Thanksgiving was probably the most exciting day for me in ministry this year. There were 19 families that CHURCH52 was able to give a full blown meal to that would not have had a Thanksgiving other wise. My heart was full as people came together to prepare these boxes for families. Being able to GIVE at Thanksgiving makes the Holiday so much more special.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 16:15, 16

This passage of scripture is commonly known as "The Great Commission." Within this passage we see Jesus instructing His disciples to take the gospel message to the world. In doing so they were communicating their faith (what they believed) to unbelievers in an attempt to persuade lost men to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  This charge wasn't for the disciples only, but for every born again believer in Christ.

The scriptures often speak to us concerning soul winning. I'm going to share two of those passages with you. The first is Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." The second, James 5:20 "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."  Jesus while on earth was the master soul winner, consequently, being His disciples we should be soul winners too. We should be willing to convey our faith to others. To become a soul winner I feel there are three essential character traits which must be evident in the life of the believer to effectively communicate his or her faith. Let's look at these three attributes...

Praise and worship is a powerful piece in our church. The praise and worship format has become the standard practice in our local churches, and the music of praise and worship is beginning to dominate the Christian and Gospel music charts.  Many churches are bringing their worship service to a new level of excellence. All of this is wonderful and exciting.  But has the true purpose of praise and worship been lost? As Believers, we attend church in order to connect with God in a corporate setting.  (Hebrews 10:25) This meeting together is the perfect opportunity for us to receive direction about matters that affect us both individually and as the Body of Christ.  We are able to grow by further searching the things that we've learned there.  Believe it or not, praise and worship is a vital part of that exchange.

1 Corinthians 12:31 (AMP)

"But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces).  And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all - love]."

Our guest speaker JP McCamey brought out many great points last Sunday - however the one that stood out to me was that on love.