Caution
We included this
with much fear.
This page is not
recommended
for the
faint-hearted.
|
Google Profile
|
Wisdom for Soul Winners
and Warners
Exerts from our Prayer Letters
Most Recent on Top
Not just some ideas
These are tried and proven tips, techniques and training hints from
years of innovative experience with demonstratable results. These
visionary practices impact ...
* the lost of the community
* the local church saints
The main thrust is to ...
mature the church members by helping them overcome fears and apathy and
give them a sense of urgency to become successful and creative soul
winners with an evangelism witness.
*
Everyone Wants to Hear!
This is a statement we make over and over. Everyone may not want to ask the Lord to save them, but for certain, everyone wants to know what it takes to be saved.
For instance, we occasionally come across a person who professes to be an atheist or in an Eastern religion and doesn’t believe in Christian Salvation. It doesn’t matter what their argument might be, we have a simple question that we ask, and no matter what they answer, we repeat it again and again in a kind, helpful manner.
“If it was true that all your sins could be forgiven and you could live forever with a loving God, you would want to SEE THE PROOF, wouldn’t you?”
Most will not see the question clearly at first and will repeat their stance from several points of view. “But IF IT WAS TRUE that all your sins could be forgiven and you could live forever with a loving God, you would like to SEE THE PROOF wouldn’t you?” “Not asking you to be born again, but just see it.”
Finally they will say, “OK, what is the proof?”
The proof is the changed heart the Bible promises to all that place their faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour from sin. Then we show them 2 Corinthians 5:17 and explain how to be “in Christ”, saved or born again.
Some ask, “How many are actually saved when you do this?”
Not near enough, but I can’t save anyone. All I can do is put the Gospel in their ears and in front of their eyes, and this is exactly what this method accomplishes.
*
Team Soul Winning
This is one of the most important aspects of our ministry.
1. Team Soul
Winning allows for the Shift Leader to Greet, Meet and Seat prospects
to whom the Worker/Witness can relate the Gospel.
2. Less training is needed per individual, because most all of the training
is for the Shift Leader, the Worker/Witness only must learn to use a tract
or witness pamphlet to relate the Gospel.
3. Fear of Greeting and Meeting the public is eliminated for
the Worker/Witness.
The
Shift Leader handles all of this with three simple questions.
4. There can be up to four Worker/Witnesses to one Shift
Leader easily
employing more less trained Workers.
5. All
learn with hands-on experience, no classroom lectures and encounter no
confrontational issues.
*
Never Tell Them They Are Saved
When witnessing to the lost, and they ask the Lord to save them, we never tell them they
have been saved, no matter how genuine the experience may have seemed. No one but God and the saved person actually know.
We tell them, "If you meant your prayer, you are saved, if you did not, then you are not saved." Then we interject, "Now, you are probably wondering, how can I know if I meant my prayer, or not?"
We then show them 2 Cor 5:17, "If any man be in Christ (saved, born again), he is a new creature (new person) …". We explain that a recently saved person has experienced a God-given change. They may make some changes themselves and should, but those changes are not proof. The change that God makes is the evidence of the New Birth.
Then we tell them, "Now you are probably wondering, what kind of change?" Typically a saved person
* will want to let someone know what has happened to them * want others to know what they could have
* have an urge to go to work for the Lord in some manner, etc.
Then ask, "Did you get the change?" The change lets them know if they were saved.
No change, no salvation. Do not offer false hopes of salvation, but assure them with 100% confidence that they are saved, if they got the change. People do not know what to look for, tell them.
Many that we show the proof of salvation, go to work right away and start bringing others to the booth.
We are not talking about emotions. But a definite God-made change.
*
Instant Soul Winners
We like to encourage those making a profession by saying, "If you were saved just now, the Lord will make some changes in your heart. He almost always put this one thing in every new heart. It is a desire to let others know you were saved and would like for them to be saved, too." When people hear this they know then that the urge to tell others is not just some wild emotion
or notion and they begin to bring others by the booth. Even though they do not
witness from the Bible or give some one a tract or lead them in a prayer, they
most certainly enter into the salvation of those they bring, with the person who
does the soul winning.
*
What is Going on in Your Area?
Some tell us that they don't have an event or that
their event is not any good. I can't argue about what I have not
seen, but I can say no matter what type of event you have in your
town, it is worth you taking the Gospel to it.
