Special Prayer Meeting – Persevering in Soul Winning

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Hymns: 427 All for Jesus 444 Hold the Fort 423 Follow, I Will Follow

The Persevering Work of Soul Winning

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. Matthew 9:35-38 (KJV)

OUTLINE

  • Hard Work (v35)
    • Preach (v35a)
    • Pray (v35b)
  • Heart Work (v36)
    • Compassion (v36a)
    • Care (v37b)
  • Holy Spirit-Led Work (v37-38)
    • Call (v37-38a)
    • Commission (v38b)

INTRODUCTION

We shall consider the theme of soul-winning. We shall consider our Lord’s example, the example par excellence, for our learning. Jesus came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (v13), the people laughed Him to scorn. They made fun of him but Jesus continued the work that His Father has entrusted to Him. How did Jesus accomplish this work of soul winning? We can glean from verses 35-38, it is hard work (v35), it is heart work (v36) and it is Holy Spirit’s Work (v37-38).

  • Hard Work (v35)
    • Preach (v35a)
    • Pray (v35b)

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

The adjective “all” and “every” is used three times to describe the scope of Jesus’ work, it is comprehensive. He covered the grounds, left no corner of cites and villages not evangelized. It is demanding physically speaking. Jesus set for us the example, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15b cf. Isa. 52:7).

The principal activities were preaching and praying. He was spreading the good news of the gospel. He preached the word to all who are willing to listen. Jesus also taught. He showed to them the true sense of the laws of God in Matthew 5-7. How do we live our lives in the light of God’s Word that will bring God’s blessings! 

He also healed the sick. We see this in Matthew 8-9. These mighty works authenticated Jesus’ credentials as the Messiah King. Today, we do not possess such supernatural power of miracle healing but we can pray for the needs of those we meet, acknowledging that power comes from God, and we submit ourselves to His sovereign power and will to heal.

Our Lord went about all the cities and villages and He was among the people. We can see imagine the picture of weariness and toil in the work of the gospel. It required physical, mental and spiritual endurance. Our Lord demonstrated to us this commitment by His excellent example for our emulation.

In fact we catch a glimpse of Jesus in the work of soul winning in Matthew 8-9. You will notice that it is a greatly sacrificial work. He said this to the scribe who wanted to be His disciple – “20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) And yet it is highly rewarding for it is the souls of men and women snatched from the clutches of hell and transported to the glory of heaven. 

You see the string of ceaseless activities that our Lord was doing. It is truly an encouragement and great privilege for us to be a part of this good work. 

However, in the immediate context of verse 34, the Pharisees accused our Lord that “He casts out devils through the prince of the devils”, in other words, Jesus’ work is evil because He is energized by Satan. What great blasphemy! All this work put in will avail to nothing. It destroys lives. In fact, from Matthew 9 onwards we observe that the work becomes more difficult because of opposition. Chapter 9 began with Jesus’ healing the man sick with palsy (paralysis of the muscles as a result of some disorder in the nervous system) and forgiving him of his sins. The scribes observing, said to him, “This man blasphemeth.” Indeed, as Jesus said, these scribes taught evil in their hearts. The work of Jesus in saving the man spiritually and physically was of God, it is a good work, a work of love. Jesus’ was fulfilling the mission that God the Father sent Him to do. He had to endure much ridicule and scorning for the good work. In the midst of toil, our Lord endured mockings and scornings that can cause much discouragement, like pouring cold water to cool down the momentum of the work started. This was the lot for our Saviour. It will be the lot for us His disciples too. May the Lord grant to us His comfort and encouragement so that we may press on despite rejection, resistance and setback! 

  • Heart Work (v36)
    • Compassion (v36a)
    • Care (v36b)

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

The hard work was undergirded with a resolve and purposeful determination in the heart to this gospel work despite setbacks. Matthew described by two verbs, Jesus “saw” and “moved with compassion”. Jesus is able to read the hearts to see the burdens in the hearts of the multitude. There was sorrow, grief, affliction, trouble, sin that was in the heart of these. He was not think about Himself and His interest but He had in mind their interest and welfare. 

