SPIRITUAL PREPARATION FOR SOUL WINNING
By Buddy Murphrey
1. A CHANGED LIFE
II Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
If a person is to be successful in soul winning he must know Christ. A life that has been changed by the power of God can win souls. Many who vainly tried to win souls later found that they themselves were lost. A personal, experiential knowledge of Jesus as your own Saviour is a must.
2. A CLEAN LIFE
II Tim 2:21 "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto hon. or, sanctified, and meet for the master's use."
If we are to have God's maximum blessing upon our soul-winning effort we need to be clean outwardly and inwardly. All the secret sins, especially the thought life, should be brought under subjection to the Lord Jesus. The "little foxes spoil the vine." Sin in your life will deteriorate your soul-winning zeal in time.
3. A SURRENDERED LIFE
Rom. 12: 1 "1 beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of Cod, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
It is one thing to be clean; it is another thing to be surrendered to the Lord. The Apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ." (Phil. 1:21.) Being submissive to the call and will of God is very vital in the matter of soul winning. The young lad brought his five loaves and two fishes to Jesus. Have you brought your all to Christ?
4. A BURDENED LIFE
Rom. 9:2 "1 have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could with that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:"
It certainly helps to have a burden for lost souls. Paul had a heavy heart over his generation. However, you should not wait until your heart is broken before starting out in soul winning. God will bless the gospel regardless of our unconcern. We are to go primarily because it is our responsibility to go. As we go, God will burden us for souls of others.
5. A COMPASSIONATE LIFE
Matt 9:36 "When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them."
We are not talking about enthusiasm or human love patched up. We are talking about genuine love flowing. from within because of the Christ-nature. Men will not put you off if they really believe you love them, however, they will never believe that you love them unless you really do. It is strange how love attracts. If we are filled with God's love, the result will be an untiring effort in soul winning. How do we get love? The fruit of the Spirit is love. Therefore we need to be filled with the Spirit.
6. A STIRRED LIFE
I Cor. 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."
Billy Sunday was asked the secret of his success in reaching so many souls for Christ.
It is said that he walked over to the window and looked out at the of people on
the streets and said, "They are going to Hell! They are going to Hell! They are go
ing to Hell!" And then he said, "If there is secret to my winning so manny souls, it
is because I really believe that men without Christ are going to Hell." My friend, when
this truth really lays hold of your heart, it will stir you to rescue the perishing.
7. A PERSEVERING LIVE
I Cor. 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
The Apostle Paid said, "this one thing I do." (Phil. 3:13.) 1 He was determined to be. a soul winner. His mind was made up about the matter. R. A. Torry said, "Anyone who wishes to win souls at the rate of one every fifteen minutes had better go into some other business." Soul winners need patience. Sometimes it takes weeks or months or even years of sowing and watering and fertilizing before we see that soul accept Christ as Saviour. A group of soul winners set out to win a selected hundred lost prospects. They kept records of every visit made. When all of the hundred had been reached for Christ and all of the visits had been totaled up and averaged out, surprisingly each prospect had been visited an average of thirteen times.
8. AN ENLIGHTENED LIFE
Ps. 119:130 "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple."
It is very important to know the Scriptures whereby you can direct a person how to be saved. Without the Word they cannot be saved. In Romans 10: 17 we are told, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." We are told in Luke 8:11 that "The seed is the Word of God." It is important that we know the right scriptures to use at the right time.
9. A PRAYING LIFE
Jer. 33:3 "Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not . . ."
God is a prayer-answering God. When we pray over souls, we will see things happen. God bids us to call unto Him and He will do great things. (Note Lesson 28 "How to Pray for the Lost.")
10. A SPIRIT-FlLLED LIFE
Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . ."
How much more effective is the Christian who takes time to wait upon God for the anointing of the Holy Ghost. (Zech 4:6.) "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and believe that he will do it. Claim the Spirit's fullnes.
PHYSICAL PREPARATION FOR SOUL WINNING
1. BE CLEAN.
A. Avoid having bad breath. Carry mints with you.
B. Avoid having body odor. Soap and deodorant is cheap.
2. BE NEAT.
A. Hair combed.
B. Clothes pressed and clean.
C. Shoes shined.
D. Well groomed and nails cleaned.
3. HAVE A FLASHLIGHT TO SEE HOUSE NUMBERS.
4. HAVE PLENTY OF GOOD GOSPEL TRACTS AND CHURCH BROCHURES.
5. HAVE A NEW TESTAMENT OR BIBLE.