Principles of Soul Winning

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

“Soul winning is a subject closer to our Lord’s heart than any other, yet it is perhaps the most neglected subject in the church today.”

…and one of the most neglected activities in the church today.

The Mandate [Command] of Soul Winning

Matthew 28:19–20 KJV 1900

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.

A. It is an authoritative mandate.

Soul winning is not a spiritual gift, nor is it an option; it is a mandate from God to every believer.

Matthew 28:18–19 KJV 1900

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go…

We, as Christians, must operate on the foundation of the Lord’s sovereign authority in this matter.

A. It is an authoritative mandate.

B. It is an active mandate.

Mark 16:15 KJV 1900

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Acts 5:20 KJV 1900

Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Go:

An American Dictionary of the English Language GO

to move; to pass; to proceed from one place, state or station to another

A Christian cannot fulfill the mandate of soul winning by simply attending a church that has a purpose such as ours or by simply being involved in some form of ministry (nursery, etc.)

To fulfill this mandate, a Christian must go.

Luke 14:23 KJV 1900

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

B. It is an active mandate.

C. It is an absolute mandate.

Absolute means “perfect in quality and nature, or complete.”

God’s mandate for soul winning has three distinct parts which we must obey, follow, and fulfill completely.

Win souls to Christ.

Baptize them.

Disciple them.

Unfortunately there are some who question and doubt whether or not this can be done (or should be done) in the society and the culture in which we live today.

Acts 11:19–21 KJV 1900

Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.

If we doubt that we can see this same thing accomplished here and now, then we are doubting the power of God.

And, if we doubt the power of God then we really don’t know Him.

C. It is an absolute mandate.

D. It is an accompanied mandate.

Remember Christ’s words…

Matthew 28:20 KJV 1900

…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When G. Campbell Morgan came upon the words, “Lo, I am with you always,” while reading Scripture to female shut-ins in a convalescent home, he commented to them, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise!” One dear woman replied, “No, it’s a reality!” – And that reality ought to make us approach soul winning with more boldness than ever before.

The old hymn:

It may be I must carry The blessed word of life Across the burning deserts To those in sinful strife; And though it be my lot To bear my colors there, If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go anywhere!

If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go. Anywhere! ’Tis heaven to me, Where’er I may be, If He is there! I count it a privilege here. His cross to bear; If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go- Anywhere!

The Mandate [Command] of Soul Winning

The Motive of Soul Winning

Does motive really matter in soul-winning? Does it really matter why we are doing it just so long as it’s getting done?

Christians not only need to make the decision to be soul winners, but they also need to make the decision to have the right motives for soul winning.

There is not a purer example in Scripture to pattern our motives after than the example of Christ Himself.

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

So what was it that motivated Jesus Christ?

John 4:34–35 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 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.

The Brevity of Time

One thing that motivated Christ was the brevity of time.

From John 4:35 we see that Christ acknowledged the urgency of bringing in the harvest while there was yet time.

James 4:14 KJV 1900

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

The Brevity of Time

The Reality of Hell

What made the situation so urgent to Christ? He knew that there was a literal Hell.

Question: What is a passage of Scripture that speaks to the reality of Hell?

Luke 16:23 KJV 1900

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The Reality of Hell

The Desire to Please His Father

Another thing that motivated Christ was an intense desire to please His Father in Heaven. (vs. 34)

John 4:34 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

This desire comes from a heart of love for God!

The Motive of Soul Winning

What motivated Jesus Christ?

The brevity of time

The reality of Hell

The desire to please the Father

Do these same things motivate us?

There is no higher purpose than looking on the fields of harvest with the same urgency and intensity that the Saviour did as He walked this earth.

Someday soon, when the trump of God sounds, [we] will never regret having shared the Gospel.

Revelation 20:15 KJV 1900

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Everyone who does not accept Christ will spend eternity in that terrible place we call Hell. If that does not motivate you to win souls, nothing will.

The Ministry of a Soul Winner

To be effective – be a faithful Christian

What do Christians have to do to become effective soul winners?

Jesus went to the disciples and simply said…

Matthew 4:19 KJV 1900

…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

One reason Christians are ineffective and sporadic in soul winning is that they have failed to realize that an effective soul winner must be a faithful Christian - faithful in all areas of our Christian life!

Faithful:

firmly adhering to duty

constant in the performance of duties or services

Soul winning alone does not equal spirituality, but a spiritual Christian will always be a soul winner.

To be effective – be a faithful Christian

To be effective – be a filled Christian

Acts 1:8 KJV 1900

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.

One reason that the Holy Spirit has been given to Christians is for power to witness for Christ.

The question isn’t, “How much of the Holy Spirit do we have?” the real question is, “How much of us does the Holy Spirit have?”

Ephesians 5:18 KJV 1900

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

It’s amazing to me how closely related the Holy Spirit is to/with God’s Word!

Colossians 3:16 KJV 1900

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Not only that but…

In Ephesians 5:18, the Greek word for filled is…

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament πληρόω

πληρόω (plēroō), fulfill; complete; fill

In 2 Timothy 3:17, we are told that the Word of God…

2 Timothy 3:17 KJV 1900

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Here, the Greek word for perfect, although different than the Greek word for filled in Ephesians 5:18, still has the meaning of complete or capable.

The Holy Spirit of God must fill us to empower us to be a witness while the Holy Word of God must fill us to make us a capable witness.

We cannot expect to be the soul winner God desires us to be if we are filled with self and the things of this world.

To be effective – be a filled Christian

To be effective – be a faithful witness

A soul winner who is following Christ and filled with the Spirit will be a faithful witness.

Acts 20:20 KJV 1900

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,

We are not responsible for the fruit – the Lord is.

However, we are responsible to be faithful.

If our desire is to be an effective soul winner than we must be faithful at giving the Gospel out.

A fisherman who only sporadically goes fishing or only sporadically casts his hook out into the water is going to be a fisherman who only sporadically catches fish.

The Mandate [Command] of Soul Winning

The Motive of Soul Winning

The Ministry of a Soul Winner