July 23 , 2021
What ? Soul winners have struggles ? That ’ s hard to believe .
Well , the fact is , all of our soul winners are real people . We have no source for soul winners except the human race . They are not perfect , but they are saved and they are excited to tell others about Jesus . Since they are still flesh-and-blood human beings , they do have struggles .
In the July 9 soul-winning column , I itemized five of those struggles , namely , ( 1 ) staying fresh , ( 2 ) finding time , ( 3 ) overcoming fear , ( 4 ) getting trained , ( 5 ) securing power .
Now let ’ s look a little further .
6 . Partners !
Early in your soul-winning efforts it will be best if you go soul winning with an experienced soul winner . Having a mentor who will take the lead in each visit will give you time to get yourself more assured about what you are doing .
If you go with someone who makes you uncomfortable , find another partner .
Whoever you visit with should be a positive factor in your own growth as a witness for the Lord .
7 . Prospects !
The Struggles of the Soul Winner ( Part 2 )
Sometimes I ’ ve seen a person show up at the church ’ s soulwinning time with the expectation that the pastor would provide a list of good prospects for him . Well , that may be possible once in a while , but for the most part you need to develop your own pros - pects .
It may be possible for you to go with another soul winner who already has prospects , but don ’ t let this trip you up . If there are no prospects handy , pick out a neighborhood and go find some .
I know we all like to have “ good calls ” every time , but the reality is we have to be patient and stay at the task .
8 . Failure !
When you knock on a door and a lost person tells you to “ get lost ,” even if he is kind to you , it has the ring of failure to it .
If you make a full soul-winning presentation and the person says , “ No , not today ; I ’ m not ready ,” that is failure .
Failure never feels good , but let me remind you that the immediate failure is not always the last word on the matter . I have seen any number of people say “ no ” and then within a short time they changed their minds and received Christ .
So don ’ t let the negative re - sponses dampen your enthusiasm .
SWORD OF THE LORD 3 9 . Discouragement !
If there is one tool the Devil wields frequently , it is the device of discouragement .
You come to your soul-winning time . It is pouring rain or snowing heavily . Your regular soul-winning partner doesn ’ t show up and doesn ’ t let you know . You are set to leave your house when you discover a plumbing problem or your car won ’ t start .
You show up at church and one of the church family chides you because some of the people you brought in didn ’ t stick .
The footpaths that lead to discouragement are many and if you are not “ staying fresh ” with the Lord , it may affect the way you walk the walk of your Christian life .
10 . Intimidation !
Do soul winners get intimidated ? Sometimes we do . For instance , a big , angry dog in the yard can be very intimidating . A man in the yard under the influence of alcohol bellowing out cursing can give the soul winner pause .
If you are in an area where you feel unsafe , that may also give you cause for concern .
We simply need to take personal precautions , claim the power of the Holy Spirit and not let the circumstances hinder us . At the same time , we must be wise in how we deal with the things that intimidate .
11 . Apathy !
When a Christian gets a “ don ’ t care ” attitude , he is backslidden . He needs to take a good look at himself and get his heart set right again .
If Christians do not care , you surely can ’ t expect anyone else to do so .
It is so easy just to go through the motions , stay busy and let our town go to Hell .
Jesus gave us an example that , if followed , will preclude our apathy .
“ But when he saw the multitudes , he was moved with compassion on them , because they fainted , and were scattered abroad , as sheep having no shepherd .”— Matt . 9:36 .
12 . Energy !
Yes , energy , or the lack thereof , is a struggle . I rarely say , “ I ’ m tired ,” even if I am . The reason I don ’ t say it is that the more one repeats it , the quicker he convinces himself that he should be in his recliner .
Typically , going soul winning re - freshes me and renews my energy .
Please don ’ t misunderstand . I know there are times when all of us are very tired or when we do not feel well . We do sometimes need to put rest first , but I ’ m afraid too often we plead “ tired ” when we are actually running a deficit in our enthusiasm .
Keep reading the Bible ’ s ad - monitions on soul winning . Memorize the great verses and saying them aloud will renew your energy for you .
13 . Staying motivated !
There are two primary moti - vations for soul winning . The first one , the primary one , is the Scripture . When we read the mandates , the marching orders , of our Lord , we should be obedient to what He says . When all else fails , the Word of God will keep us engaged in soul winning and excited about it .
The second motivational factor is the need . When I drive through town , I see the need everywhere . The people are hopeless , lost without the Lord . Much of what I see tells me that a lot of them are living an aimless life .
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty .
I will say of the LORD , He is my refuge and my fortress : my God ; in him will I trust .
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler , and from the noisome pestilence .
He shall cover thee with his feathers , and under his wings shalt thou trust : his truth shall be thy shield and buckler .
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor for the arrow that flieth by day ;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday .
A thousand shall fall at thy side , and ten thous and at thy right hand ; but it shall not come nigh thee .
