“And he saith unto them, Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men.”
(Matthew 4:19)
If you were to put all the unsaved people in the world into a single line, they would circle the globe 20 times. The line grows 20 miles each day!
Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The reason Jesus Christ came to earth was to save sinners. The tool He has chosen to spread the gospel with is Christians. We are to win souls to Christ. In Proverbs 11:30 the scripture says: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” What is a “soulwinner?” It is a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who can save anybody. The word “witness” also describes a soulwinning Christian. In Acts 22:15, the Scriptures say, “For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.”
Dr. John Rice said that “a soulwinner is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. It is a miniature ‘on the spot’ church service.” Dr. George Truett, the late pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas said, “Bringing one soul to Jesus is the highest achievement possible to human life.” It is to be the main business and heartbeat of every Christian.
It has been said that 95% of all Christians never lead a soul to Jesus. May that never be said of you.
What is a soulwinner? A simplifier—making simple God’s plan of salvation to lost sinners. Most people in the world are not unreachable—simply unreached. They simply have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel! See Romans 10:14.
WHAT IS SOULWINNING?
It is explaining the death, burial, and resurrection to a sinner and urging them to receive Christ as Saviour.
Our Part -
Go
Holy Spirit’s Part -
Convict
Sinner’s Part -
Receive
God compares soulwinners to:
FRUIT TREES
John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Psalms 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
SOWERS
Mark 4:3, “Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:”
FISHERMEN
Matthew 4:19, “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
STARS
Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
WHY SHOULD A CHRISTIAN BE A SOULWINNER?
It is Commanded
Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The Example of the Disciples
Mark 1:17-18, “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.”
The Example of the Early Church
Acts 5:42, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”
The Example of Paul
Acts 20:20-21, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is Wise
Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
It Glorifies God
John 15:8, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
It Delivers Souls From Hell
Ezekiel 3:17-18, “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
There are Crowns and Rewards
1 Thessalonians 2:19, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
BIBLE EXAMPLES OF SOULWINNERS
God could have used angels to spread the gospel but He didn’t. He chose to use you! God uses people to bring people to Jesus. Samuel led Saul to the Lord. David spoke of soulwinning in Psalms 51:13. Andrew brought Peter to Christ. Philip brought the Greeks to Jesus and also won the eunuch in Acts 8. Jesus was constantly winning souls. He won Nicodemus by telling him of the second birth in John 3. He won the women at the well by talking to her about the living water. Then she brought the entire town to see Jesus. Jesus led Zachaeus to salvation in a tree. In the country of the Gadarenes Jesus won the soul of the devil-possessed maniac. The maniac, once saved, published the gospel throughout the region. Even while Jesus was at the point of death He won the thief on the cross. The book of Acts is the account of the early Christians soulwinning house to house and witnessing to individuals and groups as the Lord allowed.
THE TWO WAYS YOU WITNESS
1. LIFE
Your walk talks and talk talks but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Whether you talk for Jesus or not-you are influencing people by how you live. They are watching you! You influence people two ways. By what you say and by what you do. Let people see the change Jesus has made in your life and they will want to hear your message.
They will see your:
OUTWARD JOY: Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
INWARD PEACE: Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
SINGING: Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”
LAUGHTER: Psalms 126:2, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”
LOVE: Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
VICTORY OVER SIN: I John 4:4, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
LIVING FOR OTHERS: Philippians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
2. LIPS
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” says the Psalms. God has given us a voice to use to spread the good news of salvation. Your testimony will be what sinners listen to most attentively. Testimony means your story of what led up to you getting saved, where you were at the time, and what you did to get saved. Next to your testimony, a sinner will be interested in what the Bible says about getting to heaven. These are your two weapons for soulwinning-Testimony and Testament.
WHY DOESN’T EVERY CHRISTIAN WIN SOULS?
