Find the properapproach with each person and strive to win him toChrist. Do not let fear of offending your friends and neighbors stand in your way. Those you help see thetruth will be eternally grateful to you.

(7) "I am too old" or "I am too young. " We never get too old to serve the Lord, unless we are senileand incapacitated. Some of the greatest works havebeen done by people in the sunset of life. GrandmaMoses was known for her picturesque paintings in herlatter years. What could be more fulfilling and rewarding for older saints than spending their timetrying to bring lost souls to Christ? Who could have more appeal to older people than older people, themselves?

Daniel served God from youth to the time he exchanged worlds at a ripe old age. The beloved apostle John worked for Jesus till he approached thecentury mark in years. He died, having given himselffully to the Cause of truth.

Young people can talk to their peers and win themto Jesus. The religion of Christ is not just for theelderly. If young people are old enough to obey thegospel, they are old enough to work for the enlargement of the borders of the kingdom. Churcheseverywhere need to put their young people to work,sowing the seed of the kingdom. What opportunitiesteen-agers have to share the blessings of heaven withtheir friends.

(8) "I do not have the right kind of personality." Then, adjust your personality—try to improve it. People take courses to improve their personality inorder to enhance their profession. Why not be thatconcerned about saving souls? Our personalities didnot affect our getting married (generally speaking),creating friendships and participating in games withothers. Why should, therefore, our personalities deterus from working with people, spiritually? There maybe personality clashes with some, but not everybody.

(9)"I am too tired to do personal work. " Of course, everybody gets tired. Those who do personal workget tired, but they do the work, anyway. What if that soul you saved were your child? Would you be too tired? Remember, everybody is the son or daughter of someone. They are precious, too.

Let's say that you and I received $10,000 fromsome rich brother for everyone we converted. How tired would we be, then? All of us would get tired,;ill right. but it would be as a result of working to try

to convert as many as we could. Why should not heaven be a far greater incentive? A person who says heis too tired to do personal work is not taking the Christian life very seriously.

Brethren, I pray that there will be a revival of interest in soul-winning in the hearts of all Christians everywhere. Let's all say in unison, "I want to be asoul-winner for Jesus."

It has been my experience, in the 25 years I havebeen preaching the gospel, that the majority of Christians must be continually "prodded" in orderto get them to talk to friends and/or neighbors aboutChristianity. This should not be the case. We want topoint out in this article a few of the reasons why weshould be "self-starters" when it comes to soul winning.

In order for one to be a "self-starter," there mustbe some force that motivates that person. The word"motivate" means, "to provide with, or affect as, a motive" (Webster's New World Dictionary, Page 393). The word "motive" means, "an inner drive, impulse, etc. that causes one to act; incentive"(IBID). What is said in the New Testament thatwould cause us to be "motivated" to be soul winners? I believe the answer can be found in three points thatare made by the apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 5:10-14.

Love of Christ

Let's begin with the last statement in these verses.Paul says in v. 14, "The love of Christ constrainethus . . ." W. Robertson Nicoll in his Expositor's Greek Testament tells us that the construction of the sentence here very definitely expresses the love thatChrist had for us as being the motivating force behind Paul's preaching (Vol. 3, Page 69).

This love that Christ had for us is expressed in anumber of passages. We know that the love (agapao)that God had for us in sending His Son (John 3:16)into the world, even while we were yet sinners (Rom.5:8, or the enemies of God and Christ) is the thing that constrained Paul to preach. Many have the mistaken idea that this thing called "love", that weare to manifest toward others, is the kind of love thatis expressed by the Greek word phileo which, according to Mr. Thayer, "denotes an inclination prompted by sense and emotion" (Thayer, Page 653).

A definition for love (the kind Christ had for uswhile we were yet sinners) that I have adopted,because I believe it encompasses the many thingsgiven by lexicographers who define the word agapao, is "Interest IN, Concern FOR, and Care OF another." Doesn't this explain how I may love myenemies even as Christ has commanded in Matt. 5:44? I don't have to have a personal liking for one inorder to teach him the gospel. By following Christ's example, I can be interested in, concerned for, andendeavoring to care for him, simply because he islost. It behooves every one of us to look back on ourown lives and think about those who loved Christ enough to follow his example in seeking to help us toknow the truth and encourage us to obey it.

Many are often outspoken against the nine leperswho failed to return to thank Jesus for cleansingthem of their leprosy (Luke 17:17). "Suchingratitude," they say. But what about those of uswho have received remission of sins? What do we do to show our love and appreciation for all that Christhas done for us? Are we so ungrateful, not only toChrist who loved us enough to die for us, but tothose who loved us enough to make the effort to helpus to be saved, that we have to be pushed intohelping others? Let us allow the love that Christ hadfor us, in dying that cruel death on the cross for oursins, to constrain and motivate us, as it did Paul, totry to bring others to Jesus regardless of personal consequences.

