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Say this all in Jesus' name, amen. Okay, we're in 2 Thessalonians, chapter number two. Look down at your Bibles at verse number 15. It says, therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle. Now, the title of the sermon this evening is the mechanics of soul winning. And the reason I wanted to use the scripture right now is because of the fact that, you know, obviously we understand that soul winning and preaching the gospel is not a tradition, it's not necessarily something, it's not a standard, it's just biblical doctrine, right? To preach the gospel, to go out and soul win is something that the Bible commands us to do. However, when seeking to fulfill that commission, when seeking to fulfill that responsibility of soul winning and preaching the gospel, there are some traditions that we have as a church that will help us to effectively carry that commission out, right? Now, go to 1 Thessalonians, chapter number two and verse number 13. Look what the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians two, verse 13. It says here, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when ye receive the word of God, which ye have heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Now, the Bible's telling us here in 1 Thessalonians, chapter two, that the word of God is effective, right? It's effectual, it will accomplish that which God has called it to do, it effectually worketh also in those who believe. We know that the word of God has power, it's capable to, you know, it has the ability to save, it has the ability to change a person's life. The Bible is effective and it works. The gospel message has the power and is able to regenerate the loss. So let me just say this is that the points that I'm gonna give tonight are very practical in regards to the mechanics of sowing and I'm not taking anything away from the power of the gospel. And this is how I would basically try to illustrate what I'm trying to say here is we understand that a motor is where the power of a vehicle is, right? That's where the power is, that's where, you know, a vehicle cannot operate well without a motor. But here's the thing, if a motor's just sitting out in the parking lot with no shell around it, with nothing to be used by, you know, it's useless. Now the motor has power, the motor has potential. The motor can take a person from point A to point B. But if the motor's not inside of a vehicle with the person driving it, it's useless, you understand? And you know what, if our gospel be hit, it's hit to the end of our loss. And it's not because the gospel has no power in it, it's because of the fact that maybe we are not effectively carrying out the commission and have specific traditions, tactics and methods to make sure that people get saved. The word of God has power, 1 Peter chapter one, and verse 23 says, being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever. Go with me to 2 Timothy chapter number two. I'm gonna read to you from 1 Peter chapter three, verse 15, says, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you of a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. I'm just gonna give you some verses regarding soul winning preaching the gospel here. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians five, verse 18, and all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, the Bible says, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. So what do we see here? We see that God has commissioned us, he's given us the responsibility to go reconcile a lost and dying world back to God through Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that he's committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation. You know, you often hear people talk about being ambassadors for Christ, we're ambassadors for Christ. You know, hey bro, we're ambassadors for Christ, man, we're representatives of Christ. But what they don't realize is that in context, this is actually referring to being a representative of Christ through the gospel, that we're coming to foreigners, so to speak, foreigners of heaven, foreigners of that, the commonwealth of Israel, we're going to them with a message to reconcile these strangers and foreigners back unto God, okay? That's what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. Look at 2 Timothy 2.24, it says, and the servant of the Lord must not strive. Hey, that's a good principle to talk about when you're out sowing, you know? Hey, when you're out there preaching the gospel, you're not out there to debate. You're not out there to argue with people, you're not out there to debate or to have the last word or make sure that you can come back with, you know, a victory on your belt saying that you put this person down and you're able to just shut them up. No, the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, and meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God, prayer, adventure would give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that we may recover, excuse me, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will, the Bible says. Now, when it comes to this manner of sowing, you know, we see what the Bible says about it, we know what God is telling us to do, we know that we have to go out and preach the gospel, we know that's our responsibility, we know that we're supposed to grow in our utterance, right? Utterance means the ability to speak, to communicate, we need to grow in these areas. Tonight, I simply wanna give you some of the mechanics of sowing for our church, okay? And let me just give you three essentials, first and foremost, before I get into that. In order for us to effectively preach the gospel and get people saved, number one, let me just say this, you have to be saved yourself. I know that's really basic, but folks, you'd be surprised how many idiots are out there, and yes, I said idiots, who, like Manly Perry will say, well no, you know, even Judas got people saved. And of course, he has to say that because he's a Judas Iscariot himself. And you know, is he getting anybody saved? No, but he wants to believe he is, therefore he has to back up Judas Iscariot himself and try to say that he got people saved, okay? Which is obviously false. You know, in order for us to get people saved, we have to be saved ourselves. Why, because everything brings forth after its own kind. And look, folks, the Bible says in Matthew 7 that you shall know them by their fruits. Obviously, in context, this is referring to false prophets or anybody in leadership position, spiritual leadership position. But let me say this, to a certain extent, that applies to every individual in our church, any person who's saved. You say, why is that? Well, because of this. If a person never bears fruit in their life, doesn't mean they're not saved. It just means they're barren. But if that person gets right with God, they walk in the Spirit, they're swimming in the river of life, right? And start preaching the gospel, what are they gonna produce? A saved person. You understand? You know, if you have a couple that is barren, for example, they're not able to produce children, you know what, we're not gonna save them, they're not really humans. Oh, you guys can't have kids, you're not humans, you know? Well, here's the thing. No, they're still humans, it means just they're barren. But if they were to produce offspring, it wouldn't be a dog. It's not gonna be a rabbit. It's not gonna be some zoo animal. What is it gonna be? A human being, right? Because everything brings forth after its own kind. And that's why it's important to know that if we're gonna get people saved, you better make sure you're saved yourself, okay? And you say, why is that? Well, because