- Build relationships with people of all ages.
- Anyone without Christ is dead while they live.
- Embrace people as children do!
- Every soul is important - Judge no one by appearance or speech
- Be full of love for that soul and pray they be established firm in Christ
- Appreciate you're only standing by His grace
- Believe the Holy Spirit will do the work, not you.
Introduction:
Evangelism is the act of getting the message of Christ, the gospel of salvation to people. The process can take different forms and steps. You have Personal evangelism, Group evangelism, Crusade. Evangelism and getting the message to the people can be through a Dance and Music program specially planned for the purpose.
Other ways of organizing evangelistic meetings include:
1. Hosting an event in and outside the church
2. Reaching out to the community through free medical treatment etc
3. Sunday School - This is effective in a new mission in a remote location
4. Going door-to-door outreaches
Personal evangelism
Personal Evangelism is a God-given and God-ordained ministry for every believer. It is sharing the good news of salvation in the name of Jesus Christ with the sole purpose of leading sinners to repentance.
Soul winning is the ultimate purpose of every evangelistic effort and so, the believer is well prepared to take every opportunity to show the difference that Jesus Christ can make in the lives of people through his/her own life and experiences. The purpose of soul-winning commits a believer to pray for souls, and be available to witness to people and guide new converts in the word and life experiences until they are established in the Lord!.
Soul-winning is a serious business that is undertaken casually. Yet for people with a passion for soul-winning, they persist in speaking to people all year round, praying and following their converts up till they are established in the Lord.
It is like sharing the burden of our Lord and Saviour and representing Him on earth. Many believers find it difficult to talk to people about Jesus Christ, our Lord that saved them and delivered them from the kingdom of darkness unto light.
There is a group of people who feel they don't know much about God to begin to witness Him to people, yet we can deduce from all these that many believers are either not sure of their salvation or are not appreciative of what the Lord did for us. It will not be an understatement to say that some believers do not fully understand know Jesus Christ did for us.
Beloved, It is for this reason that I have listed just a few things Christ did for us all, so we can appreciate God's love and mercy and be motivated to speak boldly to people about the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The best thing that happened to me is knowing Jesus and it is because of Him that I am still alive today. On the contrary, many souls have died because they did not know Him and so, could not withstand the darts of the enemy.
When you count your own blessings and number them, you will see the reason why you should help friends, relatives, colleagues to see the light of Jesus and be saved from the wrath of the enemy on earth and hellfire to come.
When should we win souls?
Whenever we have the opportunity to speak to people about Jesus - In the market place, offices, factory, street, etc. We are to seek to win souls when the opportunity is given. Wherever there are people there is our opportunity - 2 Timothy 4:2
We are to be on the job continually. We are to do it today (John 9:4), and every day that God spares us to live down here. But notice:
Whenever the Holy Spirit prompts us, then there is a fertile ground for the word of God to germinate. You go into action, fearing nothing and never thinking you are not well prepared. What you know about Christ, say it to that person or group of people and the Holy Spirit will complete the work.
The Holy Spirit prompting is an opportunity that should not be missed, because what is happening in the life of the soul concerned and he needs the word to comfort himself or stop evil plans or plot against himself (Suicide) or murder. Remember Acts 8:26-29 –- and the Holy Spirit is just the same today. He still waits to direct His servants to those He has prepared, and who are ready and waiting to be led to the Saviour.
We are to seek to win souls when the need is very urgent. Sometimes we may come face to face with a very needy and urgent case, then we must act quickly and faithfully. Perhaps a loved one or neighbor is dying, you should lead him/her to Christ without delay. John 9:4.
How to prepare:
How to prepare:
Anyone who can start a conversation with people at any time should have adequate preparation and regular quality time with the Lord, meditating on the Word. The following lifestyle can get you well prepared for soul winning:
1. Regular praying and fasting - Prayer prepares your heart, and God uses prayer to draw people to Christ. If you can pray regularly, then make a prayer list of friends and their prayer needs.