Judgment

The second thing that ought to motivate us to doGod's will is found in verse 10. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things in his body,according to that he hath done, whether it be good orbad."

We are assured of the judgment to come by theresurrection of Christ (Acts 17:31). But note whatPaul says will take place. We will not be judgedaccording to what our parents have done. We will not be judged by what some preacher we love has done.We will be judged according to what each one of ushas done whether it be good or bad.

If I am to do good, I will be concerned withknowing the Word of God; for it furnishes completelyunto every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). But if I amgoing to be judged according to that which I havedone, in obedience to God's word, how can I expectto be justified in the sight of God by the blood ofChrist, when I have not tried to bring one single soulto Jesus when He loves them equally as well as me,and when I have orders from Him to "teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2)? We cannot plead ignorance. Nolawyer can be there to try, by some devious means,to get our sentence changed. Now is the time to dogood by living right and teaching others to preparefor the judgment to come— and it will come.

Terror of the Lord

Finally, we should be motivated to take the good news (gospel) of Christ to others and endeavor topersuade them to become Christians because we know"the terror of the Lord" (Verse 11). Paul presents both "sides" of God in these verses—both love and terror. Although we want often to hear about the loveof God, we neither want to hear nor believe what issaid about the terror of the Lord.

How awful it will be, when but seconds after death

we will be as the rich man of Luke 16, lifting up our

eyes in hades being tormented in the flames, knowing

there is no hope of escape—yet knowledgeable of the

fact that we could have missed that terrible place by

doing the will of God while on earth. Paul said Christ

became the author of eternal salvation to all them

that obey him (Heb. 5:9). How horrible for us to

know that the Lord wanted us to seek souls, but unwilling to do it, thus finally and eternally beingcast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death (Rev. 21:8). How horribleindeed!

Conclusion

If, after knowing of the Love of Christ and whatHe has done for us; knowing of the judgment tocome; and knowing the terror of the Lord we are notmotivated to be self-starters to save souls, we should be ashamed to live, and afraid to die. For God hathsaid, "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth itnot, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). And Paul said,"But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons" (Col. 3:25).

Isaiah cried out in the long ago, "Here am I, sendme." Many do not have the faith of Isaiah, and donot want to get involved today. It is little wonderthat the Lord said in Matthew 7:14, "Because straitis the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadethunto life, and few there be that find it." The Lord sent the flood and saved eight, and Peter calls them"a few". If we multiply eight by ten we have eighty, and again by ten we have eight hundred, and againby ten we have eight thousand. Where is the versethat tells us to expect any more? It is little wonderthat the Lord said in Luke 18:8, "Nevertheless whenthe Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on theearth." This scares me, as a preacher, for the reasonsare just as good today for telling the old story of the cross as they were twenty, one hundred and twenty,or one thousand and twenty years ago.

The world is lost and some have to say, "Here amI, send me." A brother called me a fool for not taking a job that would pay me thousands when this samebrother would have begged me to keep preaching thegospel twenty years ago. Brethren, what is happening to us? Have we reached the point wherethere are none who will say with Isaiah of old, "Here am I, send me."? It was not easy in Isaiah's time for a prophet to stand up for God, and it is not easytoday, but the Lord did not promise us a "rose garden." Who said it would be easy? Not the Lord,for he told his disciples that men would even kill them in the name of religion. Even in my time, Ihave had the "One God Holiness" stand over mytable for what seemed an eternity saying that theBible says there is one Lord and Miller says there are three. Time after time I have left without enough tobuy my ticket home, and yet, I know nothing of realsacrifice. To borrow an expression of the Hebrewwriter, "let the dead speak." Time would fail us to tell of Warlick, Freed, Tant, and Blue; or evenfurther back, of Campbell, Raccoon John Smith,Stone and Scott. These men did not stand back because of the cost, but said, "Here am I, send me."Think of all the apostles who died the death of amartyr, excepting perhaps John.

Have we grown so accustomed to the comforts oflife that we have lost sight of the call of the Lord? We have built for the preachers fine homes and forthe brethren air-conditioned meeting houses. Carpetsthat reach from wall to wall are but symbolic of the lethargy that today is found in Zion. Are you in theeight, the eighty, the eight hundred or the eightthousand? I am sure the judgment will be full ofsurprises for all of us. A very small percent of thosewho have obeyed the gospel will be saved. "You are just trying to scare me" you say, but the truth is,unless we say, "Here am I send me," none of us will be saved.