Psalm 91:1 – 7
They are drifting like a ship without an anchor on a turbulent sea . Red , yellow , black , brown and white , they are all precious in His sight . When we see them as the Lord sees them , we will be motivated to reach them .
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So , dear friend , it is true that there are struggles that soul winners face . With the Lord ’ s help we can overcome any or all of them as we set out to do the Lord ’ s bidding . ❚
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Editor ’ s Notes
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paper , but let me thank all of you who were a part of it .
If you attended , we are grateful that you were here .
If you watched our livestream , we are also pleased . I hope you will send me a note ( editor @ swordof thelord . com ) and let me know that you were watching .
If you supported the Conference in prayer , we surely do appreciate it and ask you to continue to pray for us and the ministry of the Sword of the Lord on a daily basis .
If you contributed financially with an offering or by being in one of our Sword VIP Clubs , we are very grateful . We could not do it without the financial under - girding you provide .
We are thankful for all the Lord did in these four tremendous days of the 2021 National Sword Con - ference .
Now we are already looking ahead to the next time . It is our plan and our desire to be back in North Carolina next year . The dates we have scheduled are July 18 – 21 , 2022 .
By staying in Murfreesboro in 2020 and 2021 , we have used our best judgment and done what we felt we could do at the time . But we are looking forward to being back at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walkertown , North Carolina for 2022 . Brother Morrison , who is now the pastor , and Brother Shumate ,
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the recently retired pastor , have both been wonderful in helping us work through these past two years . We are all eager to get back to the larger , in-person gathering at Gospel Light Baptist Church .
So , mark your calendar now and let ’ s have the very best one yet next year . Amen !
Sword Men ’ s Conference , November 12 – 13
If you have not been to the Sword Men ’ s Conference , you really should make 2021 the year that you do . Just ask someone who has been here in previous years and you will get a strong recommen - dation for it .
This year we have four speakers : Dr . Mike Allison , Dr . Dan Carr , Sr ., Dr . Jeff Fugate and me .
Dr . Allison is pastor of the Madison Baptist Church in Madison ( Huntsville ), Alabama .
Dr . Carr is pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Gulfport , Mississippi .
Dr . Fugate is pastor of Clays Mill Baptist Church in Lexington , Kentucky .
All three of these men are tremendous preachers who will have a lot to give you — both in their preaching and in their teaching workshops .
In addition to the preaching and the teaching , we will also have really special “ special music .” The Barnes family and the Marlon Smith family will sing several times .
And don ’ t forget the door prizes . Ask someone who has been here ; the door prizes are tremendous .
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We start at 6:00 p . m . on Friday night and finish at 1:00 p . m . on Saturday . We do have a limit of about 300 seats . The cost is $ 25 per person . Young men from tenth grade all the way to senior adults are welcome . Please go to the sword website ( swordofthelord . com ) or call customer service ( 800-247-9673 ) to get registered .
See you here at the Sword head - quarters auditorium November 12 – 13 .
A Few Special Thoughts
When a man ( 1 ) rejects the reality of God and ( 2 ) the redemption of Christ , ( 3 ) rebuffs the leading of the Holy Spirit and ( 4 ) repudiates the directives of God ’ s holy Word ; that man is a rebel who has set himself on a collison course to eternal retribution .
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If a person gives witness to being a Christian , that should mean that he or she is born again , saved , justi fied , forgiven , assured and Heaven-bound .
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If a person gives testimony to being a fundamentalist , that just means that he believes the Bible is God ’ s inspired Word and he accepts it for what it says .
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When the worldlings laugh at you and mock you for walking on “ the straight and narrow ” path , you should humbly but heartily wear the criticism as a badge of honor .
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Making a Difference Radio Going Strong — Good Response
Since you can hear our fifteenminute daily broadcast in so many places , I surely hope you will find time to tune us in .
It is available any hour of the day on our Sword of the Lord website ( swordofthelord . com ).
We are hearing from our listeners and it does encourage me to know that you are listening .
You can reach me at these addresses :
Dr . Shelton Smith P . O . Box 1099 Murfreesboro , TN 37133-1099
or e-mail at radio @ swordofthe lord . com .
I love doing the radio broadcast each day and I surely hope that you will get in on it .
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It is my joy and the delight of all of us here at the Sword of the Lord to get the newspaper and all of our Sword publications out to you . We are also thankful for our radio ministry outreach .
Whether you are here in our city , somewhere else across America , or in some other nation around the world , we are grateful for your friendship .
May the Lord bless you fully and do stay in touch .
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August 1 ( Sunday )
Bellwood Baptist Church 1150 Middle Tennessee Blvd . Murfreesboro , Tennessee
David Sumner , pastor 615-890-5567
August 6 and 8 ( Friday and Sunday )
Lakecrest Baptist Church 35 Airport Road Waterford , Michigan
Kevin Dail , pastor 248-681-3214
August 9 – 10 ( Monday – Tuesday )
Grace of Calvary Baptist
Church 5542 Perry Highway Erie , Pennsylvania
George Alquist , pastor 814-866-4747
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