Introduction The Task Universal
God's Pungent Words to His Children PROVERBS 11:30.
EZEKIEL 33:7-8.
DANIEL 12:3.
MATTHEW 4:19.
MATTHEW 9:37-38.
MATTHEW 22:9.
MARK 16:15.
JOHN 4:35.
JOHN 20:21.
ACTS 1:8.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:22-23.[1]
2 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
GALATIANS 6:9.
JUDE 23.
REVELATION 22:17.THE MAGNITUDE OF THE TASK The most gigantic undertaking God has laid out for
Christian men is to lead lost souls to Jesus Christ. The
salvation of the world cost God more, and requires more
from man, than any other movement in human or divine
history. To make a world He had only to speak the word
(Heb. 11:3); to save the world He had to crucify His only
begotten Son (Isa. 53:10). In this saving program He
requisitioned all the powers of His triune deity, and He calls
for the co-operation of every saved man. Christ emptied
himself in sacrificial libation on God's altar to redeem us,
and God requires us to offer to Him our best and our all
in witnessing to others of this redeeming grace (Luke 10:
27; Phil. 2:7). The highest in heaven and the lowest on
earth should combine in this imperial task.THE INCLUSIVENESS OF THE TASK The divine obligation of soul-winning rests without ex-
ception upon every child of God. The Christian receives
the essence of this obligation and call at the time of his
salvation. Regeneration demands reproduction in kind.
The fruit of a Christian is another Christian. To witness
for Christ is a spontaneous and natural expression of the
newly saved child of God. The worldwide mission prin-
ciple is present in germ in every case of spiritual regenera-
tion. The hope of evangelism on the human side is found
INTRODUCTION 3
in this embryonic principle. Some men are divinely called
to preach to a lost world; some women are called to give
life and power in home and foreign fields to teach a re-
deeming gospel. Every Christian is called in the hour of
salvation to witness for Jesus Christ. Nothing in heaven
or on earth can excuse him from it. God gives no furloughs
from this heaven-born obligation. Not ignorance, or pov-
erty, or environment, or difficulties of any kind--nothing--
can exempt or excuse any child of God from its pressing
daily importance. The difference between the preacher's
and the layman's call is one of extent and degree. They
are both called to win men to Christ.THE APPEAL OF THE TASK Above all other motives to the truly saved man, as a spur
to service and an incentive to soul-winning, is the cross
of Christ. Christ calls from Calvary for us to carry the saving
efficacy of his cross to a lost world about us. Paul said,
"The love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Cor. 5:14)--His love
for me expressed in his death for me; my love for Him ex-
pressed in my life of winning service. The nail-torn hands,
the thorn-pierced brow, and his dying cry, "My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46), appeal
to the soul of every child of God to be a fisher of men, a
winner of men. We imperil every joy of heaven by neglect-
ing to heed these calls to service.
The appeal comes from above. God calls with a fatherly
love, Christ pleads with a Redeemer's compassion, and the
Holy Spirit urges with a constant intercessory insistence.
The Bible repeatedly presses this universal duty upon us.
To refuse to witness of a saving gospel to a lost world day
by day is nothing short of high treason, spiritual rebellion,
and inexcusable disobedience to God's holy commands.
The appeal comes from beneath. The doomed in eternity
are anxious that their lost relatives and friends shall not
share their destiny. Have you heard in your deepest soul
4 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
the tragic words of the rich man as in hellish torment he
beseeches Abraham: "send him to my father's house: For
I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest
they also come into this place of torment" (Luke 16:27-28)?
If you refuse the voice of God and the pleading of the
Spirit, if you heed not the perils of lost men about you, if
you drown all the longings of your own soul to win someone
to Christ, do not turn away from the intercessions of the
rich man in Hell. His brothers still live next door to you.
Testify to them today.
The appeal comes from within. The saved soul itself
longs to win someone. Soul-winning fires burn in the depths
of every child of God. Andrew cannot long abide with
Christ without thinking of and going after his brother Simon.
These inner compassions and spiritual longings call us out
to the ripening fields. Christ said to His disciples as they
offered Him bread after He had won the fallen woman at
Jacob's well: "I have meat to eat that ye know not of"
(John 4:32). He had an inner hunger which soul-winning
alone would satisfy.
The appeal comes from without. Man's need, his perils,
his undone and ruined state of soul, his imminent doom in
a Christless eternity, press this call upon our hearts. The
unconscious cry of a lost humanity comes to greet the listen-
ing ear of every saved man. To go along unheeding this
cry is to count the death of the lost and to be guilty of a
world's spiritual ruin. The unsaved in home, shop, school,
store, street, everywhere, demand attention at our hands
every hour.THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TASK God says: "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman
unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my
mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto
the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not
warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked
INTRODUCTION 5
way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand" (Ezek.
3:17-18).
Can parents with unsaved children, wives with unsaved
husbands, teachers with unsaved pupils, preachers with un-
saved all about them, read this tragic message of lost men's
blood on their hands and rest in peace without doing their
utmost to win them to Christ? What is it to stand at God's
judgment with the blood of the unwarned lost on our hands?
Paul said: "I am pure from the blood of all men" (Acts 20:
26). But he also said: "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not,
my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my
heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from
Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen" (Rom. 9:1-3). To
live in a world filled with the unsaved and not try to win
them to Christ; to be saved by God's free grace and go to
meet him with no sheaves, nothing but leaves, a barren life,
a crownless life--this is an unspeakably horrible thing to do.
