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A Picture of Soulwinning | Making A Difference Daily

A Picture of Soulwinning

Today’s Passage – 2 Chronicles 29 – 31; Proverbs 24

(Second Milers also read – Acts 25 – 28; Memorize Proverbs 11:13)

“So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.” – (2 Chronicles 30:6)

“So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.” – (2 Chronicles 30:10-11)

As I read the passage for today, there were a lot of thoughts that I wanted to develop. The first one came from chapter 29, where Hezekiah told the Levites:

“My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.” – (2 Chronicles 29:11)

I was challenged by this verse to be diligent in the Lord’s work because God has chosen me also to serve Him and minister unto Him, and His people.

However, when I got to chapter 30, I realized that there was another truth that I just had to write about. In this passage Hezekiah sends letters to the remnant of the northern kingdom of Israel, and invites them to return to the Lord. Most of the people of the northern kingdom had already been taken into captivity into the land of Assyria; but there were yet many people remaining in the land. Hezekiah gave them all an open invitation to return to Jerusalem and participate in the worship of the Lord in His house.

The sad truth, however, is that most of the people rejected the invitation. Many had even mocked and laughed at the messengers. This is a perfect picture of our soul winning today. We go out with a message from the king, yet most people reject that message; and many will even mock us for our beliefs. Yet, as it was in the days of Hezekiah, some will accept the invitation. We must not get distracted by the multitudes that reject, but instead realize that there are some, maybe only a few, that will receive the precious message of the grace of God.

So don’t get discouraged if it seems that most of this world is not receptive to the message of Christ. Keep looking for those few precious trophies of grace that will listen. Remember though, you have to weed through the scorners, until you eventually find the ones with the soft and penitent hearts, that will embrace the glorious gospel of Christ.

Note – the picture at the top is of Pastor Bob Gray II of Longview Baptist Temple, and a young man that was apparently soft-hearted and receptive to the message of God’s grace. They are out there. We just have to keep looking until we find them.

Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.

View Comments

  • When I go out soul-winning I try to remember that the number one goal is to glorify God. This helps me to not get dicouraged, though when people reject the Gospel it does still get disheartening. Christian's should be saddened when someone refuses to accept our wonderful Savior, but at the same time hold on to hope that maybe someday that sinner will turn to Christ because of the seed that was planted.

  • Never give up on sharing the gospel . I remember back to a time when I witnessed to a man ( Pat ) was his name. He was living on the streets in Seaside,NJ. He did get saved Praise God but I never saw him again. Years later Pastor Rick Wedemeyer recieved a letter from Pat who wanted to thank the women who shared the gospel with him at the lowest point of his life. He told Pastor Rick how he got back in church, got a job and got back together with his wife and family.
    So never give up sharing God's Word even if they reject the gospel then,doesn't mean God is finished with that person. It could be that the next soulwinner or the next one , or the one after that can reach that person. We were pretty sure the world would not end on the 21st of May but it will some day. So what will you and I do until it does ? Wouldn't it be great to be the one leading that last person to Christ when HE returns !!!!

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Phil Erickson

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