Every roadworthy vehicle needs a good engine to propel it forward. In the same way, every Christian needs motivations that are sound and powerful enough to drive him or her to bring souls to Christ! Without such motivations to urge us onward, many would find it most difficult to overcome their inertia and commit their time and effort for the task of soul-winning.

One remarkable example of a life that was thoroughly motivated to bring souls to Christ was Paul the apostle. From the day that Christ found him on the road to Damascus, he worked untiringly, completing no less than three missionary journeys, and enduring every kind of difficulty and hardship in order that people far and wide may know the good news of salvation. What was it that motivated Paul to do this?

In 2 Corinthians 5:14, Paul wrote, "For the love of Christ constraineth us…" The love that was demonstrated when Jesus died on the cross for our sins is so great that no words can ever describe it fully. Never before has anyone gone through so much pain and sorrow to pay so great a price to redeem objects so unworthy! As we seek to fathom the breadth, length, depth and height of the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18,19) in its full glory, how can we not be moved by it?

Even in our own human relationships, we can hardly ignore someone who loves us deeply. We can hardly keep ourselves from responding to those who really love us, whoever they may be, returning love with love. If you are convinced that Christ loves you so greatly, how can you not respond with love for Him, in whom is everything to call forth love? That powerful love of Christ, if properly understood, will compel you to surrender yourself fully to Him, so that you will live not henceforth unto yourself any more, but unto Christ (v.15). Because of Christ’s love for you, your will, desires, and ambitions can no longer be called your own. They are all to be yielded to Him willingly for His own use and for His own purposes. Whatever he wants you to do, you will do. Wherever He wants you to go, you will go.

This enables you to understand why you should bring others to Him. Since Christ gave His own life to save sinful men, He wants people to know about His salvation and to come to Him. If you are living for Christ, you would gladly spend your time and effort fulfilling His will and His desire for men to hear the gospel. Evangelism then no longer becomes just a duty for you to perform but rather, a glad service of love for your Saviour.

Whenever you find it difficult to talk to someone about Christ, remind yourself about how much Christ loves you. Think about what He has done for you. That will give you the motivation you need for witnessing. And besides this, there is also something else that can effectively motivate your witness for Christ.

In verses 16 and 17 of the same chapter, Paul wrote on his view of people, "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." People should no longer be judged according to impressive outward appearances, but rather as sinners who need salvation. By this world’s standards, a person is in good circumstances if he has enough wealth, comforts, recognition and respect from others. If Christ were judged by the same standards, "after the flesh," He would be regarded as a failure, for He was never rich in material wealth or in the comforts of this life. He said of Himself, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." (Matthew 8:20) He also died a shameful death, despised by the world.

But as we well know, that shameful death accomplished far more than all the world’s accomplishments put together. It achieved the outpouring of tremendous blessings from God. It accomplished the redemption of sinful men, the salvation of souls unto life eternal, and the beginning of new life and new hope! Thus we should no longer regard Christ "after the flesh" or by outward appearance.

In the same way we also should no longer regard people around us after the flesh. A person may have much wealth and luxury, enjoying fame and great success. In the eyes of the world, he may be at the pinnacle of achievement and the envy of all his peers. But to us, these things should not matter as much as the condition of his soul. They are nothing if his soul is headed for eternal judgment because of sin!

This then is the way you ought to regard everyone around you: With a true concern for their eternal destiny and for their relationship with God. Learn to love your unsaved relatives and friends by giving them the best gift or help that you can ever give to them: The saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! Give yourself no rest until they come to salvation. As long as they are still outside Christ, they are under the power of sin. Whatever problems they come to you with usually comes from sin that still resides in them. Whatever help you give may solve these problems and meet their needs for a while, but soon more problems will surface because of the sin that has not been dealt with in their lives. What they really need is to have this root cause of all their problems removed. This requires a change from within. The power of sin must be removed from their lives. That is something beyond your ability to do. Only the life-changing power of the Lord Jesus Christ can remove sin. "Therefore if any man is in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Christ alone can change a person from within, removing his old sinful heart and replacing it with a new heart, with new attitudes, and new values in life. This life-changing power of Christ is really wonderful for those who have experienced it. Paul himself testified that before he knew Christ, he was persecuting Christians and was proud of his self-centered accomplishments as a Pharisee. But when he met Christ, all that was changed. He became Paul the humble servant, promoting the very cause that he once persecuted! Besides Paul, countless numbers of other believers have had a similar testimony to the life-changing power of Christ.

One of them was John Newton, the writer of the famous hymn, Amazing Grace. Newton was a slave trader on the coast of Africa, deeply involved in much sordid work. He was given to all kinds of vice and immorality. No one would ever have thought that such a man would one day become a well-loved pastor and hymn-writer in England. But one day during a storm at sea when Newton was extremely afraid of dying, he remembered the Sunday School lessons he had been taught as a child, and he called out to Jesus for help. That was the turning point of his life. From then on, Christ changed him totally. He gave up the slave trade and his life of vice and immorality. Those who knew him were amazed at this change: John Newton was a different man - a man whose life Christ had visibly transformed!

Today, there are many John Newtons whose lives are waiting to be similarly changed by the power of Christ. Many have yet to experience the same deliverance from the power of sin. Some of them may be people that you know and meet each day. Do you not desire to see them rejoicing in salvation and in having a new relationship with God? If you would, then you should be more than willing to share the Gospel of Christ with them whenever there is opportunity, and to pray for their salvation, that the Lord will mercifully open their hearts to receive His word.

Many years ago, I had an uncle who was saved shortly before he went home to be with the Lord. Before he was saved however, he had never heard the Gospel all his life, simply because he was born a deaf-mute and had never learnt any formal sign language. My wife and I loved him dearly and wanted to see him come to Christ, but we really did not know how to do this, because we could not communicate the Gospel to him. We kept praying for him. One day he was hospitalised and diagnosed as having cancer. At that time I found a little gospel tract entitled One Way that communicated the gospel message not with words but with pictures. We took the opportunity during our visit to the hospital to give him this special tract, and prayed that the Lord would somehow use it. And the Lord was gracious to answer our prayers: On our next visit my uncle indicated his new found faith in Christ and shortly after that, he requested to be baptised. Although we were sad when he died a few months later, we were much comforted that he was able to rejoice in his salvation before he left this world, and we look forward to seeing him again at the throne of grace!

It is truly a wonderful thing to see a loved one or friend finding new life in Christ and experiencing His life-changing power. One’s relationship with him will take on a new dimension, because both now share the same Saviour and Lord, and the same joy in Christ. But all of this will not be yours if you are not concerned enough to share the Gospel of Christ with your friends and loved ones. And this lack of concern for them will persist as long as you keep viewing them "after the flesh" and do not see them as sinners who are in great need of salvation. Your view of them must therefore change before you can be bold enough to say a word about Christ to them.

Please ask the Lord today to fill your heart with a compelling concern for the unsaved, and also with the constraining love of Christ. These are the things that will motivate you to bring souls to Christ. –CS