According to John R. Rice, who was personally a great soul winner, there are seven sins that Christians commit when they are NOT witnessing for Jesus Christ. These sins are:
1. Disobedience to the main command of Jesus Christ. We commonly refer to the last two verses of Matthew as the “great commission,” (Matt. 28:19-20). When you are not witnessing about Jesus, you are disobeying this command (Mk. 16:15).
2. Lack of love for Jesus. The measure of your love for Jesus is whether you’ll do what he said. If you love him, you will keep his words. If you don’t, you won’t (Jn 14:23-24).
3. Not following Christ. Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” (Matt. 4:19). That’s what happens when you follow Jesus. If you are not fishing for men, you are not really following him.
4. Not abiding in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the true vine,” (Jn 15:1). When you abide in him, you bear fruit. He has ordained you to bear fruit (15:2), to bring forth more fruit (15:2), and to bear much fruit (15:8). And he has ordained that your fruit should remain (15:16). If you are not bearing fruit, you are not abiding in him.
5. Folly of a short-sighted fool. Prov. 11:30 says, “…he that winneth souls is wise.” So, if you are not winning souls, you are NOT wise; you are a fool. And you are short sighted because, “our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ,” (Phil. 3:20).
6. Spiritual Manslaughter. In the Old Testament, God set up Ezekiel to be “a watchman unto the house of Israel,” (Eze. 3:17). His duty was to warn them. God would have required at Ezekiel’s hand the blood of any wicked man who died in his iniquity if Ezekiel had failed to warn him to turn from his wickedness. (Eze. 3:18). Just imagine what God will require of you if you fail to warn the lost about hell and refuse to tell them about Jesus!!
7. Being dishonest in a sacred trust. In 1 Tim. 1:11, Paul wrote to Timothy about “the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.” God has entrusted us with His gospel. The word will not get out unless we tell others about Jesus.
Hope this helps,
Pastor Bevans Welder