of the fact that a saved person has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within them. And it's the spirit that bears witness. It's the spirit that empowers us to go out and preach the gospel. It gives us boldness to do so, okay? You say, well, there's a bunch of unsaved people out there that are preaching the gospel, they're getting people saved. The Bible says they're making them twofold more a child of hell than themselves, according to the Bible. Okay? So number one, it's essential that you are saved. Number two, it's essential that your spirit fill. Can't go out sowing in the flesh, all right? And just reference the sermon from this morning about that. You need to make sure that you are spirit filled, you're walking in the spirit, you're opening your mouth boldly to make known the mysteries of the gospel. And then lastly, it's essential that you preach the right gospel. Now again, that may seem like a no brainer, but I guarantee you there's a lot of saved people out there who've been duped by liberal churches and you know, false teachers, and maybe they're just young in the Lord, they're babes in Christ, and you know, they're probably given unbiblical methods of preaching the gospel, putting unbiblical terms in regards to salvation. You need to make sure that you're using the right words, the right terminology, that you have the right gospel. Now, go to Romans chapter number one, if you would, Romans chapter number one, and I'm not talking about reprobates, okay? So, sorry, sorry. I'm gonna give you seven simple factors that make soul winning work, okay? Because I guarantee you, there's a lot of people out there who believe in sharing their faith, they believe in wanting to win people to the Lord, or you know, I don't know, what terms do they use out there? What? I mean, that's a good term, I guess, you know. Outreach, what? Cold contact. Cold con, you guys ready to go do some cold contacting? What is that? Whoa. I was more thinking like the liberal terms that they use, you know? What? Being a good testimony. Lifestyle evangelism. Folks, we're a Baptist church, and as a Baptist church, we need to use Baptist words, which are biblical words, such as soul winning, okay? He that win its souls is wise, the Bible says. And you know what? When you say share your faith, or sharing your testimony, and you're relating that to getting someone saved, you know, that confuses a lot of people. Whereas when you say, hey, I'm going soul winning, you know, it's pretty darn clear what you're saying there, you're out to win souls to Christ. Amen. Soul winning works, but sometimes it doesn't work for saved people because they're using the wrong methods. Okay, they're using the wrong methods, they're using the wrong terminology, they're not using the right type of mechanics for soul winning, therefore it's not working for them. And this is one of the reasons why independent fundamental Baptists of yesteryear are failing today when it comes to soul winning. That's why they think that soul winning no longer works. Oh, it worked in the days of Jack Hyles, it worked in the days of J. Frank Norris, it worked in the days of, you know, the preacher from yesteryear. But now in 2021, we're in a different era, doesn't work for us today. Folks, soul winning will always work. It's worked 2000 years ago when there was no internet, and it works today with or without the internet. It's always going to work because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Romans 1 verse 14 says, I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Hey, don't be ashamed of the gospel. Don't be ashamed of calling it soul winning. Well, I think we got to use more relevant terms, you know. Sharing your faith, lifestyle evangelism, discipleship, you know, let's, you know, Jesus talk or something, you know, I don't know what they use. I'm not a liberal, so I don't really know. Who's a former liberal around here? Can you guys help me out here? All right, we got some over here, all right. We'll talk after the service. I see that hand. Soul winning works, folks, and we need not to be ashamed of the manner in which we go out and preach the gospel because it's always worked. Now, here's the thing. When the old IFP says it doesn't work, what they're saying is that soul winning no longer works to bring people to church. And I've even heard people in our church over the years say, you know, we get people saved, but sometimes we don't even see them come to church. And this is what I want to tell them, or this is what I tell them sometimes. Well, you know, soul winning is not to bring people to church. Now, if you get someone to come to church because of soul winning, great. That's a blessing. That's a cherry on top. But the purpose of preaching the gospel, the purpose of soul winning is to get them saved. Go on to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in to the church. No, to compel them to come into the house of God, which is in heaven, okay. To compel them to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's what we do when we go out and preach the gospel, okay. Go to Mark chapter 10, if you would, Mark chapter 10. Number one, when it comes to the mechanics that make soul winning work, number one, what do you need? Well, I'm gonna start with some really basic things, okay. And these are things that you already know, but, you know, for me to tell you these things, again, it's not grievous, but for you it is profitable, okay. Number one is this, a heart for the lost, okay. This is important here, and it's number one on the list. It's important that if you're gonna make soul winning work, you need to make sure you have the right motives when you're actually going out there to preach the gospel. The motive should not be, let me see how many numbers I can get this week, okay. Now we want numbers, amen. And then you have people on the other side of the spectrum who criticize people like us because we count how many salvations we get during the service. But newsflash, there's a book in the Bible called the Book of Numbers. God is concerned about numbers, folks. Read the book of Acts for 5,000, 3,000, oh man, you shouldn't be counting numbers, God. You know, what is that about? Well, I guarantee you, when the disciples heard, and by the way, for them to know that there was 3,000 and 5,000, that means someone was taking count, okay. That means there was a systematic way of taking count of all the salvations, and you say, why would they do that? Because it encourages believers. It encourages the local body, the local assembly to say, wow, people are getting saved. You say, oh, do you really think that, you know, however many salvations we got this week, you think all those people that got saved, well, you know what, I believe the vast majority of them did, and there might be one or two or three, or I don't know, five that didn't, but for the most part, I guarantee you, all of them got saved. How do you know that? Because the gospel's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. So I'm not gonna undermine the power of the gospel just because of your speculation of, oh, how many do you believe really got saved? Well, how many have you got saved? Do you even go soul winning? Do you even preach the gospel? Do you even know what you're talking about? And most of the people who criticize our manner of doing things are these, you know, hyper spiritual, holier than thou, non-soul winners. They wanna criticize, but they don't have the gall to even stand up and actually go out and preach the gospel, the right gospel, to a lost and dying world. They just wanna criticize the people who are, okay? So number one is this, you need a heart for the lost. What does that mean? You have to genuinely