Problems Then And Now

There have always been great problems that madethe preaching of the gospel difficult. There is littleexcuse for us to say that no one is interested today. It may come as a surprise that the wise man said inthe long ago, "What is the cause that the former days were better than these? For thy doest not inquire wisely concerning this." In the days whenone-third of the world was slave, it was not easy. Itwas not easy when they raised a mob at Ephesus. Itwas not easy when they would not hear Paul in Jerusalem. It was not easy when they stoned Stephenfor telling them the truth. It was not easy when Johnthe Baptist lost his head. Who has told you that itwould be easy?

The church, and members of it, need to quitmaking excuses and start to share the glorious gospel with the lost. We will have to bear fruit or perish. InJohn 15, Jesus said, "If a man abide not in me, he iscast forth as a branch, and is withered; and mengather them and cast them into the fire, and they areburned." In verse 2 he said, "Every branch in methat beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and everybranch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it maybring forth more fruit." The truth of the matter is that in this country we have been spoiled. Peoplewould come to the meeting house, hear the gospelpreacher, obey the truth and be saved. We are madthat this method is not the complete answer today.We want to excuse ourselves by saying that men andwomen are not interested in their souls.

Who promised us that it would be easy? NotChrist, for he said in Matt. 10:24, "Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth: I am come notto send peace but a sword. For I am come to set aman at variance against his father, and a daughteragainst her mother, and a daughter-in-law againsther mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they ofhis own household." Was it easy when there was scarcely a building in which to preach the gospel? When men stood on stumps and under brush arborsin the burning heat of summer. Was it easy when the gospel had to be preached in school houses and thedoors were locked against us? Was it easy when thelocks were changed and in some cases, even the stove had been removed to keep the audience from havingany heat in the bitter cold of winter? Was it easywhen the pioneers met the champions of error in thering of debate and stood for truth against all comers?These were bitter battles and great victories, but they were all won at a price. We need to be willingtoday to pay the price also. If we fail, they fail alsoin that the heritage they left perishes with us. Christ,in a sense, also fails for the wonderful story ofsalvation is not told. Have we lost faith in the gospelas God's message of redemption? Have we lost faithin the ability of the God who made us to give us amessage that would work in our time. Paul in 2 Cor.

4:3 tells us, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid tothem that are lost." If we really believed that menwere lost, we would try to save them.

One Sided Salvation

When we think of the statement, "Here am I, sendme," we sometimes forget how one sided salvation really is. All that God will receive for sending HisSon is his "inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18).When you stop and think, even the most faithful ofus will still be unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10).Our salvation can only be understood when we think of the great love God had for us. Such passages asJohn 3:16 tell us that God "so loved" and in this light alone is the motive of God set forth. Passageafter passage in the Bible tells us that we will sufferpersecution but that the suffering of this presentworld is not worthy to be compared with the joy thatawaits the true Christian over there. We need in this day to be prepared to make any sacrifice to be surethat we find heaven, and to do that, we must try totake others with us. Who would deny that Noah triedto convince others that the flood was coming? He wasunsuccessful, but he tried. It is the Lord's church and he will see that it accomplishes its mission, butthe point is that in this generation it depends uponus or someone like us to do the work. The Lord has no tongue but our tongue to tell the story and it ishigh time we awake out of sleep and do just that.When there are no longer any interested in telling the story of redemption nor any who are willing to hear,the Lord will bring time to an end.

It has never been easy to preach and practice the

gospel, but let us not be guilty of saying that the

former days were better than these. In the words of

Paul, let us say, "For our light affliction, which is

but for a moment, worketh for us a more exceedingly

and eternal weight of glory: While we look not at the

things which are seen, but at the things which are

not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal;

but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Lord, help us unglue our eyes from the materialism

and glory this world has to offer, and busy ourselves

laboring in thy vineyard.

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Alertness is a trait of character that is admired byall. I know, personally, that I appreciate the individual who is always "on the ball." This is especially true as it pertains to spiritual matters. There are many admonitions given in the Scripturefor the Christian concerning the necessity of beingalert. Jesus said, "Watch therefore: for ye know notwhat hour your Lord doth come" (Matt. 24:42). "Watch therefore ..." (Matt. 25:13; Mk. 13:35; Lk. 21:36). "Watch and pray . . . (Matt. 26:41; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 21:36). Paul said, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith ..." (1 Cor. 16:13). "..... but let us watch and be sober." (1 Thes. 5:6). "But watch thou in all things" (2 Tim. 4:5). Peter said, "be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7). "Be sober, be vigilant. . . " (1 Pet. 5:8). Then other passages which emphasize alertness are such ones as these words of the apostle Paul— "Awake to righteousness." "Awake thou that steepest ..." (1 Cor. 15:34; Eph. 5:14).

Often times, Christians say they have nothing todo, the reason being—THEY ARE NOT LOOKING!We must be alert and be aware of what is going on and of what is needed. By so doing, we canthen be diligent and more effective in carrying outwhatever is needful. There are several areas where it is essential that we be alert. Let us notice some aspects of life where alertness is required.

