Perhaps every grace believer has asked the question, “Why are there so few grace churches? After all, we have the truth.” This relevant question has several answers. We need to be doing a far better job of evangelizing the lost and sharing mystery truths. We need to be more faithful to instill a deep conviction for grace truths in our families, so our message is not lost in future generations. We are also likely very near the Rapture. Paul taught that, in the last days of grace, people would become more resistant to God’s truths. However, if we focus on the question of why there are so few grace churches, we will miss the more important issues.

As Paul addressed the setting aside of Israel in Romans Chapter Eleven, he recounts the history of the Jews in the days of Isaiah. Like Elijah before him, Isaiah believed, “I am left alone” (Romans 11:3). He felt like he was the only one left following the Lord. But this wasn’t what God wanted the prophet to focus on. Nor did the Lord want believers in Paul’s day, or ours, to focus on the sea of unbelief. Isaiah was to be encouraged to know he wasn’t the only faithful believer; God had seven thousand others (Romans 11:4). Isaiah may not have known them, but they existed nonetheless. As Paul discussed the unfaithfulness of Israel, there are several more things to see. His readers needed to look for God’s sovereign purpose being accomplished in these events. He told them the fall and diminishing of Israel resulted in “the riches of the Gentiles” in our present Dispensation of Grace (vs. 12). Moreover, God was using the salvation and transformation of Gentiles to “provoke them [Israel] to jealousy” (vs. 11). Likewise, our focus today should not be on the negative of so few responding to the gospel or remaining true to grace teaching. Instead, we should focus on God’s sovereign purpose of using us to accomplish His will. Moreover, Paul continues by sharing his steady focus on fulfilling his mission as the Apostle to the Gentiles and seeking to win souls whenever, and wherever, he could (vss. 13-14). He warned believers not to be proud or “high-minded” (vss. 20, 25) as one of the few who are doing what is right. Instead, remain humble and faithful to the Lord.

Forget about how few there are of like precious faith. Stay focused on being used of God to complete your personal spiritual mission.

We had a loved one who, for decades, resisted saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Several family members made a point of sharing the gospel with her throughout the years. On more than one occasion, she responded by saying, “I wish I could have faith like you do, but I just don’t.” We prayed often for her salvation and looked for opportunities to lead her to Christ. Thankfully, toward the end of her life, she made a profession of faith.

We learn from Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. This begs a question: “How can faith grow in one who does not have faith?” There are actually two different kinds of faith needed by every individual. The first is saving faith in the Lord Jesus, trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection alone as one’s only hope for forgiveness and eternal life. The second is a walk of faith, believing and trusting the Lord every day after salvation. In both instances, there is a way for faith to grow even within someone who resists a faith that will please God. The Apostle Paul tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The more exposure one has to the Scriptures, the more likely it is for faith to grow within. God’s Word is powerful and pierces through pride, fear, and resistance. God’s Word plants the seed of faith in all who are exposed to it, waters that seed so it may grow, and washes resistant thinking away. It is for these reasons that, when we witness to a lost soul, the most important thing for us to share is God’s Word. God uses it more than our reasoning or our testimony. So use the Scriptures generously when dealing with one who needs salvation. The same principle is true for the believer who needs to grow in faith in their daily walk. God’s Word renews and transforms the mind. Hearing or reading the Scripture reveals God’s will and awakens a desire to obey. Through the internal working of the Holy Spirit, His Word empowers the believer to walk by faith in obedience. It may seem like an overly simplistic principle, but it is true nonetheless.

Believer, you already have saving faith. If you are struggling in some area of your daily walk, faithfully expose your mind and soul to more of God’s Word, particularly those passages dealing with your area of need. It works!

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I have known two consistent soul-winners who had an exceptional burden for lost souls. One was a man who came to know Christ in his late forties. He sold his business, entered the ministry, and witnessed constantly. I’ve seen him in tears and in prayer for someone he knew needed Christ. The other was a simple, quiet, but genuine man who spoke often about how heavy his heart was for those headed for eternal punishment. He sacrificed financially to print and distribute well over 7 million gospel tracts, and he did so even in very poor health. Neither of these men ministered to lost souls to boast to others about how many they lead to Christ. They quietly, and humbly, went about the work of sharing the gospel, therein giving Christ the glory.

Quite probably there was no other mere man who had a greater burden for lost souls than the Apostle Paul. His testimony was, “…I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3). Note that he said he “could” wish himself accursed, not that he did. Paul knew that his soul, like that of everyone in the Dispensation of Grace who trusts in Christ, was eternally secure. Taking someone’s place in the Lake of Fire is simply not possible. Paul had such a heavy burden for the lost that he could contemplate such a scenario. It was this burden that motivated Paul to go into hostile synagogues to share the gospel, to suffer the perils of dangerous travel and assassination plots to further spread the offer of salvation through faith in Christ, and to work tirelessly for years. What produced this kind of burden? He knew that every soul who dies without Christ would be cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:15). He knew those in the fire of eternal punishment will have no rest day or night for all eternity (Revelation 14:11). He knew those in hell will experience an intense burning torment that is hard to fathom, especially since it will never end. The only solution was to reach lost souls before they stepped into eternity.

At least mentally, we should take a tour of a hospital burn unit to witness the suffering. Then we should pray for a greater burden and consistency to share the gospel with lost souls.

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