Matthew 10:5
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:”
Immediately after establishing the Baptist church, Jesus commanded His disciples to go soul winning. As He commissioned them to go, He then taught them what they were to do as they went. His whole purpose of teaching them was so that the lost sheep could be saved. That is the ultimate desire of Jesus Christ. He wants every person to be saved. There are five important principles you must always follow if you are going to reach the lost sheep of your area.
First, your command is to go and give the Gospel. Throughout the Scriptures God has always commanded the Christian to go. It doesn’t matter where you go because every place is the right place. This command to go is easy to obey because God does not put the requirement of people getting saved on the Christian, He only puts upon them the requirement for them to give out the Gospel. Friend, you cannot mess up in giving out the Gospel. You may feel that you totally messed things up, but it is God Who does the saving, and He will take your presentation and do the work. All you have to do to be obedient is give out the Gospel.
Second, use your testimony when going. Jesus says in verse 8, “…freely ye have received, freely give.” Jesus is teaching that you received salvation freely, so go tell everyone how you received it. Your personal testimony is more powerful than you can realize. I’ve heard powerful testimonies of people being saved out of a horrible life of sin, but I’ve also seen my personal testimony of being saved as a preacher’s son work powerfully in the hearts of people. Always use your testimony when going soul winning. It is a powerful asset to use.
Third, look for those who want to get saved. In the next few verses Jesus taught that when someone receives you, then those are the ones on which you should spend your efforts. Let me remind you that there are people in your city who are ready to get saved. Your job is to go find them. You will find them if you simply give the Gospel to everyone you see. Stop trying to qualify people before you talk to them; simply try giving them the Gospel and if they are receptive then you have found the one who is ready to be saved.
Fourth, don’t waste your time arguing with those who don’t want to get saved. Jesus says in verse 14, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Arguing gets you nowhere. Always remember that it is the Word of God that does the work on the heart of an individual. Arguing will only keep you from the one who wants to get saved.
Fifth, be wise with what you say. Jesus says in verse 16, “…be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Don’t say things that will keep someone from getting saved the next time someone talks to them. Be kind and courteous even if they are rude, because someone is coming after you to whom they may listen.
Let this devotional simply be a challenge to daily be a witness for Christ everywhere you go. Someone will cross your path today who wants to get saved. Ask God to lead you to them, give everyone a Gospel tract and you will be surprised how easy it will be to see the lost sheep get saved.