Power For Soul Winning

  POWER FOR SOUL WINNING

The Holy Spirit’s Work in Soul Winning  

By Jason Grubbs

Introduction

D.L. Moody was one of the greatest evangelists in American history.  He was not an educated man, but he was powerfully used of God to lead thousands to Christ. The man who led Mr. Moody to the Lord was a simple Sunday School teacher named Edward Kimball. He was very ordinary and lacked courage, as many of us do.  However, God used him to lead a future great evangelist to the Lord. You never know what God might do in the life of the person to whom you witness.

Edward Kimball recalled the time he led Mr. Moody to Christ.  “I started down town to Holton’s shoe store,” says Mr. Kimball. “When I was nearly there, I began to wonder whether I ought to go just then, during business hours. And I thought maybe my mission might embarrass the boy, that when I went away the other clerks might ask who I was, and when they learned, might taunt Moody and ask if I was trying to make a good boy out of him. While I was pondering over it all, I passed the store without noticing it. Then when I found I had gone by the door, I determined to make a dash for it and have it over at once. I found Moody in the back part of the store wrapping up shoes in paper and putting them on shelves. I went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, and as I leaned over I placed my foot upon a shoe box. Then I made my plea, and I feel that it was really a very weak one. I don’t know just what words I used, nor could Mr. Moody tell. I simply told him of Christ’s love for him and the love Christ wanted in return. That was all there was of it. I think Mr. Moody said afterward that there were tears in my eyes. It seemed that the young man was just ready for the light that then broke upon him, for there at once in the back of that shoe store in Boston the future great evangelist gave himself and his life to Christ.”  (J. Wilbur Chapman – The Life and Work of D.L. Moody)

This story serves as a reminder that God uses ordinary people to win souls, but only as they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this lesson is to show the work of the Holy Spirit in soul winning and to show that, without the Holy Spirit’s involvement, we will all fail to win others to Christ.  No matter who you are, you can win souls through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Most people God uses are not highly educated or full of personality. They are everyday, common people.  All of the twelve men that Jesus chose to take the Gospel around the world were very plain and uneducated.  One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  He did not have Peter’s charisma, but he simply brought Peter to Jesus.  That is what every Christian can do.  They can bring others to Jesus through the help of the Holy Spirit.

When we are saved, the Bible says we are “born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5)  So, when we speak of soul winning, we are talking about bringing someone to a new birth.  We are born again, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit.  It is not our persuasiveness that causes someone to get saved, but rather it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Tapping into this powerful resource is what will make you an effective soul winner.

We are going to look at four things the Holy Spirit does in soul winning.  First, He conditions the soul winner.  Second, He convicts the sinner.  Third, He clarifies the Scriptures.  And last of all, He comforts the soul winner.

I. The Holy Spirit Conditions the Soul Winner

The Holy Spirit conditions the soul winner.  In other words, the Holy Spirit prepares and enables us to witness.  The Bible says in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” The soul winner is not prepared unless he is filled with the Spirit.  To be “filled” means to be controlled. Just as a sailboat must have wind fill its sail in order to go, the Christian must have the Holy Spirit fill him. 

We are not to be drunk with wine, but in contrast, we are to be filled with the Spirit.  Alcohol has a controlling effect on those who drink it. It gives them unusual courage.  People who are under the influence of alcohol say things they would never dream of saying while sober. When we are filled with the Spirit, He controls us and gives us the courage and boldness to witness for Christ even if we are timid in our own personality.

Simon Peter is a great example of this. Even though he was loud and boisterous, Peter was a coward. The man who said he would die before he denied Christ found himself cursing and swearing and saying that he had never met the Lord Jesus.  (Matthew 26:74) This was one of the most cowardly acts in the entire Bible.  Peter had a chance to stand up for the Lord, but he was too timid. 

However, if you go to Acts 4:8-13, you will see a different man.  It was still Simon Peter, but this time, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here  before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Peter was conditioned by the Holy Spirit to win souls.  The Holy Spirit gave Peter the boldness he needed, and He will do the same with you.  Many people talk about needing more of the Holy Spirit, but that is not our real need.  Our need is for the Holy Spirit to have more of us.   When the Holy Spirit has all of us, we will be empowered with boldness to witness for Christ.

