The Four Calls of Soul Winning

The Four Calls of Soul Winning

Text: Matthew 4:18-22

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Introduction:

* In our text this morning, in our minds eye, we can see Jesus as He walks the shores of the see of Galilee, calling men to be his disciples and follow Him.

* As we look out across the shoreline, we can see a busy scene of rough, fisherman preparing their nets, and making their boats ready to go out again onto the lake of Ganeserate and toil to catch fish the next day.

* As we watch through the eyes of the Scriptures, we see Jesus as He approaches several groups of men working by the sea shore.

* In these two groups of plain, uneducated, weathered, working men, we see a set of brothers, Peter and Andrew, who when Jesus stops and talks with them, they leave their boats and nets, and fall in behind Jesus and walk over to another group of fishermen.

* As we look, we see Jesus and Peter and Andrew, talking with another set of brothers and their father. These men are the cousins of Jesus, James and John.

* In this passage of Scripture, we see two sets of brothers; Peter and Andrew, James and John follow the call of Jesus to be His disciples.

* A disciple is a follower or a “learner.” Jesus is teaching in this passage to these new followers of Jesus, what will become their main purpose and the focus of all their efforts for the rest of their lives.

* From this time forth, these men will live for one thing, and one thing only and this is- to become “fishers of men.”

* In this story of the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus has set forth the controlling factor, or the main goal, or the main occupation, of everyone who becomes a follower of Jesus- to be a fisher of men!

* What exactly is a fisher of men? A fisher of men is a person who catches people, like a fisherman would catch a fish.

* These men had spent their lives casting nets into the sea of Galilee, pulling fish from the multitudes of fish in that sea, in order to serve men’s physical needs.

* Now Jesus is calling these men to cast the net of the Gospel into the sea of mankind to capture men for God.

* The message in our text for us this morning is that God has called all those who follow Jesus to be fishers of men!

* Everyone who claims Jesus as their savior this morning has also accepted the call to become a fisher of men!

* Just like a fisherman uses many methods to catch fish, a good fisher of men will use many methods to catch men for God.

* In different locations a fisherman will use different methods to catch fish.

* If you are fishing where there is an abundance of fish, you fish with a net.

* I grew up in Pontiac Michigan, a city right outside of Detroit, a large city, where people and neighborhoods were packed together and there was an abundance of people.

* In the church I grew up in, Emanuel Baptist Church would fish for the souls of men, women, boys, and girls with nets.

* We ran 53 busses all over the city of Pontiac Michigan and the outskirts of Detroit. Some of the people who went out on the busses didn’t get back home to their families until 3:00 that evening.

* Now here, in the big metropolis of Philadelphia, Tennessee, we fish with a rod and a reel.

1). We have a one little bus to catch men for God. We need someone to go out and fill that bus up and catch people for God.

2). We have horses that we used to catch men for God.

3). We have a 10 acre campground/brush arbor meeting to catch men for God.

4). For the last five years, have two wagon trains each year to catch men for God.

* A fisherman also uses different kind of bait for different kinds of fish.

* A person who desires to win souls for God will listen to the leadership of the Holy Spirit to teach Him what methods will help him to catch the most men in their location.

* That is what God has called us to do here in this little country church, in the little country town of Philadelphia, Tennessee.

* Even though methods of catching men for God may differ from church to church, the fact remains that everyone who believes on Christ is called to be a fisher of men.

* We call that being a “soul winner.”

* The term “soul winner” is a term that comes from the Bible in Proverbs 11:30:

(Proverbs 11:30)

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

* In the Book of Daniel we are taught that those who win souls for God are wise and will be rewarded for all eternity:

(Daniel 12:2-3)

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

* This morning, I am preaching this sermon so that you might realize that it is the duty, and responsibility of everyone who follows Jesus to be a soul winner.

* I remember the first time I realized that God wanted me to be a soul winner. I made up my mind that I was going to witness to everybody that God brought across my path.

* I remember clearly, standing in the lunch line at Jefferson Count High School, promising God that I would witness to everybody I spoke to about Jesus.

*As a teenager I did that very thing too!

* I remember at the age of 13, visiting my bus route every Saturday morning. I couldn’t drive yet, so I went out on my bicycle, like a Mormon, gathering people to bring to church and hear the gospel.

* I remember going out on the church buss with my dad, handing out snow cones and lining up people to ride the bus the next morning.