love people, folks. You need to genuinely love the people that you're going out and speaking to, and it starts before you go out, okay? Having a heart for lost people begins at home, begins in the house of God, begins in your heart when you think upon the men, women, and children who are gonna go, who are gonna die and go to hell if they don't get the gospel, okay? And you say, why is this important? Well, because when you love the people that you have not yet spoken to, when you come to their door, there's a sense of compassion, there's a sense of love, there's a sense of mercy and long suffering and patience that comes to you when you run into them. So you're not hasty to give them the gospel. You're not just trying to check them off your list or write them, you know, tally mark them on your Bible. You genuinely wanna get them saved, okay? The Bible says, go to Mark chapter 10, look at verse 17. Are you guys in Mark? Verse 17 says, when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness. Defraud not, honor thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto the master, all these have I observed from my youth. Now that's a pretty prideful statement, is it not? The guy's pretty prideful. Oh yeah, I've already kept these from, I've always been, I was born a Christian. Haven't you ever heard of something like that? I've always been saved. All these have I observed from my youth. Now, Jesus' response is the kind of response that we need to give when people say stupid stuff like that. Okay? Because I'll be honest with you, in me that is in my flesh dwells a really good comeback. Or you just want to say something like, you know. But look what it says in verse 21. Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him. Now, when I picture this, I picture like, kind of like Jesus kind of smirking at what the guy just said, like, he really thinks he's perfect. And you know why he loves him? Because beyond that pride, beyond that arrogance, he's just a lost person still. So he sees him for who he truly is. And beholding him, he loves him. So what's the point here? When you go to the door, the people you behold love them. If they give you an arrogant answer, don't get frustrated with them, don't get mad at them, don't get in the flesh, don't get into an argument, don't debate them, don't try to shut them down just to have a good story to tell afterwards. Behold them and love them. Even if they don't get saved, right? Because here's the thing, our compassion should drive us to say, man, it sucks that person didn't get saved. I'm burdened over the fact that person did not trust Christ as their savior. I'm burdened over that fact. Jesus, beholding him, loved him, and said unto him, one thing thou lackest, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and take up the cross and follow me. Go to Romans chapter nine, if you would, Romans chapter number nine, mechanics of soul winning, mechanics that will make it work, you need a heart that loves people, okay? Never allow your heart to grow cold towards souls. I mean, that is the heartbeat of the church here, right? Is the fact that we are all endeavoring to keep the spirit of unity and the bond of peace, not just from the preaching, but from the preaching of God's word. Recognizing that we all have one motive, one agenda, and that is to reach the loss for Christ. Look at Romans nine, verse one. I say the truth in Christ, and I lie not. My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. That's a pretty strong statement. What is he saying? He's basically saying, I almost wish, if I can lose my salvation so that my kinsmen according to the flesh can have salvation, I would make that trade. That's a pretty heavy statement there. I don't know anybody who would want to do that, you know? Or he's like, I wish that I could be accursed just so they can have salvation. Now, what does that show? Does that show that he just doesn't know any doctrine or anything? No, it shows that he just loves his kinsmen according to the flesh. It burdens them, and he says there that he has continual sorrow in his heart. You're like, aw man, this guy's being too much of a patriot. Kinsmen according to the flesh, Jews are wicked. Come on, Paul. Well, think of it this way. This is the way some of you feel over your loss, family members, right? I mean, don't we all, raise your hand if you have a lost family member, okay? Don't you think about them from time to time or often? And don't you ever feel like when you think about it a little too much, you get that little gulp in your throat thinking that this person's gonna die and go to hell one day if they don't get saved? Isn't that like continual sorrow that burdens you from time to time, right? Isn't that a great heaviness that you experience? Well, that's natural, is it not? God just wants you to transfer that type of heaviness and continual sorrow for all people. And that's the heaviness and continual sorrow that God has for everyone, not just your family members. And so, you know, one thing that'll help you to have a heart for the lost is just think about your family. And just think about your mom, think about your dad, think about your cousins, think about your sister, think about your cousins, your uncles, your aunts, and just recognize this, when you go to a door and you knock on it, that's someone's dad, that's someone's mom, that's someone's family member. That's someone's fill in the blank, just like it is for you. And so, a mechanic of soul winning is this, one of the essential parts to make soul winning work is a heart that loves the lost, okay? Never allow your heart to grow cold over a soul winning. Make sure, you know, sometimes because, you know, we're a church where we schedule soul winning and we have it at this time and this is just what we do and it's routine, which is great. These are good things, but sometimes it can become mechanical to the point where, you know, there's not a whole lot of heart involved in it, okay? And team leaders, help your teams with that. Go to Hebrews, if you would, Hebrews chapter number, actually go to Acts chapter 18, Acts chapter 18. Talk about the mechanics of soul winning requires a heart for the lost, a love for lost people, a love for their souls, a desire to see them saved. Now obviously, folks, you know, the reprobates, no love. No love for them, there's no love for them, okay? Reprobate is just like, great, I'm looking to save some tears, okay? The only tears that they'll get is the tears of joy when they split hell wide open. Yeah, I said it. So a heart for the lost, but you know what? The vast majority of people we speak to are not reprobates. They're just regular lost people and you know what? Some of the people we're gonna speak to and are speaking to are just blasphemers. Doesn't mean they're reprobates, but you know what? Paul was a blasphemer, injurious, right? And you know what, they may say some pretty hurtful things to you, but just know this is that no amount of hurt that they can give you can compare to the amount of hurt that they will experience when they're weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth in hell. And so we need to put that aside and recognize this person needs to get saved, I hope. And look, that's why it's important that you don't argue because we wanna leave a good taste in their mouth. Leave a good testimony. That's the only testimony you should give when you preach the gospel, right? Is a good testimony where you say, well, thank you so much for your time. God bless you. I hope you have a great day and just go on through the next door, okay? Number two of the seven, what do we need in order to make soul winning work? You need a team. You need a team. And I got the solution for you. There