Over 100 years ago, a group of pastors assembled to choose an evangelist for a city-wide campaign.  Almost all of the pastors agreed D.L. Moody should be the evangelist.  One pastor objected.  He said, “You men make it sound like Mr. Moody has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.”  After a moment, one of the other pastors spoke up, “Mr. Moody doesn’t have a monopoly on the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on him.”  Does the Holy Spirit have a monopoly on you?  That is what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

How often we fail in soul winning because we are not prepared to go!  We have not spent time with the Lord. We have not prayed. We have not confessed sin and made things right with the Lord.  We have not yielded ourselves completely to Him. 

Right before Jesus went away into Heaven; He left His disciples with the task of evangelizing the world.  In Luke 24:47-48, Jesus said, “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things.”  No doubt, the disciples felt the urgency to get out right away and begin trying to win folks to Christ. Such a job as this would require urgency. But Jesus gave them further instruction.  In verse 49 He said, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The disciples were not prepared to go out and witness until they had been empowered by the Holy Spirit. “The promise of the Father” Jesus was referring to was the Holy Spirit. We cannot win souls without His power. 

One New Year’s Day, in the Tournament of Roses parade, a beautiful float suddenly sputtered and quit. It was out of gas. The whole parade was held up until someone could get a can of gas. The amusing thing was that this float represented the Standard Oil Company. Even with its vast oil resources, its truck was out of gas. Often, Christians neglect their spiritual power available to them in the Holy Spirit, and though they are “clothed with power” (Luke 24:49), they find themselves spiritually out of gas.

Now that you realize that you must be conditioned to win souls by the Holy Spirit, you may be asking how that conditioning occurs. How can we be filled with the Spirit?  Let me suggest three things. First, we must ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  Luke 11:13 says, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” 

Then, we should surrender our will to the will of the Holy Spirit.  This means, we are to die to self and what we want, and we must yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.  In Romans 6:13, we read, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” As we surrender our will to His will, He controls us and uses us as a witness for Christ.

Lastly, we should be careful not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit.  We grieve the Holy Spirit when we are disobedient to Him.  In Ephesians 4:30, we are told, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”  Previous verses suggest that we grieve the Holy Spirit by losing our temper, being dishonest, using the wrong kind of language, holding grudges, or wishing trouble on someone else.  (See Ephesians 4:22-29)

1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Quench not the Spirit.”  The word “quench” has to do with putting out a fire.  The Holy Spirit is often referred to as a fire, and that fire is built through prayer, Bible reading, and church attendance. So, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we do what we should not, and we quench Him when we don’t do what we should.

The idea is that we are to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives.  Allow Him to be in control of every word, action, and attitude.

To be conditioned by the Holy Spirit, our bodies must be clean vessels.  When we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us.  He takes up residence in us.  Our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” The Holy Spirit is not comfortable living in a dirty house. He is holy. This is why we should keep sin out of our lives and as soon as we do sin, we should repent of it immediately and ask God to forgive us.  If you and I are to be filled with the Spirit, we must work at keeping our lives clean and free from the filth of this world.

Do you want to be a fruitful Christian? When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit produces fruit in our lives, both inward and outward fruit!  Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit of the Spirit. This is inward fruit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, and faith. But the Holy Spirit also produces an outward fruit.  The fruit of a Spirit-filled Christian is another Christian.  As we are filled with the Spirit, we can lead others to Christ and produce fruit that remains for all eternity.  John 15:16 says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. . .”

II. The Holy Spirit Convicts the Sinner

First, we looked at how the Holy Spirit conditions the soul winner.  Now let’s turn our attention to how the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner.  Salvation cannot take place without conviction.  You and I cannot convict anyone; this must be done by the Holy Spirit.  Just as the soul winner must be prepared, the sinner must also be prepared to hear what the soul winner has to say.

What does “conviction” mean?  The word “convict” means “to convince someone of something.” Conviction is when someone is convinced that the Bible is true, that they are a sinner, and that the only way of salvation is in Jesus Christ.  Conviction is badly missing today in many of our churches as well as in our personal work with the lost.  Many times, in our zeal to win someone to Christ, we try to persuade them ourselves to pray a prayer without them really being repentant over their sin. We need to make sure the Holy Spirit is drawing them in conviction, or getting them to pray a prayer will not result in genuine salvation.

In Psalm 51:3, David said, “For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” This is an example of conviction. David sinned in an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba.  He tried to cover up his sin, but God sent a man of God named Nathan to confront him about what he had done.  Through this man of God, God brought conviction to David’s life.  God would not let David sleep.  All through the day, his sin was foremost in his thoughts.  That is the work of the Holy Spirit in conviction. 