You can do better. Win someone. Begin today. Take the
blood of the lost off your hands.THE REWARDS OF THE TASK Evangelism has its shining rewards, its spiritual com-
pensations for the expenditure of blood, energy, time, talent,
and life. "And they that be wise shall shine as the bright-
ness of the firmament; and they that turn many to right-
eousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12:3). "And
he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto
life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth
may rejoice together" (John 4:36). "Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing"
(2 Tim. 4:8)--this thought encouraged the aged Paul as
he faced the endless life beyond death.
6 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
The soul-winning life is not an easy life. It is full of
sacrifices, deprivations, separations, and disappointments.
Yet it is a happy life, a joyous service, which fills all the
avenues of the soul with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
and sets all the joy bells of the heart to ringing.
Soul-winning is a deathless business. Its rewards ac-
cumulate with the passing centuries. The fruit multiplies.
Think of Stephen and Ananias as they doubtless shared in
Paul's coming to Christ. Paul's victories have just begun,
and these winners share in his endless labors. Think of
the increasing glory of the simple cobbler who won Spur-
geon to Jesus, as Spurgeon's labors go on reaping harvests
for Christ. Think of
the woman who won Charles Wesley, the merchant who
won Moody, the street preacher who won Sunday. Their
crowns are growing as the labors of these winners multiply
in the salvation of others. Think of the growing crowns
of the mothers who won their sons and daughters--sons and
daughters who in every quarter of the globe and in every
phase of life live to extend Christ's kingdom, exalt the Name
above every name, and lead a lost world back to God's
light. Surely all who love our Christ should enter the holy
calling of winning souls. No other life has a greater reward
than has that of the soul-winner.1. The peace of soul realized in doing God's will is one
of the richest rewards of the soul-winner.
2. Soul-winning widens the vision and lifts the spiritual
horizon for a larger look at God and His program.
3. It fattens the soul and makes it grow by leaps and
bounds in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
4. It enriches one's future and lays up heavenly treasures.
The storehouse above is filled with "angel's food" for the
soul's other and larger days.
5. It brings joy to three worlds. It brings joy to the
world of the sinner's heart, to the world of his loved one's
soul, and to the hearts of the heavenly group. This joy
INTRODUCTION 7
in seeing others come to know Christ in saving grace is the
fullest and richest joy known to man. To help change a
destiny in the heavenly way, to turn an immortal life into
the comradeship of God, to change its abiding place from
one of an eternal hell's doom to a blissful home with Christ
and the angels--this is life's highest reward.
6. It assures a heavenly companionship. It brings one
into closest touch and fellowship with the Father, the Sav-
iour, and the Holy Spirit, whose eternal task is seeking and
saving the lost. Christ said: "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 alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt.
28:19-20). Soul-winning is always blessed by Christ's en-
riching presence.
7. It is the surest way to the enduement of the Holy
Spirit's power. It is the straightest road to Pentecost.
8. Its chief reward is the crown it brings to Christ, the
glory it puts on His exalted head. The truest winner of
men is not seeking a crown for himself, a diadem as fadeless
as the stars for his own brow; but rather he seeks such a
diadem to replace the crown of thorns on Christ's head.
It is to make Him Lord of lords and King of kings that
spurs us on to win men from sin.
Part One
SOME
SPIRITUAL
PREREQUISITES
1 The Winner's Soul and Life
PSALM 24:3-4.
PSALM 51:7-13.
MATTHEW 5:8.
JOHN 17:16.
ROMANS 12:1-2.
2 CORINTHIANS 6:17.
GALATIANS 2:20.
GALATIANS 5:24.
GALATIANS 6:14.[11]
12 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
EPHESIANS 5:11.
2 TIMOTHY 2:21-22.
1 JOHN 2:15.THE ASSURANCE OF A SAVED SOUL The primary and basic prerequisite for soul-winning is
that the soul-winner have in his deepest soul an experi-
ential knowledge of Jesus Christ as his own personal Sav-
iour. He must have looked at Christ through eyes of
repentance and faith and have accepted him as Lord and
Master. He must know the way over which he would
lead others. Spiritual regeneration precedes acceptable
service in God's plan. Assurance of salvation is a condition
of constant and successful soul-winning. Doubt about his
own salvation will limit the doubter's power in leading
others in the way. Great confidence in God and conviction
of the truth should characterize the testimony of the soul-
winner. The blind cannot lead the blind without direful
results to both, and especially is this true in eternal and
spiritual matters. To know Christ in forgiving, redeeming,
delivering, and keeping power is essential to successful
evangelizing. Paul's spiritual powers were greatly rein-
forced by the fact that he could say: "I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that
which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim.
1:12).THE SEPARATENESS OF A CONSECRATED LIFE All those who aspire to win souls must be set apart by
divine consecration. Not only is a saved soul necessary, but
also a redeemed life. Those who handle the vessels of the
THE WINNER'S SOUL AND LIFE 13
Lord must have pure hearts and clean hands. "[H]oliness unto
the LORD" must be on the skirts of God's spiritual priests to-
day. "Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord" (Ex. 32:29)
is God's command to those who would win souls to Him.
Separation from the world's mind, method, and way is
another prerequisite to victory in spiritual harvesting. "be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2).
