Before anyone can truly commit to soul-winning, they must have a holistic understanding of its components. This view includes who a soul winner is, the relationship between soul winning and the Great Commission, and its soul-winning. Christians will be committed to the task without wavering when they understand soul-winning and its components.
1. Soul Winning
Soul winning is another term for evangelism. It is preaching the gospel message to those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. In other words, soul-winning is about reaching out to non-Christians with the gospel message to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Christian faith holds that anyone who has not yielded to God’s saving grace in Christ from the dead (Romans 10:10). Sharing the good news of salvation is a mandate given to all believers in Christ.
They are expected to reach out to the unsaved and bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. Teach them that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Soul winning is an essential aspect of our service to God and an important task in the Christian faith. This is because a lost soul can only be saved while alive; once the person dies, salvation is no longer possible. Christians are under an obligation to reach out to the lost souls and win them for Jesus Christ.
2. Soul Winners
A soul winner is a Christian who engages in reaching and winning souls for Christ. As discussed earlier, an unbelieving person is regarded as a lost soul and also a potential child of God.
When a lost soul receives the gospel and experiences salvation, it is expected that the person becomes an instrument for bringing others to salvation. This is regarded as chain work. Hence, every Christian is considered a soul winner.
However, this is not just a title for Christians, but it is a responsibility to fulfil with all sense of urgency and seriousness.
Every Christian must be deliberate in reaching out to non-Christians with the gospel of salvation. Soul winning is an assignment for every child of God, not necessarily for pastors and evangelists or a few believers.
3. Soul Winning and the Great Commission
The Great Commission is about Jesus’ instruction to all believers to make disciples. He said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28 19-20).
From the understanding of the concept of soul winning discussed earlier, it is clear that soul winning is embedded in the Great Commission. Soul winning involves a Christian intentionally reaching out to non-Christians with the gospel to win them to Christ.
The Great Commission also involves the process of discipleship, training new converts, and making them deeply rooted in the tenets of the Christian faith.
The bottom line is that soul-winning and the entire Great Commission are the responsibility of all Christians. All Christians need to know that they are soul winners since the Great Commission is everyone’s responsibility.
4. The Need for Soul Winning
The need for believers to win souls for God’s kingdom cannot be overemphasised. The following are some reasons Christians must not handle the matter of soul-winning with levity.
It is a command
Soul winning is a command from Christ that must be fulfilled. Jesus was sent by His Father to pursue the business of soul winning, and Christ’s business is our business.
Increase in sin
The world we live in is characterised by all forms of wickedness. Many people live as if there is no judgment. Believers, therefore, must intensify efforts to win more people for Christ.
Jesus’ second coming
The Bible repeatedly talks about Jesus’ second coming. The fact that no one knows when He will come should spur believers to be serious with soul-winning.
It shows we are obedient to God’s command
The fact has been established that soul-winning is God’s command. One of the ways Christians can demonstrate obedience to the command is to win souls.
Christ’s death will not be in vain
The value we have for our redemption should be expressed through our involvement in soul-winning so that Jesus’ death will not be in vain.
5. Biblical Bases for Soul Winning
The Bible is the manual for Christian faith and practice. It is therefore necessary to examine the biblical bases for soul-winning. Doing so gives evidence to the fact that soul-winning is God’s assignment for every believer.
God’s plan for man at creation gives credence to soul-winning.
In Genesis 1 26, the Bible records, “Then God said, read further…” Looking at the entire creation, no other the creation of man. Soul winning is one way to fulfil the plan and purpose of God for humankind, and it is also God’s tool to bring man back to His original plan for mankind.
Scholars in the area of mission believe that God is mission-minded. As God is seen as the Creator and Sustainer, He is also seen as a missionary from His act of creation, the fall of man, the call of men whom He uses to execute His mission, the rescue of His people from exile, and ultimately, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. (Uzoeshi, Uzoma J, P. 73)
The pathetic condition of the fallen man is a basis for soul-winning.
