The Art and Science of Soulwinning

David P. Smith 99 What are the strong man’s possessions, gold and silver? No, they are souls that are lost and without Christ. The ‘strong man’ will have to be first tied up so that his possessions (souls) can be taken. Tying up the ‘strong man’ will not be an easy feat. Notice he is a STRONG man and not easily overpowered. Lee Thomas remarks: If this verse means anything, it means that no lost person will ever be saved unless someone frees him from the demonic influences that control him. This is absolutely the first thing that must be done. And this freeing process is accomplished through prayer!!72 If the ‘strong man’ has prisoners, then he has them in a ‘strong hold.’ Paul the apostle speaks about strongholds and spiritual warfare. The strong holds of man are often his ‘habits, hurts, and hang-ups.’ These things hold him prisoner and harden his heart so that he cannot receive the gospel. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds”. (bolding is by author, II Cor. 10:4). Prayer is the weapon that is mighty through God to pulling down these strongholds that keep the lost from hearing and understanding the gospel. Our praying time would be well served to include fervent prayer for God to remove these demonic influences from the lost so that they will be able to hear and understand the gospel message. So often we beat our heads against the wall trying to figure out how to reach someone for Christ, when the solution lies in fervent, prevailing prayer that pulls down the strongholds of the devil. Once we have prayed, we need to be spiritually awake and able to understand what is happening around that lost soul, and oneself. Watch for spiritual breaks in that person’s life. Be ready to give encouragement, answers, insight and even comfort if the lost person becomes emotionally distraught. Strongholds could be coming down long enough for the gospel seed to penetrate a hardened heart. Be alert, be spiritually on guard. When we fight spiritual warfare we fight by praying. Apparently, Satan has no defense against prayer. Could this be the reason the apostle Paul teaches us to “pray without ceasing”, (I Thess. 5:17)? If spiritual warfare is primarily being waged by the devil in order to keep lost souls as his prisoners, then we must learn how to go into spiritual combat and exercise our spiritual weapons—Prayer and the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God), Ephesians 6:17. Now is the time to attack!

100 The Art and Science of Soulwinning Perhaps it is time to enhance our fighting skills. Remember this is the art of soulwinning. It is not so much a science as it is an art form. The Samurai soldiers were extremely skilled in their hand to hand combat, as well as in wielding their famous hand crafted swords, putting fear into the hearts of their enemies. We want to put fear into the heart of our enemy, Satan. PULLING DOWN STRONGHOLDS Thomas suggests six powerful weapons be used while praying for a lost person in order to pull down strongholds: 1. By The Blood of Christ; Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…”. By pleading the blood of the Lamb we overcome the devil. 2. By Using the Name of Jesus; Luke 10:17 “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” Jesus instructs us to ask in his name. His name is powerful. 3. By Using the Word of God. “The sword of the Spirit” (Eph.6:17). His Word is truth and will defeat the lies of the devil every time. Use the ‘sword’! 4. By Praising God Almighty. II Chron. 20 reveals that “when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon…and they were smitten.” Praise God for what He is going to do in the life of the lost person. 5. By Fasting. Fasting is a very powerful, but seldom-used weapon in our arsenal against the devil. Jesus explained to the disciples that “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29), when they could not cast out a certain demon. Fasting is a powerful weapon when used with prayer. Try fasting to break down strongholds. 6. By love. Revelation 12:11 “…and they loved not their lives unto the death”. Love never fails, the scriptures say. Love is an overpowering weapon that will overcome the hate, the anger, the bitterness, and the sin that keeps the prisoners in their strongholds.73 Pulling down strongholds is really the key to gaining access to the souls of the perishing around us. God uses our prayers to pull down Satan’s strongholds. The sin of unbelief is probably the greatest stronghold

David P. Smith 101 Satan uses to keep people from being saved. Notice the numerous scriptures that refer to this particular stronghold: Matthew 13:58, And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6, And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching. Mark 9:24, And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 16:14, Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. Rom.4:20, He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; Rom.11:20, Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: Rom.11:23, And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. Rom.11:30, For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Rom. 11:32, For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. Heb. 3:12, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Heb. 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. The sin of unbelief is obviously the one stronghold that Satan delights in maintaining. Not only do the lost struggle with this stronghold but believers as well. The lost are kept in the darkness of sin in order to keep them from believing in Jesus Christ. The saved are also caught in strongholds of unbelief when it comes to being deceived by false teaching. Prayer is the best weapon against the sin of unbelief. Praying with power, in the name of Jesus, under the blood, with the testimony

102 The Art and Science of Soulwinning of His Word, praise, fasting and love, will produce victories over the stronghold of unbelief. A revival of soulwinning would take place if more of us would seriously begin praying specifically for lost people, by name, that they would turn their hearts toward Jesus. BODY LANGUAGE AND ITS AFFECT IN SOULWINNING Learning to discern the body language of those we are witnessing to will enable us to be more sensitive to their real feelings. There are numerous signs to watch for while interacting with someone to whom you are sharing the gospel. It seems that several psychologists and students of body language have a common agreement on most signs. Here are some of the most common: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS This is commonly referred to as nonverbal communication. We say, “we can read someone’s face”. The face or the countenance as the bible refers to it does reveal a person’s feelings and sometimes even his thoughts. King Artaxerxes noticed the facial expression of Nehemiah while being served. Nehemiah had been told about the condition of the walls of Jerusalem, and he had been weeping over it and the terrible disrepair of Jerusalem. The king commented, “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Nehemiah 2:3 Observing someone during a conversation is very beneficial in being able to effectively witness to them. For instance, if the person is sad then a different kind of conversation needs to take place. There needs to be empathy and mercy showing. Then a gentle, gradual approach to bring comfort and peace into their heart. This is a great time to explain the love of God and how He cares for us. “Real smiles crinkle the eyes. When it comes to smiling, the mouth can lie but the eyes can’t. Genuine smiles reach the eyes, crinkling the skin to create crow’s feet around them. People often smile to hide what they’re really feeling.”74 Notice the eyes. “Eyes are the window of the soul”, someone once said. Look at someone in the eyes when you are witnessing to them. Are they looking at you? Or are they looking down at the ground, or to the left or to the right? Poor eye contact indicates several things: disinterest,

David P. Smith 103 distraction, timidity, shyness, awkwardness. Although, eyes that are fixed on your eyes may be fooling you into thinking they are interested. They may be simply lying with their eyes. GESTURES When someone takes a look at his watch that’s a pretty good indication he has other things on their mind. He may be mentally somewhere else. You may be right there with him having a wonderful conversation, but it could all be very fake. Have you ever noticed a person walk into the room and he dominates the room by the way he walks in with an erect posture, shoulders back, with open and expansive gestures in general? People tend to gravitate to this type of person. It’s alright to be like this. Standing up straight and your shoulders back is a power position. “Maintaining good posture commands respect and promotes engagement, whether you’re a leader or not.”75 If you meet a person like this and have an opportunity to witness to him you will want the confidence of the Lord and not be intimidated. In fact, we need to ‘be all things to all men so that we might win some.’ Suppose you are talking with someone and he seems to be very interested in what you are saying and yet something is missing. Observe if he is sitting with crossed legs, or crossed arms. He might be showing interest on the outside but they are resisting you from the inside. This resistance can be removed by relaxing the conversation and shifting to another subject or creating a humorous environment where the individual lightens up and relaxes his mental resistance. PARA LINGUISTICS This refers to vocal communication that is separate from actual language. In other words, it’s not what you say, but how you say it. The tone of voice, volume, inflection and pitch send so many different messages using the same words. One can say “I’m fine” when asked “How are you”, and convey all kinds of images. He might say it in a low voice, with his head down. He really doesn’t mean what he is saying. Listening to your friend will open your eyes to how he says certain things, and not what he is saying. The way a person answers you reveals his thoughts,

104 The Art and Science of Soulwinning not just words, but thoughts! There might be great pain in the tone of his voice—listen to his pain. Change your own tone of voice, your volume, the inflections of words to convey your compassion and understanding. You want to be able to communicate to this person that God REALLY LOVES him! At times you will encounter an angry person. He will be speaking very loudly, he will be emotional and probably irrational. Solomon and James the Apostle tell us how to handle this guy: Proverbs 15:1; “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” James 1:19; “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Did you hear the admonition of those wise men? Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, a soft answer turns away wrath/anger. Employing these instructions works remarkably well. This is para linguistics at its best. Speaking with someone in a soft, gentle tone of voice, with compassion can change a hardened heart to be a receptive heart. When sharing the gospel, we must be careful so as not to simply spill out a salvation formula expecting someone to respond positively, without considering huge negative implications. PROXEMICS Proxemics is your “personal space”. It is the study of human use of space and the effects that population density has on behaviour, communication, and social interaction.76 The amount of personal comfort space between two people is considered to be about eighteen inches to four feet. This is dependent on one’s cultural and familial background, including personality and social norms. Permitting a person to enter personal space and entering somebody else’s personal space are indicators of perception of those people’s relationship. An intimate zone is reserved for close friends, lovers, children and close family members. Another zone is used for conversations with friends, to chat with associates, and in group discussions. A further zone is reserved for strangers, newly formed groups, and new acquaintances. A fourth zone is used for speeches, lectures, and theater; essentially, public distance is that range reserved for larger audiences.77