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you" (2 Cor. 6:17). "Love not the world, neither
the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). "In the
world, but not of the world" is Christ's standard for us.
"let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us" (Heb. 12:1). "If thou take away from the
midst of thee the yoke" (Isa. 58:9)--any yoke of sin or
worldliness--then there is the promise of blessing and power.
Worldliness or secret sin clogs the power ducts from God
to our souls. Indulgence in worldly pleasures is death to
our influence in winning men to Christ, and the harboring
of secret sins is spiritual paralysis to our power with God.
"Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost" (1 Cor. 6:19),
and God's temple should be untainted.THE OBEDIENCE OF A YIELDED LIFE "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also
the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey
him" (Acts 5:32). "And he said unto them, Cast the net
on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find" (John 21:
6). "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). There is no salvation
in obedience, but there is much joy and power. To be a
winner worth while, we must adopt Christ's map of the
world and be willing to go anywhere with Him. We must
14 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
say with Peter, "at thy word I will let down the net" (Luke
5:5). "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!" (Isa.
45:9).
We must be more than obedient to God; we must be
supple and pliant in His hands. The ideal is to be "as the
clay is in the potter's hands" (Jer. 18:6), to be molded as
pleases Him. Gideon won his victory over the Midianites
because he was a garment in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
"[T]he Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon" (Judg.
6:34). We must be reliantly and pliantly willing
to do His will anywhere before we can confidently claim His
power in our kingdom tasks. "for one is your Master, even
Christ" (Matt. 23:10). We should be subject to His orders.
Spiritual reliance carries us far toward victory in evangeliz-
ing for Christ.THE COMPASSION OF AN ASPIRING LIFE A spiritual hunger for righteousness, a longing for a
deeper and richer fellowship with Jesus Christ, and an
aspiration for a higher comradeship with God, are a neces-
sary part of the soul-winner's inner equipment. When
Christ gave His soul-enriching beautitudes, such as "Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness,"
He was preparing His hearers to be "fishers of men" (Matt.
5:6; 4:19). Andrew had not long "abode" with the Saviour
until he thought of Simon and "brought him to Jesus" (John
1:39-42). Paul was gaining equipment for larger service
when he said, "Forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14). Jesus was preparing
Peter for Pentecostal victories when he probed his anxious
soul with the question, "Lovest thou me more than these?"
and Pentecost was in promise when Peter answered, "Yea,
Lord; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:15-16).
Not only should our inner life reach out for God, but our
hearts should also reach out for lost men. We must see with
THE WINNER'S SOUL AND LIFE 15
our inner eyes what Jesus saw when from Olivet He wept
over Jerusalem. We should know something of what
thrilled the Saviour's loving heart when he had "compassion
on the multitude[.]" It was this holy, spiritual compulsion
of soul which caused him to leave heaven's throne and take
up Calvary's cross for our redemption. We should know
something of Paul's longing and burden of heart when he
said: "I 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"
(Rom. 9:2-3). We should know something of Isaiah's mean-
ing when he said, "if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in ob-
scurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD
shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought,
and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered
garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste
places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many genera-
tions; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach,
The restorer of paths to dwell in" (Isa. 58:10-12).
Compassion for the lost brings heaven's power upon our
efforts and equips us for "taking men alive."
2 The Winner's Prayer Life
ISAIAH 38:5.
JEREMIAH 33:3.
MATTHEW 6:6.
MARK 11:24.
LUKE 11:13.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:17.
JAMES 5:16.THE HABIT OF PRAYER An essential condition to the soul-winner's success is the
development of a prayer life, the establishment of a habit
of prayer. Prayer is the Christian's most glorious privilege,
most enlarging opportunity, and most essential obligation;
for it opens the door of communication with God, makes
easier his access to men, and is the surest way to bring God
and men together in saving and keeping relationship. The
prayers of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nehemiah, and Daniel,
marked turning points in the history of nations. The king-
dom of heaven swings on the pivot of Christ's and Paul's
prayers. Jesus, the Son of God, and Paul, his greatest
apostle, had well-developed prayer habits. They allowed[16]
THE WINNER'S PRAYER LIFE 17
no intrusions into their prayer life and no substitutions for
their supplications. Prayer was an essential to their spiritual
ongoing as was food to their physical well-being.JESUS AND PRAYER Christ's prayer life is one of the most impressive parts of
His earthly ministry. Most of His public deeds of any con-
sequence were accompanied by a season of prayer: when
He was baptized (Luke 3:21), before He called His disciples
(Luke 6:12), as He raised the dead (John 11:41), before His
trial (John 17), before His betrayal (Luke 22:42), before
his death (Luke 23:46), and in many other cases. The
following things can be said about Jesus and prayer:1. He prayed often. Prayer filled His life.
2. He almost always prayed before He faced any great
task or trial.
3. He prayed in public.
4. He prayed in secret--often all night, sometimes alone
and sometimes with His disciples.
5. He put a high premium on secret prayer (Matt. 6:6).
6. He practiced intercessory prayer (John 17:9-26).
7. He promised the power of the Holy Spirit in answer
to prayer (Luke 11:13).
