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A Soulwinning Presentation Soulwinning is dear to me because my salvation was the result of persistent, patient, and personal soulwinning. The one who led me to Christ had to knock on my college dormitory door over and over. After he invited me to church, he literally had to wake me up from sleep and wait for me to get ready to go to church! That morning the message from Scripture pierced my soul and God saved me. Imagine that two men are getting on an airplane and both are given a parachute by a flight attendant. The flight attendant says to the first man, “Here is a parachute. If you put this on during this flight, you will be more comfortable and it will improve the quality of your flight. It will give you joy and peace.” After strapping it on, this person notices instead that it is burdensome and cumbersome; he is less comfortable. He cannot sit back and really enjoy himself. He is angry at the flight attendant for lying to him and promising he will be better off with the parachute. Furthermore, because he is the only one wearing a parachute, he even feels embarrassed and stupid. HE finally takes off the parachute and throws it to the side, feeling deceived and dumb. The second flight attendant tells the next man, “Here is a parachute. You must put this on because when we are 25,000 feet in the air, you are going to jump.” He will not mind at all that he is wearing that parachute. As a matter of fact, he will be glad to hold on to another just in case that one decided not to open! If anyone laughed at him, he thinks, “You won’t be laughing when you’re falling to the ground!” He knows that the main reason he has the parachute is not just to make his flight more convenient and comfortable, but it is necessary for when he has to hit the ground! Examine the motives of these two men. The first man was humiliated by the other passengers, and embittered at the flight attendant who told him that the parachute would make him more comfortable. He was unaware that he would be jumping at 25,000 feet. The second man had a deep-rooted peace and joy that he would be saved from certain death. He did not mind that the parachute made him uncomfortable, because he knew that was only temporary. Friends, we need Jesus, not merely because we need life and health and peace now. We have to jump to our death. We will inevitably die. (This illustration is adapted from Ray Comfort and it can be found in The Evidence Bible New Testament on page 591). Many people think salvation is just to make them more happy and comfortable now, but forget the ultimate need for Jesus is not happiness but righteousness. If people come to Jesus as a divine “Need-meeter” they are not coming to Him for the right reason. One must instead come to Jesus as their Sin-bearer and Savior from sin, death, and hell. When one realizes that our ultimate need is righteousness, then Jesus will make us happy. Jesus will only give you joy and peace if you know that He saved your from the deceitfulness of sin and the damnation of hell! 1. The APPROACH: How to begin witnessing Joe called me on the phone and said that he would like to meet with me. He heard me on the radio and wanted to talk. I made an appointment with him and we sat in a diner. He began telling me his journey. He had been raised Roman Catholic, then he dabbled with Seventh Day Adventism, and he was presently doing a Bible study correspondence course through the web site. Finally, I interrupted him because it was clear he was searching and had a level of understanding of the Gospel. I said to him, “Joe, have you come to the place in your spiritual life that if you were to die you know for sure you would go to heaven?” And he answered, “That’s the problem. No, I don’t.” Let’s get out of here, I said. And we went down to the pier on the Hudson River and sat on a park bench with two Bridge Tracts, which give a clear Gospel presentation. A. Talk about Natural things for awhile. 1.) Relate & Create: Relate to them and create an interest in what you have to give. 2.) Show your interest. 3.) Create a relaxed atmosphere 4.) Show them that you are a real, normal person. You are not a maniac. Maybe you used to be, but you are not anymore! 5.) Break down walls or barriers between you and them. 6.) Possible subjects: Weather, Sports, Hobbies, Automobiles, Fashions, House, Employment, Loved ones, etc. B. Then begin thinking of a way to start talking about spiritual things. Subjects that will help lead you into the spiritual are: 1.) Death 2.) How quickly the years have passed (the shortness of life on earth) 3.) Tragedies or calamities 4.) Church 5.) Current events (war, immorality, etc.) 6.) Your own salvation testimony C. Ask the APPROACH questions. These questions help you to gauge their interest and also help you analyze their spiritual condition and give you an avenue into presenting the gospel. 1.) “Do you have any interest in spiritual things?”" 