Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19
He that winneth souls is wise”…. Proverbs 11:30
Billy Sunday, the great evangelist of the 20th century described soul winning as:“a definite effort to lead a definite person to accept a definite Savior at a definite time”.
“Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote concerning soul winning…”if I were utterly selfish and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose, if I might under God, to be a soul winner, for never did I know perfect overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order till I heard of one who had sought and found the Saviour through my means.” Another writes anonymously, “if we who are saved are so abundantly joyous of our relationship with Christ as heirs and joint heirs, why would we not share the story of God’s Amazing Grace with everyone around us.”
Soul winning is God’s plan to bring lost sinners to Christ for salvation. Only Jesus can
save but certainly you and I are instructed in God’s Word in Luke 14:23 to “go out into
the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in.” Some Christians study, some
pray, some witness, and some give, but a disciple or soul winner does them all.
Therefore, God Almighty has entrusted the job of soul winning to all of His Disciples.
If you are a saved, born-again believer, then you are commanded to be a soul winner.
Presently, there are 6.5 billion people living on planet Earth and approximately 600,000
souls die and enter eternity daily. How many of these souls, living within the shadow of the
church steeples, go out into eternity unprepared to meet their Maker? How many churches have completely lost the burden for lost souls? Oh, I know most churches have huge budgets for Missions and thank God for their support for Missionaries around the world. But what about the lost souls around us…those in our family, those in our neighborhood, our fellow workers and classmates who are on their way to Hell?…do we simply forget about them? We must with God’s help challenge everyone around us with the Gospel. Time is running out…there is an urgency to GO…GO. There is no room for passiveness if we are truly born again.
We must get up from our pews and go -go to our knees, go to our neighbors and go as far as God will allow us to go in order to spread this Glorious Gospel and share the Hope that we have in Jesus Christ.
Most of us have missed opportunities in our Christian walk where we have neglected to share the Gospel with others and have later felt a sense of failure on our part. Adrian Rodger, the late great Pastor from Memphis, TN., often shared this testimony that occurred during his first pastorate. Even though, Adrian Rodgers had led thousands to Christ and had pastored tens of thousands during his ministry, he always shared this event with tears in his eyes. He tells of his moving to a little village on the Gulf Coast, and very zealous, energetic and anxious to please his Lord. He promised the Lord that he would visit every home and person in this tiny village and invite them to his church services and challenge them all with the Gospel. He worked very diligently for the first few weeks and had visited every home with the exception of one which was located out of the way and at the edge of this tiny village. Weeks went by and Adrian Rodgers was very busy and consumed with his pastoral duties and one day the Holy Spirit reminded him of this very old man, a sort of recluse an outcast, who he had failed to visit. He determined to visit him the next morning and just before he left for the visit, he was informed that the man has just passed away. As far as anyone knew, this man had never entered a church nor had he been presented the gospel. This one lost opportunity haunted Adrian Rodgers during the entirety of his ministry and reminded him of the importance of sharing the Gospel with everyone around him. He vowed to God to give an invitation every time he was before one or a congregation of thousands. Adrian Rodgers stood out as a true soul winner and one who was never ashamed of the Gospel.
Another giant among soul winners and one who was never deterred from his mission as a born again believer, was Mr. Genor of Sydney, Australia. Mr. Ganor was a sailor on an Australian ship who lived a reprobate life. He faced a crisis in his life and had a shipmate who led him to Christ during this time of crisis. Mr. Ganor was so consumed with the transformation that occurred over night, that he pledged to God that he would witness to at least 10 people every remaining day of his life. He did this without exception for the next 40 years on George St. in Sydney. He had a simple approach of asking the question. “Excuse me sir, are you a Christian? If you died tonight would you go to heaven? Mr. Ganor was the epitome of one committed to the task that all Christians are commanded to do, that of sharing the Gospel.
Mr. Genor was so committed to this task that although he was often rejected and in 40 years never heard of one person accepting Christ. He still was unwavering in his witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Two weeks before his death, Mr. Ganor received a visit from a Pastor from London, England who God had used to share this remarkable report. Over the past 3 years, this pastor had traveled world wide preaching the Gospel. His travels had taken him to America, parts of England, Australia and India. He had received 12 reports from Chaplains, Elders, Pastors and Missionaries that had come to the Lord through Mr Ganor’s simple witness on George Street. Through his faithfulness and what was seemingly a simple approach there were literally thousands that came to know the Lord.
There are many ways that all of us can contribute collectively to the spreading of the Gospel; however, we must be committed on a personal basis to share the gospel at every opportunity. We can promote the gospel by our consistent Christian lifestyle, by handing out tracts, by praying and fasting for our loved ones and by personally challenging those around us as the Spirit leads with the question…where are you going?…Heaven or Hell. William Booth wrote many years ago “Do anything that will make people know the truth about themselves and heaven and hell. God will help you”?
A TRUE DISCIPLE IS INVOLVED IN SOUL WINNING
ARE YOU?
Soul Winning Notes:
| A Soul Winner’s Mind | The Seven Enemies of Soul Winning |
| Five Basic Steps of Soul Winning | Rewards of Soul Winning |
Amazing Testimony of Mr Genor – The George Street Evangelist
Frank Arthur “Bones” Jenner (1903 – 1977)
(surname often misspelled Genor)
Read His Amazing Story of Trials and Hardship During His Life & Evangelism