8. He taught that a sinner could pray for his own salva-
tion (Luke 18:13).Soul-winners should not miss the power of Christ's ex-
ample in the matter of making a prayer plan and establish-
ing a prayer life.PAUL AND PRAYER Prayer was a pre-eminent factor in the life and ministry
of the apostle Paul. He prayed during the time of his con-
version (Acts 9:11) and started his Christian career by a
season in Arabia praying unto God and getting from Him
his message of the gospel (Gal. 1:12, 16-17). The record of
his prayers in jails, in synagogues, on streets, in private
18 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
homes, on river banks, on seashores--everywhere--is a thrill-
ing and inspiring part of his wonderful career. His recorded
prayers are specimens of deepest devotion to, and com-
munion with, God, and evidences of deepest religious and
spiritual convictions. His ringing injunctions to all Chris-
tians, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) and "Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and sup-
plication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God" (Phil. 4:6), come to us today as a mighty
call to a worthy prayer life. "Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:18) was with him a
large part of the Christian's armor. It was by prayer that he
received salvation; escaped dangers; foiled his enemies
preached the gospel; built churches; sent out missionaries;
opened cities, continents, and nations to the gospel; broke
out of jails; and died a triumphant death.OTHERS AND PRAYER Christian history in all ages is luminous with examples of
the prayer life of spiritual heroes. L. and Knox, re-
formers, prayed down the walls of caste and traditions and
opened new empires to truth and righteousness. John
W. and Finney, evangelists, started soul-saving move-
ments and won men by the thousands. Their influence will
last until the King comes again. They won by their prayers
and faith. Charles H. Spurgeon and Dwight L. Moody,
mighty preachers and institution-builders, by prayers
wrought wonders in Christ's name. Broadus and Carroll,
teachers, preachers, and leaders of men, by prayer and faith
wrought in kingdom enterprises a work which will outlast
the stars. Livingstone, Carey, Judson, and many other mis-
sionary heroes, by prayer opened doors of opportunity to
the gospel in heathen lands, through which millions are
coming to Christ. Prayer works wonders. The prayer life
is a source of joy and power to winners incomparable to any
other source.
THE WINNER'S PRAYER LIFE 19
SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYER 1. We should make much of secret prayer. Nothing
should crowd it out. Nothing should be substituted for it.
2. We should have a special time for secret prayer. It
should be made a habit and become as vital and as necessary
as our meals.
3. We should seek to be in prayer groups with prayer-
believing, devoted Christians. "if two of you shall agree
on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be
done for them of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt.
18:19).
4. We should put away from our hearts everything which
is a foe to our prayer life and power. "If I regard iniquity
in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18).
"That your prayers be not hindered" (1 Peter 3:7) is Peter's
caution to winners. We should put away from our lives--
(1) All compromise in conduct inconsistent with the high
standards of Christian living set out by the New Testament.
(2) All worldliness and the pleasures which feed the
carnal and hinder the spiritual.
(3) Every personal habit in thought, appetite, passion,
word, or deed that slows up or bars the operation of divine
grace and sanctification in our lives. "Put off...the old
man" with all his ways (Eph. 4:20-32). Remember what God
says about our bodies: "know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you[?]" (1 Cor. 6:19).
God has a right to a clean and untainted temple. We
should not grow in our lives any of the "works of the flesh,"
as seen in Galatians 5:19-21.
(4) All spirit of unforgiveness. God will not hear us if
we are unforgiving (Matt. 6:14-15; Eph. 4:32). Read care-
fully Ephesians 4:20-32.
5. We should encourage everything which will grow,
strengthen, and enrich the prayer life. We should--
(1) Devotionally study God's Word, claiming the prom-
ises, feeding on the hidden manna.
20 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
(2) Read spiritual books, and study the biographies of
God's men who have won in His kingdom.
(3) Seek the companionship of men and women of faith
and piety, those who live close to God, many of whom live
in quiet places unknown to the headlines of our papers, or
are perhaps shut in by sickness or other limitations.
(4) Seek in every way possible to produce in the inner
life the fruit of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance" (Gal.
5:22-23), and to crucify "the flesh with the affections and
lusts" (Gal. 5:24). "put on the new man, which after God
is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24).
6. We should have a prayer list--the names of the un-
saved among our acquaintances or loved ones. These
names should be carried, if not in a book, certainly in the
memory; and a time should be given each day to special
prayer for them. Some day God will say, "I have heard
thy prayer, I have seen thy tears" (Isa. 38:5).
3 The Winner's Faith and Convictions
MATTHEW 15:28.
MARK 9:23.
LUKE 5:4-5.
ACTS 4:12.
ACTS 4:19-20.
ROMANS 1:16.
GALATIANS 1:8.
GALATIANS 2:20.
EPHESIANS 4:11-15.[21]
22 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
2 TIMOTHY 1:12.
HEBREWS 11:6.THE SOUL-WINNER'S FAITH Faith in God through Jesus Christ is not only the initial
factor in obtaining life for the soul, but is also the mightiest
lever of power for service. Without faith it is impossible
to please God. Faith is the cup in which the begging lost
soul receives life from God (John 1:12). It is the wire
bearing to the soul the current of heavenly grace (Eph.
2:8). It is the key that unlocks God's treasures and gran-
aries, and the spiritual guide which leads us into God's
"green pastures" and "still waters." It leads into lands of
peace and hidden fountains (Rom. 5:1). It is the out-
stretched hand of a sinner, which the big hand of our Heav-
enly Father takes to keep us from falling and fainting as we
go the weary ways of the earthly life (Isa. 41:13). It is the
delicate needle with which God vaccinates and sanctifies
our souls against deadly sins and doubts.