People often confuse guilt with conviction.  Guilt is a bad feeling about what you have done, but conviction is being convinced that you have done wrong and desiring to make it right.  Conviction leads to repentance, which is a change of mind.  You and I can make people feel guilty for their sin, but only the Holy Spirit can bring about conviction.  We cannot put within people’s hearts a desire to change.  Only the Spirit of God can do that.

Judas Iscariot, the most infamous of the twelve disciples, is a good example of this.  Judas was the treasurer of the disciples and only followed the Lord for his financial benefit.  This was revealed later when it was found that he had been stealing money from the treasury.   Eventually, he even became a traitor for thirty pieces of silver, the equivalent of three month’s pay in today’s economy. Judas felt guilty about what he had done and gave the money back to the chief priests and elders, but he was not repentant. (Matt. 27:3-4)  It is evident that Judas never had a change of heart or he would have gone back to Jesus. Instead, overwhelmed with guilt, he went out and hung himself.  Repentance leads to confession and a change of mind.  If Judas had repented, Christ would have forgiven him, but he never changed his mind about his sin.  He merely felt the guilt of it.  People will not be truly saved unless they are convicted of their sin by the Holy Spirit, and that conviction leads to repentance.

John 16:8-11 says, “And when He (the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” These are the three things of which the Holy Spirit convicts us.  First, He convinces us that we are a sinner.  He takes away our excuses and causes us to see how sinful we are.  He produces a godly sorrow over our sin and makes us sick of it.  When a person is under conviction, they see what they have done as being done to God, Who has done so much for them. 

Secondly, He convinces them of God’s righteousness.  He shows the sinner the perfect standard of the holiness of God.  People do not think they are that bad as long as they compare themselves to someone else. You can always find someone who is worse than you.  However, when we come face to face with the holiness of God, we see how far we fall short. In Romans 7:7, Paul said, “…I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, ‘Thou shalt not covet.” The law was the revelation of the holiness of God; and, when one read the law, they saw the perfect standard of God’s righteousness.  The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to convict us of our sinfulness and to show us God’s righteousness.

Thirdly, He convinces them of judgment.  The Holy Spirit causes people to be convinced of the reality of Hell for those who reject Christ as Saviour.  The Holy Spirit makes Hell real to the sinner. The Holy Spirit convicted me when I was five years old.  The Holy Spirit had been dealing with me about my salvation for some time, yet I had not trusted Christ as Saviour.  I was watching a Christian film, and the film had a scene in it of a preacher who was trying to get a drunken man’s attention. When the man was drunk, he put him in a wheelbarrow and rolled him out into an open field. He placed brush in a circle all around the man and lit in on fire.  When the man woke up, he thought he was in Hell.  He ran right through the fire and later trusted Christ as his Saviour. That scene left such an impression on me, as did the preaching I had been hearing in my local church. I was only a child, but I knew I was a sinner. I knew that if I died without Christ, I would go to Hell.  The Holy Spirit made Hell real to me, and soon, I called out to Christ to save me. 

We need a revival of Holy Spirit conviction, where people are pricked in their heart and are truly sorry for their sin.  Acts 2:37 says, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

When people are truly sorry for what they have done, it will produce genuine repentance.  2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. . .” Many make a public decision to be saved, but they are not sorry for their sin and not repentant in their heart.  That is why there is no lasting change of life.  The Holy Spirit must convict them if they are to be truly born again.

One day, a drunken man walked up to D.L. Moody on the streets of Chicago.  He put his hand out to shake the preacher’s hand and said, “Put ’er there, preacher.”  Mr. Moody said, “Sir, do I know you?”  The man replied, “Sure you do.  I’m one of your converts.”  Mr. Moody looked at the man in his condition and said, “You look like one of my converts. You sure don’t look like one of God’s.” How many times have we talked people into getting saved when there was no conviction of the Holy Spirit?  If so, those people may be one of “our converts,” but they are certainly not one of God’s.