David P. Smith 105 Let’s put this into perspective for the soulwinner. The forms of greetings and closeness depends greatly on what is acceptable within your culture. If your area has multiple cultures it would do well to learn what is considered to be too close for ‘comfort’ or should we say ‘discomfort.’ If you cross over the norm within the particular culture you are trying to reach out to, you will likely lose your opportunity to witness effectively. Muslim women prefer not to shake a man’s hand. If you offer your hand they will most likely refuse it. It’s their culture. Japanese people do not like to hug anyone. So, no matter how friendly you are with them, you never hug. It would be wise for the soulwinner to know the cultures around him and walk with wisdom. Not everyone is friendly, not everyone is taught to be friendly. Some people are friendly but don’t show it. Soulwinners will be far more effective if they respect these cultural differences and show respect at all times. Once two people are comfortable with each other’s presence then meaningful conversation can take place. Very possibly the gospel can then be shared. SOULWINNING AND YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY The art of soulwinning is not difficult to learn. The simplicity of soulwinning actually begins with your personal testimony. Learning how to share your ‘story’ with others can be a very powerful way in which to convey the gospel. Most people will respond to a story that comes from the heart. If you have been saved by the grace of God through faith, you will have a story. “Your life story is often interesting to others, even to those usually unwilling to talk about religious matters.”78 Where to Start? Start with: 1. Life before Christ. Share what your life was like before you were saved; be brief and leave out the sordid details of sin. Don’t dwell on your sins. Without realizing it you may be making sin a lot more exciting than you intended. 2. Receiving Christ. This is the middle point. A lot of people do not know how to receive Christ as Savior. Explaining what you did to receive Him into your life will help them to better comprehend the simple step of faith that even a child can make. Don’t make ‘accepting Christ’ hard to do. Explain the root problem of how sin has made a stronghold in

106 The Art and Science of Soulwinning our lives and that Satan does not want to turn loose of his possession. Make it clear and simple that all one needs to do is to confess his sin to God and believe that Jesus will wash it away forevermore. 3. Life after Christ. This is the third critical point of communicating your testimony. The life-change that occurs in a believer needs to be emphasized. It is God who changes us, not we that change ourselves. As we yield ourselves servants unto His righteousness and to His will we begin to change and become more like Jesus. People need to hear how God changed you so they can have hope for change in their own lives. What if your testimony is boring? You may think that your testimony is boring if you are comparing yourself to someone else. You learn from others. Your testimony, if spoken genuinely and honestly, will speak to that person in need of those very thoughts you are sharing. Your testimony is yours! If you received Christ at a young age and followed Him throughout your life, living in a Christ-following home, you will probably have very little to tell in your ‘life before Christ.’ The emphasis should then be on explaining how you received Christ at a young age at the feet of your mother, father, or grandparents, or even a Sunday School teacher; then, move on to how Christ has impacted you throughout your entire life. This is a glorious story to tell. People will be able to see the value of teaching their children from infancy the story of Jesus and being saved at a young age. They will see the blessings that are associated with following Christ into adulthood. TWO MAJOR KINDS OF TESTIMONY: 1. Salvation — focusing on how you came to trust in Christ. 2. Situation (present impact) — focusing on how Jesus is impacting your life in relation to typical human needs, problems, and issues.79 Decide what your testimony will be consisting of in advance. Choose to tell your salvation experience or tell how Christ has impacted your life. Make one or the other the focus. Or just tell one.

David P. Smith 107 A FEW DO’S AND DON’TS: 1. Do write your testimony out first. Tell what your life was like without Christ. 2.Don’tembellishdetailsnorworryifyourtestimonyisnotexcitingenough. 3. Do write it out in ordinary language, easy to understand. 4. Don’t use too many scriptures. One or two are sufficient. 5. Do develop your testimony around one major theme. 6. Don’t try and deliver your entire testimony if time does not permit. Tell the important stuff. 7. Do share your testimony in about 3-5 minutes. 8. Don’t be negative about other religions. There may be someone seeking who is struggling with the lack of truth in his religion. 9. Do ask people questions about themselves. This often opens the door for them to ask you the same, hence you can share your personal testimony. 10. Don’t hesitate to invite the person to Christ. Always look to close your testimony with a personal invitation to salvation. 11. Do be natural and authentic. 12. Do learn how to start and end your testimony at any point of your story. Telling your testimony is an art. When you have given your testimony numerous times, you will discover the power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of those that are listening. You will see the hand of God at work. You will be enthused and inspired to testify all over again.80 LEVELS OF RECEPTIVITY The Rainer Scale of Faith Stages is a good example of first determining where a person is relative to his decision to become a believer in Christ. ‘U’ refers to Unchurched:81 1. U5 = Highly Resistant to the gospel, antagonistic attitude (5%).

108 The Art and Science of Soulwinning 2. U4 = Resistant but not an antagonistic attitude (21%). 3. U3 = No apparent receptivity, neutral, perhaps open to discussion (36%). 4. U2 = Receptive to the gospel and to the church (27%). 5. U1 = Highly receptive to the gospel, “the Philippian Jailor conversion (11%). Being able to mentally evaluate the lost person you may be trying to win to Christ will help you to know better how to effectively witness to him. You may have encountered each of these Faith Stages without realizing it. Take the time to think about these stages while you are attempting to witness to your next divine appointment. BEGINNING THE CONVERSATION TO SALVATION Once you have sensed the level of faith your friend has reached, you can begin the steps of leading him to faith. William Fay, in Share Jesus Without Fear, suggests the use of five questions that will determine where God is working.82 1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief? 2. To you, who is Jesus? 3. Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell? 4. If you died right now, where would you go? 5. If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? Please remember that you have had casual conversation with this person already. You are not bombarding this person with questions. You have laid a foundation of friendly conversation that leads up to asking one or some of the above questions. Once you have made the individual feel comfortable with you, then you proceed. If you sense the person is ready to be saved, go right ahead and ask him/her, “would you like to ask Jesus into your soul and receive the gift of eternal life?” They may not be ready for a direct question like that, so instead, ask some less pressing questions like, “Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell?” If they answer yes, then take them to the next question.

David P. Smith 109 More than likely, the person is not ready to be saved at that moment. So begin with Fay’s first suggested question, “Do you have any spiritual belief?” From this you can begin to discern what he believes. In his book, Evangelism Explosion, Dr. D. James Kennedy outlines several excellent questions to bring a lost person closer to salvation. “If you died right now, where would you go, to heaven or hell?”, has been a favorite of this writer from the time he first read the book. The answers people give are very insightful. Everyone wants to go to heaven. Most people hope they are going to heaven, or expect to go to heaven. This applies to people of all world religions. So this becomes an excellent point of immediate conversation which leads right up to salvation. Immediately after your friend or acquaintance has answered, “I hope to go to heaven”, or, “I’m going to heaven”, you follow up with Kennedy’s qualifying question, “if you are standing at the gates of heaven and God asks you ‘Why should I let you in?’ This question will reveal what your friend is relying on to enter into heaven. Even those who claim to be a Christian often reveal they are expecting their good deeds to gain them entrance into God’s heaven.83 Evangelism Explosion is best known for its two “diagnostic questions” that users can ask non-Christians as a means of determining a “person’s spiritual health”, [4] and of stimulating an evangelistic conversation: Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven? Suppose that you were to die today and stand before God and he were to say to you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say? After the diagnostic questions, the evangelist is encouraged to explain the gospel in terms of grace, man, God, Christ, and faith.84 Earlier in this book it was stated that there is a decline of soulwinning everywhere. To prove this once more, the following information has revealed that the present board of EE has changed its stance on Dr. Kennedy’s passion for evangelism. In 1997, Evangelism Explosion published the results of a study which shows that the method was viewed as “confrontational evangelism”. As a result of this, Evangelism Explosion announced