It is God's spiritual tonic for character. It puts iron in
the blood and steels the soul for battle. It made a Moses
laugh at Pharaoh and at the barriers of sea and desert. It
bridged swollen Jordans and demolished Jerichos for a
Joshua, and held back setting suns that victory might crown
his day while fighting God's battles. It took the rage out
of lions' dens and made them safe places for a Daniel. It
THE WINNER'S FAITH AND CONVICTIONS 23
took the destroying elements out of fire when the Hebrew
children stood true to their God. It made heroes like John
the Baptist, Paul, L., Knox, and thousands of others.
With it weaklings are conquerors, and without it giants
are pygmies. It is a divine necessity to all who would win
for God. "this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith" (1 John 5:4). "the people that do know
their God shall be strong, and do exploits" (Dan. 11:32).
If our faith is to make us conquerors, it must possess cer-
tain spiritual ingredients.
It must be reliant. "Commit thy way unto the LORD;
trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5).
We must depend with a holy and trustful reliance on God's
strength if we are to become great winners. An invalid
spiritual motherhood will bear deformed or weak children.
Paul's stronghold in evangelism was, "I...am persuaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto
him against that day" (2 Tim 1:12).
It must be unstaggering. "He [Abraham] staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20). "[W]ithout doubt"
is the key to God's promises.
It must persist in the face of God's denials and delays.
The Gentile mother pressed her case and won her daughter's
deliverance from the devil by persistent faith. Christ and
the disciples rebuked her time and time again, but she
worshiped and in remarkable humility trustfully pressed her
suit until Christ said, "O woman, great is thy faith: be it
unto thee even as thou wilt" (Matt. 15:28).
It must look above difficulties at God and know that he
is greater than their number, size, or combinations. Moses
did this at the Red Sea. Elijah did it at Mount Carmel
with Ahab. Paul did it in facing the devil's emissaries
wherever he went. You and I must do it if we are to win
lost souls to Christ.
It must remember God's hidden resources and count His
promises at heaven's valuation of them. God has manna
24 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
never yet distributed, quails never yet sent out of his poultry
yard, and fountains never yet opened to his thirsty Israel.
God has recruits for all his armies. Elisha showed God's
other army to his servant at Dothan, his squadron of "angel
airplanes" at the order of faith (2 Kings 6:13-18). God
never broke a promise, and there is no record where a prom-
ise ever failed to be fulfilled if faith gripped it.
It must remember its true and only source of supply.
Let us look "unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith"
(Heb. 12:2). Peter's miraculous walk on the water failed
when he took his eyes off Jesus (Matt. 14:28-31). So will our
faith fail if we do not constantly feed on Him. "They drank
of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock
was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4). Christ is faith's manna and meat
(John 6:48-58).THE SOUL-WINNER'S CONVICTIONS In the work of winning men to Christ there are certain
fundamental doctrines to which every winner should heart-
ily subscribe and which should become an essential part of
his spiritual machinery. He should become "rooted and
grounded" in the basic principles of the gospel. Some of
these are as follows:1. The deity of Christ.-- Christ is God's Son (Matt. 16:16-
17; Luke 1:35, 42-43); He is the brightness of God's glory,
the express image of God's person, very God of very God,
the visible image of the invisible God (Heb. 1:3). We
should accept His eternal existence (John 1:1-5), his virgin
birth (Luke 1:26-37), His divine authority (John 20:21),
and his heavenly messiahship (Luke 2:11). A deep spiritual
grasp of these doctrines is necessary to an effective evange-
lism.2. The saving efficacy of His blood.--We must confidently
trust in his saving atonement as a means of our salvation
and cleansing. "He was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
THE WINNER'S FAITH AND CONVICTIONS 25
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed"
(Isa. 53:5). "Who his own self bare our sins in his own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1
Peter 2:24). "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but
by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:12).
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the for-
giveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph.
1:7). "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever" (Rev. 1:5-6). Paul's ringing testimonies
should be those of every soul-winner: "God forbid that I
should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world"
(Gal. 6:14), and "I determined not to know any thing
among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Cor.
2:2).3. Salvation by grace, without works of any kind.--The
winner needs to be right on the plan of salvation. This is
basic. Salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:8-10). "...being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 3:24). "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost"
(Titus 3:5). The conditions of this grace are repentance
(Acts 3:19; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21) and faith (John 1:12; 3:16-
36; 5:24).4. The sinful nature of man, the peril of his lost condition,
and the impending doom awaiting him.--Men are by nature
children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and of Satan (John 8:44; Acts
26 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
13:10). They are conceived in sin and born in iniquity,
and have all gone astray from the womb (Psalm 51:5; 58:3).
Because of personal sin they are lost to God, hope, and right-
eousness, without Christ and without God, until they repent
and believe (Luke 19:10; Eph. 2:12). They are under
wrath (John 3:36), condemned (John 3:18), alien enemies
of God (Rom. 5:10), and slaves of unrighteousness (Rom.
6:17-20). They are imperiled by eternal death and hell
every hour after they come to the years of accountability
until they are saved or die. They stand on "slippery ways
in the darkness" (Jer. 23:12), with hell moving to meet
them at their coming (Isa. 14:9). And God says, "their foot
shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at
hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste"
(Deut. 32:35).
That there is an eternal punishment waiting the impeni-
tent and unbelieving is as sure as anything can be sure.