In Genesis 3, when man yielded to satanic deception through the serpent, God placed a curse on man. In spiritual terms, that marks the death of humankind. Paul puts it in another way (read Romans 3: 23; 6: 23).
God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ.
By the redemptive work accomplished for humankind by Jesus Christ, nobody should be condemned on account of their sin; hence, Christians should be eager to tell the world that their sins have been forgiven. (Read Romans 5 8)
The Great Commission
The importance of the Great Commission is another biblical basis for soul-winning. Acts 1 8 and Matthew 28 16-20 reveal God’s plan to save lost souls. God plans to use those who were saved to reach those who are lost.
Based on this, He commanded His children to engage in soul-winning. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
God has committed to Christians the ministry of reconciliation; not only did He call us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus (1Corinthians 1: 9), He has also called us to partner with Him in soul-winning.
The missionary legacy of the early church
After the church’s inauguration in Acts Chapter 2, the believers became very committed to soul-winning, and they made it their priority. Amidst persecution, rejection, hardship, and opposition, they went everywhere preaching the gospel of salvation.
God honoured their faith and commitment so much that miracles happened wherever they went. The legacy of the early church in soul-winning has been a reference point in all ages.
The church today cannot allow this legacy to die; instead, the church needs to prioritise soul-winning as it has been since the inception of the church.
6. Marks of a Committed Soul Winner
God desires His children to win souls and be dedicated to it by preaching the gospel message to bring people to the saving knowledge of the Saviour, Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, there are some marks or qualities a soul winner should possess to be productive. Some of them are as follows.
Salvation
Soul winners must have been saved. One cannot be an effective soul winner without having experienced salvation. To win souls, one must be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and display the fruit of the Spirit. Those who have been born again are expected to have a message to share with the unsaved because one can only give what one has.
Obedience
A believer who desires to win souls must always be ready to obey God entirely and live according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.
Compassion
Soul winners should have compassion for the lost souls. Jesus Christ, our model in everything that pertains to the Christian life, was very compassionate. Every time He saw the crowd, He was moved with compassion to save them.
Driven by compassion, He engaged in teaching, preaching, and working miracles to bring people to salvation. Disciples of Christ must be reminded that salvation is good news we must share.
It is clearly stated in John 3:18 that “whoever believes…” believers should not be comfortable when surrounded by unsaved people. It is a thing of serious concern that must be addressed.
Prayer
A soul winner must be a person given to prayer. Prayer is a sacrifice every soul winner must engage in. It is a fact that we can achieve more with an effective and consistent prayer life.
Burdens for souls are poured out on our knees in the place of prayer. Similarly, God will always open doors of opportunity and remove obstacles that hinder the spread of the gospel message when we pray.
Focus
A soul winner must be focused. Jesus instructed His disciples when they were sent out not to go with gold or silver in their purses (Matthew 10:9). This means that soul winners should be focused and not be distracted by the pursuit of material things that can easily bring about distraction.
Preparedness
The opportunity to preach and win souls for Christ can come anytime. Therefore, disciples of Jesus should always be ready and not give in to excuses whenever the opportunity comes their way.
Risk taking
A soul winner must be willing to take risks. Soul-winning is not an easy task. It sometimes involves danger. Anyone willing to win souls for Christ should be ready to face dangerous situations without compromise.
Dependence
Soul winners must depend on God. They must realise that it is God who saves, while we are only instruments. Therefore, we must depend on God to work out His salvation in the lives of those we witness to Romans 1: 16. We must be patient, hopeful and depend on God through prayer.
Godly lifestyle
Read Matthew 7:20, 5:16. A believer does not need to introduce himself before he is known as one. One of the most effective ways to win souls for Christ is through the way we live our lives.
The Christ we profess must be seen in our character and lifestyle, which will attract other people to Christ.
Ability to establish contact
Soul winning is about person-to-person or people-to-people. We may engage in witnessing through writing, the use of technology, or physically meeting with people in their workplace, shopping centres/game centre, social gatherings, or their neighbourhood.
Some other contacts can be intentionally made during games, banquets, social welfare, and medical outreach to win people for Jesus Christ. You can read further similar posts on this page.
