Christianity is all about soul winning—nothing more, nothing less. To truly live a life that wins souls, you cannot remain ordinary. A genuine soul winner, one who produces lasting results and transforms lives, must understand what it means to die to self.
For your life to become the expression of Christ—for people to encounter you and experience God so tangibly that they are drawn to Him—there must be death. This kind of life comes through consecration—a life that has given up everything for Christ. The Apostle Paul understood this when he said, "...I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31). It means every day he put his desires aside so that Christ could live through him.
You don't have to be a pastor to live this way. All you need is a decision to let Jesus fully express Himself through you. Those who live truly fruitful lives for the Kingdom, often live separated lives. Only a few have allowed Jesus to completely take over, and it is through such lives that God does mighty works.
True Christianity flourishes in death—death to self, pride, ambition, and the desires of the flesh. The Word says, "...if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8:13). Many have lost touch with the power of God because they are too alive to themselves. The Holy Spirit cannot flow through someone who is full of self.
God doesn't work through those who are alive to their own desires; He works through those who are dead to themselves. Dead people don't argue. Dead people don't hold grudges. Dead people don't cling to the things of this world. They live only for God's will. That's who God is looking for—men and women who have died so that Christ can live through them. Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me..." (Galatians 2:20).
When Jesus said, "...Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die... but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit", He revealed the secret of true fruitfulness. The more you die, the more Christ can live through you and produce lasting results. The Bible says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25).
You become a living offering—the Bible says, "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God..." (Romans 12:1). Through that death, you become fruitful—your life becomes a seed that reproduces life in others. True Christianity is not about holding on to self but laying it down so Christ can shine through you.
Make up your mind today to die to your own desires and let Jesus live His life through you. As you do, your life will begin to bear fruit that remains—fruit that glorifies God and draws many to the Kingdom.