For example, look at Matthew 4:18-20, we read, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
WHAT DOES THIS VERSE OF SCRIPTURE TEACH US ABOUT SOUL WINNING?
It teaches us several things:
(1) SOUL WINNING IS DONE IN THE ROUTINE OF LIFE
Notice when the Lord won Peter and Andrew unto Himself. It was when He was walking by the seaside.
Some of the best opportunities for witnessing are in the routine of life.
• You might be walking in your neighborhood and see someone who is lost.
• You might be walking down a street downtown and see someone who is lost.
• You might be walking in a corridor in a building and see someone who is lost.
Our best opportunities for witnessing are found in the routine of life. Soul winning often is done in the daily routine of life.
(2) SOUL WINNING IS DONE WITH SIGHT
Those who have lost their eyesight are definitely at a disadvantage.
Notice, the Bible says as Jesus was walking by the seaside, He “…saw two brethren…”
In this verse, the Lord is teaching us that those who win the lost are people who are looking for lost people.
He could have done like many and gotten caught up in the beauty of the seashore scenery, but He was not on a sightseeing tour. He was constantly looking for lost souls, and when He saw them He talked to them about spiritual matters.
If we are going to reach the lost, we must be looking for lost souls as we go about the routine of life.
(3) SOUL WINNING IS DONE COURAGEOUSLY
Notice, He was not bashful in the slightest about walking up to those two tough fishermen and saying, “Follow me”.
All who win souls to the Lord need to ask the Lord to fill them with COMPASSION for the lost. They also need to ask the Lord to fill them with COURAGE so that they will not be afraid to invite people to follow Christ.
The Lord is truly the greatest soul winner that has ever walked on this earth. We can learn a great deal from studying His life to see how He went about winning the lost.
Today the Lord still wants to teach Christians how to win the lost. In this study we are going to learn some things that will help us please the Lord in the reaching of the lost.
HOW TO WIN SOULS
Every Christian has heard Bible preachers preach that it is our responsibility to win souls. But it is plain to see, every Christian does not win souls to the Lord.
Why is it today’s churches are filled with people who have been saved for decades, yet they have never led anyone to Christ? NEVER!
It has been estimated that as many as 95% of Christians have never experienced the joy of personally winning anyone to Christ.
Notice, the Lord told Peter and Andrew to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men.
Now that tells us two things:
(1) THE LORD WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRE TO BE A SOUL WINNER
The one thing the Lord wants to do each day is to teach us how to win the lost.
One of the first things He does to make us soul winners comes from Him. He has to put within us a burning desire to reach the lost.
• This is why when you talk to some Christians they will talk about anything and everything except the winning of the lost. THEY HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THAT BURNING DESIRE TO WIN THE LOST. They feel there are other things more important than reaching the lost for Christ.
• This is why you can go to some churches and the preacher will hardly ever mention the Great Commission to reach the lost at home and abroad. THESE PREACHERS HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THAT BURNING DESIRE TO WIN THE LOST.
There are many things the Lord does to make us soul winners, but until we allow Him to burden our hearts for our lost family members and friends we will never win them to Christ.
It starts with that burning desire to win the lost.
As you study the lives of great soul winners, one thing you find in all of their lives is this burning desire to reach the lost.
• David Brainerd labored to win the poor lost Indians on the banks of the Delaware. He once said, “I care not where I live, or what hardships I go through, so that I can gain souls to Christ. While I am asleep, I dream of these things; as soon as I awaken, the first thing I think of is this great work. All my desire is the conversion of sinners, and all my hope is in God.”
• John McKenzie, who had this burning desire to win the lost, got on his knees before God and prayed, “O Lord, send me to the darkest spot on earth!”
• John Hyde prayed for the souls of India. He prayed, “Father, give me these souls, or I die.”
• John Hunt, a missionary to the Fiji Islands, prayed upon his dying bed: “Lord, save Fiji, save Fiji, save these people. O Lord: have mercy upon Fiji: save Fiji!”
• George Whitfield, the famous English evangelist, prayed, “O Lord give me souls, or take my soul!”
• Henry Martyn, a missionary to India, prayed, “Here let me burn out for God.”
You can learn all kinds of wonderful things in this course on soul winning that you never knew before.
But knowing all these things will not make you a soul winner. IT HAS TO START WITH A BURDEN FOR THE LOST.
