First of all, I am very glad to hear of your desire to share the gospel with your friend who has not yet believed in Jesus Christ for salvation. In Proverbs 11:30 we read, “He who wins souls is wise.” There is perhaps no greater joy (as far as serving the Lord is concerned) than “leading a soul to Christ.” The Apostle Paul was a great “soul-winner” and this is what he had to say to his converts at Thessalonica, “For what is our hope, or JOY, or crown of REJOICING? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and JOY” (1st Thessalonians 2:19-20…NKJV). Paul had led these dear, precious souls to Christ. He was their “spiritual father” and they were his “spiritual children” and he looked forward to seeing them in the presence of Christ because of his sharing the gospel with them and winning them to Christ. This truth, of Paul being the spiritual father of those whom he led to Christ through the gospel, is clearly expressed in 1st Corinthians 4:14-15, “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my BELOVED CHILDREN I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many FATHERS; for in Christ Jesus, I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU THROUGH THE GOSPEL.”

Yet the Apostle Paul was also interested in their “spiritual growth” after they were saved. Listen to his words of exhortation to the saints in Hebrews 10:19-25, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, LET US DRAW NEAR WITH A TRUE HEART in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER in order to stir up love and good works, NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, AS THE MANNER OF SOME, BUT EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Paul knew that as important as salvation is, it was only the beginning of our new life in Christ. He knew God had provided a way (through the “blood of Jesus”) to come into His presence to worship Him and to minister to ONE ANOTHER in order to “stir up love and good works.” This passage (and many others) teaches us that it is needful for believers to “assemble ourselves together” and to “exhort one another.” We read in Acts 20:7 that believers met on Sunday to worship the Lord and to receive ministry from the Apostle Paul: “Now on the first day of the week, when THE DISCIPLES CAME TOGETHER TO BREAK BREAD, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” This practice, of coming together to break bread and to receive teaching from the apostles, is seen also in Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE and fellowship, in THE BREAKING OF BREAD, and in prayers.”

I think you know what I’m trying to show you. As believers we should have the desire to “win souls to Christ” AND we should have the desire to “assemble together to worship the Lord in the breaking of bread and to minister the Word of God to each other.” Both are needful and we should not choose one over the other. Thus, I would counsel you meet with fellow-believers on Sunday and then get together at some other time to win souls to Christ. Having said that, there may be cases where the only opportunity you have to witness to an unsaved friend would be “during the meeting of the saints on Sunday.” This would be an extreme case though and not one that should be practiced every Sunday. If our hearts and minds are focused on these two things we will be “well-balanced” Christians; we will have a HEART FOR THE LOST and a HEART FOR THE SAVED! And even more importantly, we will have a HEART FOR THE LORD, who is interested in THE LOST and THE SAVED.  (472.5)  (DO)