Minister’s Corner - 212 A Renewal For Soul-Winning
Loved ones, in the two decades that followed the end of World War ll, we heard a lot about soul-winning. This was the era of the "cottage meeting" and of courses in personal evangelism. Churches of Christ grew and their works expanded. We don't hear as much about soul-saving projects any more. Several things have happened.
One change was the radical cultural shift in this nation beginning in the late 1960's. Society in general fell on hard times morally. The nation experienced prolonged economic well-being at the same time it was experiencing a social revolution that was largely negative in its impact. This combination fostered a self-serving lifestyle that was more concerned with pleasing self than being right with God. Concern with the "here and now" crowded out concern with accountability in the hereafter.
More than they really realized, churches of Christ were influenced by this philosophy, and program emphasis shifted from reaching those outside to keeping the ones we had content to stay put. World evangelism lost ground along with this decline in reaching those outside of Christ, locally. Teaching others the way of the Lord more perfectly began to take a backseat to just getting along, partly due to the fact that our own people often lacked a clear conception of where to stand. The problems are complex, so simple solutions are not possible. But we must begin somewhere if we are ever to climb out of this ditch of complacency into which we seem to have fallen.
First of all, we need to renew our faith in Christ to such an extent that we can take His "great commission" to heart (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47). Christ is still the cornerstone of our religion, and faith in Him is still the power to search our own hearts for spiritual damage. We may be more conformed to this world than transformed into His likeness than we realize (cf. Romans 12:1-2). Then, we need to seek new strategies for reaching the world as it now is, understanding that it is lost, whether it knows it or not. Finally, we need a prayerful renewal among us of dedication and commitment to the will of God. God is so good. Love you. Samuel – 7 June 2026