110 The Art and Science of Soulwinning that it was “changing its approach to emphasize relationship- building and discipling new believers.”85 Soulwinning is declining across the land. It is very disconcerting that the leadership at EE is changing the evangelistic approach that Kennedy promoted. It was, and still is, one of the best soulwinning methods ever published. However, it is very important to build relationships with the lost as well. THE ART OF CLOSING THE INVITATION This is an art that is almost lost among believers today. Many will try to witness their faith, but few know how to lead someone to Christ. Having learned the preceding lessons throughout this study will prepare you for the closing. Now we will close on the conversation with our lost friend. We have prayed for this person in advance to bring down the strongholds. We have engaged him in meaningful conversation. We have kept our spiritual eyes and ears open for the clues necessary to engage in proper conversation. We have observed the body language and listened to his voice, and waited for the Spirit’s prompting. We have had a wonderful conversation with this lost person. He appears to be at the level of positive reception. He is highly receptive to the gospel. CLOSING WITH A PERSONAL INVITATION It is here that many believers stumble miserably. Some find this to be a barrier in their efforts to evangelize. In fact, due to failure at this very point many choose to opt for Lifestyle Evangelism. They decide it is much easier to live the godly life and hope that someone would ask questions about their faith. Unfortunately, people will not be falling at your feet and begging you to show them how to be saved. This is precisely why Jesus said, “Go Ye”. William Fay, Sharing Jesus Without Fear, says: “Witnessing seldom requires extra time in your busy schedule, just greater awareness”.86 Fay uses the word, ‘compulsion,’ to describe what drives a soulwinner. It’s the passion that is caught, not taught. Passionate soulwinners do not contemplate the next opportunity for sharing their faith, they just

David P. Smith 111 do it. It is part of who they are. It is innate, natural, if you please. They are open to the feasibility that someone is ready; a person of peace has been found. A soul winner seldom contemplates, he simply activates. Every salesman knows the importance of ‘closing the deal.’ Although, soulwinners are not salesmen, yet they are presenting a spiritual gift that requires acceptance. It is actually more difficult to give something away than it is to sell it. You have heard, “if it’s free it can’t be worth anything!” Learning how to present the free gift of eternal life so that it will be desired and received is ‘closing the deal.’ So, how do we close the invitation? In order to close on the invitation, we will need to make the invitation. ‘Invitation’ is simply that; inviting someone to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Inviting means “to ask someone to go somewhere or do something; to ask formally or politely to do something; to request something formally or politely.”87 Once the seeker, or the person of peace, has been well introduced to Christ, and there is a clear openness on his/her part, it is time to invite him/her to Christ. It should be noted here that many prospective soulwinners fall short of the invitation. They share their faith, they explain the way of salvation, they use good scriptures, and even offer compelling reasons for why someone should be saved; yet fail to invite the person to Christ. Imagine someone telling you about a wonderful place to where he is traveling and how that he has received a free ticket to get there. Yet, he does not tell his friend that there are more free tickets and all he needs to do is go and ask for one. And so, by not knowing he needs to go ask for a free ticket, he never receives one. Although, when it comes to receiving the free gift of salvation, some very serious theologian might say, “Let them figure it out. God will give them the words to call on Him in order to be saved.” Another will say, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) But there is more to hearing; it is about the ‘calling on the name of the Lord,’ ‘Ask and ye shall receive.’ Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (underlining by author)

112 The Art and Science of Soulwinning We are inviting the sinner to ‘call on the name of the Lord’ to be saved. How does he ‘call’? To call means to either speak out with the mouth or from the heart purposely to get someone’s attention. In this case the sinner wants to get God’s attention by calling out to Him. What does he say? Is there a magic formula that immediately causes God to save us? No magic formula, just heartfelt words that are sincerely called out. Just exactly what are those words that one should say to God? There are some who scoff at the idea that the soul winner should guide the seeker in saying the ‘sinner’s prayer.’ It has been this writer’s experience that if the sinner is left to pray in his ‘own words,’ that frequently he is uncomfortable, unsure, and hesitant to pray. Why? Because he wants to be sure he will pray correctly. He has probably never prayed vocally before. What is he supposed to say? When a sinner is left to his own ‘praying’ he often says things like, “Dear God, I will try to do better, please help me to be a better person.” This is not what he needs to communicate to God! “How then shall they call upon him in whom they have not believed?” This is a very compelling reason why that soulwinners should gently guide the soul into praying to God, what needs to be said from the heart. To not invite someone to Christ, is to leave him hanging on the truth not knowing what to do with it. Those who believe in this way of ‘not inviting’ seldom lead sinners to Christ, if at all. The invitation: Simply say, “would you like to ask Jesus to save your soul and wash away your sins, right now?” Ask the question! Ask the sinner to respond NOW! Not later. But NOW! Don’t leave a conversation about Jesus without asking, “would you like to…NOW”. NOW strongly suggests that a decision is imminent. There must be a decision, either to accept or to wait a while. A person cannot fully reject the opportunity to be saved until he no longer has the ability; he’s dead. Therefore, never pronounce someone has rejected the way of salvation; because as long as he/she is living, there is opportunity to change one’s mind. The phrase, “ask Jesus into your heart”, has been criticized and maligned. Some suggest that this phrase leaves out repentance and that Jesus doesn’t even come into your heart when you are saved. Therefore, the phrase, if utilized, actually creates a ‘non-convert.’ We must remind the soul winner of his purpose. He is to help the sinner to receive Christ. It would do well for us to recognize that Jesus must be

David P. Smith 113 received, “But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, …” (Underlining by author). So asking Jesus into one’s heart is the action of ‘receiving Him.’ Now the heart (soul and spirit) is a legitimate place to receive Christ, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,” (Romans 10:10). Therefore, if one receives Christ and believes on Him with the heart, he has ‘asked (received) Jesus into his heart.’ Sometimes we strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Some people make salvation too hard when it is really simple enough that a little child can be saved, “for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14). Fay is a passionate soulwinner. He suggests that there are five questions we could ask the seeker to answer after he has already been introduced to some specific scriptures on his need for salvation: 1. Are you a sinner? People who have read the Scriptures and opened their hearts will say, yes. 2. Do you want forgiveness for your sins? The Holy Spirit will have prepared the person’s heart to understand that receiving forgiveness is his or her free choice. 3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again? The person must understand that he or she must put his trust in Christ to be spiritually reborn. 4. Are you willing to surrender your life to Christ? The person will be open to the truth that the only way to be in a right relationship with God is through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into your heart? If the person is ready, the Holy Spirit will use Revelation 3:20 (“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”) to encourage him or her to open the door of his heart and surrender to Jesus.88 Again, it would do well for the soulwinner to clarify to the sinner that the prayer he is praying must come from his heart and that it must be his prayer, even if the words are given to him to repeat. He must repeat them sincerely from his heart. Always make the sinner understand that the soul winner’s prayer is not what saves him, but that he prays

114 The Art and Science of Soulwinning with similar words to call out unto the Lord to save him from his sins— repenting of his sins. This author does not promote ‘easy believism’ methods of getting people to say ‘a sinner’s prayer.’ However, it is easy to believe! If the faith of a little child is the standard for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, then it is far easier to be saved than many of us may make it to be. Nevertheless, there is the need for a genuine repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Never walk away from an evangelistic conversation without inviting the person to receive Christ as her personal Savior. You will be shocked at how many will respond gladly to the invitation. FOLLOW-UP ON A NEW BELIEVER Discipling new believers is essential. We don’t win people to Christ and then drop them to fend for themselves in the jungle of wickedness and sin. Discipling is following-up, or following through with the new believer. SIMPLE STEPS OF FOLLOW-UP FOR THE NEW BELIEVER: 1. Open your Bible and show the new convert scriptures on Eternal Security. Once the person is saved he needs to quickly understand that he could not save himself, nor keep himself saved. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8,9. 2. Explain to the new believer his need to follow in Jesus’ steps. Baptism is the first step of obedience for the new believer. Acts 2:38 3. Give the new believer a Bible, if he doesn’t already have one. Make sure it is a readable bible, and a good translation. Small print bibles are cheap to print, but seldom read. 4. Make sure the new believer writes down the date of his salvation on the inside white leaf of his Bible. Writing down the date of his salvation will help him to go back and remember when he was born again. He may want to write down the name of the person who showed him how to be saved, and where he was at the time of his salvation. Another reason for this is that one day someone will either use his Bible or inherit it after his death, and they will read the inside white leaf about how their loved one was saved, thus creating a living testimony even after death.

David P. Smith 115 5. Encourage the new believer to start attending a small Bible group/ church as soon as possible. Take him to church or a small group to which you already are a faithful member. Hebrews 10:25. 6. Take the new believer out on evangelistic outreaches as soon as possible. The sooner they observe a committed Christ follower in action the easier it will be for them to begin to disciple others. You are not a successful disciple maker until your disciples make disciples, that make disciples! 2 Timothy 2:2. 7. Through this process one is building a relationship with the disciple so that the disciple will know how to build a relationship! Is this profound? No, but this is just being like Jesus! Following-up on the new believer can be a long and arduous task. Each new disciple will develop in his own time. This process ought to be deeply embedded in the soul winner’s psyche. Making disciples that make disciples that make disciples is your goal.