The Holy Spirit must convict the sinner, and He often uses the consistent life of a believer to convict the lost. I believe it is our responsibility to witness verbally. We are not to just live a good life in front of people and hope they will come to us and ask us how to be saved.  However, our life should be consistent with our witness.  The Apostle Paul was a persecutor of Christians before his conversion, and he held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen.  Stephen’s life was such a testimony to Paul (who at that time was known as Saul of Tarsus), that God used Stephen’s testimony in a powerful way in Paul’s life.  I cannot help but believe that Paul thought of that scene many times as the Holy Spirit prepared his heart to receive Christ as Saviour.  Is your life a source of conviction to the lost person around you? 

III. The Holy Spirit Clarifies the Scripture

We have looked at how the Holy Spirit conditions the soul winner and convicts the sinner.  Now, let’s examine how the Holy Spirit clarifies the Scripture.

In order for salvation to take place, the Holy Spirit must help the sinner understand the Gospel.  2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”  The eyes of lost people are blinded to the truth of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit must make God’s Word clear to them. 

This is why we as soul winners should use the Scriptures. There is power in the Word of God.  We must not depend on our persuasive words, but on the powerful seed of Scripture. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This word “power” used here, comes from the word we use for dynamite.  God’s Word is powerful enough to break through the hardest and coldest of hearts.  The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring about salvation.

God’s words are more powerful than our words.  We use words that are less convicting than God’s words. We use the word “homosexual,” but God uses the word “sodomite.”  We use the word “alcoholic,” but God uses the word “drunkard.” We say someone is “having an affair,” but God says they are “committing adultery.” God’s Word sounds more convicting. 

Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  People are not saved when they hear what we have to say, but when they hear what God has already said. The Holy Spirit must open that heart to the Gospel, as He makes clear the truth of the Word of God. 

In Acts 8, the Bible tells us a story about a man from Ethiopia who was reading the Word of God, but did not understand the Gospel.  God sent an evangelist named Phillip to him to help him make sense of the Scripture which he was reading from Isaiah.  Philip explained to him that this prophecy was speaking of Christ, and the Holy Spirit brought clarity to the Ethiopian.  As a result, he believed in Jesus Christ and was baptized. The Holy Spirit produces faith in the heart of a lost person who hears the Word of God.

The Bible is a book that is spiritually discerned. It is not understood by the natural man. The sinner cannot understand the Scriptures unless the Holy Spirit causes it to make sense.  We call this “illumination,” because the Holy Spirit sheds light on the Scriptures. 

1 Corinthians 2:10-13 says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?  even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The Holy Spirit must help the sinner understand the Gospel.  There is no other book in the world like the Bible. All other books can be understood with the natural mind, but God’s Word requires the Holy Spirit in order to understand it. 

In the passage we read earlier in 1 Corinthians, the Bible says that “the Spirit searcheth all things” and asks the question “What man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him?”  This means that the Holy Spirit searches the heart of the person we are speaking to and directs the Word of God to those areas of need.  The Holy Spirit makes the Gospel plain to the sinner.

IV. The Holy Spirit Comforts the Soul Winner

After the Holy Spirit has conditioned the soul winner, convicted the sinner, and clarified the Scriptures, sometimes the sinner is gloriously saved. However, there are times when people do not get saved. This is a very disappointing time for the soul winner.  He has poured out his heart in the power of the Holy Spirit and does not see the result he is looking for.  What happens next?  The Holy Spirit then comforts the soul winner.

Joy is the byproduct of obedience.  The Holy Spirit comforts us with the joy of knowing that we have been obedient in our witness.  Even if we do not always see the person saved, we know that we have done what Christ has asked us to do. 

Many times as the apostle Paul witnessed, people trusted Christ and were saved.  However, on one occasion, Paul witnessed to the Roman governor, Felix.  In Acts 24:25, we read, “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”  Felix rejected the Gospel, even though he was under conviction.  Paul knew he had done all he could.  He had to leave the rest up to God.

What a blessing it is to know that God’s Word continues to work, even after we finish witnessing!  Isaiah 55:11 says, “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.”  The lost person may not get saved immediately, but the seed of God’s Word has been planted in the heart, and God’s Word will continue to work long after we are gone.

It is a joy to know that salvation is not up to me.  It is up to the Holy Spirit.  You and I are “paperboys” delivering the good news, but salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.”  Some sow the seed, some water it, but God brings about salvation.  The Holy Spirit comforts us with this truth.

We will receive our reward, not for the number of souls that we led to Christ, but for our faithfulness in sowing the seed and watering it with a consistent life in front of that sinner.  It is great to know that the salvation of the lost is not dependent on me.  I am just the instrument God uses to deliver the message.  The Holy Spirit is the one working to change the heart of the sinner.