Most churches are looking to find a way to …
1. spread the Word of God in their community
2. train their members to do the same
Call us. We can help you get started.
A typical example
We were in
Sanger, TX recently to help Pastor and Church Planter Glen Fogg and his new church get
ready for their festival. We spoke on Sunday night on how to seat
prospects for a witness and how soul winners were only going to talk
to people who have already asked to see how to be saved. Every person,
100%, in
his new church volunteered to help. At their event they seated 32, 25 made a
profession and 1000 got a tract, all in 4.5 hours and during
off-and-on rain.
This past summer has been excellent for helping
churches.
Trainings were done with training videos which were sent to Kansas, Alaska,
New York and a half dozen places in Texas. "Hits" on our website are
at a high point.
Should your church be doing something to reach
large numbers in your community? Find out how you can easily and
simply touch the hearts of people who want to hear.
*
Reaching Your Community
Who is reaching your community?
* Liberal churches?
* Cults?
* Beer and Liquor Crowd?
* Intellectuals?
At the very least the secularists are making in-roads.
Shouldn't your church be making a proactive assertion in the
community? Of course God wants to see everyone saved, but He is
looking at you and me to take the message.
He is not going to
*… write it on the wall
*…send a lightning bolt
*…strike anyone with salvation
God is waiting on you and I to do something,
anything, that he can use to work in the hearts of your city.
If you will touch your community, God will reach it.
Contact us and let us know you want to talk
about it, see what it takes to do a good job. In the mean time,
your people will be learning how to witness with
hands-on
experience,
without confrontations, no classroom training and no
books and tapes to buy. "I never imagined it was this easy!"
*
Getting in Front of the Lost
Since the unsaved will not come to church, "We have
got to somehow put ourselves face to face with the lost, in order to
relate the Gospel to them."
Most of the time this can be a
formidable task. But at public events the lost come to us.
"At our
fishing hole, you don't cut bait and use hooks, the catch jumps in
the boat."
We set up our booth and wait for them to walk by. We use 3
Questions to Greet, Meet and Seat them for a witness. These 3
Questions (this is all to be memorized) are used to get their
attention, discover their eternal status and sit them down in front
of another worker.
1)
No Confrontations;
2) No Arguments;
3)
No
Meeting Objections;
4) No Hours of Classroom Time;
5) No Community
Backlash;
6) Re-Contact Info Obtained with Short Testimony; and
much more;
7) The real training is
hands-on;
8) Witness only to those who
have already ASKED TO SEE what it takes to be Born Again;
9) All
witnessing is done at a table with chairs, for a comfortable,
un-rushed experience;
10) Use a Witness Pamphlet which lends itself
to be read with the prospect and given to them for their review
later;
11) Leave with new vigor for reaching the lost.
Who is reaching your community, the Lord or the devil? Tell the
Lord you will reach it for Him.
See:
http://www.andresusa.com/02-public-events/soul-winning/discover-soul-winning-opportunities.htm
*
Assurance of Salvation is Vital
Once a person asks Jesus to be their Saviour, the
devil will show up very soon and attempt to tell them …
* "It did not happen"
* "You are too big of a sinner to be saved"
* "You are not saved, you just went right back to the same old sin"
* and much more
New saints need proof.
Not a feeling, not an
emotion, not a vision, but rock solid personal experience.
The changed heart is the proof.
We are to be witnesses for Jesus Christ who saved us. A
witness is one with personal experience. He is not a witness,
if he says ...
* I heard
someone else say it
* I read it somewhere
* I have faith that it is so,
etc.
It must be ...
* "I saw it."
* "I did it."
* "I was there."
* "I have first hand knowledge"
This is
the kind of proof that a witness brings.
"I know I am saved,
because I have the changed heart that people get when they get
saved." 2 Corinthians 5:17
It is not I change that I made.
My changes would be self made proof, but a change that God made
in me is His proof to me. I
like to ask, "Don't you want to tell someone 'I am saved.'
Wouldn't you like to see what it is about?" They may struggle to try to tell someone, but the
evidence is in the "want to", the desire to express your
heart.
This kind of Assurance lets a person know that they
are either saved or they are not. "Did you get the change."
Everyone understands this. Everyone knows if they got it, or not.
Everyone is clearly saved or clearly not saved.
*
Take Your Prospects as Far as They'll Go
Some ask from time to time ...
* "How do you know if your prospects are
sincere?"
*
"If you are not sure about your prospect's sincerity, how far should
you take them?"