CHAPTER 6 THE SCIENCE OF SOULWINNING Nearly every believer that this writer has ever met has indicated interest in soulwinning. However very few ever try to win someone to Christ. One of the reasons is that they have never seen it done. Another reason is that they really don’t know where to begin. And there are others who have tried but became discouraged when their efforts were met with ridicule and rejection, and overcome with fear. The discipline of soulwinning begins with a passion that is caught. Nevertheless, the soulwinner needs tools to do his work, in order to know what he is doing. Personal soulwinning is a science as well as an art. One’s familiarity with and knowledge of scripture is especially important as he endeavors to reach out and personally share the Good News. Having a memorized mental list of pertinent soulwinning scriptures will enable the soulwinner to refer quickly to God’s Word as he spontaneously communicates with those that are listening to his message. SOULWINNING SCRIPTURES FOR MEMORIZATION The Roman Road to Salvation group of scriptures: 1. Romans 3:10, As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 2. Romans 3:12b, …there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

118 The Art and Science of Soulwinning 3. Romans 3:23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 4. Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 5. Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 6. Romans 10:9, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 7. Romans 10:10, For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 8. Romans 10:11, For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 9. Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. THE KEY VERSE OF THE BIBLE John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This is a must for memorization. This scripture can be used in almost every instance of soulwinning. It is clear, it is concise, it is convicting. ADDITIONAL VERSES FOR SOULWINNING: 1. John 3:3, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 2. John 3:36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. 3. John 14:6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 4. Act 4:12, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

David P. Smith 119 5. Ephesians 2:8, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 6. Ephesians 2:9, Not of works, lest any man should boast. 7. Titus 3:5, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 8. Act 2:38, 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. 9. Act 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 10. 1John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 11. Rom 1:16, 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. Memorization of scriptures for the purpose of soulwinning is an excellent tool to use scripture without opening your Bible. However, if the circumstances are favorable, and you have a Bible with you, it is always best to use the Word of God and show the lost person what the Word of God says. It would do well for the soulwinner to have these scriptures freshly rehearsed in order to keep his mind and spirit sharp. Keeping a good list in his smart phone would facilitate scripture memorization and a is a good reference for use. Since the average person has a smart phone it is very easy to use a Bible app to show scriptures that are relevant to explaining salvation. There are dozens of good Bible apps that one could use. ELECTRONIC TOOLS FOR THE SOULWINNER There are excellent Bible study and search programs available electronically. The soulwinner would do well to have a good tool to search quickly for needed scriptures without having his Bible at hand to search. Bible study programs such as ‘e-sword’ (free) are excellent for not only searching scriptures but finding commentaries and Bible dictionaries that help explain Bible texts. In fact, there are bible apps

120 The Art and Science of Soulwinning that teach you how to be a soulwinner in simple steps. One such app is called “Operation Go-the 13 Point Soulwinning Plan” by David Wood. Then there is Evangelism Explosion, an app that has excellent tools for the soulwinner including someone actually discussing how to be saved. William Fay also has his “Share Jesus Without Fear” app available. These are all available for the soulwinner, plus many more can be found in your app store on your smart phone. Searching out digital media will produce ample resources for new and effective means of presenting the gospel. There are numerous apps on discipleship available such as: D-Life, eeHelps (Evangelism Explosion), 2for2, Operation Go, to name a few. There are additional tools including the training programs: Share Jesus Without Fear, The Master’s Way, The Alpha Program, Faith Evangelism, Evangelism Explosion, and a host of great Christian movies with interacting small group studies. PRACTICING THE ACT OF SOULWINNING: Soulwinning is not lifestyle evangelism. Neither is Lifestyle Evangelism the same as soulwinning. Yet soulwinning needs to be practiced as a lifestyle. When soulwinning is practiced in this way it becomes natural to share the gospel. It becomes spontaneous. Every conversation of the soulwinner will find its way to sharing the Good News, becoming second nature to him. Everything he/she hears or sees is immediately processed through a spiritual lens that asks the Spirit of God to open the door to a spiritual conversation. ROLE PLAYING/MODELING Playing the role of a soulwinner vs a lost person will be helpful. We can practice with other believers in a controlled environment where we are not going to be rejected. Experimenting in practice will sharpen one’s skills and knowledge. It would be wise to go through a complete soulwinning talk with someone so that the prospective soulwinner will know how to close on a conversation that could result in a soul saved. A one-on-one practice is not about seeing who can argue the best, or use every apologetic rebuttal to defeat the unbeliever, but to gently and lovingly lead someone closer to Christ and salvation.

David P. Smith 121 We can also get ‘on the job’ experience one-on-one in the field. Learning proper behavior while going door-to-door will elevate the soulwinner considerably before the strangers that he will meet. It is always best to go two-by-two. Ring the door bell and knock a couple of times. Sometimes the doorbell doesn’t work and you will never know it because some doorbell chimes are located further away from the door on the inside. Immediately after ringing and knocking you and your partner will need to step back a couple of steps to give the home- owner a sense of security when he opens the door. The one who will do the speaking at the door would need to be positioned at the side the door opens for good communication. Observing the actions of an experienced soulwinner is probably one of the best ways of learning how to do the work. An individual is privileged to watch firsthand what a successful soulwinner does in both action and word. Modeling soulwinning for others to see is certainly the most compelling way to disciple new believers to follow Christ. The spiritual leader sets the example; he becomes the role model for his disciples to follow. PASTORAL LEADERSHIP IN SOULWINNING Unless a pastor is a soulwinner it is unlikely that his church will be a soulwinning church. He sets the standard for others to follow. It was once said, “everything rises and falls on leadership”. This is absolutely the case in pastoral leadership. Some pastors feel that preaching and teaching on the subject of evangelism will create an evangelistic church. However, if the pastor is a soulwinner and leads out purposely to evangelize taking potential disciples with him, then the church will probably become a soulwinning church. Pastors and church planters would be wise to seek out mentors that will teach them to evangelize. Attending evangelism conferences are often very encouraging. It is often at evangelism conferences that men and women will catch the passion for souls. Read what Scott G. Wilkins says in this Christianity Today article: The pastor is the catalyst to the overall success of any outreach program. His input, involvement, and example are paramount. Unfortunately, many pastors are expected to either attend or at least verbally support every ministry activity in the church. He

122 The Art and Science of Soulwinning becomes the designated “cheerleader” for every ministry. His desire as a pastor is to see every ministry that is Christ honoring and kingdom building succeed. However, there is only so much of him to go around. Unfortunately, many pastors become so spread out and divided among ministry activities that they are rendered ineffective.89 As Pastors, we have the responsibility to “Live out the Gospel every day”. Paul exhorts us clearly in 2 Timothy 4:5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” (bold letters is author’s). Evangelism is not an option; it is an instructional mandate. “Stay close to the action”. As pastor, you need to be the primary leader of your outreach/evangelism program.90 When the pastor has a personal and visible role in evangelizing his community he will be noticed and followed. The pastor needs to be seen on the front lines of evangelism by his church. The church will often follow a pastor who shows the way. “Maintaining a circle of influence” will open many doors in numerous areas. The pastor may visit a church member in the hospital and be able to witness to nurses and doctors. The member may be sharing a hospital room with another person who might be listening to the pastor’s conversation. This writer led a ninety-year old woman to Christ in similar circumstances. She overheard our conversation and wanted prayer for her health. This opened the door for questions about her eternal destiny. She gladly received Christ without any hesitation. “Praying daily for souls to be saved” is critical to God’s working in both the lost and the pastor evangelist. Amazingly, when the laity in your church sees your prayerful spirit for the harvest, many of them too will mimic that same passion for souls. As pastors and church leaders, we need to be reminded of men like Martin Luther, John Wesley, David Brainerd, George Fox, Adoniram Judson, and John Hyde. Luther said, “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours in prayer.” Wesley declared, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Brainerd wrote in his journal, “I love to be alone in my cottage, where I can spend much time in prayer.” William Penn said of Fox, “Above all he excelled in prayer. The most awful, living, reverent frame I ever felt or beheld, I must say was his in prayer.” Judson withdrew from business and company