is a bunch of teams in our church where you can join yourself too to become a bonafide preacher of the gospel. I'm already a bonafide preacher of the gospel. Get on the team anyways. Why, because we need people around us to analyze how we do it if we wanna get better. I mean, don't we wanna become better soul winners, folks? Don't we wanna improve and sharpen our sword and just exceed and excel in this matter of preaching the gospel? Absolutely. Well, the only way you can do that is by allowing someone outside of you to analyze your gospel presentation and criticize it a little bit. You said criticize it a little bit? That's kinda like, ah, folks, that's the way you get better. And that's why we have teams where a team leader will do that in kindness and love and patience. They're not trying to bring you down. They're not trying to like, they don't hate you. They're not trying to embarrass you. They're trying to improve the way you go soul winning. And so, hey, folks, if you're on a team and your team leader has done that, receive that reproof, amen? A wise man will love the reproof that they receive from their instructor, okay? So what if they have a bad motive behind it? Well, you know what, listen to it anyways and you'll still benefit from it. Listen to that reproof and that correction and the hurtful things that they say and I guarantee you they'll still help you, okay? But you need a team. The Bible says in Hebrews 10, you're in Acts chapter 18, and let us consider one another to provoke and to love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. It's important that we assemble together because we exhort one another. That's why I'm not necessarily for lone ranger soul winners, you know? Lone ranger soul winners, they're kind of just doing their own thing, you know? And then it doesn't really fit the biblical description of how we go on and preach the gospel. What I see is groups going out and then from groups we see two and two, right? For accountability purposes, for encouraging one another, exhorting one another, you need a team to go with. Look what the Bible says in Acts chapter 18 verse 24. And a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures came to Ephesus. So first and foremost, I want you to notice, Apollos, he seems like a pretty solid guy. I mean, just in the very introduction of who he is, the Bible says he's an eloquent man, he's mighty in the scriptures. So if it says he's eloquent, that means the guy can talk. He's a good speaker, right? He's able to communicate well. And he's mighty in the scriptures. What does that mean? It means he knows his Bible. He came to Ephesus, verse 25. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. So he's instructed in the ways of God. He's fervent in spirit, what does that mean? He's passionate, he's not a mule that you have to kick to get something done, he's just a self-motivated person. I mean, this is a great soul winner right here, okay? Fervent in spirit, and he's diligent, teaching the things of the Lord. He's out there preaching the gospel, he's out there preaching the word of God, I mean, he's getting the work done. Knowing only the baptism of John, what does that mean? That's when he got saved, okay, through John's baptism. Verse 26 says, and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. So even though Apollos was already well versed, he was fervent in spirit, this guy was solid, he knew what he was doing, Aquila and Priscilla, who are basically the OGs of soul winning, they saw some areas that he needed to work on. And more specifically, obviously in context, referring to the fact that he wasn't preaching Jesus, okay? He didn't know the name of Jesus, he was saved by believing on Christ, but now Aquila and Priscilla revealed unto him that the Christ that he's preaching is Jesus, okay? Says in verse 27, and when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him, who when he was come helped them much, which had believed through grace, for he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly showing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. Now notice, Apollos didn't say, whoa, hey, I'm mighty in the scriptures, I'm fervent in the spirit, I know what I'm doing, I'm really good, I've been doing, I've watched Pastor Anderson's seminar and Pastor Jimenez's seminar, I've seen every single sermon out there on preaching the gospel, I know what I'm doing, you can't tell me, is that the kind of attitude he had? I mean, did he say, hey, I got saved under John the Baptist, baptism, forerunner of Jesus. Is that what he said? No, in fact, he didn't say anything, as far as we know. It looks like according to the text, he just received the correction, and what happened? He became better at his craft. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside, they recognized his abilities and said, let me show you some areas you can work on. And he didn't pull out the John the Baptist card, he didn't say I'm fervent in the spirit, he didn't say, he just took it, and what had happened? He became better at what he was previously doing. And in fact, it says, he mightily convinced the Jews and that publicly shown from the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. How do we apply this? Look folks, if you know how to soul win, great. If you know how to preach the gospel, great. But does that mean you've already arrived as a soul winner? No, you know what that means is that you can still learn from someone else. And never have the attitude that says, well, I've already arrived, I've won so many people to the Lord, I've watched this seminar 30 times, this is how I've always done, I'm never gonna change, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. That's a prideful, arrogant attitude. Folks, I've gone soul winning with people from here and from different churches, people who are just church members, and you know what, I've learned something from them. I've listened to them and say, hey, that's actually a really good illustration. Or I've never thought about using that verse. But you're a pastor though. How can you? What? Yeah, that's because, well, exactly, that's why I'm a pastor, why? Because I keep growing. And that's the attitude that you should have is that you're continuously growing and that's why it's good for you to have a team who will help you grow in those areas. Talk about the mechanics of soul winning. You need a heart for the loss. You need a team. The team is the church, but more specifically, there are literal teams in our church. Go with me if you would to, let me see here. Go to Proverbs chapter 16. Proverbs chapter 16. Number three, you need a partner. And I'll breeze over this point right here. Luke chapter 10 verse one says, After these things, the Lord appointed others 70 also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whether he himself would come. We don't have this issue here, but no one should ever say, I'll just go by myself. There's no accountability there. You need a soul winning partner to go with. It's good for accountability. It's good to be encouraged. And you actually get a lot of good stories together. And look, these are some of the best memories you'll make together. So that's number three, a partner. You need a soul winning partner. You know, these guys who want to go out and with a blow horn on the corner of the street, sounding like a jack in the box, no offense, Ulysses, sounding like a jack in the box drive through, doesn't help anybody. These guys are buying themselves with this huge sign, and these Pentecostal guys. And they're not getting anybody safe because first and foremost, they got a false gospel. Secondly, people are driving, barely even hearing the tail end of the number three order. Not getting