2. Be Sociable, seek new friends - You can intentionally cultivate authentic relationships with people who don’t know Christ. move out of your comfort zone and make new friends. Do not let your age or social status hinder you, destinies of people are involved. If you don’t have enough non-Christian friends, look for ways to cultivate some new ones. Always a challenge when a new friend comes to Christ.
3. Study and meditate on the Word of God daily - Regular Devotional prepares you for impromptu speaking and you will be confident the scriptures are close to you. Take deliberate steps to nurture your relationship with God. Spend time in worship, prayer, fasting, Bible reading. Allow God to speak to you and guide your life. As you spend time in Scriptures, you’ll be growing spiritually. You’ll be discovering how God is leading you. And often out of the overflow of the current activity of God in your life, you’ll have fresh content to share.
How to Start
Lets all start from our houses, and our neighbourhood. We witness to people around us first, guide them to church and establish them in a group in the church. They become our newest friends and family members. We relate to them as relatives of the Kingdom of God - For charity begins at home. Those that refuse to come with you to church are also treated as friends and visited and followed upon. You, the evangelist must show by your lifestyle and behaviour that you have indeed found Christ and repent of your old ways - John 1:41; Acts 16:30-34
Your next target should be your friends and colleagues in the office. Let them know you have met Christ and given your heart to Him. Don't hide your salvation, rather declare it, so they know you are no longer available for anything that does not please God. Remember that your work ethics, speech and attitude in the office will determine if you will win any of your colleagues or not. We are called to win souls where ever we find ourselves with our attitude, conduct and speaking about Jesus to people around us.
In all these, you must live a life worthy of a 'new man' in Christ. You should deepen yourself in the word of God so that your transformation can be quick and visible to all. You must indeed forsake sinful ways, forsake wrong and bad friends (You know them) and be rich in good works.
What to say
The whole essence of evangelism is to introduce the Saviour Jesus Christ to the people and what he did for mankind on the cross of Calvary. It is to share the completed work of Christ on the cross and how the people can receive eternal life through Christ. So, go ahead and share some of the wonderful things Christ achieved for us through His blood.
Don't be afraid to start a conversation - When you are in the field, on the street, office market etc and you meet with someone interesting and wish to share the gospel with, don't be afraid to start a conversation with them, but seek a platform. Be quick to discern the spiritual needs as you discuss with the person and use that need as a platform to introduce Christ and what He did for us on the cross:
The whole essence of evangelism is to introduce the Saviour Jesus Christ to the people and what he did for mankind on the cross of Calvary. It is to share the completed work of Christ on the cross and how the people can receive eternal life through Christ. So, go ahead and share some of the wonderful things Christ achieved for us through His blood.
Don't be afraid to start a conversation - When you are in the field, on the street, office market etc and you meet with someone interesting and wish to share the gospel with, don't be afraid to start a conversation with them, but seek a platform. Be quick to discern the spiritual needs as you discuss with the person and use that need as a platform to introduce Christ and what He did for us on the cross:
In the Field...Outreaches
When you go out there to share the good news with people:
Pray
Pray before every outreach, pray continually for the salvation of men and that God should use you to reach as many souls as possible. Pray that God should also use different other means to reach out to the unbelievers and the unsaved. Pray for the people you will encounter as you go out to witness and those that have spiritual needs that God will direct them your way. Jesus said: “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2 )
Trust
Trust God for the harvest, after doing your best - when we trust in God. He will provide a way to share the Gospel. There are mechanisms, models, and methods that work. Some work better in different environments than others. The Holy Spirit will guide you on the best soul-winning methods for your environment.
Commit to Soul-winning
The process Jesus introduced to His disciples is to find someone who is receptive to Gospel – a man of peace. Someone who is not hostile to the Gospel and lodge in such a man's house, when you are on a mission field. From the man's home, you go out to other people and share the Gospel. The disciples would stay at this home of the man of peace. They would trust him to provide and pay for what the disciples needed. It is a strategic decision.
When it comes to personal evangelism, you may never need to live in any one's house as we speak today, but you may find a willing person to witness the gospel to and through him reach his family members and friends with time.