Sincerity
I gave up a long time ago in trying to figure out
who is sincere and who is not. None of us are as sincere as we
should be. Let the Lord sort it all out.
We take each person as far as they want to go.
If
they pray to ask the Lord to save them, we are careful to point out
they should expect a God-made change, then let them know what to
look for. This way, if they are not sincere, they know they are not
saved, because they did not receive the changed heart. But they
also now know what it takes to be saved and what to look for in their
own heart when salvation arrives (Every new
saint, wants to tell someone else what has happened).
Some interject ...
"I don't want to tell someone they are saved, when they may not be."
Good for you. And do not tell them they are
saved, when you think they are. We never tell anyone they are saved,
because we do not know if they were sincere or not. My wife and I
have been married for almost 48 years and she is still not sure I am
saved.
That person and God are the only ones who know if he or she is saved. This
is why we pray with all who want to, then let them know that all saved
individuals receive a God-given change. They may make some changes and
they should, but it is the God-given change that provides the proof of actually
possessing salvation.
Not a Feeling
Please understand, we are not talking about a
feeling or an emotion, but an unexpected, Heaven-endowed,
miraculous, new direction from God. Take your prospects as far as
you can, then let them know what to expect.
Also, realize we are not Christian inspectors.
We hear Christians say all the time, "We are not sure if Uncle Bob
is saved. He just does not project any Christian attributes."
Displaying Christ-like attributes is not a sign of
salvation. Notice the persons who are doing good things, but
are not saved. It is the person who hears what the Lord is
saying and then goes out does them.
Matt 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall
know them.
Matt 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven.
Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works?
Matt 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matt 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house
upon a rock:
Matt 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded
upon a rock.
Matt 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his
house upon the sand:
Matt 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall
of it.
Matt 7:28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings,
the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Matt 7:29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes.
Cults
Cults are full of people who are displaying
wonderfully good accomplishments. Members or good churches often
are moved by God to pray about something, then instead of beginning
immediately to agree in prayer with the Lord on the topic of His
choice, they want to call everyone they know to have them join in.
Corporate prayer is good, but making sure everyone in the
congregation knows how the Lord has given you something to pray
about, may be more prideful, than humble.
*
People Want to See how to be Saved?
Everyone wants to know how to be saved.
They may not care about
* what your church is doing
* how it
looks
* what you are teaching and preaching
* what Bible you use
* who is going to preach your revival
But they do want to SEE how
to get to Heaven.
Everyone does. (Really, what they are saying is,
"How can you help ME?") We have
tried and proven it many times, in
many states with many different cultures. HOW???
Ask them.
"If I could show you how to be born again (saved, etc.), you
would like to just see it, wouldn't you (shaking your head up and
down)? Not asking you to do or be anything, just see it, what would
it hurt?"
Then no matter what their reply, if not Yes,
repeat it again. They have not yet heard what you said.
Some reply
"I don't believe all that." "I don't blame you, it sounds
farfetched, but, if I could show you how to be …"
"I am an atheist (muslim, skeptic, Democrat or
Christian denominational church member)."
"I understand, I am not
asking you to believe anything, but, if I could show you how to be
…"
Sometimes I have to say this 4-5 times, until
they finally get the idea, that I am not trying to change them, just
SHOW them. Once they see that, and time permits, they will listen
and observe. We usually draw and speak at the same time to SHOW it
to them. Remember, no matter what the objection stick to the
question.
When not at a public event, I say this ...
"I show people all over Texas and the Midwest how to be saved,
if I could show it to you, not asking you to do anything, but just
SEE it, you would like to see it, wouldn't you?"
Remember
I didn't say people want to be saved, I said they want to SEE it,
and showing is all we can do anyway.
*
Training
Normally we use the first couple months of the year to preach in churches, mission conferences, etc., to stir up Christians for evangelism,
with a few events, too. This is a excellent time to also let them know that
training is available.
Every congregation has an event (many have multiple events) in their area where
at least tracts can be distributed and a witness imparted. These churches can
contact us, compare schedules and have us come to show them how to effectively
use Team Soul Winning ...
1) Part of the Team greets, meets and seats prospects
2) Rest of the Team witnesses to the prospects and obtains contact information
A training session requires only one
church service.
