Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 20
May 23, 1968
NUMBER 4, PAGE 9a

Person To Person Involvement

Billy W. Moore

The proper attitude for every Christian in regard to saving souls is a "Person-To-Person Involvement." Jesus selected twelve men and charged them: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) This was a tremendous task for twelve men to undertake, but they became involved with those who were lost, their involvement was a "person to person" thing. Soon they had converted three thousand, and these became involved with others who were lost and before long the number had increased to five thousand men. (Acts 2:41; 4:4) They were threatened, some were beaten, and charged to "speak not at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (Acts 4:18; 5:28). Yet "daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts 5:42) Yes, they continued to be involved on a person-to-person basis, and "the number of the disciples was multiplied." (Acts 6:1) Persecutions continued. Circumstances were most unfavorable. Still those early disciples of Jesus kept getting involved with others who were lost. Then one of the preachers was stoned to death (Acts 7:58-60), "And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad...they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." (Acts 8:1,4) Though threatened, persecuted, and scattered from their cities and homes they continued this person-to-person involvement with those who were lost. Churches began to be established in the various countries of the world, and within thirty years it was declared that the gospel "was preached to every creature which is under heaven." (Col. 1:23)

What possessed men to endanger their lives just to teach a lost soul about Jesus? Why would they keep getting themselves involved with other persons? Could they not see that preaching Jesus unto men would hazard their lives? Yes, they knew this, and were told, "if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (I Peter 4:16).

They loved the souls of men. They knew that one soul was worth more than all the world. (Matthew 16:26) They had learned that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). (Not physical death, but spiritual death...the second death. Rev. 20:14)

True, many were converted as a result of public preaching, but the remarkable growth of the early church must be attributed to the person-to-person-involvement of those early disciples. How badly we need this today. And what a challenge it is unto us all to get ourselves involved with those who are lost, and to teach them the way of salvation. It is easy to coast along day after day, week after week, and never get around to teaching our friends and neighbors about Jesus. But, it requires effort, study and perhaps sacrifice to get involved with some one who is lost and bring him to Christ. This is something every Christian can do...whether young or old, you can talk to someone near you about Jesus, and their need of obeying the Lord. Will you get involved in this great business of saving souls, and make it a person-to-person-involvement.

Butler, Missouri