Mark 1:19
“And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.”
Jesus had just come down from the time of temptation, and the first thing He did was to go soul winning. He went to the Sea of Galilee and saw Simon and Andrew and said to them as they were casting their nets into the sea, “Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.” For most people, that would be a good day of soul winning. Imagine going home after seeing these two men get saved and telling others how the LORD used you on that day. That would be an exciting time!
Jesus didn’t stop with just the two conversions. Certainly, He must have been tired from coming down from the mount, not eating for forty days and nights, and then spending some time with Simon and Andrew showing them how to get saved. But the verse above shows us something Jesus did that every Christian needs to learn. It says, “And when he had gone a little further thence…” Jesus decided to go a little further, and because He did He was able to reach James and John with the Gospel. Imagine if Jesus would have gone home instead of going further. If He had done this, these men would not have been saved, and we would not be blessed to read about their lives and the books they were used by God to write and place in the Scriptures.
One of the things you must guard against when you go soul winning is quitting too early. Years ago, I lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was a cold wintry night, and just showing up was a victory over the flesh in and of itself. A young man and I went soul winning and didn’t see anyone saved. It was late at night when I told him we needed to go back to the church. He responded that we needed to see someone saved. He went a little further and did something I’ve never seen anyone do before or since. He went out into the middle of the street and started waving his hands trying to get people to stop. A car stopped and asked if he needed help. He responded by telling them that I needed to tell them something. It was amazing! They listened as I gave them the Gospel, and they bowed their head and prayed and received Christ as their Saviour.
Just a few months ago, I was preaching in southern California. We went soul winning during the daytime, and nobody seemed to be home. It was time to go back to the church, but I told the gentlemen who I was with that we would knock on one more door before going back. Behind that one door was a young lady who was going through a rough time. I was able to give her the Gospel, and with tears rolling down her face she prayed and received Christ as her Saviour.
Friend, these are just a couple of stories. All of these happened because someone decided to go to one more person or one more door. If you are not going soul winning, you are missing out on some great experiences, and the greatest thing you are missing out on is seeing people get saved. Moreover, when you go soul winning, don’t be so quick to give up. The next time you go soul winning, try going to one more person or knocking on one more door. When you feel like quitting or you think it is time to be done, go a little further and talk to one more person. That next person could be the one who you were supposed to reach. Don’t let your flesh or faith be so weak that you quit early. Go to one more!