There are two basic reasons-either they do not go or they do not present Christ when they do go. Go is the beginning of Gospel. It is the first word in the Great Commission, (Matthew 28:19-20). Other reasons include:
EXCUSES
“I’m afraid to talk.” “I don’t know the Bible well enough.” “I’m afraid I’ll offend someone.” “I tried it once and I’m not good at it.” “It’s too personal to discuss.” Take a soulwinning course at church. Read good books on soulwinning and listen to tapes. Knowledge is confidence. The more you know and do soulwinning, the less excuses you will have.
Let’s not give excuses. Let’s obey the Lord.
FEAR
Fear is a big reason Christians do not win souls. Most Christians fear what to do and how to do it in soulwinning. Jeremiah had fear. God destroyed his excuse with Jeremiah 1:8, which says: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Psalms 81:10, “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
Do not fear being rejected by people. Jesus was despised and rejected of men. We are not out to be popular but to spread the gospel! Some fear they will say the wrong words. The smoothness of your presentation will come with practice. Besides, if the person is on their way to hell, you can do no damage if you are sincerely trying to get them saved. Where love is felt, the message will be heard.
AWKWARDNESS
This is overcome by experience. A new man on the job may feel awkward for a while until his skills are sharpened and he feels comfortable. The same goes with soulwinning. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will be.
LACK OF BIBLE KNOWLEDGE
No one knows the Bible as well as they should. Do not be intimidated if someone asks you the age old questions about “who made God?” and “where did Cain get a wife?” and other foolishness. Politely tell them that you are new at soulwinning and don’t know the answer, but will try to research their question and find the answer. There is no shame in not knowing an answer.
REQUIREMENTS FOR SOULWINNERS
Assurance of Salvation
You must know without doubt that you’ve been saved!!! “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13)
Purity of Life
God desires to use clean vessels.
2 Timothy 2:21: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Psalms 18:20: “The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.”
Psalms 24:4: “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.”
1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Yieldedness
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)
Burden for Souls
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
Prayer
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” (Romans 10:1) See also John 15:1-8.
Holy Spirit Power
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
MOTIVATIONS FOR SOULWINNING
Meditating on the following subjects before witnessing will keep your heart on fire for the lost around you:
Calvary
Read about the crucifixion often. Think in detail of the pain Jesus suffered for the sins of the world. (See Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53)
Hell
Read passages of Scripture on hell, such as Luke 16:19-31. Picture loved ones, men, women, teenagers, children, neighbors, foreigners, co-workers, relatives in hell. Try to imagine what someone in hell is going through at this very moment.
The Great Commission
Read Matthew 28:19-20 and meditate on it. Think about this: If all the births and death were stopped in China and you won 3,000 people to Christ per day, it would take you 900 years to reach that nation! Most of the world today has not rejected Christ, they have simply not heard. (See Romans 10:14)
The Great White Throne
See Revelation 20:11-15. Imagine an unsaved person standing before a Holy God, knowing he is already condemned. (John 3:18)
The Judgment Seat of Christ
Realize one day you will give an account to God for how you used your time, talents, energies, and finances for the reaching of the lost.
The Wasting Harvest
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35)
People are waiting to be saved today. For multitudes, tomorrow will be too late. Every second someone dies without Christ. As of yet the Bible has not been translated into 5,000 needed dialects.
THE SOULWINNER’S CROWN
God will reward a crown to those who win souls. In Heaven, this crown can be cast at His feet as a token of our love for Him (see Revelation 4).
Dr. John Rice use to say, “If we make small efforts to win souls, our love is small; if we make none, how can we say we love Him at all?”
PSALMS 126:5-6
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
The three ingredients to winning a soul are:
“Goeth forth”
“and weepeth”
(You must go with a burden or a broken heart for the unsaved)
“bearing precious seed”
(Have your Bible with you. Make sure it is precious to you)
Go + Weep + Seed = Rejoicing
HOW TO DO IT
Obtain a small New Testament.
Have Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:13 memorized.