David P. Smith 123 seven times a day for the purpose of prayer. Hyde was so characterized by prayer that he was nicknamed “Praying Hyde.” It is no small wonder that these prayer warriors wielded unusual power and supernatural influence for the kingdom of God.91 Learning the science of soulwinning can be best accomplished through the observation of a pastor/evangelist. Following a soulwinning pastor will change your life and ministry. Find a soulwinning mentor who will model soulwinning for you. Then as you learn the science of it, you will need the passion for it. Remember, the passion for souls is not taught as much as it is caught. SOULWINNING IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF DISCIPLESHIP: Someone once said, you haven’t made a disciple until the third generation of disciples is making disciples. In one particularly candid sermon, a pastor said to the parents in the congregation that “You aren’t really raising your kids. If you’re smart, you’re really trying to raise your grandkids.”92 Soulwinning will not be perpetuated unless it is understood to be the most important part of discipleship. Is it any wonder that churches are steadily declining? Soulwinning has often been excluded from the discipleship process. Inoculating someone with a denominational statement of faith or the doctrines of the New Testament is not effective until that someone can purposefully take what he is learning and lead a soul to Christ personally. Discipleship without soulwinning is like fishing for fish that aren’t there. If you can’t catch fish, you won’t have a fish fry. You will need new believers in order to disciple them, pure and simple. On the contrary, if you are soulwinning then the greatest travesty would be to not disciple them! Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt 4:19) He instructed the early church to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...” (Matt 28:19). Soulwinning and discipleship are the spiritual ‘soup and sandwich,’ and ‘horse and carriage’ of doing true evangelism. Unless a new convert is able to show someone else how to be saved, he will be retarded in his spiritual development, which then cripples him in discipleship development. The sooner a new believer learns how to

124 The Art and Science of Soulwinning lead someone to Christ the more likely he will become a disciple. One very simple method of teaching someone how to win souls is by using the Roman Road. It has been discussed in this writing previously. The science of soulwinning is to consistently apply the principles of evangelism and discipleship. The application of these principles is the secret to success, not just mere speculation and philosophizing. Since discipleship is the present watchword of the day among evangelicals, we need to keep our spiritual balance in becoming a soulwinner and a disciple-maker. The soulwinner is a disciple and a disciple-maker. Discipleship is a science. Our culture in America is constantly morphing due to the huge influx of immigrants. Making disciples of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs is a daunting task. Learning discipleship principles is critical for all soulwinners in every place. THE SOULWINNER AND SEPARATION The disciple-maker ought to be like the Master, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (I Pet 2:21) The soulwinner disciple-maker is to be separated from the world, although he is in the world, he is not to conduct himself by the worldly standard around him. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Cor. 6:17). L.R. Scarborough states: “Worldliness or secret sins clog the power-ducts from God to our souls. Indulgence in worldly pleasures is suicide to our influence in winning men to Christ and the harboring of secret sins is spiritual paralysis to our power with God.”93 If the soulwinner is to have power with God to win souls, it is a prerequisite that he be transformed: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom 12:1-2) The Spirit of God wants to work through clean vessels. If the soulwinner is harboring secret sins in his life, he will be grieving and

David P. Smith 125 even quenching the Spirit, making it nearly impossible to be effective in bringing souls to Christ. SOULWINNING AND OBEDIENCE Jesus never minced words about what He expected from His disciples; “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20:21, bold by author). He articulated it clearly, “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…” (John 15:16). Then the Great Commission verse of Matthew 28:19-20 he said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The commands in the mission mandate are unmistakable. Will we be obedient to His command? Will we be witnesses to those around us? “And ye shall be witnesses unto me…” (Acts 1:8)94 Our obedience is a test of our commitment and our reliance upon the Lord. We will learn to trust Him as we obey. When we walk with the Lord In the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way; While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, For there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.95 Once upon a time, soulwinning was looked upon as a genuine mark of being a Christian. It was expected that a believer would be sharing the gospel with others; and that when Jesus said, “Ye shall be my witnesses,” it was clearly understood that’s precisely what we were to

126 The Art and Science of Soulwinning do. When Jesus spoke to the Father he said, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world,” (John 17:18). J.W. Mahood (Rev. J.W. Mahood, pastor of the Whitfield M.E. church, at Sioux City) once said, “The unsaved multitudes know that every Christian should be an ambassador for Christ, and when we fail to do our duty we are condemned in their eyes as well as before God.”96 Mahood tells a true story of over a hundred years ago: A college professor who was noted among his fellow-teachers for his habit of addressing young men upon their personal relations to Christ, was asked by one of his fellow-professors, ‘Do they not resent your appeals as an impertinence?’ He replied: ‘No! Nothing is of such interest to any man as his own soul and its condition. He will never resent words of warning or comfort if they are prompted by genuine feeling. When I was a young man, I felt as you do. My wife’s cousin, a young fellow not yet of age, lived in our house for six months. My dread of meddling was such that I never asked him to be present at family worship, or spoke to him on the subject of religion. He fell into the company of a wild set, and was rapidly going to the bad. When I reasoned with him I spoke of Christ. “Do you call yourself a Christian?” he asked, assuming an astonished look. “I hope so,” I replied. But you are not. If you were, he must be your Best Friend. Yet I have lived in your house for six months, and you have never once named his name to me; no, he is nothing to you!” I have never forgotten the rebuke.97 Obedience to the commands of our Lord is understood by many, however, how many truly obey Him?

CHAPTER 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE SOULWINNERS The art and science of soulwinning is all about developing good habits of both skilled application and adequate knowledge of the practice. This all works toward developing good soul winning habits that will stay with the soulwinner his whole life. Lifeway posted an article that is well worth listing here in this book: 1: SOUL-WINNERS ARE PREPARED They are spiritually prepared. •They walk closely with Christ and maintain a consistent devotional life. •They are active in their churches and are members in good standing. •They attend worship and Sunday School and study their Bibles regularly. They are trained. •Soul-winners have been trained in one or more gospel presentation strategies such as FAITH, Share Jesus Without Fear, GROW, or The NET. •They serve as trainers or mentors and model soul-winning before others.

128 The Art and Science of Soulwinning •They have marked New Testaments and are able to express the central truths of the gospel in simple and understandable fashion. •They use tracts and other printed gospel materials to enhance their presentation. 2: SOUL-WINNERS SHARE CHRIST ANYTIME, ANYWHERE •At the office •In a restaurant •On a plane •Over the phone •Anywhere the opportunity exists 3: SOUL-WINNERS ADAPT Most do not rely on mechanical or canned gospel presentations. They have developed their own particular style that •is personal and conversational. •uses their own language and illustrations. •will be unique and different in each encounter. 4: SOUL-WINNERS HAVE DIVINE APPOINTMENTS They begin each day with a sense of expectation. •They feel a divine sense of mission. •They see themselves as instruments of God’s grace to others. •They seek to make the most of their encounter with others by purposely initiating and leading the conversation into the spiritual area. 5: SOUL-WINNERS DON’T WORRY ABOUT RESULTS Soul-winners realize that they cannot save anyone. People come to Christ only through the work of the Holy Spirit.

David P. Smith 129 6: SOUL-WINNERS ARE INVOLVED IN, BUT NOT LIMITED BY, CHURCH PROGRAMS •Soul-winners are active in their local churches. Most are involved in their church’s ongoing visitation and evangelism training programs. But they do not limit themselves to sharing Christ only during church- sponsored activities. •They see every moment of every day as an evangelistic opportunity. •Soul winners also seek to reproduce themselves in others. Most mentor or train others in evangelism programs. 7: SOUL-WINNERS PRAY FOR OPPORTUNITIES •Soul-winners pray for those with whom they have witnessed. •They pray for those with whom they have not yet witnessed. •They pray for divine appointments and witnessing opportunities.98 Good daily spiritual habits are the foundation for successful soulwinning. LifeWay’s article is an excellent outline for training in soulwinning. This article is the basis of solid discipleship development in the new believer. Research reveals: that it takes 31 days of conscious effort to make or break a habit. That means, if one practices something consistently for 31 days, on the 32nd day it does become a habit. Information has been internalized into behavioural change, which is called transformation. Shiv Khera Please take the time to learn how to lead others to Christ. The habits we form now will stay with us for a lifetime.