(2) THE LORD WILL TEACH US THE JOY OF WINNING THE LOST
Notice, He told Peter and Andrew He would make them “…fishers of men.”
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger said he has always been afraid to go fishing. Why? Because he said “Something strange happens to those who do”. He said, “Evidently when people go fishing, there must be a little bug of some kind that bites these people, because once they go they are never again the same. Once they go and catch one fish:
• Every time they get a chance to fish, they want to go.
• Every time they get a chance to talk about fishing they light up like a Christmas tree because they are so excited.
In other words there is a joy in fishing. And this is why the Lord refers to winning the lost as becoming “Fishers of men,” because:
• The most excited Christians on this earth are soul winning Christians.
• The most excited churches on this earth are soul winning churches.
Soul winning can not exist in a CHRISTIAN or in a CHURCH until people are willing to let the Lord make them fishers of men.
WHY IS IT THAT SO MANY CHRISTIANS
NEVER WITNESS TO THE LOST?
There is always a reason for everything, and if you could examine all Christians, you would find there are reasons why they do not witness for the Lord as He commands them to do. Such as:
(1) They do not have that burning desire to win the lost, and that is why they go through the routine of life talking about everything except the winning of the lost.
(2) They do not witness for the Lord because they have not dedicated themselves to God’s work.
And listen, if you are not living a dedicated life, it is best that you do not talk about the Lord. Why? Because you will do more harm than good.
We all know people who are not living dedicated lives, and we all know how people make fun of them. These people need to change their way of living before they can tell others how they should live.
In this course on soul winning, we can not help those who claim to be Christians who are not allowing Christ to be Lord of their lives. They must first get right with the Lord, then they can start to show others the need to get their lives right.
(3) They may be living a dedicated life, but no one has ever revealed to them what a Christian must do to win the lost to Christ.
If you fall into this category, this course on soul winning will be a tremendous help to you.
(4) They may be living a dedicated Christian life, but they feel there are obstacles that keep them from winning the lost.
There are many dedicated Christians who are burdened to win their family and friends to the Lord, but there are some obstacles they have first got to overcome.
Let me share with you five of the basic obstacles that keep many Christians from becoming great fishers of men.
Look at these five obstacles:
(1) THE OBSTACLE OF FEAR
Many years ago in St. Louis a Christian man was completing some business with a lawyer. Before leaving his office, the Christian turned to the lawyer and said, “I have often wanted to ask you a question, but I have been afraid to ask you.” The lawyer said, “I didn’t think you were afraid of anything! What do you want to ask me?” The Christian man said, “Why aren’t you a Christian?” Before long, the two of them were praying together, and God saved this lawyer. This lawyer later became the legendary C.I. Scofield, who later edited the famous Scofield Reference Bible that has been so widely used as a study Bible around the world.
(2) THE OBSTACLE OF NOT KNOWING HOW TO START A CONVERSATION IN A WAY TO WIN FOLKS TO THE LORD
(3) THE OBSTACLE OF NOT KNOWING HOW TO USE A LOT OF SCRIPTURE
(4) THE OBSTACLE OF MEMORIZING SCRIPTURES
(5) THE OBSTACLE OF NOT KNOWING HOW TO PRESS FOR A DECISION
This course on soul winning will teach you how to overcome all of these obstacles.
All these obstacles can be completely eliminated, so that you as a Christian can be about the business of winning the lost.
LET’S GET STARTED AND SEE HOW WE CAN WIN OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THE LORD JESUS
God has used all kinds of people and things to win people to the Lord. For example:
• R.A.Torrey was won to Christ through a godly mother
• Sam Jones was won to Christ thought a godly father
• Simon Peter, in the New Testament, was won by Andrew his brother
• George Mueller was won to Christ by a friend
• John R. Mott was won to the Lord by a teacher
• George Whitfield was won to the Lord by a book
• D.L. Moody was won to the Lord by a Sunday School teacher
God has used all kinds of people and all kinds of things to win men unto Christ, and you can rest assured that God wants to use you.
Let’s look at some of the things you must do. Some of these things are very basic and perhaps you already know them, but I am sure as we cover the materials on “HOW TO WIN SOULS TO CHRIST,” you will learn things that you never knew before.