“When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘We are wiping off as a witness against you even the dust of your town that clings to our feet. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.”- Luke 10:10–12
Share the Gospel and your testimony
The need for personal testimony is to be an example of God's power to save, heal and deliver from all troubles. Any person sick that wants to serve the Lord is encouraged to take the step of faith and watch the Almighty God heal them and give them a better future. The gospel is good news of God transforming lives and giving believers a better future of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Sometimes, you may have to provide a need, meal or service to people or to someone, and once you have provided a need, people will be open to hearing about spiritual things. You get the chance to share the Gospel and you are to believe God to use you to meet the spiritual needs of the person or people. You are free to pray for the people who are sick or that have other needs. You have the authority and power to pray for their healing according to the scriptures and through your faith. Jesus commanded his disciples saying: “Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’” (Luke 10:9). There will be people who won’t accept the Gospel. Yet, you still share the Gospel with them, even if they won’t accept it. Thereafter, you commit them to the Lord.
Declare to them, that the end is around the Corner
Jesus, our Lord says the harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. Your duty on the field is to share the gospel and let the people know that the end of all things is at hand. That Jesus Christ is coming soon to take his saints home to an everlasting life of joy and happiness. Those that believe in His name and remain in Him shall rejoice at His coming.
If they don’t accept the Gospel, can schedule another day and time to share the word again with such people. You may also email and other addresses with which to send information to them, as a means of following upon them. You should let them know there is no other name through which they can be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ.
Pray
Pray before every outreach, pray continually for the salvation of men and that God should use you to reach as many souls as possible. Pray that God should also use different other means to reach out to the unbelievers and the unsaved. Pray for the people you will encounter as you go out to witness and those that have spiritual needs that God will direct them your way. Jesus said: “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2 )
Trust
Trust God for the harvest, after doing your best - when we trust in God. He will provide a way to share the Gospel. There are mechanisms, models, and methods that work. Some work better in different environments than others. The Holy Spirit will guide you on the best soul-winning methods for your environment.
Commit to Soul-winning
The process Jesus introduced to His disciples is to find someone who is receptive to Gospel – a man of peace. Someone who is not hostile to the Gospel and lodge in such a man's house, when you are on a mission field. From the man's home, you go out to other people and share the Gospel. The disciples would stay at this home of the man of peace. They would trust him to provide and pay for what the disciples needed. It is a strategic decision.
When it comes to personal evangelism, you may never need to live in any one's house as we speak today, but you may find a willing person to witness the gospel to and through him reach his family members and friends with time.
“When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘We are wiping off as a witness against you even the dust of your town that clings to our feet. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.”- Luke 10:10–12
Share the Gospel and your testimony
The need for personal testimony is to be an example of God's power to save, heal and deliver from all troubles. Any person sick that wants to serve the Lord is encouraged to take the step of faith and watch the Almighty God heal them and give them a better future. The gospel is good news of God transforming lives and giving believers a better future of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Sometimes, you may have to provide a need, meal or service to people or to someone, and once you have provided a need, people will be open to hearing about spiritual things. You get the chance to share the Gospel and you are to believe God to use you to meet the spiritual needs of the person or people. You are free to pray for the people who are sick or that have other needs. You have the authority and power to pray for their healing according to the scriptures and through your faith. Jesus commanded his disciples saying: “Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’” (Luke 10:9). There will be people who won’t accept the Gospel. Yet, you still share the Gospel with them, even if they won’t accept it. Thereafter, you commit them to the Lord.
Declare to them, that the end is around the Corner
Jesus, our Lord says the harvest is ripe, but the laborers are few. Your duty on the field is to share the gospel and let the people know that the end of all things is at hand. That Jesus Christ is coming soon to take his saints home to an everlasting life of joy and happiness. Those that believe in His name and remain in Him shall rejoice at His coming.
If they don’t accept the Gospel, can schedule another day and time to share the word again with such people. You may also email and other addresses with which to send information to them, as a means of following upon them. You should let them know there is no other name through which they can be saved, except the name of Jesus Christ.
FIRE...
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