To deny this is to traduce all revealed truth, repudiate God's
Word, and deny the deity of Christ Himself. Job said, "do
ye not know their tokens, That the wicked is reserved to the
day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day
of wrath" (Job 21:29-30). David said, "The wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God"
(Psalm 9:17). Isaiah said, "Hell from beneath is moved for
thee to meet thee at thy coming" (Isa. 14:9). Daniel said,
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). Paul said that the Lord
Jesus is coming, "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting de-
struction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory
of his power" (2 Thess. 1:8-9).
Peter said, "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly
out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day
of judgment to be punished" (2 Peter 2:9). John said, "But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
THE WINNER'S FAITH AND CONVICTIONS 27
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death"
(Rev. 21:8). Jesus Christ, on His divine authority, says:
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the devil and his angels," and "These shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal"
(Matt. 25:41, 46). "He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not
see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
Christ tells the tragic story of the unsaved man's destiny in
Luke 16:19-31.5. The inspiration of the Bible.--The Bible is "God-
breathed," the infallible Word of God concerning man, bind-
ing in its authority upon the conscience and conduct of
every man. It will never fail, and on its truth alone the
world is to be reconstructed. "All scripture is given by
inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). "Holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:
21). The proofs of the divine authorship and binding au-
thority of God's Word are overwhelming, and should be
accepted and believed by everyone desirous of winning
souls. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.
6:17); and if you wish to have the power of the Spirit, you
must accept His weapon.6. The obligation of Christ's command to go into all the
world to win men.--The soul-winner must feel in the depths
of his soul Christ's call for time and talent (Matt. 28:18-20;
John 20:21; Acts 1:8). Lack of conviction or obedience
here will limit power in winning men to Christ.7. Our Lord's second advent.-- The soul-winner need not
worry over the times and seasons of Christ's second coming,
for Christ says no man or angel, nor the Son himself, knows
when He will come again (Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7; 2 Thess.
2:1-2). But we should pray for, watch for, and love His
appearing, and ever be ready ourselves, and get everybody
28 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
else we possibly can ready for His coming (Matt. 24:42-46;
Luke 21:34-36; 2 Tim. 4:8).8. The Holy Spirit.--In the power of the Holy Spirit alone
can we hope to win.These doctrines--of the deity of Christ, the saving efficacy
of His blood, salvation by grace, the sinful nature of man and
his lost condition, the divine inspiration of the Bible, the
obligation of the Great Commission, the second coming of
Christ, and the Holy spirit--ought to be most heartily be-
lieved by everyone wishing to be a winner of men.
4 The Winner's Compassion
PSALM 106:23.
PSALM 126:5-6.
ISAIAH 58:10.
ISAIAH 66:8.
EZEKIEL 22:30-31.
MATTHEW 9:36.
MATTHEW 14:14.
LUKE 15:20.
LUKE 19:41.
JOHN 3:16.[29]
30 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
ACTS 20:31.
ROMANS 9:1-3.THE NEED FOR COMPASSION The preceding verses reveal to us the heart of the Three
in the Godhead. The Father loves us and gave us His best,
His only Son. The Saviour wept with longing compassion
and died a cruel death on the cross for us. The Spirit inter-
cedes for us through unutterable groanings. The psalmist
said we must weep if we would win. The prophet Isaiah
said we will rise out of obscurity and be watered gardens if
we draw out our souls to the lost and needy. The apostle
Paul, weeping over a lost city for three years, said he had
great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart and was
willing to be accursed that his brethren might be saved.
Moses, the lawgiver and leader, stood in the breach between
the people and God's wrath, and saved them from the con-
sequences of their sins. In Ezekiel 22:30, God searched for
someone to stand in the gap before him lest he should de-
stroy the land. But he failed to find any; so he poured out
his indignation and the fires of his wrath. No prophet or
priest with compassion!
In Ezekiel 34:1-19, God made awful charges against the
shepherds of his people: "Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you
with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the
flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have
ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up
that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that
which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which
was lost" (vv. 3-4). Then he said, "Behold, I am against the
shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and
THE WINNER'S COMPASSION 31
cause them to cease from feeding the flock" (v. 10). He
added with burning words, "I will seek that which was lost"
(v. 16). He sought the lost through the life, death, and
ministry of Jesus Christ, and through the centuries he has
continued to seek them by the persistant calls of the Holy
Spirit and by the efforts of His people.
A compassionless Christianity drifts into ceremonialism
and formalism. Our greatest need now is for a compassion-
ate leadership in the Christian movements of the world.
Every niche of this lost world needs the ministry of a fired
soul, burning and shining with the zeal and conviction of a
conquering gospel. Spiritual dry rot is worse for the churches
of Jesus Christ than the plagues were for Egypt and the
simooms are for the Sahara. Many a minister is on a tread-
mill, marking time, drying up, not earning his salt, because
he has no compassion for souls and no power for effective serv-
ice. May our God kindle holy fires of evangelism in all
churches and pulpits where such is needed!THE FOOD FOR COMPASSION How can our hearts be stirred and aroused with a heavenly
enthusiasm for God and souls? The answer is found in cer-
tain heart foods.
1. An insight into the inner and spiritual meaning of the
Word of God.--Study God's Word. Delve into the riches
of grace, the manna of the soul. Somehow you must go to
the juicy roots of revelation. You must go in for the sweets
and fats of the Word.
