Note: All Scripture quotations found in this article are from the text of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.
Every Christian should be a soul winner. Scripture says that a person that wins souls is wise. Not everyone is called to preach, be a Pastor or Missionary, but every Christian is called to be a soul winner.
Proverbs 11:30 "..he that winneth souls is wise."
Daniel 12:3 "..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."
Psalms 126:5 "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
In Psalms 126, the seed can be likened unto the words of God and the sheaves to the souls that are led to Jesus Christ.
One of the greatest joys in the world is to lead a lost sinner to Jesus Christ. It is a joy to win souls to Christ because the value of just one soul is great. Jesus himself said the soul was worth more than the whole world. That being said, if you win one soul to Christ, you have already accomplished more than any movie star, musician or politician in the eyes of God.
Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
We ought to be dedicated soul winners because of the fact that lost people are in danger of going to Hell to burn forever. Once a person really starts believing in a place called Hell, they will see how important it is to tell others about Jesus Christ. A person that is full of hate is a person that knows about Hell and never tells anyone how to get saved.
Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
Knowing that you yourself do not deserve God's love should inspired you to be a soul winner. Jesus Christ saved you, but remember that he died for the whole world and you need to do your best to make sure everyone you know hears a clear presentation of the gospel.
1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Eternal rewards that you can receive in Heaven for soul winning should inspire you to witness to the lost. At the Judgment Seat of Christ there are crowns given for certain good deeds. One of the crowns is called the Crown of Rejoicing, which is obtained by being a soul winner. It is called the Crown of Rejoicing because when a person gets saved there is rejoicing in Heaven.
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? 20 "For ye are our glory and joy."
Luke 15:7 "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
To be a soul winner there are qualifications that are important. Obviously, you must be saved yourself, but you also should have a life surrendered fully to Christ. A good testimony is vital to have when you witness to people in your own community. If you have a bad testimony, people might not take you seriously. Also, a soul winner will receive a lot of mockery from people and if you are not living right then you will not be able to stand that long as a soul winner.
If you are going to be a serious soul winner, you must work in a spirit of love. If you are mean and arrogant in your soul winning, you will get nothing done. Soul winning is different from preaching and teaching. When a man preaches they need to preach hard and let it all out. When a man teaches, he needs to present the hard facts. When you witness to someone you should tone down your voice and be polite. Personal work is not the same as preaching. When witnessing, be courteous and try not to be too talkative or bore them to death. Let them speak too, but be sure to always be in control of the conversation.
When dealing with souls, the soul winner should know their Bible pretty well. You need to know your Bible to be able to find the verses to use to lead someone to the Lord. Some people you witness to may have questions about the Bible, so that would be another reason to be knowledgable of the scriptures. As a Christian, you should know your Bible and have godly wisdom. If you do not know your Bible well, simply read it and study it more. Memorize verses or at least references so that you find specific verses. Have the verses that you are going to use highlighted so that they are easy to find.
James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
The soul winner should be a prayer warrior and be filled with the Holy Spirit. God will use you to do His work, but the Lord is the one that converts the sinner, not us. We present them with the gospel and then the Lord saves them if the person is willing. Before you go soul winning, it is important to pray and ask God to get your sins out of the way and guide you.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."
When soul winning, never say things like "let Christ come into your life". Christ is in the life of every devil on this earth, yet that does not make them saved. When you witness do not use watered down terminology, use sound Bible words. Using the right Bible (KJV) is also vital. People can get saved by the new versions sometimes, but there are so many verses in the new versions that water down verses or could even be completely taken out. It is just safer using the pure word of God, which is the King James Bible.
You will never win souls unless you make an effort and go. Do not wait around for a funny feeling or goose bumps to talk to someone. Scripture has already told you to win souls, so go do it. Go out in your community and witness to the people that you meet in person. Give out tracts and put them in places like restrooms and gas station pumps. Use the internet to give people the gospel. The Christian life is not just going to church and you will reach more lost people if you start going out and talking to people.
Mark 16:15 "..Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.."
A requirement for soul winning is a broken heart and compassion for souls. The soul winner needs a heart towards lost people and if he does not then his soul winning technique will be mechanical and not sincere with love. Remember you are giving them information that can save their soul from Hell, you are not selling them insurance or explaining a mathematical equation. Soul winning needs to be prepared and with knowledge, but it also needs to be from the heart.
