Winning the Lost at Any Cost
- Vicki L. Olton (Guest Writer)
- Jun 7, 2015
- 7 min read
Jesus in all His ways teaches us what it means to truly win the lost at any cost. His life and more importantly, His death on the cross, represented the ultimate sacrifice. Romans 3:25 confirms this: For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past (NLT).
Though Jesus was in pain and suffered horribly, He was determined to do His Father’s will to win the lost at any cost. The songwriter, Michael W. Smith says that Jesus was “like a rose, trampled on the ground. He took the fall and thought of me, above all”.
The truth exists that Jesus could have skipped the fall, but instead, He said while praying to the Father on the cross, not My will but the Father’s will be done, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not My will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42, KJV). It was done to save us. It was an act of selflessness. Firstly the Father gave His son to die for us that we might be saved.
Winning the lost at any cost involves being able to freely give something that is dear to us. No one wants to give up something, which means a lot to them, but as we seek to bring others to Christ, we must understand that it’s all about sacrifice.
What does sacrifice mean? Dictionary.com states: the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.
Jesus gave up something; His life, for something more pressing: our salvation. What are you giving up today in order to fulfill the more pressing mandate?
What is the pressing mandate of the Christian?
It is simply to GO…and TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS.
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20, KJV)
Another place tells us:
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15, KJV)
Look at it this way: when we pay for something, we give our money. Jesus paid the price and gave His life. What do we give up today to ensure that our brothers and sisters know about the sweet salvation, which exists in Jesus?
What is it that you need to give up in order to tell people that Jesus is real? You know that He is real, so what will it cost you to tell the unsaved that Jesus never fails?
Notice that in these questions, I have asked you about doing simple things. All we have been asked is to open our mouth and “tell” of Him; open our mouth and “say” how good Jesus is and what He has done for us and what a sweet friend we have in Jesus.
Consider once again the scripture Mark 16:15-16 outlines that that we should go into “all the world” and preach the gospel to the lost. For it says: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Some of us may be quick to say that we can’t preach, others may say blatantly that it is not their calling because God did not give them the title of preacher as outlined in the fivefold ministry. I beg to differ. Why? The word ‘preach’ in the Greek language: kēryssō means to proclaim after the manner of a herald or to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.
To proclaim something you simply open your mouth and say it. We are called to open our mouth and say what Jesus did for us, so that others would accept Him and receive the same everlasting life which we have been given (John 3:16). Some of us get scared when we read Mark 16:15-16. Some even tremble in their boots because the thought of going brings great fear. Though these things may be issues that Christians face daily, there is one word which sums up our inability to fully do what God wants us to do and that is: DISTRACTIONS.
The problem with many Christians today is that they often get side tracked. Distractions prevent us from truly living our purpose. Distractions cause us to operate in selfishness, which in the end hinders our ability to pay the sacrificial prices we should pay to spread the word about Jesus. It’s not that we don’t know the scriptures, nor don’t know what we have to do. The main issue is the many distractions of life that really prevents us from being as effective in God’s Kingdom as we should. Nowadays we get so caught up with everything else that we forget what we are called to do. Our lives have become so busy that we pass our brothers and sisters, trying not to be late for our next meeting. Time seems to be always against us as Christians as we are always moving to and fro to get a million and one things done on a daily basis.
What will it cost to win the lost? Giving of our time.
Not everyone’s issue is a lack of time. Some of us are bogged down with our own problems and thinking about ourselves and how God will fix the situation for us, instead of being the rescuer for the other person and telling them how God is the One who can fix their broken situation. Sometimes without thinking we exhibit a high level of selfishness, when we are called to respond to the needs of others.
What will it cost to win the lost? Being selfless and considering others before ourselves.
What about you who are too busy to stop and give the homeless man or woman something to eat? Remember the scriptures tell us that yes it is good to give a word about Jesus, but a homeless person asks for something to eat, telling them about Jesus is great, but remember that we are also called to feed them or as the Bible says, cater to their physical needs. This is seen in James 2:14-16: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profits (KJV).
I have only outlined two things that we can sacrifice in order to win the lost, but you know your life better than I do. What are your distractions? What is preventing you from going? What will it cost you to win the lost? What do you have to give up to win souls for the Kingdom? Jesus gave up His life. None of the things which we can give up in order to bring persons to Christ, will ever cost us as much as what it cost Jesus.
What will it cost you today to tell someone about the goodness of Jesus?
Don’t miss what Jesus is saying in Mark 16:15 when He told His disciples Go ye into all the world. God is not telling us that we have to go outside of our own countries to proclaim Him. Remember the word tells us to begin at home first (Acts 1:8). Think about it, some of us will never set foot on an airplane, your “world” is right there where you reside. Your “world” is your everyday surroundings; your workplace, your school, your home, the bus you get in…and the list could go on.
What will it really cost you? What do you have to give in order to win souls for Christ? What is the price that you are willing to pay?
Jesus was the example given to us as John 14:15 states: For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you (KJV), so let’s follow Jesus and focus on Winning the Lost at Any Cost!
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About The Blogger
Vicki L. Olton, writer and blogger is the founder of The Inside Out Mission, which was established on January 1, 2015. Through the Mission, Vicki’s aim is to help persons find a better way of life and find hope through Christ in order to live a more purpose-driven life and to educate persons on living balanced lives in body, spirit, and soul. She is also the lead writer for GettingToKnowChrist, established in 2008 which was created to encourage persons to give their lives to Christ as well as to provide encouragement for Christians. Vicki has also been a praise & worship leader for over seven years and is dedicated to being a strong agent of change in the lives of others. She continues to be a living testimony of the powerful and precious saving grace of God and can be contacted at theinsideoutmission@gmail.com.
Further Reading:
Matthew 28
Mark 16
Luke 22
John 3 &14
Acts 1
Romans 3
James 2
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