“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (John 1:41).
TEXT — John 1:40-51
Message
In many assemblies, the laity has abandoned the preaching of the gospel to the clergy. In 2008, Dag Heward-Mills noted that 94 percent of all the pastors preach to nine percent of the world’s harvest and only six percent of the pastors preach to 91 percent of the word’s harvest. The question Oswald J. Smith asked several decades ago thus becomes pertinent: “We talk of the second coming when half of the world has never heard of the first coming.” The current world population is estimated at eight billion out of which only 2.6 billion, representing one third, claim to be Christians.
From our text, Andrew was one of Christ’s earliest converts. He went after his brother and won him for Christ. Phillip brought Nathaniel. Thus, the exponential multiplication began until multitudes were now converted. As Christ noted, more than 2,000 years ago, “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few”.
The best approach to reach the unreached is to embrace the DAWN AGENDA:Discipling A Whole Nation or Doubling A Written Number founded on Operation Andrew that is highlighted in our text. John the Baptist pointed Christ to Andrew who brought Simon Peter.
A soul-winner must be genuinely converted, know the Scripture and have Christlike compassion for the lost. He must also be persistent because not everyone would embrace Christ at the first invitation. Let us also learn from the approach of Christ to soul-winning. The call of the disciples, the discussion with Nicodemus and the conversion of the Samaritan woman were outcomes of Christ’s personal efforts. We should, therefore, look for every opportunity to win souls.
Thought for the day
Soul-winners win with a sense of urgency and persistence.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