I. PREPARATION FOR SOUL WINNING
Soul winning is the most important business in the world. But so often, when people go soul winning, they make no preparation for doing this important task the Lord has commanded us to do.
The New Testament refers to soul winners as “Fishers of men.”
Look at Matthew 4: 18-20. We read, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”
Notice again, the Lord told them to follow Him, and He would make them, “…fishers of men.”
It is the responsibility of the Lord to make us fishers of men. It is our responsibility to follow Him.
Any good fisherman knows there is some preparation involved before he goes fishing. He does not just jump into his car and go fishing. He knows if he is going to catch some fish he must:
• Decide to set aside a time
• Decide what he is going to use to catch the fish
• Decide what he is going to do with the fish once he catches them
Wise Christians, who are fishers of men, must also have a plan. We who seek to be fishers of men need to make proper preparations.
II. BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME
(1) FIND A PARTNER WHO ALSO SEEKS TO WIN THE LOST
You do not always need to have a partner to go soul winning, but it is good if you do.
Many have won someone to the Lord ONE ON ONE.
If it is at all possible, it is good to go with a partner for reasons that we will mention later on in this book.
(2) DECIDE WHICH ONE OF THE TWO WILL BE THE SOUL WINNER, AND WHICH ONE WILL BE THE SILENT PARTNER
The reason for this is because when two go to talk to someone about the Lord, he might feel he is being “ganged up” on. This is certainly something that you do not want the lost person to experience.
The silent partner will be serving as a moral and prayerful support of the soul winner. Later, we will see where the silent partner will play a major part in eliminating distractions.
(3) PRAY TOGETHER BEFORE LEAVING
During the selected day, both the soul winner and the silent partner should be praying throughout the day, and when they start off to go to their destination they should pray together.
Spurgeon was known for preaching eloquent sermons, but also he was known as a man of prayer. Because of much prayer, he preached with a great anointing. God’s anointing brought results.
For example, this great servant of the Lord was to speak to a large crowd at the Agricultural Hall in London. Before the service he went there to test the acoustics. He stood where he would be standing that evening and cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” A workman up in the ceiling heard the message, was convicted, went home, knelt on his knees and asked the Lord to forgive him of his sins and to come into his heart.
God has always worked through men and women who prayed. And before two Christians should seek to do the business of the Lord, they must first seek His help.
Look at Matthew 18:19, “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
By doing this, they are recognizing they are incapable of winning the lost without the help of God.
(4) MEMORIZE THE NAME OF THE LOST PERSON YOU ARE GOING TO VISIT
One of the ways we can let a person know that we definitely are interested in him is to know his name.
A lot of folks say, “I can not remember names,” but many times the reason that some can not remember names is because the person they are talking to does not interest them enough to go through the trouble of memorizing his name.
The soul winner looks bad when he has to say, “I am sorry, I know you have told me your name two or three times already, what is it again?”
III. ARRIVING AT THE HOME
(1) APPROACH THE HOME QUIETLY
It is not considered good manners to announce your arrival by laughing and making loud noise outside. This can frighten the elderly.
A (soft) knock on the door, or ringing a door bell should announce your arrival, not the noise from without.
(2) AS YOU APPROACH THE HOME BE OBSERVANT
You already know their name and have some information about them, but you can learn a great deal about the family by observing a home as you approach the front door.
• Newspapers in the yard or on the front porch might indicate that they may be on vacation
• Toys in the yard can tell you they have children and approximately how old the children are
• A boat or a camper might indicate that they are week-end campers
• Torn screens could indicate that these folks do not take good care of their home
(3) KNOCK AND STEP BACK
It is considered bad manners for someone to open the door and be greeted by two large eye balls staring them in the face.
It makes the homeowner feel you were trying to peek into their home before they opened the door.
You have come to their home, and you should step back and let them see if you are the kind of person they would want to invite into their homes.
(4) INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Do not start the conversation by asking a question, such as, “Is this where Mr. and Mrs. Brown live?”
They do no know anything about you, and you are asking them a question.
The first thing you want to do when they open the door is to greet them saying something like this, “Hello, we are from__________________church. Is this where Mr. and Mrs. ______ live?”
You are at their home, and they have every right to know WHO YOU ARE before you ask WHO THEY ARE!
IV. INSIDE THE HOME
(1) BE FRIENDLY
If they are kind enough to invite you into their home, you need to be friendly. The friendliness must be genuine. Counterfeit friendliness is easily recognized and turns people off.
