To Seek and to Save
by Pastor tim ruhl • pleasant Valley Baptist ChurCH

Author Biographical Information: 

• Ministry: Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
• Ministry Role: Pastor
• Location: Chico, CA
• Years in Full-Time Service: 25

Pastor Tim Ruhl came to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in January, 1988. He preached in chapel at the church’s Christian school on that Friday and then stepped into the pulpit on Sunday, January 17th to begin what is now more than nineteen years as the pastor of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Pastor Ruhl received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Theology and a Masters of Education degree from Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana. He and his wife Terry have four children. Under the leadership of Pastor Ruhl, the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church has enjoyed the most fruitful years of its 54-year history. An ardent soulwinner, Pastor Ruhl, whose life verse is Luke 2:49, has seen many people come to know the Savior through his own personal soulwinning as well as multitudes as a result of his preaching at the services of the church.

In addition to his duties as pastor of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, Pastor Ruhl also principals Pleasant Valley Baptist Schools, teaches at Golden State Baptist College, is a popular conference speaker, and directs Mt. Zion Baptist Camp, an outreach ministry of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church.

I believe one of the most powerful verses in the entire Bible is Luke 19:10. It says: "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus Himself made this statement as he was visiting at Zachaeus's house. He was criticized by the Pharisees and religious people. These people were upset that Jesus would go to the house of a sinner. Notice with me though that it was a sinner who desired to see Jesus, and it was a sinner who opened his home for the Savior. Jesus finished this conversation by rebuking the Pharisees and religious leaders with the parable concerning ten pieces of money.

The very idea of what Jesus was trying to convey was that we all ought to do all that we can. Jesus' purpose on earth was to come and to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus went to the very extent of giving His very life to that which He had purposed to do.

I believe that we have a call similar to that of Jesus. For us to be Christian or Christlike, we ought also to have the same heartbeat and purpose that Jesus Christ had. It ought to be our great desire to seek and to save that which was lost. We all ought to do all that is within our power to fulfill this purpose. We are admonished in Acts 1:8 to "receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This verse clearly states that we shall be witnesses. After Jesus ascended to Heaven after the resurrection, He left instructions for the disciples as to exactly what they were to do. In the book of Acts, chapter one, He tells them that they “shall be witnesses.”

Isaiah 43:7 says: "Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." We can easily understand from this verse that we were created for God's glory. Next, John 15:8 says: "Herein is My Father glorified that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples." We learn from this verse the way we glorify God is to bear much fruit. This is in direct parallel to seeking and saving that which was lost — bearing fruit — reproducing the salvation of Christ in us and in others. Listed below are some helpful suggestions to help you fulfill the command to “seek and to save that which was lost.”

1. Determine to be a good Christian — Ecclesiastes 9:10
• We need to determine to be a good soulwinner in order to be a good Christian.

2. Study to be a good soulwinner — II Timothy 2:15
• We ought to constantly read and learn and pray to be better soulwinners. It takes a lot of character to retain a burden. We need to constantly reset the button of the urgency to be a soulwinner.

3. Have a set time to go witnessing — Proverbs 15:22
• Now, I believe we ought to be witnessing all the time, but as I have said about other Christian practices, if we are unable to schedule a specific time, there are very few that will do it all the time. As a personal testimony, I have led many more souls to Christ on my planned time of soulwinning than I have on my free lance time of soulwinning. The more time I plan to go soulwinning, the more folks I lead to the Lord.

4. Go with the very expectation that God will bless what you are doing — James 1:6-8
• We need to go soulwinning with the very attitude that with the power of God on our lives, we are going to win a soul from Hell into the very gates of Heaven. We need to go expecting God's power to be upon us.

5. Pray for the Holy Spirit's power as you win souls — Luke 11:33
• Beg God for the very power of the Holy Spirit to be a good soulwinner - to bear much fruit - to glorify God - to fulfill your purpose in life.

6. Helpful soulwinning hints
• Have a good partner
• Be wise about to whom you witness
• Be well read - be a good conversationalist
• Allow the one you are visiting to speak first, and then he'll allow you to speak
• Always try to get into the home
• Lead someone to Christ, don't push them to Christ
• Always pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance about where to go in soulwinning
• Remember that you are fighting the very forces of Hell
• Remember that soulwinning is the most decent, human thing a person can do
• Go because God commanded you to go in the Great Commission

Ministry Contact Information:
Pleasant Valley Baptist Church • 13539 Garner Lane
Chico, CA 95973 • 530-343-0555 • pvbaptist.org