CHAPTER 8 UNKNOWN SOULWINNERS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE We could list dozens of well-known evangelists and missionaries that were avid soulwinners. However, the greatest number of souls that are being saved today are lead to Christ by unnamed heroes all over the world. If it were not for the unknown tens of thousands, even millions of believers that preceded us where would the gospel be? Who would know the way of salvation? The gospel of Christ has moved around the world simply by ‘word of mouth.’ The spoken word often travels faster than the written word. Only in the last 50 years has media accelerated the speed by which the Word has traveled. Until then, it has been largely spread by individuals and by local churches banding together to multiply the message from one region to another. The unsung heroes and heroines of the past have been those that have rocked the cradle, and worked in the coal mines. They were the ones working the fields, pioneering in the American West, traveling in covered wagons, crossing swamps and mountains. And two hundred years before that, they came from Europe and England looking for places to worship God freely. As they traveled they spread the gospel establishing churches wherever they went. And before they came from

132 The Art and Science of Soulwinning Europe they shared the gospel to friends and kindred alike. Europe was being evangelized by individuals sharing their faith. They were persecuted relentlessly and thereby the Spirit of God multiplied their witness bringing many to Christ. Unsung heroes of the faith that we will never know about, they are the ones that insured the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide. The book of Hebrews reminds us of them in the Hall of Faith, chapter 11. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13-16 The real heroes and heroines are the missionaries who gave up everything they had in order to go win souls to Christ in faraway places. But yet again, the people they lead to Christ in the villages, or the mountains, or even the deserts, were the people that carried the Light of the Gospel further than the missionary could have ever imagined. Hudson Taylor’s work in China only really began to develop after his death with the converts his ministry had made. Who were these people? Where did they go? What happened to them? They simply shared the gospel so much that even today we don’t know how many Chinese have come to Christ. It is guestimated that over 10% of the present day Chinese population are born-again Christians. Accurate data on Chinese Christians is hard to access. According to the most recent internal surveys there are approximately 31 million Christians in China today (2.3% of the total population). On the other hand, some international Christian organizations estimate there are tens of millions more, which choose not to publicly identify as such. The practice of religion continues to be tightly controlled by government authorities.100 The everyday soulwinner in the community is the least publicized. She may be a stay-at-home Mom witnessing to her neighbor, or telling the story of Jesus to the little children she babysits. She impacts her community with the love of Christ by ministering as the metaphorical

David P. Smith 133 child of Billy Graham and Mother Teresa (both evangelist and servant). He may be walking his dog around the block and stops to chat with a neighbor watering his lawn eventually sharing the love of Jesus with him. It may be a child witnessing to his childhood friend on the playground about how to be saved. It may be a co-worker on the job sharing his love for Christ with another. There may be a nurse in the hospital giving encouragement to someone who is sick and then shares the love of Jesus with her patient. The story goes on and on. The everyday soulwinner is out there and we seldom hear about them. Conversion statistics that are available reveal that there are tens of thousands coming to Christ every year. However, the birth rate far exceeds the born-again birth rate and we are running behind. THE APPARENT DECLINE IN PERSONAL SOULWINNING North American Christians actively engaged in soulwinning are on the decline. It has been apparent for nearly 50 years that apathy has been growing. The voices of concern have now been raised among qualified scholars such as Thom Rainer of Lifeway and George Barna of Barna Research, et al. It is no longer the speculative meanderings of prophets of doom and destruction. We are in fact experiencing a steady decline in church attendance and of those who are actively engaging in soulwinning ministries. We will look at the statistics that clearly indicate the decline that is occurring. Why has this decline been taking place? And what are the warning signs of spiritual decline? Why is there reluctance among believers to share their faith? Why have fundamental Baptists fallen away from soulwinning when once it was their hallmark? Some of the statistics are a bit discouraging. For instance, Barna reports that “more than one-third of America’s adults are essentially secular in belief and practice”, which explains why there has been a surge in unchurched people in America. It is also reported that “the younger the generation, the more post-Christian it is. Nearly half of Millennials (48%) qualify as post-Christian compared to two-fifths of Gen X-ers (40%), one-third of Boomers (35%) and one-quarter of Elders (28%).”101

134 The Art and Science of Soulwinning However, this can be a positive for soulwinning churches that are reaching out; the field is white unto harvest! This surge of unchurched people has not been addressed by the local church. The unchurched are a significant group of mostly lost people that often have a family connection to church somewhere. Some of the unchurched may actually have been saved at a young age but were never brought to church, nor ever discipled. Others are from immigrant families that have little or no exposure to the gospel. The question to be asked is, “where are the soulwinners? Where is the outreach?” The harvest is ripe but where are the laborers?” Apparently when the unchurched were asked to describe what they believe are the positive and negative contribution of Christianity in America, almost half (49%) could not identify a single favorable impact of the Christian community while nearly two-fifths (37%) were unable to find anything negative in impact.102 So in the view of the unchurched there seems to be no viable purpose of the church in the community! The decline in soulwinning is most evident here because if the churches were out in the community making an impact for good and for change, there would also be an effort at evangelism. Although, there are churches who delight in doing good in the community but have never learned the importance of evangelism. Thus we may have a social gospel which is no gospel at all. ORDINARY EVERYDAY DISCIPLES This writer vividly remembers a 90-year-old believer in Dayton, Ohio, during a summer soulwinning internship at Dayton Baptist Temple. She was a real encourager to the whole team during that summer of 1967. She motivated the team to get out and win souls that summer. She helped operate the printing press which produced the church bulletins. She led people to Christ. If she could do it, we knew that we could too. Growing up in Canada, this writer was encouraged as a pre-teen by his Sunday School teacher, Jim Ritchie (now with the Lord). Jim loved his class of about 12 boys. He had no children of his own. He and his wife Peggy were devoted to Christ. He made sure all of his boys came to know Christ as their Savior. As the years past we lost touch with each other. Then we heard he had passed away at a ripe

David P. Smith 135 old age. Hundreds of people that Jim had touched with the message of God’s love and forgiveness made contact with Peggy; they shared their stories of how they came to Christ because of him. Some had become missionaries in foreign lands. Others were serving Christ in their respective churches. This man and his wife were never named in the annals of great soulwinners and servants of Christ. There are thousands more like them everywhere. This is where everyday disciples make the greatest difference. There are unsung heroes in your church. Do you know who they are? This is another reason it is so important to make disciples where we are. Be a disciple maker for Christ! THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE MISSION FIELD There have been thousands that have gone to the mission field over the last 2,000 years. We only hear of the few that made remarkable impacts on their fields. There are so many more that we have never heard of, “the world was not worthy of them.” (Hebrews 11:38) Many of these who left it all, who were sent and then went, have left legacies that still follow them. David Bennett, a dairyman from California, was lead to Christ while he was hitchhiking. He went to seminary and then being burdened for the souls of men and women in the South Pacific, went to Vanuatu to preach the gospel. David was an ordinary man with an extraordinary sense of urgency to preach the gospel. He was not a polished speaker, yet he captured the hearts of the Vanuatu people on the island of Tanna. For 20 years he labored among the people, living in a grass hut, walking barefoot everywhere he went. His feet were calloused an inch thick or more. He trained the new believers to sing songs in their own language instead of a language they didn’t understand. He taught the people how to make blocks so they could build their own places of worship. He taught them by example. The Tannese people began to spread the gospel to other islands. They would build their dugout canoes and send two or three men to carry the gospel to other islands in Vanuatu. He told this writer, “I don’t know how many churches there are anymore. Maybe there are 80 something,” he said.

136 The Art and Science of Soulwinning David Bennett has gone home to be with the Lord. He became very sick in Vanuatu. A Christian Doctor, named Hugo Mallozzi (working with Macedonian Missionary Service) came to where he was and got him back home where some months later he died of cancer, at a hospital in Arkansas, U.S.A. David is just one of the many unsung missionary heroes that remain unsung. Obituary: David Fredrick Bennett, a resident of Berryville, Arkansas, was born February 22, 1948 in Eureka, California, a son of Fred H. and Jean E. (Hood) Bennett. He departed this life Friday, June 15, 2012 in Bella Vista, Arkansas at the age of 64. David proudly served his Country in the United States Army during Vietnam. He was a highly decorated Veteran. He served as a Foreign Missionary in the Republic of Vanuatu of Tanna Island for the last twenty years. He attended the Northside Missionary Baptist Church in Berryville.103 EVERYDAY SOULWINNERS IN THE COMMUNITY Believe it or not, it is because of ordinary believers, attending average size churches, who are primarily responsible for the gospel being spread throughout communities of our cities and towns across America. The layman (ordinary believer in Christ, who probably is not very ‘ordinary’) is more likely responsible for more people coming to Christ, collectively, than anyone else. It’s believers like Theresa Chacon of Garland, TX. This lady is a soulwinner and you never hear much about it. She plays instruments in her church, conducts small groups, goes on mission trips (India). She loves souls. In her own words, Theresa tells us: “I was born in Denison, Texas in 1962. . . 55 years old. I was born again there in 1979 at the age of 17. I was raised in Denison, attending Mt Pleasant Baptist Church there. When I was 6 years old, during a time of Revival Services, my parents invited the pastor and evangelist to our home because a couple of my siblings were under conviction of their need to be saved. I was the youngest of 5 in my family. I believe the ministers erred in talking with all of us at the same time. I was a smart kid. I would answer the questions the same as my older sibs. I wish he would have asked me first; he would have seen that I had no idea of what I was doing. We prayed a prayer and we were