2.) “Do you go to church anywhere?” You then reply with, "It is important to go to church, but the most important thing is to know that we would go to Heaven when we die." 3.) "Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you know for sure you would go to Heaven?" Then ask: 4.) "If you were to die today and stand, and He was to say to you: 'why should I let you into my Heaven?' what would you say?" 5.) Then ask: "If I can show you from the Bible how you can know for sure that you are going to Heaven, would you be willing to do what the Bible says?" 2. The PRESENTATION: What do I say as I witness? A. SIN! Man’s Problem Show them Romans 3:23. Either have them read it or you read it as they look at it. I like to use the Bridge Tract and I read one and they read one. "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 1.) Stress the word “ALL” - We are all in the same boat. Say, "This means I am a sinner and you are a sinner, doesn't it?" Other Scriptures which show that "ALL have sinned" Ecclesiastes 7:20 -"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Psalm 51:5 -"Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" Rom. 3:10 - "...there is none righteous, no not one" Rom. 5:12 -"...death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" 2.) Make sure they understand what "sin" means. This word "sin" means to “miss the mark” of God's perfect standard. We all come far "short" of the standard that God demands we reach in order for us to inherit His Heaven! Illustrate by jumping to the top of the building. Ask, “Can you jump to the top of this building? Of course not, and neither can I. You may jump higher than I can, but we both fall well short of the goal. Similarly, we all fall short of God’s standard of perfect righteousness. One person may do more good things than another person, but everyone has sinned against God. This will keep the best of men out of heaven. God has given us His standard of righteousness in the Ten Commandments. Do you know any of these commandments? Have you kept them all or is it safe to say that you have broken them many times? I know I have lied, used God’s name in vain, dishonored my parents, coveted, and even made an image of God that is not true in my own mind. Use the Law in witnessing. Jesus Himself used the Law to bring a soul under conviction (Mark 10:17-20). The Law is our schoolmaster that leads us to the Perfect and Sinless Savior. It shows us our guilt before God, makes us aware of our sin, and even defines sin. Most people think they have a good shot at going to heaven if they “do their best” in keeping the law. Show them that their best is not good enough. The law is not given as a list of things that I am to do my best to obey and hope that my good outweighs my bad. The Law stops our mouths from boasting, shows us our sin, and points us to Christ. Romans 3:19; That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” 3.) Emphasize that our sin is what keeps us out of heaven: SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD 4.) If they can't see their sinfulness, ask: "If Christ came into this room right now, could you look Him in the eye and say, I am just as good as you are?" Then tell them, “Do you know how good you have to be until you can go to heaven? As good as Jesus! You must be righteous! This is our problem. None of us are righteous, and because of that there is a penalty.” B. SEPARATION! Sin’s Penalty! Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." 1.) Emphasize the word “wages.” Wages is an earned payment. What if your job did not “feel like” paying you on your payday? I am sure you would object to this injustice. The Bible says that the wages or price that we must pay for our sin is death. You may also mention that just as one who gets caught breaking the civil law must pay for it, so we must pay for breaking God's Law. Emphasize that there is a payday coming. Hebrews 9:27, And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. 2.) Emphasize that the payment is death. Tell them that death is not cessation ("going out of existence") but separation. Physical death is separation of body from soul. Spiritual death is separation of soul from God. Eternal death is the separation of the soul from God for all eternity. This may be illustrated by showing them that there is not just one death but a second death (Revelation 21:8). God cannot forget or overlook sin. His holiness demands that it be punished. Simply stated: The wages of our sin is separation from God, forever, in Hell. If ONE sin separated Adam from God in the Garden of Eden, how much more are we separated? Therefore, the only way that we can pay for our sins ourselves is to die and experience eternal separation from God in hell forever. It is imperative that the person you are dealing with understands they are lost and on their way to hell. No one can truly be saved until they realize they are lost. A person will only call upon the Lord for salvation when he first realizes the awful consequences of breaking the law of God and that he has no way of escape from God’s wrath unless he comes to Christ. Make them to understand they cannot save themselves. Make a person aware of the holiness of God and then the certainty and severity of judgment. 3.) Emphasize that Eternal Life is God’s free gift Illustrate: The gift of my watch. A gift is something that is free. You do not pay for a gift. A gift is not a bargain. A gift is something that you receive freely. 4.) Emphasize that Eternal Life is only through Jesus Christ our Lord. Read Romans 6:23 again and ask, “Eternal life is through Jesus and WHO ELSE?” No one else and nothing else! Not through our work or giving to charity, through good things or church or religious rituals, or even new year’s resolutions or turning over a new leaf. You may then turn in your Bible to Ephesians 2:8-9 and read both verses: "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." Now ask, “Why is eternal life only through Jesus Christ and no one or nothing else? C. SACRIFICE! Christ’s Payment Read to him Romans 5:8 - "But God commendeth (shows) His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Eternal life is through Jesus Christ alone, because Christ alone died for us, taking the penalty of our sin. Emphasize that Christ: 1. Took our place as our SINLESS SUBSTITUTE