Illustrations: Winning Souls as a teenager-

1). In the school auditorium. 2). At the grocery store. 3). From house to house with Dad. (Jerry Dean) 4). Out playing in the neighborhood. (Arnold gets saved) 5). On the Job. (the boiler-man get saved) 6). Neighbor who later died in car accident. 7). Neighbor who hit a train. 8). Neighbor who got saved in jail.

* I would like to preach to you this morning about the four calls to be a soul winner…

I. There is a call from within. (Acts 4:19-20)

II. There is a call from without. (Acts 16:9)

III. There is a call from above. (Hebrews 12:1)

IV. There is a call from beneath. (Luke 16:27-28)

I. There is a call from within. (Acts 4:19-20)

* There something inside of everyone who has been saved that calls out to us to be a soul winner.

* After that Jesus had called Peter and John to be fishers of men, there was something inside of them that compelled them to be fishers of men…

(Acts 4:19-20)

"But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."

A. God’s word is meant to be shared.

1). Jeremiah- “fire in his bones” (Jeremiah 20:7-9)

7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. 8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. 9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones,

and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

2).The lepers outside the camp. (II Kings 6:3-9)

1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

B. There is a compassion that calls from the inside of everyone who had be born again that moves us for the souls of men who are plagued by Sin.

* Listen to the compassion of our Lord for the souls of men…

Luke 13:34 (KJV 1900)

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Mark 6:31–34 (KJV 1900)

31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

32 And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33 And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.

34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them,

because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

John 11:32–38 (KJV 1900)

32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! 37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave.

It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Jude 22–23 (KJV 1900)

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

* As Jesus had compassion on the world even so you and I are moved from within to become a soul winner for God.

1). Compassion because sin’s Destruction.

* Everywhere we look we see the souls of men that are being destroyed by sin.

* All over this nation, men are leaving the principles of the Bible and our society is being slowly destroyed right before our eyes with sin.

* Our cities have become overran with government housing filled with people who are overcome with drugs and alcohol.

* Housing projects after housing project filled with young men who will not work, filled with young women and men who defile their bodies with each other with no regard to the holiness of marriage and family.

* Our airwaves are filled with television shows like Jerry Springer, and shows like Murray, and the “I don’t know who my baby daddy is” crowd.

* Everywhere we look we see the souls of men that are being destroyed by the lack of the knowledge of God!

Hosea 4:6–10 (KJV 1900)

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,

that thou shalt be no priest to me: Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: Therefore will I change their glory into shame.

8 They eat up the sin of my people, And they set their heart on their iniquity.

9 And there shall be, like people, like priest:

And I will punish them for their ways, And reward them their doings. 10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: Because they have left off to take heed to the Lord.

2). Compassion because of sin’s Destination- hell.

* I read story once that I have never forgotten, that illustrates the heart of a soul winner. John Harper had compassion for those who were headed for sins’ final destination- Eternal Hell:

Illustration: The untold story of the Titanic.

Chances are you have seen the Hollywood movie TITANIC, which has been seen by more people around the world than any other movie in history. What most people do not know is that there was a godly Christian man on board the Titanic named John Harper....

John Harper was born to a pair of solid Christian parents on May 29, 1872. It was on the last Sunday of March 1886, when he was 13 years old, that he received Jesus as the Lord of his life. He began to preach about four years later at the ripe old age of 17 years old by going down to the streets of his village and pouring out his soul for men to be reconciled to God.

As John Harper's life unfolded, one thing was apparent - he was consumed by the word of God. When asked by various ministers what his doctrine consisted of, he was known to reply, "The Word of God!" Soon, John Harper started his own church in September of 1896 (now known as the Harper Memorial Church.) This church started with just 25 members, but had grown to over 500 members when he left 13 years later.

Ironically, John Harper almost drowned several times during his life. When he was two-and-a-half years of age, he almost drowned when he fell into a well but was resuscitated by his mother. At the age of 26, he was swept out to sea by a reverse current and barely survived, and at thirty-two he faced death on a leaking ship in the Mediterranean. Perhaps God used these experiences to prepare this servant for what he faced next....

It was the night of April 14, 1912. The RMS Titanic sailed swiftly on the bitterly cold ocean waters heading unknowingly into the pages of history. On board this luxurious ocean liner were many rich and famous people. At the time of the ship's launch, it was the world's largest man-made moveable object. At 11:40 p.m. on that fateful night, an iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side, showering the decks with ice and ripping open six watertight compartments. The sea poured in. On board the ship was John Harper and his much-beloved six-year-old daughter, Nana. According to documented reports, as soon as it was apparent that the ship was going to sink, Harper immediately took his daughter to a lifeboat. It is reasonable to assume that this widowed preacher could have easily gotten on board this boat to safety; however, it never seems to have crossed his mind. He bent down and kissed his precious little girl; looking into her eyes he told her that she would see him again someday.