anything done. And most of these guys are pompous, arrogant jerks anyways. I've seen some of these guys out there. They're at some beach or some promenade or something like that, and they have these signs, and they're just, all they want to do is just show how much they know. They just want to show how much they know. They just want to condemn every single person that comes up. No one's listening to them. Gene Kim has this video on YouTube. You should go watch it for a good laugh, where he's literally teaching people how to street preach. He's teaching people how to breathe. He's teaching people how to yell at the cars. I promise you, it's fact. It was so funny to me when I saw it that I had to make a spinoff of it, if you guys remember that video. It's called Gene Kim Reacts to Dispensation of Heresy. And I cut all the parts where he's like, oh, you know. So I'll put a really hot part of the documentary, and then he's just like, oh, you know. He's a joke. Street preaching is a joke, folks. It's one guy with the blow horn, you know, with the Turner Burns sign or whatever. And here's the thing. Most of these guys, why do they want to go to these sodomite conventions or whatever? Why would you want to go there for? Don't you want to reach them? No. But even then, let's say I did want to reach them. I don't want to look at that. And you tell me, Gene Kim, or whoever goes out there, how many of those sodomites have you won? None. We're not for protest here at our church. The only protesting that's done at our church is behind the pulpit by me, okay. Number four, mechanics of soul-winning. A plan, you need a plan. Now what do I mean by a plan? Well, if you're a brand new soul-winner in our church, okay, and you have a vision to be a bona fide soul-winner, someone who's preaching the gospel, getting a lot of people saved, and eventually training others to do the same, you know, a dream without a wish, or excuse me, yeah, a dream without a plan is only a wish. You know, there's a lot of people who wish that there would be a great soul-winning, they would wish they could win a lot of people to Christ, they wish that they would be able to do these things, but you know what, because they don't put a plan to it, they never actually succeed in that area, okay. A plan to get you from where you are now to your desired destination. And I've learned that the people who properly and intentionally plan their growth are the ones who succeed the most. Are not the most talented ones, not the most gifted ones, just the people who actually have a plan, okay. They don't wait for growth to come to them, they put themselves in a position, and based upon a devised plan to achieve those goals. Look at Proverbs 16, verse nine. A man's heart deviseth his way. What does that mean, he's planning it out. And what's the result of that? But the Lord directed his steps. So if you want the Lord to direct your steps, it's not like you just sit on your rear end and say, all right, God, do it. Go, I'm ready. You have to go do something. You have to devise a plan in your heart. How am I gonna become a soul-winner? How am I gonna lead my first person to Christ? How am I gonna preach the gospel? There needs to be a plan set forth. And look, if you don't know how to devise a plan, then get with your team leader, and they'll help you put a plan together to make you a bona fide soul-winner, okay. Have a plan, how? Well, number one, to memorize the basic soul-winning verses. That's a good start. You know, memorize the basic soul-winning verses. Hey, have a plan to give your introduction. No, I wanna preach the gospel. Yeah, but it starts with like an introduction, though. You know, I remember there's this guy, he's like, I'm changing my soul-winning presentation from now on. All right. Like, okay. And we're all soul-winning, and he goes up to a guy, he's like, yeah, because I'm not getting anybody saved. So I'm just changing it up the way I'm doing it. I'm like, okay. And I'm just kind of like, what's he gonna do? He goes up to a door, and he's like, hey, you wanna hear the gospel? And the guy's like, I'm sorry? He's like, the gospel, you wanna hear it? And he's like, no, I'm busy right now. All right, thanks. And I'm at the door, I'm like, God bless. You know, and he's just like, walk away. I said, what in the world? Folks, an introduction is very important. Okay. And he's like, yeah, I'm sick and tired of people rejecting me, so I just tell them flat out that if they wanna hear it or not, they don't, just walk away. How's that going for you? Look. Pastor Mejia does not agree with every single comment that's made in the congregation, okay? You know, learn how to give an introduction. Have a plan, say, you know what, for the next month, two months, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna ask my team leader to just help me to give an introduction, and I wanna give an introduction at every door. I wanna introduce myself, I wanna give the track. Yeah, but I don't wanna be a track giver. You're not gonna be a track giver forever. This is just a plan. Just hear me out. It's just a plan so you can learn how to do this naturally. So you learn how to talk to people, you give them the invitation, and then you say, you know, here's a friend of mine, he'd like to ask you a really important question, or whatever it is, instruction that your team leader's giving you. What I'm saying is this, that's still a plan. That's still better than anything else. And then, of course, a plan to present the gospel, okay? Which leads me into my next point. Go to 1 Corinthians chapter two, 1 Corinthians chapter two. Mechanics of sowing, you need a systematic presentation. A systematic way to present the gospel. And I have good news for you. There's already a system in place that you can use and modify to your liking, and it's called the Romans Road. And you know what, these repent of your sins, Calvinist type, they hate that, but good riddance. We want it, we'll keep it. We'll proclaim it, but we'll keep using it. It's been working for decades. We're gonna continue to use it, because it works. Oh yeah, but how many of those people have you brought to church? Well, how many people have you gotten saved? Let's just start there. These great comforts of this world. A systematic presentation known as the Romans Road. Well yeah, but where do I start when it comes to memorizing the scriptures? Well, I got good news for you. There's already a system in place. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Ah, I don't really, you know, I'm not really for the Romans Road. I prefer John's Road. Okay, if you want to be some unique, special Christian, you know, you just want a corner of the truth or something like that, you go ahead and do your thing. But you know what, let's stick to the tried and true. Let's perfect that which is already established, and then you can branch out into other areas of the Bible where you can use different verses from the book of John and other portions of scripture when you've already had this by muscle memory. You know, the Romans Road is a great skeleton, okay? And you know what, you want to get the muscles in the flesh, but sometimes people get the muscles in the flesh and they fall apart because they have no skeleton. What you need is a skeleton known as the Romans Road, and then you can build some muscle and flesh upon that. You could even add some makeup if you want afterwards and some nice clothing thereafter. You could adorn the doctrine of Christ if you want to, as much as you want, but here's the thing, you need to start with the skeleton. And a good skeleton is the Romans Road, coined by Dr. Jack Hyles. I don't care what you think about him. It's still a great systematic plan to get people saved. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2, one and I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. You know what I like about the Romans Road? It doesn't start in Genesis. Isn't that great? There's a reason why it's called the Romans Road, because it just sticks to the book of Romans. You have the whole plan of salvation in the book of Romans. Say, why, what do you mean Genesis? Well, there's people that want to go all over the place. They want to expound unto them everything they know about the Bible, so they start with Adam and Eve. Well, here he says, I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. What is he saying? When I go and preach the gospel, I'm just given the basics of the gospel. And wouldn't you say that the Apostle Paul knew a lot of Bible? I mean, he was given revelations that no one else had at that time, you understand? But even he said, when I go out and preach the gospel, I preach Christ and him crucified. Says, and I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. Folks, when you go out and preach the gospel, and I'm speaking to the men primarily, for this point, specific point that I'm about to say. When you go out and preach the gospel, that's not the time to really expound how much Bible you know to a lost and dying world. It's not a time to talk about how wicked the Jews are, about the reprobate doctrine, about pre-tribulation rapture. You'll have your chance to do that some other time. The ministry of reconciliation requires for you to know Christ and him crucified. The gospel, and that's it. And let me say this, stick to the Romans road, build thereupon, as the months and years go by. You see, one that I know when I can start adding to the Romans road and just kinda modifying a little bit, here's a good marker, okay? In my opinion. When you're able to give the Romans road presentation, almost like muscle memory. It just kinda flows out of you. You know, cause sometimes what happens is, new soul winners, they go to the door, they knock on a door, they talk to a person, and they're just like a script. You're a sinner, Romans 3, 23, 4, all is good, because you're the Lord of God, Romans 3, 10, and they're just like. And the person's probably not even paying attention anymore, but the soul winner's so focused on making sure that you just get their script across. They don't give time to really read the person to see if they're even interested, or if they're even listening. They're just like, you know, Romans 6, 23, Revelations 21, 8, so you wanna get saved? And you lost them at high. That's why I say, it's better to learn the Romans road, commit it to memory, know it like the back of your hand, so that it's just muscle memory when you're giving it, and then you can allocate your attention to their countenance, to their expression, you can take time to read them, so you're not wasting your time. That's why it's important. And let me say this when it comes to that as well. Don't give your testimony. I don't think we have that problem, but in case we do, or in case we ever do have that problem, your testimony doesn't mean anything at the door. Yeah, I said it. A lot of people, they get mad, a lot of people on the internet get mad when I talk about that stuff, but it's fact, folks, the gospel is not your testimony, unless your testimony is that I got saved by grace through faith, you know? No one wants to hear about your drug addiction, and your whatever addiction, and the life you came out of, and all these things. At the door, folks, that's not important at that point. And I'm not saying, look, if you're the person who came out of that lifestyle of drugs, or worldliness, or whatever it may be, I'm not saying that's not important, I'm not saying God didn't do that in your life, okay? But when it comes to preaching the gospel, we're supposed to testify of Jesus Christ. It's not the testimony of Bruce Mejia. It's not the testimony of Marco Sanchez. It's not the testimony of Jose Gonzalez. It's the testimony of, it's not the testimony of Ulysses Hernandez, I heard you. It's the testimony of Jesus Christ. Okay, we're there to testify of Christ and him crucified. And I'm not saying, hey, are you telling them, you know, I believe that at one point. That's you giving your testimony, right? I actually believe that at one point. And you know what, I often do that when I'm out there preaching the gospel. I'll tell people that, I'll be like, you know what? You know, when they say, oh, you get saved by works, I don't really like to say, well, that's not really in the Bible. Because, you know, you don't want us to come off prop. You say, what do you do? I say, you know what? I actually believe that same exact thing at one point. So I understand where you're coming from. That's what I used to believe. Because I'm being honest. I mean, didn't we all believe that to a certain extent at one point, right? And I'll tell them, I actually believed that at one point until someone actually showed me from the Bible what the Bible actually says. Can I show you? Because at that point, you're trying to get them to let their guard down. You don't want them to think that you're trying to present yourself as being superior to them. You understand? Go to Acts 22, if you would. Acts 22. And so, you know, we need a systematic presentation. And the best way to do that is, first of all, learn the Romans road, and then you can make your presentation more complex. Not complicated, but complex. What do I mean by that? Well, you know, the more you go sowing, the more you're gonna be faced with questions, contradictions, people asking you this and that. And that's good for you. Hey, it's good for you to get stumped at the door every once in a while. Because what happens? Then you go back to the drawing board and say, you know what, let me look into the Bible what the Bible says. Hey, there's a verse about that in Isaiah that I can use. And you add that to your repertoire, you understand? You add that to your toolbox, and that's how you get better, okay? You know, you get better by doing it. So you don't have to add all these tools to your toolbox before you go sowing. What you do is you get the Romans road, you learn the Romans road, you put yourself out there, you get humbled every once in a while, and that motivates you to go back to the drawing board to learn more verses, to learn more about the Bible, and then you're ready for that the following time you go out, okay? That's the best way to do it. Next point here, we're almost done. Number six, the mechanics of sowing. We need a clear objective. So what's the objective, folks, when we go out there to go preach the gospel? What's the purpose of it? Get people saved, right? Not very complicated. Isn't it to go out and get people to come to our church? No. I mean, that would be great. We would rejoice if they come, they get baptized, they get plugged in, great. But the objective is to get them saved. And let me get more specific, okay? The objective is to get them saved, but let me just be more specific. The objective is to get them to call upon the name of the Lord. The purpose of going out there and preaching the gospel is to get them saved, but let's just get more specific because if it's not specific, it's not dynamic. And the goal is this, to get them to call upon the name of the Lord. So I ain't so mad about that. You know, I'll tell you why, because there's people out there who claim to believe the same type of doctrines that we believe regarding believing in your heart, which obviously we believe that you have to believe to be saved, but guess what, folks? The Bible says to call upon the name of the Lord. And people wanna criticize that and say, well, that's not necessary for