2. A constant contemplation of God and His mercies.--
Seek God's face and favor in quiet hours.
3. A constant companionship with Christ and the Holy
Spirit.--Travel the "Emmaus road" with Christ, continually
seeking the power of the Holy Spirit.
4. Secret prayer.--Develop a life-habit of prayer. Passion
for souls grows in the heart in hours of communion with
God.
32 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
5. A persistent effort in soul- winning.--Nothing grows
spiritual muscle and consequent motive like "winning work."
Winning one person creates the hunger for more, and on it
goes, until the soul-winner is consumed with a burning
passion to win others to Jesus Christ.
6. Contact with great soul- winners.--Association with
great soul-winners, in person or through books, will stimu-
late your own compassion of heart. Eternity alone will tell
the full story of the influence of Paul, of Spurgeon, of
Moody, in creating the soul-winning hunger in others.
7. A constant realization of the meaning of spiritual
ambassadorship.--We hold a trusteeship, are under a holy
debtorship, and carry from our God a spiritual guardianship
for lost souls (Ezek. 33:7-11; Rom. 1:14; 2 Cor. 5:20).
Realize that your neglect may cause some soul to lose
heaven and bring you to judgment with his blood on your
hands. Do not be unfaithful to such a responsibility and
duty. Does not the grace of God in your own heart now
send out an inexpressible longing of soul to see others come
to Christ? Cultivate this hunger.8. A true evaluation of the worth and destiny of the soul
out of Christ.--We must see the unsaved in the light in which
Christ saw them when he died for them. The knowledge of
their doom ought to speed in our hearts the flow of spiritual
passion for them. The saving of one soul is worth more than
the making of a Magna Charta for a thousand worlds. Put
Christ's value on men, and you will long to see them right
with God.THE RESULTS OF COMPASSION If there flow into our beings the tides of compassion, we
will soon and constantly see some meaningful results.
We will grow in the knowledge and grace of God. We
will rapidly make for the mark of the high calling in Christ
Jesus, and more and more approach the stature of the per-
fect man. We will see and apprehend the boundless dimen-
THE WINNER'S COMPASSION 33
sions of the love of God and come more and more to possess
the power of the resurrection life (Eph. 3:16-20).
We will have an abundance of the "overflow life." We
will no longer be "bottle Christians," but "flowing river
Christians." From within us will flow rivers of living water
(John 7:37-39). Christ came to give us life more abund-
antly (John 10:10).
A restfulness of spirit will characterize our service for
Christ. The peace of God which passeth all understanding,
the "perfect peace" which comes from the "mind stayed
on" him, will bring its joys and cast out all the fret and
worry (Isa. 26:3; Phil. 4:7).
Compassion will deepen the desire and appreciation for
the happy, sacrificial life. Calvaries and Gethsemanes will
be wings instead of weights, and we will joy to "suffer with
him" and to give our best and most priceless to his service--
whether it be ourselves, our money, our talents, or our
children.
Compassion will generate power. The soul that knows
the passion of Calvary is sure to experience a Pentecost (Isa.
58:10-14).
This inner longing for the lost will drive us out into fruit-
ful service. The heart that yearns and burns to see men
come to Christ will know no idleness in the kingdom. This
compassion will surely fruit in successful soul-winning.
5 The Winner's Heavenly Unction
MICAH 3:8.
ZECHARIAH 4:6.
LUKE 11:13.
LUKE 24:49.
JOHN 7:38-39.
JOHN 14:16-17.
JOHN 20:22.
ACTS 1:8.
ACTS 2:38-39.[34]
THE WINNER'S HEAVENLY UNCTION 35
ACTS 5:32.
EPHESIANS 5:18.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:19.
1 JOHN 2:20.WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT In every move we make toward and for Christ we are de-
pendent on the operation of the Holy Spirit. If we are to
win men to Jesus, we must get in with, and keep up with,
the divine Paraclete.
1. He calls us to eternal life. "The Spirit and the bride
say, Come" (Rev. 22:17).
2. He convinces and convicts of sin, righteousness, judg-
ment, and unbelief (John 16:8-11).
3. It is evidently He that draws us to the Father (John
6:44).
4. He teaches and guides into truth (John 14:26; 16:13).
He testifies of Christ (John 15:26) and shows us the things
of Christ (John 16:14).
5. He makes alive the dead but penitent soul through the
grace of God (Eph 2:1, 5).
6. He is the divine agent (John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5), and
Christ the divine substance (Rom. 5:10), of eternal life.
7. He sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God (Rom
5:5).
8. He is God's agent in our justification and sanctifica-
tion (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2).
9. He puts the divine seal on our spiritual sonship (Eph.
4:30) and gives the constant witness of our acceptance with
God (Rom. 8:16). It is by the marks of his leadership that
we are to demonstrate to the world that we are Christ's
(Rom. 8:14).
36 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
10. Our daily victories over the flesh and the devil are to
be won through His power (Rom. 8:13), and we are to look
to Him for strength in the inner man (Eph. 3:16).
11. He is the heavenly instrumentality through whom our
mortal bodies are to be made alive and brought back from
the grave (Rom. 8:11).
12. It is He who intercedes for us in our prayers and
tasks (Rom. 8:26).
13. He is our comforter in sorrow (John 14:16-18).
14. He is our power in praying, testifying, preaching,
teaching, and otherwise winning men to Christ (Zech. 4:6;
Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; Eph. 6:18).
