Soulwinning 2023

To learn about: Soulwinning

Intro

A deadly plague has infected the entire world.

The Bible calls this plague sin.

Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

Because of man’s great sin

A cure has been found in God’s Word, the Bible!

John 3:16 “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.”

Will the cure be delivered in time to save millions? An urgent call goes out to all believers. Soulwinners are needed to preach the Good News!

Let’s Go Soulwinning!

I. What Is Soulwinning?

1. Communicating with the lost person that all have sinned and are separated from God.

2. Sharing the Good News that the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus are payment for sin.

3. Showing the lost person how to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus placed great emphasis on soulwinning. In each of the first five books of the New Testament, Jesus commissioned His disciples to teach and preach the Gospel to all people everywhere. The commission, or charge, in these verses is often called the Great Commission. As you read these verses, you will understand that soulwinning is not an option, it is a command.

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16: 15

However, Jesus does not give us this special task and then leave us on our own to accomplish it. He promises to go soulwinning with us.

Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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."

II. Who Is Involved in Soulwinning?

Soulwinners are Believers who share the Good News of the Gospel with lost people by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A. The Lost Person

When we are born into this world, we are born with a sin nature. There are no exceptions; each one of us has sinned.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Each one of us is a lost person until we believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. The Bible teaches that the lost person is dead in sin and must be quickened, or made alive. It also teaches about the terrible condition of the lost person who needs to be saved. As we look at the characteristics of the lost person in these verses, we will see who he is and what he does.

Ephesians 2:1-3 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

To effectively communicate the Gospel to a lost person, we need to understand his sinful state and be reminded that we were once in the same condition.

Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

If we understand a person's lost condition, we will:

Love and help the lost person.

Direct his thoughts away from the world and toward Heaven.

Teach him what sin is according to the Bible.

Help him understand what the Bible says about his lost condition.

Challenge him to think about the Gospel and his need of salvation.

Pray for his salvation.

Remember that people have eternal souls that will spend eternity somewhere.

B. The Holy Spirit

Winning souls is the privilege and responsibility of every Believer, but it is clear from the Scriptures that the Lord Jesus does not want us to do this work without the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. The last words Jesus said to His disciples before He ascended back to Heaven were the words of this promise.

Acts 1:8 “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.”

The soulwinner is to "Go" and "Tell." The Holy Spirit is the One Who reproves, or convicts, the lost person of sin. Without the Holy Spirit's power, our words are powerless and empty. Without the Holy Spirit's power, the lost person will not be convicted of his sin and will not understand the Scriptures.

John 16:8 “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”

If the Believer understands the Holy Spirit's role in soulwinning and relies on Him to convict the lost person of sin and to bring the lost person to salvation, then soulwinning will be a rewarding experience. The soulwinner' s responsibility is to share the Scriptures and then let the Holy Spirit do His work. The Holy Spirit will work through us if we are walking in obedience and fellowship with the Lord.

C. The Soulwinner

God's plan is to use Believers who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to take the Gospel of Christ to a lost world.

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

As Believers, we have the privilege of being representatives of God. Our actions, our words, and our manners will either help or hinder the effectiveness of our witness. The apostle Paul calls us "ambassadors for Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

An ambassador is a representative of one's own country to another country. He is often called upon to reconcile, or make right, a situation between his own country and the country in which he is living and working. Because he has lived in both countries, an ambassador can understand both sides of the situation and can help solve the problem between the two countries.

The Bible teaches that we, who have believed and received the Lord Jesus as our personal Saviour, have our citizenship in Heaven. Because we were once just like the lost-dead in sin-we can understand the lost condition of the people of this world. Therefore, we are Christ's ambassadors sent to share the Gospel with the lost so that they can be reconciled to, or made right with, God.

It is essential for the soulwinner to use Scripture when talking with the lost person about being reconciled to God, because it is the Word of God that produces faith in the heart.

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

The lost person must have faith to believe and receive Christ as his Saviour. However, his sinful nature makes him unable to produce faith within himself. His faith comes from hearing the Word of God. When we use Scripture, the Holy Spirit enlightens the mind and spirit of a lost person so that he can hear and understand and believe the Word of God.

III. How Does the Soulwinner Prepare?

A. Spiritual Preparation

To be an effective soulwinner, a Believer needs to be in a right relationship with God. To walk in fellowship with God, these are some things we must do consistently.