Underline these scriptures in your Bible.
Be yourself.
Pray for daily opportunities.
Schedule it-anything worth doing is worth planning on, and setting time aside for.
Be soul conscious.
Be clean and neat.
Have gospel tracts everywhere you go.
Claim the Holy Spirit’s power.
Go expecting immediate decisions.
Be complimentary and folksy.
Only one do the telling.
Stay on the subject.
Find a way to get them lost.
Make a prayer list of lost people.
TRACTS
Leave them places-restaurants, hospitals, businesses, bulletin boards... everywhere you go. Use them to open up opportunities to witness.
Tracts are your bullets, while your New Testament is your pistol.
SALVATION PRESENTATION
(Using Romans)
The following outline can be used to win a soul to Christ:
Question:
If you died today, are you 100% sure that you would go to heaven?
Several years ago someone took the Bible and showed me how I could be sure. Now, if I died today, I’m sure I’d go to Heaven. It’s the greatest thing you could know. Wouldn’t it be great to know? If I could take God’s Word and in five minutes show you the four things you must know to go to Heaven, that would be great wouldn’t it?
1. The first thing you must know to go to Heaven is...
Romans 3:23
Explanation: Sin is breaking God’s commandment or missing the bull’s-eye of being perfect like Jesus.
Application: We’ve all sinned. Haven’t you sinned before?
2. The second thing you must know to go to Heaven is...
Romans 6:23a
Explanation: When God’s commands are broken, someone must pay for it. Since we’re the guilty ones, it is only fair that we should pay the penalty. There are two kinds of death Jesus mentions.
PHYSICAL: We will all experience a physical death.
SPIRITUAL: That’s when a precious soul dies forever and suffers in the place Jesus called hell. The spiritual death is what Jesus is talking about here in this verse. In other words, if we died unforgiven and pay for our own sins, we’d suffer forever away from God in Hell.
Application: So, if you died unforgiven, where would you have to go?
Romans 6:23b
Explanation: God doesn’t want one soul to ever go to hell. That’s why He sent His son Jesus as a free gift to the earth; so that whoever received Him into their life would go to Heaven.
Illustration-(Ink Pen): If I were to hand you this pen and tell you it was yours, you can keep it, it would be a gift. A free gift! It can’t be bought, traded for, or earned. It can only be accepted or rejected. Once it is received, it is yours forever. Even a good life can’t secure this gift. People do two things with Jesus, accept Him or reject Him.
Application: So, if you received Jesus as a gift into your life, wouldn’t you go to Heaven? How many times would you have to receive him?
3. The third thing you must know to go to Heaven is...
Romans 5:8
Explanation: God chose to let Jesus pay for our sins. He willingly laid down His life on the cross-the nails, crown of thorns, spit, beating, beard plucked, scourging, was all for you and I. He arose three days later and is in Heaven wanting sinners to turn from their sin and accept His gift of forgiveness.
Application: If you were the only sinner, Jesus would have gone through the painful cross just for you. He loves you more than you will ever know.
Summarize: Point and give your brief testimony of salvation.
Application: To be honest, most people have never taken Jesus into their life once and for all as a free gift-probably because they’ve never heard how. Something as big as having your sins forgiven, a new slate, and a home in Heaven you would never forget. You would remember the time, place and day. Has there ever been a definite time, place and day where Jesus once and for all forgave all your sins and you knew it? (Their answer should be no.)
So, if you were to die unforgiven right now just as you are, where would you have to go? (Answer should be Hell.)
But that’s not where you want to go, is it?
4. That brings us to the fourth thing you must know to go to Heaven...
Romans 10:13
Explanation: The way to receive Jesus is to ask.
Application: You do believe He will come into your life if you ask Him, right? “If Jesus is willing to take you just as you are, wouldn’t you be willing to take Him just as He is?”
