"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." - 1 Corinthians 9:22
The mighty ship, “The Titanic,” sank during its maiden voyage. It was a shocking event because many thought the massive boat was unsinkable --- but it wasn't. To make things worse, the fateful ship was not equipped with an adequate number of lifeboats. The ship was equipped with enough lifeboats for about half of the ship's occupants. It was probably thought that lifeboats would never be needed.
However, when the unthinkable occurred, the lifeboats were employed, but many of them were not filled. Think about it. Hundreds of people drowned. Some of them could have been rescued if they could have made it to a lifeboat. We are told that once they had occupants, most of the lifeboats were rowed away from the ship, even though they were not full. Only two of the twenty lifeboats returned to the ship to rescue more people
Today, many people are sinking in the waters of sin. As Christians, we have been rescued from the chilly waters of iniquity. We are in the lifeboat of grace. Still, all around us many souls are going down. Are we simply satisfied to be on the lifeboat ourselves, or do we seek to help rescue others? I fear that most of us are rowing away from souls. Sadly, we may reach the heavenly shore with a nearly empty lifeboat. That would be the ultimate tragedy, wouldn't it?
The Apostle Paul wrote, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." Paul wanted God to use him to rescue as many souls as possible. He wanted his lifeboat to be full. He was not rowing away from drowning souls. He was rowing into harm's way to rescue all he could.
Paul realized that he could not win everyone. Some would refuse to be rescued. They would rather drown rather than climb aboard a lifeboat of grace. Instead, Paul was confident that he could, “save some.”
Notice the use of the word, “all,” in Paul's statement: "I am made ALL things to ALL men, that I might by ALL means save some” (emphasis added). In other words, Paul was going to do whatever it would take to rescue as many souls as possible.
I want us to focus on the final phrase, “... that I might by all means save some.” Paul was willing to use whatever means necessary to rescue souls. No, he was not going to do anything unethical. Neither was he going to compromise the Gospel. Yet he was willing to use all the means at his disposal to reach souls.
What about you? What about me? Are we willing to use all means available to win souls? Believe it or not, we have more means available to us than Paul had. Today, the Gospel is being spread by satellite, internet, TV and radio. Millions are being exposed to the Gospel through these channels.
To be honest, I will never have a TV program. Neither will I be able to afford satellite broadcasting. More than likely you can't either. However, we have many avenues available for us to spread the Word. Let me give you a few examples.
First of all, we have email accounts. Do you use your email account to spread the Word? I have placed a link in my email signature to point people to an evangelistic website. Others post a Scripture or evangelistic quote in their email signature.
Also, we have social media accounts. I must confess that I am disappointed with the way many Christians use Facebook. They will post endless links and quotes about politics, but very little about the Gospel. We should use social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others to blanket the internet with the Good News.
Consider Youtube for a moment. I separate this social media channel from the others because it gives us an opportunity to visually and verbally spread a message. This is among the many means we have available to us. Let's use it to spread the Gospel!
Then there is your phone. Whether you still have a landline phone or cellphone, you can still call someone and have a one-on-one conversation. By the way, when you get a wrong number or a telemarketer call, consider telling them about Jesus. I read of a church that had its members use the phone book and engage with people. They would start with the first name on the first page of the book and call each number until they got all the way through the book. They were able to pray with many. Some came to the Lord directly or indirectly through this effort.
We still have the privilege of sending letters and cards, via US Mail. You can still write an evangelistic letter, send a card or mail a package (with a book, CD or video) to someone.
Utilize personal conversations. Offer to pray for the waitress who takes your order at a restaurant. Offer to pray for someone who shares a burden or problem with you. Visit hospitals and nursing homes. Reach out to those who are going through tough times. Invest in young people.
Be creative with Gospel tracts. Hand them out wherever you go. I usually include a Gospel tract with every bill I pay. I've included them in letters. Find good, creative and Biblical Gospel tracts and give them away. I recommend tracts from livingwaters.com and tractplanet.com. Don't underestimate the power of a Gospel tract.
I could go on, but you get the idea. I want to use all available means to win souls. I don't want my lifeboat to be nearly empty as I reach the shore. I want to row as close as possible to perishing souls and offer them a seat on the lifeboat. I want my motto be like Paul's, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
What about you?
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