The flares going off in the dark sky above reflected the tears on his face as he turned and headed toward the crowd of desperate humanity on the sinking ocean liner. As the rear of the huge ship began to lurch upwards, it was reported that Harper was seen making his way up the deck yelling, "Women, children and unsaved into the lifeboats!" It was only minutes later that the Titanic began to rumble deep within. Most people thought it was an explosion; actually the ship was literally breaking in half. At this point, many people jumped off the decks and into the icy, dark waters below. John Harper was one of these people.

That night 1528 people went into the frigid waters. John Harper was seen swimming frantically to people in the water leading them to Jesus before the hypothermia became fatal. Mr. Harper swam up to one young man who had climbed up on a piece of debris. Harper asked him between breaths, "Are you saved?" The young man replied that he was not. Harper then tried to lead him to Christ only to have the young man who was near shock, reply no. John Harper then took off his life jacket and threw it to the man and said "Here then, you need this more than I do..." and swam away to other people. A few minutes later Harper swam back to the young man and succeeded in leading him to salvation. Of the 1528 people that went into the water that night, six were rescued by the lifeboats. One of them was this young man on the debris.

Four years later, at a survivors meeting, this young man stood up and in tears recounted how that after John Harper had led him to Christ, Harper had tried to swim back to help other people, yet because of the intense cold, had grown too weak to swim. His last words before going under in the frigid waters were, "Believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."

Does Hollywood remember this man? No. Oh well, it doesn't matter. This servant of God did what he had to do. While other people were trying to buy their way onto the lifeboats and selfishly trying to save their own lives, John Harper gave up his life so that others could be saved.

* John Harper had something inside of himself that moved him with compassion for people who are headed for the sinners final destination- hell.

I. There is a call from within. (Acts 4:19-20)

II. There is a call from without. (Acts 16:9)

III. There is a call from above. (Hebrews 12:1)

IV. There is a call from beneath. (Luke 16:27-28)

II. There is a call from without. (Acts 16:9)

"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us."

* The world is calling us to be fishers of men this morning!

A. Every church must be involved in foreign missions.

B. Even small churches can be a great force for missions.

C. We should not be asking for donations and help reaching the lost in our church, if we are ignoring the call in the Bible to send out missionaries around the would.

I. There is a call from within. (Acts 4:19-20)

II. There is a call from without. (Acts 16:9)

III. There is a call from above. (Hebrews 12:1)

IV. There is a call from beneath. (Luke 16:27-28)

III. There is a call from above. (Hebrews 12:1)

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"

Hebrews 11:32–40 (KJV 1900)

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

*These were all fishermen of men, who went out following God, calling men to salvation!

* All These precious people were fishers of men, who are now stand in heaven, witness, calling out to us and encouraging us to be faithful fisher s of the souls of men they were!

* And standing among them is my dear father, Vaughn Wood, your brother, your grandfather, waving his handkerchief in the air shouting keep it up- keep it up! Keep fishing for the souls of men! Do like I did! Do it for Jesus!

* My father is calling out to me this morning! The Apostles who, gave their life for the Lord are calling out to us this morning! from above is the calling of a great company of witnesses to continue to be a fishers of men!

* All my life, growing up I had the privilege to live with a man who was a true fisher of men, a true, real soul winner for the Lord- my father!

* My father believed in being a soul winner.

* Every week my father would take me with him as he went house to house pleading with men and women about their souls.

* When my father started Faith Baptist Church in Jefferson City, TN. He kept records of where he had been soul winning from door to door.

* In the 8 years that dad pastored there, he had been to every door in that city at least three times- sharing the gospel and trying to win people to the lord.

* My father was a soul winner until the very end. (man and the buggy)

IV. There is a call from beneath. (Luke 16:27-28)

I. There is a call from within. (Acts 4:19-20)

II. There is a call from without. (Acts 16:9)

III. There is a call from above. (Hebrews 12:1)

IV. There is a call from beneath. (Luke 16:27-28)

"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."

A. Hell is real. B. Hell is a place of torment. C. The rich man begged for a soul winner.

* There is a call from Hell this morning to every follower of Jesus to be a soul winner so that their family members would be saved from Hell!

Conclusion: Will you answer the four calls to be a soul winner?