The Ballestero Blog

You’ve Committed At Least Seven Sins When You Fail To Win Souls

I inherited the library of my father Carl Ballestero and many books from my father-in-law, William R. Starr. I purchased several thousand on my own, bringing the total to well over 7,000.

Books are very special to me. I miss them now that my life is completely mobile and I have given them all away. But I still have in my memory some books that even the very titles nag at me after nearly 50 years.

I had most, if not all of John R. Rice’s books. He was an Independent Baptist that didn’t water his sermons down much. Like him or not, he had guts. As a matter of fact, some of his sermons may make a few Pentecostals uncomfortable today.

It’s hard to recall everything word for word, but he wrote one about the importance of soul winning that impacted me as a teenage preacher. Here is my condensed version from memory with apologies to the author.

Sevenfold Sin of Not Winning Souls

I. Sin of Disobedience to Christ’s Command

• Matt. 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2. The Sin of Lack of Love for Christ

• John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

3. The Sin of Not Following Jesus

• Matt. 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

4. The Sin of Not Abiding in Christ

• John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
• John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

5. The Sin Of Being A Slothful Servant

• Matt. 25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
• Matt. 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
• Matt. 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
• Matt. 25:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
• Matt. 25:28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
• Matt. 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
• Matt. 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

6. The Sin of a Being A Fool

• Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
• 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.”

7. The Sin of Spiritual Manslaughter

• Ezek. 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
• Ezek. 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
• Ezek. 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

(And then he closed with a statement like this…)

May God convict us of our sin in not winning the souls who are dying all around us!

**(This writer feels that we may not be able to win all those we witness to, but we sure ought to try!)