Our dependence on the Holy Spirit is absolute and com-
plete.MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT He has promised to go before us (Isa. 45:2), behind us
(Isa. 58:8), beneath us (Deut. 33:27), with us (Matt. 28:
20), within us (John 14:17), upon us (Acts 1:8), and all
around us (Matt. 3:11). The word "Paraclete" means one
standing beside us. He has promised to hold us with the
right hand of His righteousness (Isa. 41:10) and never to let
us fall (John 10:27-28; Jude 24).CONDITIONS FOR RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT The Spirit's power is an absolute necessity in winning men
to Christ. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit,
saith the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 4:6)--this law is written in
large letters in all the history of evangelism. There are no
substitutes for the power of the Spirit. Personality--stirring,
attractive, winsome personality--is of much value in influ-
encing men, but it is no substitute for the Spirit's power.
Eloquence and charm of voice in song or speech may
sweep men off their feet temporarily, but it takes the power
of God to win them from their sins and regenerate them.
Profound learning and great scholarship are of great value
in intelligently bringing men to Christ and building up His
THE WINNER'S HEAVENLY UNCTION 37
glorious kingdom on earth; yet these are not substitutes
for the power of God. "The Spirit of God has an affinity for
a trained mind." Culture and a graciousness of manner can
greatly aid us in our heavenly task of bringing men to a full
knowledge of Christ, but these must not be regarded as
sufficient in themselves. They must be vitalized and breathed
through and through with the dynamic of the Third Person
of the Trinity.Certain spiritual conditions must be met if we are to be
endued with this power. They constitute the price we must
pay for this divine infilling.1. A spiritual apprehension, an intellectual comprehen-
sion, and an inner appropriation, of the Word of God.--We
must have more than a scholarly knowledge of the Word of
God. It is possible to know what it says, understand its
original languages, be familiar with its history, its philos-
ophy, and its prophecies, and yet not have a spiritual con-
cept of its inner dynamic. We must feed on it. We should
know just what it says and means, and possess a spiritual
grip upon its glories. God's Word burns, hammers, pene-
trates, cuts, divides, makes alive, and lives (Jer. 23:29;
Hos. 6:5; Heb. 4:12). We should be familiar with all the
truth of God if we would have the Spirit of God and use
the sword of the Spirit in service for men.2. An obedience to the whole will of God.--God's redemp-
tive program must be adopted by our souls, and our part
in that plan cheerfully accepted (Acts 5:32). We must go
further than an obedience to his will. We must know in our
deepest spiritual natures a divine mastery. "[T]he Spirit of
the LORD came upon Gideon" (Judg. 6:34),
preceding and conditioning his great victory with the im-
mortal three hundred.3. An inner, psychic enthronement of Jesus Christ as
Lord and Master.--Christ must sit on His rightful throne in
our hearts, and self must be daily crucified, if we would see
38 WITH CHRIST AFTER THE LOST
His power in our service. Christ delights to give power in
the heart where He has been glorified.4. A compassion for men out of Christ.--The soul that
longs for men's salvation will, by that very fact, be clothed
with the power from God with which to win them to Christ
(Isa. 58:10-12). In the proportion that we care for men's
souls we will cry for God's power to win them.
5. Earnest and persistent prayer and supplication for this
power of the Spirit (Luke 11:13).--We are not only to re-
ceive the Holy Ghost, but we are to pray for his enduing
power (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:14; 2:1, 42). Prayer opens our
hearts, submits us to God's will, and fixes our souls so that
the Spirit can fill us with power. God's anxiety to give us
his Spirit (Luke 11:13) does not do away with the necessity
for our prayers for this power. God has definitely promised
a Pentecost of soul-winning power to Christ's disciples, but
the promise does not abolish, or make unnecessary, spiritual
tarrying in prayer precedent to this Pentecost. We must
pray in order to have the fulfilment of the Father's promise
of power. Pentecosts do not come to prayerless Christians.
6. A willingness to partake of the afflictions and sacrifices
of the gospel.--We must be willing to endure all the hard-
ships and sacrifices incident to the will and way of God for
our lives.POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT When we possess the unction of the Holy Ghost, it makes
a difference in everything about us. It lubricates all the inner
machinery of life. It removes much of the friction, worry,
fret, and fear. It increases tenfold our spiritual efficiency,
our opportunities, and the results of our labor. It multiplies
our joy in service. Preaching, teaching, and testifying are
easier and sweeter. Waiting crowds will fill the vacant pews,
the lost will flock to our ministry, and a thousand oppor-
tunities will open to us. Unction is a necessity in Christ's
cause. Let us pay heaven's price for this great power.
THE WINNER'S HEAVENLY UNCTION 39
FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT "[B]e filled with the Spirit[,]" is the command of the risen
Saviour, whose Father is far more willing to give the Spirit
to us than we are to give good gifts to our children (Luke
11:13). This imperative is--1. A prayer to be offered (Luke 11:13; Acts 4:31).
2. A command to be obeyed (Eph. 5:18).
3. A promise to be claimed (John 16:7; Acts 1:8).
4. A gift to be received (John 20:22; Acts 2:38).
5. A life to be volunteered (Psalm 110:13).
6. A Christ to be enthroned (John 7:39).Pray, obey, claim, receive, volunteer, enthrone Christ, go
forth to win in His power; and Pentecost will mark your way.