David P. Smith 137 baptized. I usually refer to this as, “I got wet”, that’s all. I didn’t follow Jesus in baptism; I followed my siblings in baptism and just got wet. “At the age of 17, I realized my error, asked Jesus to save me and was scripturally baptized when I was 18. It took me a while to tell people that I had made a mistake when I was 7. I thought it would confuse my then Catholic, husband. That was Satan lying to me. “Shortly after I was saved, my best friend, Mike, was diagnosed with MS. He was one day older than me. I went to him and shared Jesus with him. He accepted Christ as his Savior! I was excited; he was excited! “He went on to become a successful attorney in Houston. Unfortunately, he left Jesus out of his life. He lived the homosexual lifestyle and was very bitter with God because of his crippling disease. He gave up his career as an attorney to pursue his passion, art. He became the head of the art department at Texas A&M, Commerce TX. We were FB friends for one day. He emailed me to explain his life and his love for me... we could still be friends just not on FB because of my “religious fanaticism”. We reconnected in our 40s, me going to his home in Commerce for an entire day. I was very sick with cancer, he with his MS. We talked of our faith... and lack of faith. He passed away 3 years ago. I feel he was truly saved... I’m hanging on to his conversion in 1980. “Sadly, I was not one to share my faith often. Oh, I was a SS (Sunday School) teacher, BTC (Baptist Training Course) teacher, VBS (Vacation Bible School) teacher, etc... I could teach a child about Jesus, but that was pretty much my extent. I used the excuse that I was busy, busy putting my husband through Texas A&M, working 2 jobs, raising our family, blah, blah, blah. “We moved to Garland in August of 1993 and joined New Liberty Baptist Church. We served at NL for 23 years... I was a deacon’s wife, BTC teacher, Student Ministry sponsor, Sunday School teacher, VBS teacher, Drummer/Percussionist, and I led a few Bible Studies. Then we felt God leading us to Gateway for Ministry opportunities. “While working at The Sammons Cancer Center at Big Baylor, I felt led (and begged), but truly led to begin a Bible Study group for cancer patients and spouses. We began in Sept 2010 with 8 people. Eight years later we had from 80-90 people each week. Only five of the original

138 The Art and Science of Soulwinning eight are still alive. Carol keeps the stats, but she said over 200 people have attended, 80-something have passed away and about almost 150 professions of faith because of this ministry, a ministry that frankly I did not want to do. Now... I love these people more than breathing and crave to be with them each week.” Theresa goes on to tell about some of the people she led to Christ: “BINA: Bina was a young Hindu woman diagnosed with cancer. Six years before, she had left her faith, feeling like there was a God, but which one was the true God? “A patient invited her to attend our group. Her first time there was our Valentine meeting. That night I had no lesson planned. I encouraged people to share about when they fell in love with Jesus. My heart! My heart almost exploded hearing people tell their stories, many of whom I led to faith. That night four people “fell in love” and accepted Christ into their hearts. Bina was not one of them. The next Monday I could tell by her fidgeting that she was under conviction. When the evening was winding down I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to share the basic gospel. I saw a light go off in Bina’s face. She stood and said in her beautiful accent, “I have found what I have been searching for my whole life. I have been searching for Jesus!” She prayed right there out loud for all to hear for Jesus to save her.” JASON: Before I ever started the Monday Night group. I was at Potbelly’s in Dallas. I was wearing a Drumstrong t-shirt. Drumstrong is an organization in North Carolina raising funds for cancer research and helping fund treatment for people. Every May they have a huge 24-hour Drum Circle playing ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Anyway, Jason noticed my shirt and commented on it. I explained what Drumstrong was. A little later he asked if he could talk to me; his mother had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Any time I hear of a person being diagnosed, it instinctively comes out my mouth, “Does he/she know Jesus?” Jason explained that he went to church as a child but never took himself or his sister to church growing up. He was a young man 25 years old, living with his girlfriend, and had never been to a church. Of course he had heard of Christmas and Easter but never knew why Christians made a big deal about it. I let him tell me what he knew... and then I explained why... why Jesus was born and the circumstances surrounding His birth... and why Jesus

David P. Smith 139 died on the cross and the resurrection. It’s amazing how many times my elementary SS lessons come out of my mouth for adults! “Right there in ‘Potbelly’s Jason found Jesus! A week later he told me that he made his girlfriend leave his house. She was not happy but he knew it was the right thing. They ended up getting married and are serving at a church in Wichita Falls. Yes, I do disciple those I “win” to the Lord... mainly through our group. I am VERY insistent that they also get into a Bible believing church AND a small group within their church. There are a few who use our weekly meeting as “Church”, but they are very few now. “And yes, I encourage them to share their faith. From time to time I will have people who want to know how to share their faith. I usually meet with a small group, usually at a restaurant, and basically go over “The Roman Road” or the “Gap”. A good book I have used is Share Jesus Without Fear by Wm Fay. It makes me smile because inevitably, every time I meet with a group, I see that light bulb go off and someone in the group that wanted to share his faith realizes he had never really accepted Christ... like I did as a teenager. And it thrills me to no end seeing these folks leading their family members and other Monday Night newbies to Christ! They used to look to me... but now, more and more, I look at them and say, “Go for it!” “People have said it was easier for me to share with people who had a life threatening illness. Maybe that’s true in some cases, but more are mad at God and we have to break through all of their hurt before they will trust Him.” When this writer asked Theresa, what kind of legacy would you like to leave? This is what she wrote: “She loves Jesus and wants everyone else to love Him, too. She definitely has a passion for leading others to know Jesus and the abundant life serving Him. I heard one person say, ‘Theresa has an urgency to share Christ’; I like that.” These kinds of stories can be repeated often. After posting a simple survey question on Facebook stating, “Do you know of any soulwinners?”, this author received a list of dozens of men and women that were well known for their witnessing and soulwinning. It was very impressive. Yet many of these people are mostly known by those that heard the gospel message from their lips personally.

140 The Art and Science of Soulwinning CONVERSION STATISTICS FOR CHRISTIANS Christian population growth is the population growth of the global Christian community. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.19 billion Christians around the world in 2010, more than three times as much from the 600 million recorded in 1910. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, by 2050, the Christian population is expected to be 2.9 billion. Protestantism is one of the most dynamic religious movements in the contemporary world. From 1960 to 2000, the global growth of the number of reported Evangelical Protestants grew three times the world’s population rate, and twice that of Islam.104

CHAPTER 9 THE APPARENT DECLINE IN PERSONAL SOULWINNING The decline in soulwinning can be traced right back to the local churches. Thom Rainer of Lifeway, observes the following contributing factors to a decline of evangelism in churches: 1. There is no priority of evangelism. I know. That sounds too self- evident. But churches that do not make evangelism a high priority are really making it no priority at all. 2. Many laypersons believe that evangelism is what we pay the pastors and staff to do. Such a perspective is first unbiblical and, second, unproductive. Evangelistic churches always have enthusiastically evangelistic laypersons. 3. Many churches have an excuse mentality. So pastors blame it on the laity. The laity blame it on the pastor. And both blame it on culture, the denomination, or some other external scapegoat. 4. Too many church members do not connect prayer with evangelism. Many members are pretty good at praying for those who have physical needs. But many are woefully lacking in praying for those who have the greatest need: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

142 The Art and Science of Soulwinning 5. Too many Christians fail to be compassionate and Christ-like to others. Evangelism always ultimately includes a clear articulation of the gospel. But too many Christians never get that opportunity to share the gospel, because they fail to show Christ in their actions and compassion. 6. Most church ministries are not intentionally evangelistic. The church should always seek to make certain any and all ministries include intentional efforts to share the gospel. 7. Some church members are concerned that new Christians will change their church too much. I’m serious. I’ve heard that line many times. When I was a pastor, I was chastised by a church member who told me I was leading too many people to Christ. They were, she said, changing her church too rapidly.105 Unfortunately, many churches have entered into the scenarios just described for us. They have been so entrenched within the negative and so far removed from the spiritual that they no longer see themselves as disobedient to the Great Commission and the teachings of the Lord Jesus. They have become indifferent and apathetic. Apathy (the lack of concern) for souls is a serious malady facing the churches. Thom Rainer lists fifteen additional reasons why evangelism is in decline in North America: 1. Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people. 2. Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons. 3. Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic. 4. We are more known for what we are against than what we are for. 5. Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.” 6. Many church members think that evangelism is the role of the pastor and paid staff. 7. Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost. 8. Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.