We Must Be Alert To the Needs of One Another

Sometimes it is the small, everyday needs of lifewhich go unnoticed. However, these may very well bethe critical areas where encouragement is so desperately needed. Paul said, "Bear ye one another'sburdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). Paul told the Philippians, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also inChrist Jesus" (Phil. 2:4, 5). The need for concern andalertness to the needs of one another is further set forth by Paul in the Roman letter: "Be kindly af-fectioned one to another with brotherly love; inhonour preferring one another . . . Rejoice with themthat rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of thesame mind one toward another" (Rom. 12:10, 15, 16).

Surely, we must be aware of and respond to the"major" needs of one another. But also bear in mind that the "little things," such as a warm smile, a firmhandshake, a pat on the back, a card, a telephonefall, a word of appreciation, etc. just might "make another's day!"

Elders Must Be Alert to The Needs of the Flock

Paul told the Ephesian elders to "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, overthe which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers,to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). To obey this command, elders must know the flock. This necessitates alertness. The elders must be closely acquainted with each member, being alert to his spiritual needs in order to properly "feed the flock." Parents learn that children can not all be handled alike. One will be more subject to training anddiscipline than another; one will be more apt to learnthan another, etc. So it is with elders watching overthe flock. Some members need more fundamental teaching, while others require deeper study and training. Some may need discipline and correction.Some may need more encouragement than do others.To be aware of the particular needs and specific conditions of each member of the congregation requires alertness on the part of the elders.

Preachers Must Be Alert to the Needs of the Congregation

A gospel preacher has the duty to "Set in order the things that are wanting" (Tit. 1:5). Preachers must at all times declare God's truth on any Bible subject.As Paul told the Ephesian elders, ". . . I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, andfrom house to house . . . For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:20, 27). Preachers have the responsibility of preaching the truth, even though the truth "steps on a fewtoes" in the process. Strong preaching sometimes hasa stinging effect on its listeners. Of course, this is asign or indication that this particular teaching isneeded. For example, if we rub alcohol on our skin,and in some areas it begins to sting, then those are the areas which need the medication. This, likewise, is true with regard to proclaiming the oracles of God and the effect it has on our lives. Paul told Timothy to "Preach the word; be instant in season, out ofseason; reprove, rebuke, exhort will all longsufferingand doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2). Obeying this command requires alertness on behalf of the gospel preacher.

The Congregation Must Be Alert to theNeeds of the Preacher

The preacher needs the support of the congregationso long as he preaches and teaches the truth. It is very significant and meaningful to the preacher toknow that he has the backing, the encouragement,and the support of the members as he does his work.Preachers need to feel a sense of "belonging" to a congregation if they are going to be effective. Hence,alertness on the part of the congregation is essentialin this regard.

Also, I might add at this point, that brethren, likewise, need to be alert to the financial needs of agospel preacher. "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of thegospel." (1 Cor. 9:14). Many brethren are not aware

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of the fact that the gospel preacher's salary is the gross amount out of which must come social security, taxes, insurance, retirement, or any type offringe benefit that he might have. It has been estimated by a recent survey that the fringe benefits to the average American worker are worth about $3,000 per year. According to the consumerPrice Index, living expenses have risen nearly 20% inthe last five years. Consideration to these facts mustbe given with regard to the preacher's salary. A gospel preacher can't perform his work effectively ifhe is constantly distracted by the financial needs forhis family security. It is rather humiliating for a preacher to feel as though he is a "beggar." When a preacher has to ask for an increase in salary, he isusually placed in a very awkward position. Some might get the wrong idea and make the false chargethat he is preaching for money. "That money hungrypreacher!" But preachers are human! They havefinancial responsibilites, they have families, and theyhave obligations to their families just like everyoneelse. Therefore, brethren must be alert to the financial needs of the preacher.

We Must Be Alert to the Needs of Self

Being alert to what is lacking in our own livesenables us to then begin making the necessary corrections. We must guard against being conceited.

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, toevery man that is among you, not to think of himselfmore highly than he ought to think; but to thinksoberly, according as God hath dealt to every manthe measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). We must guard against self-complacency. This was the problem of the Laodiceans: "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable,and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). The necessity of being alert in reference to self is stressedby the apostle Paul when he says, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove yourown selves. Know ye not your own selves, how thatJesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates" (2Cor. 13:5)? Alertness concerning our own abilities andweaknesses is imperative.

Conclusion If alertness is lacking in our lives then it is time to"WAKE UP!" We close with the words of Paul: ". . . . it is high time to awake out of sleep . . . Thenight is far spent, the day is at hand" (Rom. 13:11, 12).