Acts 20:19 "Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears.."
Acts 20:31 "..I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
Of course, the word of God is vital when soul winning. Soul winning needs to be Bible based, not just based on logic or arguments. Although logic is good while soul winning and is useful, conversion comes from the Holy Spirit applying the word of God. Use as much scripture as possible because it is blessed by God and holds divine power.
1 Peter 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
Put out the word as much as you can. Never get discouraged when people are hateful or do not listen. More than likely more people will deny the gospel than accept it, but keep doing it for those people that will listen and want to hear what you have to tell them. Common sense will tell you that the more you witness, the more souls you will win.
Seek and pray for opportunities to give out the gospel. If you are a shy person then start praying God will help you with that when you witness. Ask the Lord to give you boldness like Paul had. Remember that the more you do it, the better you will get at it and the less nervous you will be.
Ephesians 6:19 "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,"
The best way to deal with someone is when they are alone. Not always, but most people are not open when they are in a group and will be more likely to argue to look good in front of their friends. Though, if they are in a group, witness to them still. Also, it is not good discernment for a man to go into a house with only a woman inside or vise versa.
A great opportunity to give people the gospel is in hospital visitations. People are very open then and more than likely they are thinking about things like God, sins and eternity. Jail ministries are also great ministries to be a part of.
It is good to avoid arguments if possible, but sometimes it is not possible. If you are forced to defend God and His word, be ready to do it and with good discernment. Do not waste much time arguing though because that is time you can use to talk to others.
1 Peter 3:15 "..be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
Philippians 1:7 "..the defence and confirmation of the gospel.."
After you lead someone to Christ, you need to give them information and disciple them. This is very important because there are so many people that get deceived by evil denominations like Mormons, JW's, Catholics and Charismatics. Buy cheap KJV Bibles, so you can give them to new converts. Get their address or email and tell them about good Baptist Bible Believing Churches that they can go to in their area. Give them print outs, refer them to books and websites, anything to help equip them. Satan is very interested in deceiving new converts because he does not want them doing anything for God.
2 Peter 2:1 "..there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.."
Be patient with the people that you try to win and if you do not win them the first time, pray for them. God might deal with them and the next time that they are witnessed to they might get saved. Deal with people as if you were in their shoes. Always be humble and remember that you were once like them. The only thing that makes you different is the Blood of Jesus Christ. Most sinners will not be open with a pious and proud Christian that gives them the vibe that they think they are better than them.
Here are some of the basic scriptures to use when leading someone to Christ.
First, show them that they are a sinner and explain that because of their sin, they are separated from God.
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Make them acknowledge that death and judgment are certain. Tell them that there are only two places a person's soul can go to after death, which is Heaven or Hell.
Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"
Explain to them that works cannot save them. A lot of the time people think that salvation includes getting water baptized, living right, going to church and etc. This is where you explain that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Them realizing that is very important.
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Explain that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners(John 3:16). The Lord Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh(1 Timothy 3:16), born of a virgin(Matthew 1:23), lived a sinless life(2 Corinthians 5:21), was beaten and put on the Cross to die. While on the Cross, Jesus bore our sins and took the wrath of God for us. After Jesus died, He was put in a tomb and arose the third day by the power of God(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."
Remember not to rush because they need to understand what you are telling them. When you have explained all of the above and they understand it, show them these three verses, which will tell them exactly how to be Saved/Born Again.
Romans 10:9 "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. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
When they have read those verses ask them if they would like to be saved by going in prayer and asking Jesus to save them. If they say yes, then tell them to pray something like this in their own words...
"God, I realize that I am a sinner that deserves Hell and I'm asking you to save me by putting my trust in the Blood of Jesus Christ alone."
After they accept Jesus Christ, it is important to show them verses that show them they are eternally secure and cannot lose their salvation.
Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Remember that you need to disciple them, teach them sound doctrine and answer and questions they might have concerning the Bible. There are many other verses you can use, but I wanted to give you a basic example of how I lead someone to the Lord.
I hope this article will provoke people to get out and witness for Jesus Christ. If you already do then I hope that some of the things I mentioned will help you while you are witnessing. If you have anymore questions dealing with this subject or would like to know which verses are good to use while soul winning, feel free to contact me.
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."