David P. Smith 143 9. Many church members don’t really believe that Christ is the only way of salvation. 10. Our churches are no longer houses of prayer equipped to reach the lost. 11. Churches have lost their focus on making disciples who will thus be equipped and motivated to reach the lost. 12. Christians do not want to share the truth of the gospel for fear they will offend others. Political correctness is too commonplace even among Christians. 13. Most churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves. 14. Some churches have theological systems that do not encourage evangelism. 15. Our churches have too many activities; they are too busy to do the things that really matter.106 The above listed reasons for the decline of evangelism was accumulated in a non-scientific study by Rainer and the Lifeway group. THE ATTACK ON THE TERMINOLOGY OF ‘SOULWINNING’ Soulwinning is in decline for numerous reasons, as listed earlier, however the most disturbing reason is that the term “soulwinning” has been maligned, castigated, and so derided that many seminarians cringe at the very word ‘soulwinning.’ It is not unusual for seminary students to ridicule anyone who uses the term. Where did they get this attitude about soulwinning? It is possible that well-meaning professors in their enthusiasm to teach new approaches to evangelism have succumbed to the ideology of liberal and reformed Bible teachers using different biblical texts? Some challenge this classic soulwinning verse in Proverbs: Proverbs 11:30 (KJV) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. (ASV) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise winneth souls.

144 The Art and Science of Soulwinning (Brenton English Septuagint) Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time. (DRB Douay Rheims) The fruit of the just man is a tree of life: and he that gaineth souls is wise. (ESV English Standard) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. (HCSB Holman Christian Standard) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives. (ISV International Standard) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who wins people is wise. (LITV Literal Translation) The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he who takes hold of souls is wise.107 Most Bible translations acknowledge the term as either soulwinning, gaining souls, or capturing souls. Yet there is a surprising translation performed by the Holman Christian Standard Bible that entirely negates the idea of soulwinning—period. Also in the Brenton English Septuagint we read, “Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time”, changing the meaning entirely. Even if there is justification for the difference in translation, the scholars of nearly every other translation have gone with the idea of winning, capturing, gaining souls for God. The attack on soulwinning terminology has been sustained not only by seminary professors but through some bible translations, as already mentioned. HYPER-EVANGELISM CONNECTION Some are appalled at the use of the term ‘soulwinning’ because it conjures up the picture of brash men and women going out to evangelize their communities; looking to see how many souls that they can ‘win’ to Christ by just praying a prayer and claiming a soul won to Christ; notching their water pistols with which they charge hell. Therefore, repulsiveness has developed in the mind of many, regarding the term ‘soulwinning.’ Unfortunately, the fundamentalists of Hyles- Anderson College et al, have given ‘soulwinning’ a bad reputation in some areas of the country.

David P. Smith 145 LITERALNESS OF THE TERMINOLOGY It is argued that no one can ‘win a soul.’ The idea in ‘winning’ being that no one can actually save a soul and that it is entirely the drawing power of the Holy Spirit by which a soul is saved. None of us has the power to literally save a soul from sin and death. However, we do understand the working of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and salvation as absolutely necessary. It is interesting though, to quote the Apostle Paul at this point, when he stated: 1Corinthians 9:22 “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (underlining by author) Could Paul save anyone? Yet, he used the term ‘save’ as we would use it—to rescue someone from hell. Therefore, if Paul can say that he might ‘save some’ we can say ‘win some.’ To win a soul simply means to gain a soul. We are not saving the soul any more than Paul could. We are capturing souls for Christ, winning them away from the devil, and gaining them for Christ and His Kingdom. If we are winning souls to Christ we are actively obeying the Great Commission. Additionally, Paul said, “by all means save some”. “All means”, without a doubt suggests that we ought to use every possible method, tool or persuasive argument, to convince men to accept Christ as their personal Savior. This should quiet some of those who reject the use of new programs or methods to bring people to Christ and church. REFORMED THEOLOGY AND SOULWINNING Reformed Theology, otherwise known as Calvinism, has a killing effect on soulwinning. Those who object to the usage of the word ‘soulwinning’ are often closet Calvinists or considered as being reformed in their theology. Soulwinning actually offends them because, of course, they believe that one is predestined or elected to be saved and therefore it is basically unnecessary to evangelize. Elmer Towns writes, Is Calvinism a diversion against the Great Commission and baptism? One of the criticisms often heard against Calvinism is that it kills soul-winning and outreach. “If God has determined those who are going to get saved,” some wags ask, “why should I try to win souls?” Someone else said, “Most five-point Calvinists do not give a gospel invitation after they push to get people saved.108

146 The Art and Science of Soulwinning All too often a seminarian may become enamored with his intellectual prowess as he begins to consider the great doctrines of the Word of God. If the particular student has a very inquisitive mind and is quite intellectual, he may become a victim of Calvinism, or The TULIP doctrine in particular. A ‘generic Calvinist’109 (different from the five-pointer or TULIP) is similar to C.H. Spurgeon, who believed in the Sovereignty of God, salvation by grace, and the security of the believer. Towns continues to discuss the issue of Calvinism affecting Soulwinning: …look at great Calvinists such as Charles Spurgeon who built the largest church in the world in the late 1800’s, zealously going after lost people. Tradition has it that Spurgeon said, “I’ll win as many as I can to Christ, and let the judgment seat of Christ sort the consequences. If God branded every elect person on his back; I would go around lifting shirttails to find out who was elect so I could win them to Christ.” But since God has not done that, Spurgeon tried to win every person to Christ he could. Spurgeon was an excellent model of evangelistic Calvinism. Even then research doesn’t show he preached often in the tenets of five- point Calvinism. He preached “whosoever will, may come.”110 A closet Calvinist simply believes that it is good to be a witness of his faith, however he refuses to win souls for Christ. He objects to any confrontational or active means to present the gospel. He often believes in relational evangelism, or lifestyle evangelism. Any form of evangelism is better than none, yet the closet Calvinist will have great hesitation in leading people to Christ. He would prefer not to use the word ‘soulwinner’ because it suggests that he would have to be much bolder in his outreach to others. He believes that God will save the soul in due time with or without his help. He may not believe in election or irresistible grace yet he is a closet Calvinist. Wherever five- point Calvinism is practiced and believed churches will die because soulwinning dies. Churches also die where closet Calvinists preach and pastor. Be a soulwinner for Jesus and spend less time becoming an intellectual theologian.

CHAPTER 10 THE IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE TERMINOLOGY FOR SOULWINNING Over the past fifty years much has changed in the way of church lingo and terminology. Things that were called one thing many years ago are now being called something different. For instance, the sanctuary is now called the auditorium; the choir is now called the praise & worship team; the church property and buildings is called the church campus. Nothing is wrong with any of those changes that have been made, however, with every change that occurs there is a new name or label describing it. Change will occur no matter what we do to stop it. In fact, if we don’t change with the developing times we will not be able to minister effectively nor evangelize. Of course, the message must never change but the method by which we deliver the message is always fluid. It will take a long time for some to grasp this concept. Some will die before they would ever embrace positive change. Many churches have already died, or are among the living dead. In the last fifty years a gradual change has occurred in the use of the term ‘soulwinning.’ It used to be a common word among fundamentalists and evangelicals alike. There were ‘soulwinning churches,’ ‘soulwinning pastors,’ ‘soulwinning clinics,’ ‘soulwinning conferences.’ Soulwinning

148 The Art and Science of Soulwinning was at the heart of many churches, seminaries and ministries across America. Today the term ‘soulwinning’ has almost become anathema. This writer was once invited to a church in Idaho many years ago to share his thoughts and ideas on evangelism. It was explained carefully how important it was to bring the invitation in a soulwinning conversation and help the seeker to pray to God. It was explained that the unbeliever seldom knows how to pray, or what he should say in calling on God for salvation. After it was explained one would have thought that heresy had just been preached because of the negative response of the pastor and certain members of the congregation. They were also offended at the term ‘soulwinner’ since they believed that no one could ‘win’ a soul to Christ. To them it was like saying we were the ones trying to do the ‘saving.’ Unfortunately, this is not the only church that erroneously feels this way. There has been a continual downgrading of terms. Gradually, even unnoticed, this effort has been underway to better define evangelism in a more positive light. As time passed some would insert their biases against what was considered hyper-evangelism by teaching that anyone who used the term ‘soulwinner’ was a preacher of ‘easy believism’; so the changes subtly began to be made. Apparently the word ‘soulwinner’ was not sophisticated enough, theologically correct, or spiritually correct; thus it gradually became a negative instead of the positive it once was. Changing names of traditional practices that we have is often a direct result of having changed the practice itself. This is what has occurred with soulwinning. It is seldom called soulwinning when we do outreach anymore, but rather other terms that fit the style of evangelism we have chosen. In many cases even evangelism is no longer evangelism. Why? Because alternative terminologies have been used to accommodate different approaches to what was once soulwinning. Lifestyle Evangelism is no longer evangelism because it assumes that one’s Christian lifestyle will be sufficient to stir the interest of the lost who will notice that we are different. The expected result is that the individual will observe our Christian lifestyle and approach us asking, “Why are you so different from others?” Then the one who practices Lifestyle evangelism would reply by saying, “Oh, it is because I have Jesus in my life.” This, of course, is a mock scenario. Very few people ever ask