I received the following
wonderful e-mail
from a dear gentleman in July of 2017. To God be the glory, great things
HE HATH DONE!!! ...
Brother David,
Thanks for the encouragement, and response. Here is a verse I thought of to encourage you:Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Your website helped turned me to righteousness. I was saved already, but knew nothing about REAL soul winning until I listened to a sermon called “Four calls to soul winning” (MP3) by Jack Hyles, which I found on your website. That prompted me to really start learning soul winning.
I've had almost 100 people saved this year door to door. Of course, God gave the increase, and I am just an earthen vessel. But I have had some great experiences. This year I was preaching to a whole group of kids in an apartment complex in the ghetto and had a bunch of them pray to receive Christ. It was like a dream come true after years of wanting to do something for Christ, but not knowing how to go about it. My kids are also soul winners.
I also made my own webpage, www.biblicalsalvation.info. Your website had a page about writing your own website that inspired me to do that. I admittedly haven't really updated it in a long time, I rewrote it a couple of years ago to make it mobile friendly then basically moved to this church I am in, and have been busy with church, door to door soul winning and with family matters.
So you'll never know how much impact you've had until that great day when we shall be rewarded for our labors in the Lord. My website now gets hundreds of hits, even though it is very small and doesn't have very much material.
Your labors aren't in vain, brother. Keep fighting the good fight of faith.Ian
That is tremendous! Thank you my dear Brother in Christ. I looked over his soulwinning website and it is very good. I encourage others to find something that you can do for God as well. We all have something, whether it be talents, money, resources, time or skills that can be used for the Lord. Albeit, the greatest ability is our weakness! What? Yes, it is true. The mighty soul-winning pastor, Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) wisely said, “God had no children too weak, but a great many too strong to make use of.” God is looking for a few weak men!!! Lord, may I be weak enough so that you can use me, so that you get all the due glory.
The apostle Paul had prayed three times for God to remove a “thorn” in his flesh. There is debate over what that thorn was. It is commonly believed that Paul had health problems. Others believe that the thorn was an enemy, perhaps Alexander the Coppersmith. We simply do not know. But it doesn't matter what the affliction was, because the benefit of the thorn is the same nonetheless. Paul called his affliction a “messenger of Satan.” The same as God allowed Satan to torment Job (Job 1:1-12), God also allowed Satan to torment Paul for God’s own good purpose. A faith must be tested! Paul fully recognized and plainly stated that the thorn came from the Lord, for the purpose of keeping Paul humble, since God had shown Paul many revelations...
2nd Corinthians 12:7-10, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
I love this passage of Scripture. Whereas the heathen world says that “only the strong survive,” the Holy Bible says “he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” God's ways are the opposite of man's ways. God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh to afflict him, to give him humility, so that God could use Paul mightily. I sincerely believe that God has given me a thorn in the flesh. Since 2004 I have suffered every single day from constant, gnawing, toothache-like, neck pain, in the bony area of the back of my neck (stenosis, radiculopathy and displaced cervical disks). Literally, it started in just one day, not gradually. I've undergone two major neck surgeries (in 2009 and 2010), which have made me much worse. I survive on prescription pain medications. Ever since that time, when my bodily afflictions began, God has blessed my ministry with innumerable souls saved and lives changed. I praise God for e-mails such as this from Ian, and I am completely humbled, giving God ALL the due praise and glory, for it is the blessed Holy Spirit at work. I am the clay, He is the Potter. I am the slave, He is my Master.