(2) NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE ANY APOLOGY THEY OFFER FOR THE APPEARANCE OF THEIR HOME
Often, ladies feel embarrassed when company comes unannounced, and the first thing they will say is, “Please overlook this mess!”
The best thing to do is completely ignore the apology.
You must never say, “That’s all right, you ought to see our home.”
When you do this, you have acknowledged the house is a mess and you have them wondering how bad your house is.
(3) STRIKE UP A CASUAL CONVERSATION
There is always something that you can compliment, and children are the best. No parent minds you bragging about their children.
If they do not have any children, you might brag about the dog, cat, carpet, parakeet, or some picture on the wall.
(4) CREATE THE IDEAL SITUATION FOR WITNESSING AS SOON AS YOU ENTER THE HOME (This is important)
The soul winner wants to sit as close as he can to the person he has come to witness to.
If it is obvious that the man of the house or the lady of the house has a favorite chair, DO NOT SIT IN THAT CHAIR. He is accustomed to sitting in that chair, and he may feel uncomfortable sitting somewhere else.
The silent partner should sit a little distance from the lost person so that he, again, will not feel “ganged-up” on. Also, if there are distractions and the silent partner is across the room, he can deal with those distractions so the soul winner will be better heard.
V. DUTIES OF THE SILENT PARTNER
Silent partners are as important as soul winners.
They serve as a moral support, but also they serve to eliminate distractions. Their duties might include:
• Sitting across the room and quietly entertaining some noisy children
• Baby sitting, dog sitting, or cat sitting
• Distracting other family members
For example, if the wife is asking unrelated questions, he might ask her if he could have a glass of water. He could wait for her across the room, and when she brings the water he could start a conversation with her away from the soul winner.
• If there are no distractions to eliminate, the silent partner can look on with interest, and refrain from yawning!
VI. ELIMINATING THE #1 DISTRACTION
As soon as the soul winner and silent partner enter the home, they want to take charge of the seating arrangement as much as possible. They will probably also have to deal with the #1 modern-day distraction, and that is the television.
If the television is playing, the soul winner may be able to get the television off in two ways.
(1) When the soul winner walks into the room, stand in front of the television briefly and say to the person who has the remote control, “I am sorry. Are we interrupting your favorite television program? If you would like, we will come back at another time (Making a gesture that you will leave)!”
Most likely, he will take the remote control and turn it off. If he says it is his favorite television program, it would be best to leave and come back at another time.
(2) If he does not turn it off or turn it down as you talk to him in the first minutes of the conversation, speak in a low voice, and ask him a question that he would have a hard time hearing because of the television, and wait with an expression on your face that will indicate to him that you are waiting for an answer.
VII. STARTING THE CONVERSATION
KEEP THE CONVERSATION CASUAL.
(1) DO NOT TALK ABOUT SPORTS, POLITICS, OR RELIGIONS
These things can lead to some hot arguments and debates.
(2) ALLOW THE PERSON TO TALK AS MUCH AS HE WILL
Do not break into the conversation. If he tells a story, do not try to tell a better story. This might make him angry.
Encourage him to talk freely, because once the casual conversation is completed you want to do some talking, and if you have listen to him talk, you will have earned the right to be heard by him.
You also want to encourage him to talk so that he will feel comfortable with you.
(3) SIT BACK IN YOUR CHAIR AND LOOK COMFORTABLE
You want him to know that you feel comfortable with him.
(4) AFTER ABOUT 10 TO 15 MINUTES, (NO MORE), GET INTO WHAT YOU CAME TO DO
Many soul winners get caught up in visiting and get side-tracked talking about other things and never get around to doing what they came to do.
VIII. TRANSITIONAL QUESTIONS
Once the casual conversation has been completed, you are ready to take control of the conversation by asking five questions.
Once you start to ask these questions, do not deviate from them. You are able to guide the conversation by not deviating.
Many soul winners had the best intention of winning someone to Christ, but the devil threw them a curve and they fell for it, and they got sidetracked with ridiculous questions like, “Who was Cain’s wife!”
At the risk of sound boorish, WHO CARES WHO CAIN’S WIFE WAS?
You did not come to discuss that, you came to win this person to the Lord.
