Except the Father Draw Him
John 6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
I was having a pretty poor day out soul winning. I had given the gospel to four people, and none of them had gotten saved. It was getting late, the sky was growing dark, and I was about ready to head home.
Then I thought to myself, “I don’t want this day to end like this…”
So I decided to give it one more shot. I’d try to find one last person to speak to before the sun completely set.
I do my soul winning in New York City on a bike. I know it sounds strange at first, but you see - you can’t knock doors here in the city. Nobody lives in houses. Everyone lives in skyrise apartment buildings with security codes. But that’s ok. There are more than enough people to speak to on sidewalks, in parks, etc.
I started to bike in the general direction of home, keeping an eye out for someone to speak to. I eventually came to a small park nestled underneath an elevated subway track. Two high-school kids were playing basketball. I biked over to them and introduced myself.
After introducing myself, I asked, “God forbid, but if you died today, would you be 100% sure that you’d go to heaven?”
They weren’t sure.
“If I could show you, from the bible, how you could be 100% sure, would you be interested?”
They said yes.
I started my gospel presentation the way most soul winners do - with Romans 3:23.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
I began to explain that we can’t get to heaven by being good. We’re not good enough. We’re all sinners.
As I was explaining the first point, one of the boys looked at his friend, and gave him a “I told you so,” look.
His friend looked down sheepishly.
Curious, I paused my gospel presentation. “Why did you give him that look?” I asked.
The boys explained that earlier that morning, they had been debating what you had to do to go to heaven. And from the sounds of it, one of them had argued that the bar was set very high, and you had to be very good to make it.
I was astounded when I heard their story. It was so clear to me. God had been preparing the hearts of those two boys, before I had ever even showed up on that basketball court.
I proceeded to explain the rest of the gospel, and praise God - both boys got saved.
John 6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
What that experience reminded me of is that, before the soul winner ever shows up, God has already been working in the background for who knows how long. Looking back, I can see it in my own life. And you could probably recognize it in your own life as well, if you looked closely enough. Before we got saved, God was drawing us, gently nudging us toward the truth. Then, when we finally heard the gospel - that salvation is by faith alone, and not of works - it clicked in our minds perfectly. Like the ignition of a car.
1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
Do soul winners still need to go out? Yes they do. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” But soul winners are not alone in their efforts. The truth is that God is laboring alongside with them, preparing the harvest, so that each fruit is ripe for the picking.
John 4:36
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