Prayer: “I know I’ve sinned. I’m sorry. Please come into my heart. Forgive me and be my personal Saviour. Take me to Heaven one day. Help me to live for you. Amen.”
Assurance:
Rejoice—the angels in Heaven are. What did the Bible say? You would be saved if you asked. What did you do? Ask. Great!
Any questions? So if you died now where would you go?
Emphasize—Bible, Prayer, Church, and Friends. Get them to make a commitment to a public profession.
DOOR TO DOOR SOULWINNING
If you are going door to door soulwinning there are three approach subjects you need to cover before asking the QUESTION:
Introduce yourselves and what you are representing.
Brag on the church and what it means to you.
Give a short testimony of salvation and what the church has meant to you.
This can all be done in two to three minutes. If the person is interested it will whet their appetite to hear the salvation presentation.
Example:
Hello, I’m Don Smith-this is Jim Jordan. We’re out visiting from Hopewell Baptist Church letting people know of opportunities we have. The church has a full time nursery, graded Sunday School with puppets and other visual aids, a teen class with youth activities, citywide bus transportation, adult Bible classes, etc. Our family started going three years ago. A co-worker invited me. It has changed our family’s life! Shortly after visiting I was in a church service and walked forward receiving Christ as my Saviour. For the first time in my life I know I’m going to heaven.
Do you and your family have a great church you attend every Sunday? We’d love to have you visit. Do you know 100% sure if you died that you would go to heaven?
Responses
Door to door soulwinning is so exciting and interesting. Everyone is so different with unique needs. Some people are just not interested in what you have to say. Others will want to share their knowledge (or lack of it) with you. Then there are those who will be interested! They will want to get saved, visit the church, or invite you back.
Overview
The 3 parts to your visit will be:
THE APPROACH:
Introduction
Brag on Church
Short testimony
THE PLAN:
Romans road
CLOSE:
The invitation for them to accept Christ.
GETTING CONVERTS TO CHURCH
The great commission has 3 parts:
Teach the gospel-win souls.
Baptize those that get saved.
Teach them the Christian life.
Someone put it this way: win them-wet them-work them. We have only obeyed one third of the command if all we do is win souls. We are to get them to church. They will never mature and reproduce themselves if they do not fellowship with Christians and hear solid Bible preaching. Don’t leave the convert on his own! Convince him of the importance of coming!
How do you do it?
Rejoice in his/her salvation decision.
Ask him where he would go if he died now.
Warn about doubts from the devil.
Ask him if he would do Jesus a favor if He was in the room.
Inform him that Jesus wants him to make public his salvation (see Matthew 10:32).
Let him know he can do that at church Sunday. He can keep it a secret or make public that Jesus has saved him.
Compare it to a wedding ring-the ring doesn’t make one married, it just reveals you are not ashamed of the fact. Making public one’s salvation shows the world we are not ashamed of Jesus.
Assure him he will never grow as a Christian, nor reach lost loved ones until he makes public his salvation.
Take away his fear of embarrassment-assure him of how you will sit with him in church Sunday and simply walk up front. No speeches, no embarrassment.
Warn him that the devil does not want him to come.
Get him to promise God to come and visit this Sunday for Jesus.
Get his phone number and arrange to pick him up the first Sunday.
Give him a wake up call Sunday morning (remind him Saturday night, too.)
Don’t give up on the new Christian (he is just a babe in Christ.)
NOTICE
48% of salesman make one visit and quit
25% make 2 visits and quit
15% make 3 visits and quit
12% keep going and do 80% of the business while
88% only do 20% of the business. Do not quit!
How important is it for me to be a soulwinner and get my converts into church? If you won one soul this year and trained him to be a soulwinner, then the next year each of you won a soul, then the next year the four of you won a soul and kept going... in 32 years the entire world would be saved!
Sources:
Golden Path to Successful Soulwinning; J.R. Rice
Knight’s Book of Illustrations
Let’s Go Soulwinning; Jack Hyles