Sometimes the best way to answer these questions is to say, “”We can talk about that in a few minutes but what I would like ask you is….” (Go to the next question)
Each of these five questions serve a purpose. You can gain tons of information as you listen to this person respond to these questions.
(1) QUESTION: DO YOU EVER GIVE MUCH THOUGHT TO SPIRITUAL THINGS?
This is a transitional question. You have been in the home for 10 to 15 minutes and have been talking about secular things. Now you want to make the transition from the SECULAR to the SPIRITUAL.
Ask the question, then give him a chance to respond.
This smooth transition question does not make a lost person feel that he is about to have salvation “stuffed down” his throat.
You simply asked if he ever thought about spiritual things.
Once he begins to talk, he will begin to reveal to you what he considers to be spiritual. You will probably hear such things as:
• Yes, I read my Bible every now and then
• Yes, I go to church, but not as much as I should
• Yes, I pray sometimes, but not as much as I should
• Yes, I was raised in a Christian home
Listen carefully to what he says, because the answer he gives will reveal what he considers to be spiritual.
Whatever answer he gives you, do not respond to it. Go to the next question.
(2) QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS MAN’S GREATEST SPIRITUAL NEED?
The purpose is to see if this person has received Christ.
You might say, “Why not just come out and ask if he has received Christ?”
Suppose that the person you are talking to says, “Yes, I am a Christian.” But already from his answer to “Do you ever give much thought to spiritual things,” you know he is not, or at least you have some doubts.
Also, if you come out and ask him and he tells you he has accepted the Lord as his Savior, and you continue trying to win him to the Lord, you are calling him a liar.
Ask him what he thinks man’s greatest spiritual need is, and let him talk. As he talks, you listen.
Many times the response might be something like:
• Man’s greatest spiritual need is to live right
• Man’s greatest spiritual need is to go to church
• Man’s greatest spiritual need is to pay his bills and read his Bible
• Man’s greatest spiritual need is to live a good moral life
However, if he says, “Man’s greatest spiritual need is to recognize he is a sinner, and repent of his sins and ask the Lord to come into his heart,” you know he is probably saved.
If he gives this answer, you will want to say something like: “You are absolutely correct, was there a time in your life when you did this?”
If he says, “Yes,” then you know he is saved, Invite him to attend Sunday School and worship service with you.
If he gives the wrong answer, go to the next question.
(3) QUESTION: GOD TELLS US THAT MAN’S GREATEST SPIRITUAL NEED IS AN EXPERIENCE OF SALVATION. WAS THERE EVER A TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU SERIOUSLY THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR SALVATION?
The purpose of the question is obvious. The question is asked to get him thinking about his need for salvation.
Let the lost person answer the question.
He might say:
• Yes, I think about it every now and then
• Not lately
• Sometimes, I guess we all do
Let the lost person talk as much as he is willing to talk.
In a few minutes you want to do the talking, and if you allow him to talk, it makes him feel comfortable with you, and it earns the right to talk.
(4) QUESTION: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY A PESON MUST DO TO BE SAVED?
The purpose of this question is to find out if he knows what the Bible says a person must do.
Again, let him talk as much as he is willing to talk.
He might say such things as:
• To be saved a person must go to church
• To be saved a person must pay his bills
• To be saved a person must treat his neighbors right
Whatever he says, do not get sidetracked. Tell him that all the things he mentioned are things a Christian should do, then add, “What I had in mind was this; what does a lost person have to do to become a Christian?”
If he doesn’t have the correct answer then proceed to question number 5.
(5) QUESTION: WOULD IT BE ALRIGHT IF I READ THREE OR FOUR VERSES OF SCRIPTURE, AND WE CAN SEE TOGETHER WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS A PERSON MUST DO TO BE SAVED? COULD WE DO THAT?
If you have had a good conversation up until this time, he most likely will tell you that will be fine.
Pull a New Testament out of your pocket as you ask the question gently.
If there is a family Bible near by, it would probably be good to use his family Bible because that Bible belongs to him.
If the lost person says “No, I’d rather that you not do that,” do not take it personal and rebuke him.
Remember, you are an invited guest in the home. He has not rejected you, he has rejected the gospel that you came to share with him.
But if we display a Christ-like spirit, it might be that we will have an opportunity to share the gospel with him at a later time.
If we show an un-Christ-like spirit we will never have that chance again.
