A soul–winner is a witness to the light, an evangelist, a proclaimer or a herald of the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners wherever they may be found, so that they may believe the testimony and be saved (John 1:7-8).
In his words, Mabie, H.C. maintains that soul-winning is not a perfunctory undertaking. And the soul-winner is not a recruiting sergeant or a zealous gaining adherent to a sect. rather, a soul-winner is the one who seeks to add “to the Lord” (Acts 2:47). A soul-winner is the one who calls people to respond to the message of grace and commit oneself to God in Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus forms the kernel of the divine art of soul-winning activity, because the Holy Bible, which a soul-winner uses as a tool, is Christo-centric (John5:39; Heb. 1:1-2).
Therefore, to be an effective soul winner, you must critically study the biblical exegesis of the statement made by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Acts of Apostles Chapter one verse eight (Acts 1:8).
But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto me the uttermost part of the earth.
The above passage clearly explains how Jesus expects us to carry out evangelism (Soul-winning activity). The following facts about soul-winning or evangelism can be inferred from the passage:
(1) Jesus Christ expects us to carry out evangelism (the art of soul-winning) not in flesh, but in the power of the Holy Ghost. Hence, he specifically instructed the disciples to wait and receive power first before going out to be his witnesses.
(2) Jesus Christ expects us to be His witnesses. We need to first experience that new birth ourselves. If we have not experienced that new birth and we go out to witness, then we are false witnesses. For example, in a court of law, a witness is one who has experienced what he speaks about. Thus, anyone who has not experienced what he/she speaks about can be considered to be a false witness.
(3) In winning souls for Christ, we need to begin from our neighborhood. As at the time Jesus was speaking to these disciples, they were in Jerusalem. Jesus told them to begin winning souls to the kingdom right from their neighborhood (Jerusalem). Thus, our witnessing should begin from our home, our place of work, our friends, our close and distant relatives, and the entire town or city where we reside. Then, from Jerusalem, He commanded them to go to Judea, the province where Jerusalem was situated.
It is like telling somebody living in Ekiti State to begin to witness from Ado-Ekiti, then in all parts of Ekiti State, and then the entire world. Although reaching out to the world should be our focus, we must begin first from our neighborhood, charity begins at home.
LET’S GO A FISHING programme in the Redeemed Christian Church of God is designed to win souls for Christ. Every Mission has one designed programme or the other to win souls. Let us maximally utilize this period for better performance in the art of soul-winning. Ask for divine touch, power, and ask for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Pray earnestly for this because he that wins souls is wise (Prov. 11:30). Remember that the one who has chosen you, and ordained you, who also commanded you to go and win souls for Him, will ask for your fruits, the souls you have won (John 15:16). Can we now go and compel (urge)anyone we find in the street and all the nooks and crannies of our community to come so that the house of the Lord may be filled (Luke 14:23).
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