1. Confess Sin

When we are lost, sin separates us from God. After we are saved, we become children of God, but our sin nature remains with us as long as we live in this world. When we (as children of God) sin, we hinder our fellowship with God. To restore fellowship, we must confess our sins. If we confess our sins, God promises to forgive and cleanse us.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Psalm 51:7 “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

2. Surrender Completely

Only if we are emptied of self can the Lord fill us with Himself and His power to do His work. We need to continually die to self and surrender our lives completely to the Lord.

Romans 12:1 “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.”

3. Study God’s Word

An important part of fellowship is listening. As we daily study and meditate on the Scriptures, God will teach us about Himself, about His will for our lives, and about how to discern right from wrong.

2 Timothy 2:15 “15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Studying and obeying God's Word will help us live pure lives so that we can be workmen (soulwinners) who are not ashamed.

Before we study God's Word, we need to ask the Lord to reveal the truths He wants us to know.

After we study His Word, we need to ask Him to help us be "doers of the word, and not hearers only," as is stated in James 1 :22

4. Pray

Another essential part of fellowship is communication.

Praying is simply talking with God and listening for His still small voice. Prayer strengthens our relationship with God. We need to set aside a particular time each day when we can be alone to study God's Word and pray. Our prayers should include praise and thanksgiving along with our requests.

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Before going soulwinning, we need to pray:

For a desire to win souls. Prayer can help us overcome any thoughts and excuses that keep us from being a soulwinner.

For a compassion for the lost.

For the people (by name) we want to lead to the Lord.

For opportunities to win souls.

For boldness.

B. Mental Preparation

God tells us that we are wise if we win souls.

" ... he that winneth souls is wise. Proverbs 11 : 30

We also need to be wise in the way we go about soulwinning. It is important for a soulwinner to use wisdom and tact when presenting the Gospel. As we have already learned, the lost person is "dead in trespasses and sin" and does not comprehend the need for salvation. We need to help him understand his lost condition; however, if we are untactful and offend the lost person, he may become defensive and disregard the message of salvation. Establishing a good relationship with the person we want to lead to the Lord will help him feel he is important to us and will gain his trust. To do this we need:

To be friendly and courteous.

To be genuinely complimentary.

To notice and talk about the things in which he seems to be interested.

To avoid arguing.

To be sure to listen to what he is saying.

“If you want to make someone feel important…listen when they talk”

Once we begin the presentation of the plan of salvation, we need to avoid answering questions that do not relate to the Gospel. Sometimes the lost person will try to excuse personal sin by presenting a distracting argument. An example of an off-topic question might be "Do you think the Flood was really a worldwide event?" We need to let the person know that he has asked a good question, but for right now, we would like to continue telling what the Bible teaches about salvation. We should avoid answering off-topic questions for these reasons:

Our response to the question may lead the discussion away from the Gospel.

Our answer may lead to a disagreement, which will distract from the purpose of presenting the Gospel.

C. Physical Preparation

Since we are going to be spending time with the person to whom we are presenting the plan of salvation, we need to be sure our physical presence is not offensive. For our physical appearance and presence to be Christ-honoring, we should:

Be sure our presence is pleasant. Remember to smile.

Be sure our clothing is modest and clean.

Be sure our bodies and hair are clean.

Be sure our breath smells fresh.

Luke 2:52 “52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

“Jesus was pleasant to be around.”

We may have an opportunity to share the Gospel after a tennis match or a basketball game or in other situations that have left us looking a little disheveled, but our presence can still be pleasant and our appearance can still be modest and Christ-honoring.

As an ambassador for Christ, we need to remember Whom we represent.

As children of God, we need to honor our Heavenly Father in every way.

Next Week:

IV. How Does the Soulwinner Present the Plan of Salvation?

A. Create a Desire to Hear the Gospel

B. Be Prepared for a Variety of Responses

C. Present the Plan of Salvation

D. Provide Assurance of Salvation

E. Encourage the New Believer

F. Notice Opportunities to Present the Plan of Salvation

G. Let's Get Started!

Personal Goals

· To memorize:

Romans 3: 10 “10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8 “8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10 “10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:13 “13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 3:36 “36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

· To go soulwinning and present the plan of salvation.