If that person does not receive the gospel do not get up and walk away immediately, because in doing so he might think you are angry.
Thank the family for their kindness in allowing you into their home. Let them know that you will be praying for them, and tell them that if you can be of any assistance at any time, day or night, to please not hesitate to call you.
If you have some literature or a business card that you can leave with them, leave it.
If they will allow you to show them what God’s Word says they must do to be saved, you can use these four easy to find scriptures to show them.
IX. SELECTED SCRIPTURES
Some soul winners are of the persuasion that to lead someone to the Lord they have to start with Genesis and work their way through the entire Bible.
This is not true. The simpler the better. You are dealing with a lost person who knows very little about the Word of God.
There are many scriptures that you can use in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but if you are not careful, you can dump so much scripture on the lost person that you will only confuse him.
There are four simple scriptures that a soul winner can use to lead any lost person to Christ. They are easy to find, very much direct, and to the point.
(1) ROMANS 3:23, “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
This is a good scripture to start with, because before a person can be saved he must first recognize he is lost.
You need to point out that the word “ALL” includes yourself and everyone on the face of the earth.
It is good to include yourself, so the lost person will not feel that you are exalting yourself above him.
Also, you will want to point out that this scripture teaches ALL of us have, “…sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
You need to tell the sinner that “Sin” means to “miss the mark.”
You may want to compare this to the game that many of us have played with darts. Each one who participates takes a dart and throws it at a dart board. Some might miss the center by an inch and someone else might miss it by five inches, but neither one hit the center of the target.
Some have fallen into sin in a greater way than others, but the Word of God tells us we ALL have missed the mark.
Ask the sinner if he is willing to accept the teachings of God’s Word that ALL have sinned.
If the sinner says he is, tell him, “That is good, because this is the first step to receiving eternal life.”
If he is not willing to confess he is a sinner, he can not be saved.
Go to the next scripture.
(2) ROMANS 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death…”
The purpose of reading this scripture is to show the sinner, who has recognized he has sinned, that he can not sin and get away with it.
Tell him the Bible says sin earns a wage.
Most people have a job that they work at, and there is a pay day when they get what they deserve for what they have done.
God’s Word teaches that sin earns a wage.
Ask the sinner, “Do you believe that?
If he says he does, then tell him, “That is good, because that is the second thing a person must do be saved.”
So far the sinner has recognized that he is a SINNER, and that none of us can sin and get away with it because the Bible states the WAGES of sin is death.
Next, share with the sinner-
(3) ROMANS 6:23b “…But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The purpose of this scripture is to show him that even though he has sinned against God and cannot get away with it, the Lord Jesus loves him and wants to give him a gift.
This portion of scripture needs to be dealt with carefully. There are THREE things that need to be dealt with.
A. THE WORD, “GIFT”
It is essential that they recognize that salvation is a gift.
In John 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Explain, “Suppose I gave you a ten dollar bill. And you said, ‘Why are you giving me this ten dollars?’” I say, “Well, the reason I am giving it to you is because I love you.” You say, “Thank you, I have not done anything to deserve it, and I really thank you for such a gift.”
Then suppose that I come to you in a few days and I say, “Look, I need my car washed, the windows in my house cleaned and my front and back yards raked. How about doing that for me?”
You look at me and say, “Look, I would like to do that but I do not have enough time in my busy schedule to do those things”.
I say to you, “I just gave you ten dollars a few days ago, and you will not do that for me?”
You most likely would say, “Yes, but you told me that was a gift, and if I have to do all those things then what you gave me would not be a gift! I would have had to work for that ten dollars, and it would cease to be a gift.”
That’s correct. Any time we work to earn something it ceases to be a gift, and it is essential that the new convert recognizes that salvation is a gift. Salvation is a GIFT FROM GOD.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If it is by works, it can not be a gift.
B. THE MEANING OF THE GIFT
The Bible says that the GIFT is ETERNAL LIFE.
The word “eternal” means everlasting. Sinners need to be told that the gift of salvation is not something that lasts for only six weeks or six months.
• When we buy a new car, the car industry will give us a 50,000 mile guarantee
• When we buy a new refrigerator, they give us a guarantee for one or two years
• When we buy a new set of tires for our car, they give us a guarantee for so many miles
But when we receive this salvation by grace, the Bible says it is ETERNAL.
