Two forms of outreach for winning souls
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Faith Fitness
Bro. Sam Kaufman
The New Testament Book of Jude packs a lot of spiritual instruction and direction into one chapter.
It is the second to last book of the Bible and comes before Revelation.
Many scholars identify Jude as a half-brother of Jesus.
Near the end of the book, Jude, through the Holy Ghost, encourages the brethren.
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” – Jude 20, 21
That is some top-notch spiritual instruction from God. As Christians, we must always keep ourselves in the love of God. It is not always an easy task – especially on the roadways where we encounter some sticky situations.
But God is love, and we need to remain in that love. The Bible tells us that the love of many will wax cold because iniquity abounds in the time we live in.
Even so, we can keep ourselves in the love of God by remaining close to Him and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.
It takes God’s love to reach out to souls and win them.
After Jude instructs us to keep ourselves in the love of God, he moves to outreach. Jude specifically speaks of two forms of effective outreach that will win souls.
The first is listed in verse 22, which states, “And of some have compassion, making a difference.”
Many people will respond to the message of how much God loves them. Revealing God’s compassion will make a difference in their lives.
They are touched when they hear how Jesus died on the cross and rose again to spare them from their sins.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
A message regarding the depth of God’s unconditional love goes a long way – especially in a world filled with hate and violence.
People need to know God’s love for them. They need to understand that Jesus’ blood was specifically shed for them.
But Jude also mentions another form of outreach that can draw people to Jesus. The method involves telling people that they are headed to a devil’s hell if they don’t get it right with God through Jesus.
This method involves an element of fear.
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” – Jude 23
We still must preach hell fire and brimstone because some will respond to that type of message, according to the scripture.
The Bible mentions hell multiple times. It is not a place we want to spend eternity in. The various descriptions of hell – and eventually the lake of fire – are vivid and frightful. Flames and gnashing of teeth come to mind.
But using hell as a preaching tool is also an effective way to see souls saved. It is not just limited to the preachers of old who succeeded through those means. We still need to use fiery messages to win the masses.
We can still save souls with fear and pull them out of the fire of hell.