The word literally means “bowels” or intestines, to have the viscera moved, lungs, heart, and liver, which are considered to be the seat of the feelings, such as love, pity, etc. We may say, “his heart was stirred.”

This moving with compassion proved that His heart was ever filled with merciful kindness and feelings of pity for the distressed of every description. Whenever and wherever suffering and sorrow of body or soul met His eyes, His heart was moved with compassion. The compassion of Jesus is one of the deepest, richest, most comforting of all his Saviour qualities. “

He felt for them so much, it is as if it affected his physical inner being and it moved Him to action. That’s God’s love, the agape-type, sacrificial, unconditional.

Jesus is able to read the hearts to see the burdens in the hearts of the multitude. There was sorrow, grief, affliction, trouble, sin that was in the heart of these. 

He was not thinking about Himself and His interest but He had in mind their interest and welfare. 

In this verse, we see the great value of lost souls in the heart of our Lord. 

They fainted – to physically become weary or exhausted, give out, to lose heart and become discouraged.

They fainted and were scattered abroad. 

These are two word-pictures – two perfect participles used as adjectives; their tense describes a present condition as resulting from a past action.

The first word – they fainted, the word literally meant, “having been flayed,” or milder, “having the skin torn,” as this happens to sheep wandering among brambles and sharp rocks. 

The second word translated, “they were scattered abroad”. It comes from root word which means, “thrown down prone and helpless“, exhausted, totally drained of energy. 

This verb is used with reference to corpses lying prostrate on the ground. 

Both participles are made vivid by the comparison: “like sheep not having a shepherd.” They looked abject, torn and exhausted, a sight to rend the heart, most pitiful sight.

As He saw their lost estate, it drove Him into action. What follows shows that Jesus was thinking of the spiritual condition of the people.

Their souls received no wholesome spiritual food and care, for, as far as that was concerned, they were left to shift for themselves. 

Material and physical destitution moves man deeply to provide humanitarian aid, but Jesus’s care goes beyond the physical for He saw even their spiritual distress?

In this verse, we see the great value of lost souls in the heart of our Lord. 

As He saw their lost estate, it drove Him into action. Jesus felt deeply for them. He is the good Shepherd who cared for His sheep.

This unconditional and sacrificial love is God’s power flowing in the life of God’s children. It comes as an overflow of the Holy Spirit’s power in the believer’s heart. It comes because the child of God has been touched by God’s love. Jesus demonstrated the greatness of this love in His ministry on earth. For us who are saved, it is a love that flow out of gratitude and indebtedness. We have been forgiven much, though undeserved. Unless we realize our lost estate and experienced in our hearts the reconciliation with God by the finished work of Christ on the cross, we cannot live out this love. It keeps us humble and loving.

Jonathan Goforth, missionary to China, often sang this chorus as a prayer as he reflected on his ministry. He desired that God keep his heart burning for lost souls.

LORD Crucified, Give me a heart like Thine:

Teach me to love the dying souls of men.

Oh, Keep my heart in close touch with Thee;

And give me love-pure Calvary love to bring the lost to Thee

The last days before our Lord’s coming are characterized by sin – Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

  • Holy Spirit-Led Work (v37-38)
    • Call (v37-38a)
    • Commission (v38b)

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Jesus utilized a farming imagery to help us to see the urgency of the work. When the farmer first sows, there is a season of cultivation, where he waters and fertilizes. But when harvest time comes, the entire field is ready at the same time. This is the picture of the harvest that Jesus wants us to see. It is urgent to reap quickly the fruits of the harvest before they turn bad, before the birds come and the worms and insects come to feed on them. He is showing to us the vast field of work still undone.

Jesus urged His disciples to pray, for no man by himself can discharge this work unless the Lord raises him or her up and endows him with the strength and ability to go forth. There is a great number of people who needs instruction but there are few able to instruct these poor people in the ways of righteousness and truth. Pray the Lord by His Spirit would call and commission more to serve in this ripe harvest field.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has called you to be trained so that you can be sent forth for this precious work of soul winning. May the Lord help you to prepare well.

CONCLUSION

The Lord grant to you His grace as you embarked on the work of soul winning. Amen.