* No classroom time is needed
* No memorizing countless verses and rebuttals to meet objections
are needed
* No memorizing scripts to handle
confrontations are needed
* Volunteers to witness will only talk to those who have already
ASKED TO SEE how to be saved. There are very few Christians who
would not want to tell a teenager or even an adult how to be saved,
if that person has already asked to see it, especially, when the
witness knows exactly what to say to each one and how to do it.
There were many in 2008, who lead people to the Lord for the very
first time, overcoming fears of all types, because they understood
the Team Soul Winning Concept …
The Shift Leader (half the Team) ...
finds a
listener using 3 simple questions, then sits the listener down in
front of a Worker (other half of the Team) who immediately goes into
a thorough presentation of the Gospel, suggests a prayer, reveals
assurance, obtains the listener's contact information and a short
written testimony. All by reading to the listener a specially
prepared tract, which flows effortlessly from one point to the
other.
Some object
"We
cannot follow-up with 101 prospects like the church did in Victoria,
TX."
Following-up is excellent, but to put-off
witnessing because the work after witnessing cannot be handled is
like not preparing food for a starving man, because there is no
dessert. Do what you can and let the Lord handle what you cannot
do. He is much more anxious to work than the most zealous of any of
us.
Contact us
- as few as 1-2 people can work a one-day event.
*
Discipleship?
A common question!
"Just how many of these people really get saved,
Baptized and into church?"
Way too few!
But a whole lot more than if
nothing is done at all. Our aim and the churches' with which
we work, is to ...
* give a tract to everyone in sight
* witness to as many as
possible
* reap those willing
* mature even a smaller number of converts and
* love the whole bunch.
This sounds very aggressive. But our impact in the community is never
confrontational and the events have us back year after year.
There is an urgency in spreading the Gospel.
God has not dictated that some will be saved and some lost. All
have a free will and are welcome, "whosoever will let him take of
the water of life freely".
It is His wish that ...
1) "not any
should perish"
2) the message be taken by you and me
"how
shall they hear without a preacher
(a preacher here is any witness, not necessarily a
pastor)?"
The Real Criteria
So the criteria is not how many really got
saved, Baptized and into church, but how many were told. Hence the
name of the ministry:
Winning and Warning.
We can safely say that everyone who received a verbal witness was told!
Even a good number who received a tract were told through the printed page. Even
a more telling question might be, "how many were NOT told?"
But for Discipleship, we also retain contact information.
Such as ...
* Name
* Address
* Phone
* Age
* eMail
* Testimony
This information is left in the hands of the local
church.
* They witnessed to them
* They won them
* They call on them
The person(s) with which the church members have
dealt, expect to see them either at their door or at church.
Winning and Warning may work events where the
church is not present. We cannot sit and wait for the church
to come out of its lethargy. People are dying and going to
hell, everyday. Only the Calvanists believe that there is no
hurry, no urgency. Their philosophy is "If they are going to get saved, they
will get saved."
Ah, but not only do we train churches in seating prospects for soul winning, but we also teach them how to connect with the prospects for a better Discipleship experience.
*
Give Them Something They Can Use
Two teens sat down for a witness.
One was
saved already. When the other boy prayed and asked the Lord to save
him, we went over some necessities, then asked if he wanted the
diagram I had been drawing during my witness. The boy who was already
saved said, "I want it." Since he did not need it to
be saved, I asked if he knew how to witness. He
said, "With this I can."
* He saw the diagram (Pencil Power Point
or Witness
Graphic) drawn out
* He heard the explanations given during the drawing
* He understood the drawing and explanations
* He knew that he could see the diagram redrawn on the
internet
* He was confident he could do the same
Why shouldn't he be confident?
There is nothing difficult about it.
The woman at the well left her water pot and
immediately went into the city, telling everyone how Jesus had known
all about her life that He was the Saviour.
* She heard the explanation
* She understood what was said
* She knew that she was a sinner
* She wanted that eternal life giving spring of water
* She was able to tell others
* She was not ashamed of Jesus
*
Tract Ministry
We like to put tracts in hands.
We like leaving them laying around or with a tip, but an effective tract
ministry places tracts in willing hands, by using comments like, "Did I ever
give you one of these?" or "I wouldn't be much of a Christian, if I wasn't
handing out literature, would I?" or "Bet you never got one of these, did you?"
Churches learning to exercise useful comments, go from laying tracts around, to
placing them in hands. When it is in the hand, they must deal with it.
Remember many Soul Winners start with tract distribution. I DID!
|
|