Good Things Happen When We Teach the Lost

by Roger D. Campbell

What child of God would not agree that it is “good” to teach the Gospel to those who are lost outside of Jesus? Surely no member of the Lord’s church would be opposed to the idea of teaching the lost. The “glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:15) is God’s message of salvation through Jesus. All men everywhere need that message! We are convinced that good things really do happen when we teach the Gospel to lost people. What are some of those good things?

• When we teach the lost, we are doing what the Lord instructed us to do. Jesus gave the charge to go and teach or make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). He commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel to every person in the whole world (Mark 16:15). When you and I take part in this effort, we are doing what all Christians are supposed to do. And, there is no doubt about it; it gives us a sense of satisfaction and a great feeling to know that we are doing what our Lord wants us to do.
• When we teach the lost, we are giving them the chance to hear the only message that can save their soul. The Gospel is God’s power unto salvation (Romans 1:16). That message alone is called “the gospel of your salvation” (Ephesians 1:13). When we teach the Gospel to lost people, we provide them with an opportunity to obey from the heart the only doctrine that can set them free from sin (Romans 6:17-18). Could there be a kinder and loving gesture on our part? What could be more beneficial to a human being than hearing God’s truth? Good things happen when we teach the lost!
• When we teach the lost, we are increasing the odds of more people being saved and going to heaven. A farmer knows that no sowing means no reaping or harvest (Galatians 6:7). An insurance agent knows that no effort to sell insurance means no purchasing of insurance. In the same way, no sowing of the word of God means no spiritual harvest of souls. But there is another mathematical factor involved in teaching the lost. It is this basic rule: in general, the more we teach, the better the odds of finding people who will receive the word. And, the more saints that are involved in teaching the lost, the better the chances of contacting people that will obey the Gospel. Suppose that in a congregation of 50 members, only one person works to try and teach the lost. Let’s say that on average, he tries to teach one person per month. That means that in a one-year period, this church has tried to reach a whopping total of 12 people (1 x 12). It is wonderful that an effort is made to reach those 12 people, but what if every member of the congregation were to get involved? If all 50 members would try to teach one person per month, well, the church has gone from trying to reach just 12 people in one year to reaching out to 600 (50 x 12).

  In our illustration, we are not suggesting that we restrict ourselves to teaching just one person per month. God forbid. But the point is clear. It is good to try and reach 12 people. It is better to try and reach 600. It is even better to try and reach as many people as possible, anytime and anywhere! It stands to reason that the more members of the church we have teaching on a regular basis, the better the chances are of encountering honest souls who will obey the truth and be saved. Heaven will be more populated because of diligent efforts to teach those who are lost.

• When we teach the lost, we become better teachers as a result. The more we teach, the more comfortable and confident we become as teachers. The more we teach, the more effective we become as communicators. The more we teach, the more we are prepared to set forth logical arguments in a clear fashion. The more we teach, the more we are able to anticipate the questions and reactions of the hearers. The more we teach, the more we are forced to study the word of God, and in the long run, that is going to benefit us, those we try to teach, and anyone around us that we may want to influence. Teaching the Gospel to lost people is similar to many other activities in life: the more experience we gain in doing it, the more skilled we become at it. Put another way, practice improves performance.

The conversion of a lost soul to the Lord Jesus requires the good seed — the word of God (Luke 8:11), an honest and good heart on the part of the hearer (Luke 8:15), and a sower. Brothers and sisters, you and I must be the sowers that go everywhere preaching the word (Acts 8:4).

Let us all make a commitment to try and do all we can to reach the lost. Let us pray earnestly for them, prepare diligently to teach them, and work tirelessly to reach them. Our God will bless us as we do that. Remember, good things happen when we teach the lost!