and became sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 2. He took our sins and suffered for us in our place for us 1 Peter 3:18 explains the substitutionary death of Christ with amazing simplicity and beauty: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 2:24: Took our sins in his own Body Isaiah 53:5-6 - "the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Galatians 3:13 - "Being made a curse for us." Christ did not die merely as an example, a great teacher, a martyr, or by accident. Rather, He laid down His life for His sheep (John 10). Because God is just, the penalty for sin had to be paid. Because God is love, He Himself paid the penalty in Jesus Christ! Emphasize that Christ paid a debt He did not owe. We owe a debt we cannot pay. This demonstrates to us the infinite, unfathomable love of God. A gift must be received! Now let’s look at how we can receive this gift of eternal life. D. SALAVTION! The Believer’s Pardon Turn to Romans 10:9-10 read these verses. 1.) In verse nine, what two conditions does Paul state for someone to be saved: a.) Confess that Jesus is LORD, or one must believe WHO Jesus is, God manifest in the flesh. Salvation is not surrendering to Jesus every aspect in our lives. The concept, “Unless Jesus is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all” is commonly called “Lordship salvation” and is a false doctrine. To confess Jesus as Lord means one must understand WHO Jesus is, God in the flesh. See John 8:24. b.) Believe that God has raised Him from the dead. Saving faith is also not mere intellectual assent. You can believe ABOUT Jesus in your head, and miss heaven by 18 inches. You must believe from your HEART, which embodies man’s will, emotion, and intellect. People may trust God for healing, for a job, or for help in a test, or for some other problem, but saving faith is to believe or trust Jesus to take us to heaven on the basis of His death, burial, and bodily resurrection. Saving faith rests in Jesus alone for our eternal life and appropriates Christ’s death to our account. And His resurrection to our account. 2.) In verse ten, emphasize that the one who believes is declared righteous by a holy God. This is the essence of the Gospel. Our problem is what? Sin. The only way to be righteous in God’s sight is to believe in Jesus. God takes away our sin, because he imputed our sin to Christ, and then God imputes to us the righteousness of Christ. We have a sin nature, we do sinful things, and we therefore lack righteousness. God takes our sin and imputes it to Christ, and he imparts to us His holy divine nature in the new birth. This is called regeneration (John 3:3, 5; Titus 3:5). And God imputes to us the righteousness of Christ, so that when we believe on Jesus we are as righteous as Jesus Himself in God’s sight. Jesus’ righteousness makes us fit for heaven. 3.) Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 3. The DECISION: Bringing the person to a decision: At this point, many soulwinners fail. Be sure to give the person the opportunity to call upon the Lord and receive Him as their Savior and to receive eternal life. A. Ask compassionately: “Does this make sense to you?” B. Then ask, “Would you like to receive this gift of eternal life so that you can know you are going to heaven?” At this point, we must have a balance. One the one hand, we do not want to force someone to just pray a prayer, because a prayer never saved anyone. You must be led by the Spirit to sense that they are believing in Christ from their heart. Do they understand they are lost and truly want salvation? Or do you want them to pray so you can announce their decision to your friends? Do not feel pressure to lead someone to the Lord so you can give a testimony about it! Beware of your motives in witnessing and make sure they are for the glory of God! On the other hand, Jesus said, “compel them to come in.” Knowing the Lord’s terror, we persuade men. Today is the day of salvation. Let the Holy Spirit do the work of conviction and salvation. C. Pray for him: Keep your prayer short and sincere! By praying, you are showing him: 1.) That a person can speak from their heart to God. 2.) That a person can speak to God anytime or anywhere. D. Lead them in a prayer for salvation: Have him sincerely repeat each phrase: Dear Lord Jesus I know that I am a sinner, I deserve to pay for my own sins in Hell, but I believe you love me and I believe you died for me, paying for all my sin and you arose from the dead and live today. Please, come into my heart right now and save me. I now receive you as my Lord and Savior. I give my whole life to you. Amen. E. Pray for them again Ask God to seal their decision. I often pray, “Lord, as you opened Lydia’s heart of old, may you have saved ___________.” Then I will say as our heads are still bowed. _________, if you just called on the Lord from your heart will you take my hand? F. Ask him: "If you were to die now, where would you go? How do you know?" 1.) Do not say: NOW YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN! His reply should be two-fold: 2.) "Because I have believed in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior." 3.) "Because the Bible says so. (I'm trusting God's promise)" G. Show him Verses of Assurance (John 3:16, John 5:24, 10:27-29) Emphasize that going to heaven is like going to God’s house. He lays down the stipulations for going to His house, not me or anyone else. We have to take God at His Word and when we have met His conditions, we must rest our soul in His promises. 1 John 5:11-13. Assure him: We are not saved by FEELINGS, but by the FACTS of God's Word! |