1Peter 5:8- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
There are many adversaries against the cause of Christ. Let us make no mistake about that. Many there will be who will rise up against His name (and this is not new- see Ezra 4:1) and look to stop that which God has started; however, God has left His people to preach the Gospel. He has entrusted this greatest of duties to us. Why then do so many Christians fail to reach people for the Lord?
1. The Adversary of Duty
Too many people are too busy to reach others for Christ. What profit is it of me to write this, preach on Sunday, and not to win souls? It would be very little profit, or none. Never be too busy for His work. Do you love Him? Feed His sheep. Do you know Him? Then introduce others to Him. If work keeps us from Christ, then by all means examine what is more important, Christ is! Does obligation keep us from the Lord? Then we must remember our obligation to Him. Salvation is a free gift. How then should we not show our thanks for the gift of Heaven and the gift of Christ by following Him? It is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).
2. The Adversary of Delusion
Romans 14:10- "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."
There will be many Christians who get to Heaven and will expect to hear "Well done" when they have not done well. It is certain that we came into the world with nothing, and so shall we leave with nothing. Still, people devote their entire life to a vocation (which is Latin for God-calling) and remove themselves from the meaning of the word by living for themselves and not Christ. Enjoy life, for this is a gift from God to man; but do ponder on this, that you will die, whether wise or foolish, and leave it all. If we then build for eternity, we enter Heaven with riches that will never depart.
What wise business man would invest into a mutual fund that gave him no increase but always lost money? How is it then that many Christians are so unwise to invest only in this life to enter eternity where God will say, "Sorry, no return on your works.". Getting to Heaven is a free gift through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23- "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."), but rewards in Heaven are based on what we do for the Lord here.
3. The Adversary of Deceit
There will be many who will not win souls because they have been deceived by a lie. There be many who think that it is not necessary to win souls, that God has ordained some to go to Heaven and some to go to Hell. This is a tactic of Satan to cause God's people to stand still in the work of God. If we were to use this false doctrine as logic (and we will not for it is not scriptural) then men would not go because eternity is settled for all; however, we can clearly see in Scripture that where a man spends eternity is up to him.
2Peter 3:9- The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
1Timothy 2:3-4- For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
We see then according to the Scripture, that God has chosen all to be saved. God has chosen all, sadly all do not choose God. The desire of God is not that any should perish, and that all men be saved. It is only that all men do not choose to except Christ, for God will make no one come to Him. Who then may come?
John 3:16- 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.
Rev 21:6- And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Foreknowledge does not define itself as looking into the future and causing something to happen, it is only defined as knowing, not causing. In this belief do many people stumble contrary to the Scriptures.
4. The Adversary of Depravity
Romans 7:24- "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
May we acknowledge that God, through the lips of Paul, reminds us of the old nature that lies within us. Many times the reason that we do not win souls is simply because we cannot defeat the adversary of ourselves. We may become lazy, and oftentimes we are. It is too hot, or too cold, we say. What difference does a day make we may think. Yet souls do not get a promise of tomorrow.
We may lose our desire. Lord help us not to, for if we would delight ourselves in the Lord, then He would change our desires to match His. If we would be a Spirit-filled people, our desires would be from the influence of the Holy Spirit and not the filth of the flesh.
5. The Adversary of Distraction
We are a distracted people. So many things are around us that we bury ourselves under the weight of entertainment and remove our focus from the Lord and His work. Amoral things become immoral to us when they take our heart from the Saviour. Technology is good; yet it is a tool, and for occasional appropriate entertainment. It becomes burdensome to us as faithful stewards of God's time when we cover up in it, and reality is at a distance, family becomes neglected, and God is forgotten about.
Hobbies are such a great thing for God's people. We must all come apart for a while, to catch a breath and strengthen ourselves. May we never place our hobbies before the Lord!
Vacations are noble, and a great thing to entertain our families to ourselves. Yet may we never vacation from the Lord!
6. The Adversary of the Devil
Satan is seeking whom he may devour. You must by all means be diligent in the Scripture, as this is our only method of attack. Christ used it and so must we answer by God. The Sword of the Spirit is how we may submit ourselves unto God and resist the Devil until he flees. We must by all means submit ourselves to the Scripture! We must by all means pray that we enter not into temptation! Surely we will be tempted to stop winning souls. Without a doubt, those active in the work of God find that hindrances come (if God allows, pray that He would not) when they are telling people about the Savior! However, we must submit ourselves to the Holy Scripture and it's authority and....
Go tell our families
Go tell those who are of our acquaintance
Go tell those whom we have never met
Go tell those close, or far
By all means we must not stand still, GO TELL!!!!!