Not only does the Holy Spirit comfort us when we do not see a person saved, He also blesses us whenever people do trust Christ as Saviour. There is no greater joy than seeing someone who is sorry for their sin, bow their head and ask God to forgive them and save them. There is no greater joy than knowing that, in spite of all our weaknesses, God can use us!  As we go through the valleys of life, God turns our sorrows into joys as we consistently serve Him and see people saved.  All Heaven rejoices over one sinner that repents, and so should we!  There is no greater work than the work of soul winning.  The greatest miracle you could witness is to see a person realizing their sinful condition and calling on God to save them from their sin.  Much is made today of the miracle of healing and financial miracles, but the miracle of salvation is the greatest of all miracles.

In John 14, Philip was asking Jesus to show him God the Father.  Jesus said, “If ye have seen me, ye have seen the Father.”  Then Jesus said, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” What Jesus was saying is “If you don’t believe that I am from the Father, just consider all the works that I have done.”  He was referring to healing the sick, raising the dead, and calming the storm.  Then in verse 12, Jesus made an amazing statement. He said, “…greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Greater works than healing the leper?  Greater works than raising the dead?  Greater works than calming the storm?  What could He mean by that? 

Jesus fed the hungry, but they got hungry again.  He healed the sick, but they got sick again.  He raised Lazarus from the dead, but he eventually died.  You see, through the power of the Holy Spirit, when we lead a soul to Christ, they are never lost again.  They are saved for all eternity!  This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Greater works than these shall he do.”

The disciples probably thought Jesus was just trying to make them feel better about Him going away, but we know Jesus meant what He said.  He was talking about the work of winning souls.  We can do greater works than raising the dead physically.  We can raise the dead spiritually.  In the power of the Holy Spirit, we can win people to Jesus Christ.  But without the Holy Spirit, we will fail.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, His statement about “greater works” came true.  Peter preached under the power of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and 3,000 people were saved.  No doubt there were more saved in one day than in the entire ministry of Christ.  We can be used of God to do the same, but we must have the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

Let’s take a moment and review what we have learned.  You and I cannot be effective soul winners until the Holy Spirit fills us and controls our thoughts and words.  We must ask for His filling, yield control to Him, and be sensitive not to grieve or quench His power by sinning.  As we are filled with His Spirit, He will produce fruit in us and fruit around us through the salvation of lost souls. 

Do not underestimate the importance of conviction in the heart of a sinner.  We must pray for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit to lead a person to sorrow over sin, and to the place of repentance.  A person cannot be saved until they realize their sinful condition and are faced with the fact of their guilt and future punishment. Don’t be guilty of just leading someone in a prayer for the sake of getting another number. Make sure they understand clearly and are being convicted of their sin.

Make sure you use a lot of Scripture in your Gospel presentation.  Let the Word of God do the work it was intended to do.  The power of God’s Word will break through the hard hearts and bring about faith and repentance.  Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead you as you explain the meaning of Scripture.

If the person is convicted of sin, draw the net.  Invite them to trust Christ as Saviour.  Pray with them and lead them to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  As you do this, you will be full of joy and excitement.  You will experience a dynamic of the Christian life that is unmatched.  There will be times when the Gospel is rejected, and we should not take that personally.  They are not rejecting you, but instead they are rejecting God.  Rest in the fact you have prayerfully witnessed and presented the Gospel and trust that God’s Word will continue to work after you leave.

Christian friend, there is no reason why you cannot win a soul to Christ.  You have been given everything you need by God to do it.  You have been given the Holy Spirit to help you and the powerful Word of God.  There are lost people all around you who need you to be a witness.  Many of them will spend eternity in Hell if we do not go and tell them.  Will you get busy now?  There is no time to waste.  The Holy Spirit is ready to help you as you go in His power.

When you lead someone to the Lord, please let us know by sending us their name and address, so we can help them to grow in the Lord by enrolling them in the Discipleship Institute.  We have put a sheet at the end of this lesson for you to fill out when you have led someone to the Lord.  We also want to send you a certificate as a member of our Fisherman’s Club.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Charles Alexander was a song leader for many famous evangelists.  In the early 20th century, he is credited for coming up with the pocket New Testaments for witnessing to the lost.  He once said, “If you ain’t fishin’, you ain’t following.”  Please, be a fisherman for the glory of God.