The only kind of salvation the Bible talks about is EVERLASTING SALVATION.
And the only kind that a Bible-believer, who believes in salvation by grace, should teach is EVERLASTING SALVATION.
C. RECEIVING THE GIFT
Look at the words, “….through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
• It is not by our good works, it is by His work on Calvary.
• It is not by joining a church, because the church is not the Savior. Christ is the Savior.
• It is not by tithing.
• It is not by getting baptized.
We receive this gift of eternal life, “THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.”
(4) ROMANS 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
You need to explain to the sinner that in his lost condition he must be truly sorry for the sins he has committed. He must know he has broken the heart of God. In this REPENTING CONDITION he needs to do two things, and God’s Word says, “Thou shalt be saved.”
What are these two things?
• Confess that Christ died for his sins. Only our sinless Savior could do this.
• Believe so strongly that He not only died for our sins, but He was resurrected to show us that He was more than a man, He is the Savior of the world.
Once you have shown the lost person what God’s Word says he must do to be saved, ask him if he would like to bow his head and ask the Lord Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him of his sins.
If he says, “Yes”, then help him do it!
If he says “No”, tell him that you love him and that you will be praying for him to come to know the Lord. State that anytime he would like to talk to you about accepting the Lord, you would be available.
It is important if he says “No,” that you do not get up immediately and walk out. He might think you are angry because he would not accept the Lord.
If he will not ask the Lord to come into his heart, let him know how much you have enjoyed talking with him.
If he says “Yes”, you pray with him and for him, and before you close in prayer have him to pray the sinners prayer.
X. THE SINNERS PRAYER
Ask the sinner to repeat after you, “Dear Lord, I confess I am a sinner. I confess I can not save myself. I believe you died on the cross and rose from the dead for my sins. I am truly sorry for the sins I have committed and I ask you to forgive me. I now, by faith, receive you as my Savior and Lord. Help me to obey you and keep your commandments. Thank you for saving me, in Jesus Name!”
XI. SPIRITUAL GROWTH
There are things new Christians should do to grow spiritually.
Explain to new Christians that now they have been born again, they are new babes in Christ, and now God wants them to grow spiritually. Here are some things they should do:
(1) GET BAPTIZED
(2) READ THE BIBLE EVERY DAY
Look at 2 Tim. 2:15. We read, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God.”
Get in a discipleship class immediately that will teach them the things that will help them to grow in the Lord.
(3) PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
Explain that this means we are to be in constant communication with the Lord. He is only a prayer away.
(4) WITNESS TO OTHERS ABOUT THEIR SALVATION
Look at Acts 1:8. We read, “…Ye shall be witnesses unto me…”
Encourage them to come to church Sunday and make a public profession.
(5) BECOME A MEMBER OF A BIBLE-BELIEVING, BIBLE-PREACHING, and BIBLE-PRACTICING CHURCH
Support God’s church with regular attendance, prayers and finances.
Conclusion:
Many do not know this, but William Booth was a great soul winner. King Edward VII invited him to the Buckingham Palace in 1904. The King asked this great man of God to autograph his personal album. At the age of seventy-five, he bent over and penned these words,
“Your Majesty,
Some men’s ambition is art.
Some men’s ambition is fame.
Some men’s ambition is gold.
My ambition is the souls of men.”
This should be the ambition of every Christian -- TO WIN THE LOST.
Remember, earlier in this book we looked at the Master Soul winner, the Lord Jesus.
In Matthew 4, Jesus was walking by the seashore and he saw two fellows fishing and the Lord stopped and talked to them.
He did not have to stop and talk to them. He could have said to himself, “I have such a busy schedule that I must move on.”
But Jesus recognized that He was sent here for a purpose, and He stopped and led those two to salvation.
No one here is any busier than the Lord Jesus. Our ambition every day should be to win men and women to Christ.
A few years before the death of Charles Spurgeon, an American lecture bureau tried to hire him to come to America to deliver 50 lectures, speaking in all the large cities of America. As compensation, the bureau offered to pay all the expenses of Spurgeon, his wife, and private secretary, and to pay $1,000 per night for each of 50 lectures. But Spurgeon promptly declined to make $50,000 in 50 days saying, “I can do better. I will stay in London and try to save 50 souls.”
We all can do better when it comes to soul winning. Every day opportunities come our way, and we must not draw back from these opportunities.