salvation. Oh, let's just tear Romans 10, 13 out of the Bible then. Why not? Let's just take every single time the Bible says to call upon the name of the Lord, let's just tear that out, you know? Thanks for pointing that out. Thank you for telling me the way God should have written his word, let's just go ahead and remove all those passages of scripture that says to call upon the name of the Lord. I mean, it's not just once, folks. It's there all over the Bible. So what does that show us? It shows us that God wants us to tell them to call upon the name of the Lord. Yeah, but what if, though? What if, you know, a person is mute? All these little, you know, theoretical scenarios, right? Pastor, are you saying that if someone is mute and they can't talk, they don't have a voice box, and they just believe in their heart, they're not gonna be saved? Obviously, that's not what I'm saying. You're being obtuse. You're being obtuse. People like this are obtuse, okay? Why? Because of the fact that, obviously, if they're mute, they can't call upon the name of the Lord because they're mute. Doesn't mean they're not saved, but you know what? If a person has a voice box, which most people do, if a person is able to speak, which most people are able to do that, then we should compel them to call upon the name of the Lord. And I'm gonna explain to you why. Look at Acts 22, let's look at some examples here. Verse 12, it says, John Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me and stood and said unto me, brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked upon him. And he said, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shall be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why terriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Now how do you wash away your sins? By calling on the name of the Lord. What do you do? Why are you telling Paul to do that? He's just asked to believe. Well, I'll tell you why, because the rest of the Bible says that. To call on the name of the Lord. Go to Romans chapter 10. Now let me explain to you why it's important for someone to call upon the name of the Lord, okay? Because to call upon the name of the Lord is synonymous with confessing with your mouth. Look what it says in Romans 10, nine. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus. Now why does it say that? That's kind of interesting way of putting that, isn't it? If you should confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. Why did he choose to word it that way? Well, because the person that is gonna confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus is testifying that God is true. Amen. They're bearing witness that the testimony of God is true. And out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established. I mean, think about this. In the Old Testament, if someone was to be convicted of a crime, the Bible literally says, out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established. So that means that they would have to go to the witnesses and say, did you see this person? Do you believe this person did this? Do you agree that this person did this? Did you see him do it? Yes, that person murdered that individual. Yes, that person did it. Yes, I saw him do it. Okay, out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word was established. They agreed together with their witness and therefore that person would be convicted upon those terms. But according to these people, it's like this. Hey, do you believe this person did this? What? What if that person believed that that person murdered that other individual in their heart but they never confessed it? Then they wouldn't be able to convict them on that, would they? It would require the verbal witness to confirm that this person is guilty. All these three people, they believe in their heart but they're not willing to make a confession. Well, guess what? There is no indictment upon that if there's no confession. If these people do not confess that this person is guilty of the crime, they're not gonna take them. Why? Because they require a confession of the mouth. Why? Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks it. The mouth speaks what the heart believes. What if they believe but they don't wanna confess? What if they believe but they just don't wanna confess? Well, that's kinda weird, is it not? To believe that salvation is by faith alone and Christ alone, you could never lose your salvation but not wanna say it? Isn't that weird? Bible says in Romans 10, nine, that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe, and, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. What does that mean? It confirms that salvation, it seals the deal right then and there. The exception to the rule, yes, would be the person who is mute. Just like the exception to the rule would be for the person who's blind who can't read the word of God, they can still get saved even though they can't read it with their eyes. But folks, most people can speak. And look, obviously we've all had this happen where someone at the door says they believe and they'll say, well, I'd just rather pray by myself. Right? Now this is what I do, I say, well, what's the problem with praying now? And in fact, when I leave people to the Lord, I never tell them, can I pray with you? You know what I actually tell them? I say, now can I assist you in telling God what you already believe in your heart? All right, can I assist you in telling God what you already believe in your heart? If they say no, I'm like, okay. And by the way, I don't count it. Even if they say, well, I'll pray in 15 minutes by myself, I don't count it. Why, because I need a witness. Right? In the mouth of two or three witnesses, because sometimes we have to put a third person in that group of soul owners, because they're uneven, the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established. So when two soul owners come back and they say, we got someone saved, we have two witnesses to bear witness of that, to validate that. You know? It says in verse 13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. When a person believes in their heart and they confess with their mouth, they are basically testifying that what God says is true, 1 John chapter five. God is giving a record of his son. He's giving a witness of his son. And when we verbalize our agreement with that witness, we're testifying that what he's saying is true. We're saying, this is correct. This is true. I believe this. It's not. Mm. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So here, let me say this, or let me read this. Hebrews 3, one says, wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. Hebrews 4, 14, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the son of God, let us hold fast our profession. It's referring to that which is uttered, that which is being confessed, the fact that you called upon the name of the Lord. So you say, well, you know, why are you making such a big deal about this? Because there's idiots out there who say that confessing with your mouth is a work. If you can believe that. People out there literally say that confessing with your mouth is a work. Because you ask for salvation, that's a work. These are the same holier than thou's, folks. Bunch of holier than thou, Pharisaical individuals who they're so faith alone in Christ alone, they're so once saved, always saved. I mean, they would just want you to be a vegetable when you get saved. They just want you to just like, he's like, no, you have to be just like laying down. Don't even blink to agree to what that person is saying. I literally had someone tell me this yesterday. Oh yeah, Cody, you know. You know, they're over here talking about, oh, that's a work, confessing, you know, and calling upon the name of the Lord, that's a work, even though they can't point to a scripture. And it's funny, they want to point to a scripture, where do they go? Romans 10, nine? You gotta believe. Oh, did you forget the other part of the verse too? It's only by belief. So you know what, Paul, you messed up. You messed up. But as I recall, there's a story in the Bible in John chapter four of a Samaritan woman, and Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman says this in verse number 10. Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that say to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. According to that person who was teaching that, Jesus was teaching works. He was teaching works. Because he's saying, look, you should have asked and I would have given it to you, the gift of God. Oh, I mean, yeah, but that's a different dispensation. Asking for something is not a work. Okay, because none of us would look at the derelicts who are at the exit of a freeway and say they're working hard. Those people are working hard. There's one guy who had a sign one time that I gave him a dollar, just because the sign was really good. It said, family kidnapped by ninjas need a dollar for karate classes. Oh, I was like, dang, that was good. Take a dollar. I shouldn't have done it, but the sign was that good. So that was pretty creative. But look, most of the guys, they're not working. Oh, no, they're putting in a lot of work. See how many people they ask? You know, all the work that their jaw has to put into it, the muscles and verbalizing, asking for money, that requires work. What in the world? Insane, folks. To ask for something that's not a work, to ask for something that's what you do when someone is offering you something, you say, yes, can I please have it? A work, according to the Bible, is something that requires your effort in obeying God's commandments or doing good works. And let me say this, confessing is not a good work. Go to Acts chapter five if you would. So we need a specific objective. In order to make sowing work, a specific objective is needed, and that is this, to get people saved, but let's get more specific, to have them call upon the name of the Lord. That when you go out there and you preach the gospel, in your mind, you know at the end of this, I'm gonna seek to have them call upon the name of the Lord in faith. And look, obviously there's people out there that do this one, two, three, pray after me thing, which is stupid. They don't get people saved, or they're just like, I've known of churches, they literally do a one, two, three, pray after me, they're not thorough in their gospel presentation, and that's wrong. But we're not a one, two, three, pray after me church. We got way more steps than that. And we go through way more verses. And we don't just try to get someone to pray a prayer, we wanna make sure they understand what they're hearing. Wanna confirm that they understand. That's why we check, we ask questions, we interact with them. It's not a one-sided conversation. When you're preaching the gospel, it's not one-sided. I mean, you're interacting with them. You're talking to them, you're laughing with them, you're asking them questions, you're answering their questions, you're going back and forth with them. And then at the end, when you can confirm, okay, I believe this person understands. Do you believe this in your heart? Yes, I do. Okay, then I want to assist you in telling God what you already believe in your heart. And you know what? 95, 99% of the time that I've done that, the people who believe in their heart have no problem confessing it with their mouth. They're like, whoa, no, I thought you said just believe. Wait, I thought you said it wasn't by works, man. Has anybody ever had someone at the door say to you when you said to call upon the name of the Lord, that's a work. Anybody like that? Whoa, hold on a second, I thought you said not by works of righteousness, which I have done. But according to His mercy, He's haven. No one's ever had that. I've never had anybody ask me that. It's the same side of, it's basically calling upon the name of the Lord and believing on Jesus Christ, they're the same side. Him trying to figure out the phrase, they're trying to say of the coin. What's the word I'm looking for? Two sides of the same coin, thank you. The two sides of the same coin. Just like this, are we saved by God's grace? We are, right? Are we saved by God's mercy? Whoa, hold on, you're adding something there. No, they're the two sides of the same coin. No, it's not by mercy. We're saved by grace. It's both. It's like people trying to say, oh, you know, we're saved by His death, but not necessarily by His resurrection, it's all done by His death. It's both. Stop being so obtuse. It's both. It's His death, burial, and resurrection that saves us. Lastly is this, I just want to get on that. This whole sermon was for that point. I don't even care if you improve your soul. I'm just kidding. I do care, I do care. But I think that's important. I think that's very important. And I don't think anybody in here should be doing their own thing when it comes to sowing, trying to get people not to call upon the name of the, oh yeah, you're saved, you're good to go, and just walk away from that. And if I find out that some people are doing that, then guess what, part two's coming up of the sermon. Lastly is this, in order to make sowing work, a lifetime is needed, dedicated to the work. In order for sowing to really work, you know, you need a lifetime to improve upon it. You need to do it for a lifetime. Bible says in Acts 5, 42, and daily in the temple, and daily in the temple, and in every house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. In order for sowing to work, you need to be dedicated for the, you need to stay in it for the long haul. Because it's only as you stay in it for the long haul that you'll get better at it, you'll get more people saved, you'll get more experience, and here is the kicker, you'll be able to teach others also how to do it. And folks, that is a very satisfying feeling there. When you're able to train other people to preach the gospel as you did, as you learn, and you're able to replicate yourself, you're able to duplicate yourself, you're able to disciple someone else to do the same thing, then you expand the work that much the more. And I wanna encourage you, dedicate your entire life to this, why not? And when you dedicate your entire life, now it no longer becomes a race, but now you pace yourself. And it's no longer a sprint, should I say, now you pace yourself. Because now you know you have a lifetime to do it. Talk about the mechanics of soul winning, do these things, and I promise you, you're gonna have an effective presentation, you're gonna get a lot of people saved, you're gonna be very successful as a soul winner. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word, and thank you, Lord, for those who have taught us the word of God, and those who have trained us and equipped us to be preachers of the gospel. I'm thankful for every soul winner here, Lord, that I've learned from. I'm thankful for those who are not part of our church, that were part of other Baptist churches, that have refined my soul winning, I've learned from them. And I pray, God, that you'd help us to have a humble attitude when it comes to soul winning, that we recognize that we've never arrived, we can still learn from other people. And I pray, Lord, that you'd continue to use us as First Works Baptist Church to keep the main thing, the main thing, and the main thing is soul winning. And we love you so much, Lord, and we thank you, pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.