A crash course in soul winning. How to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ door to door. As Christians we must preach the Gospel to save souls from Hell, “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18).

SOUL WINNING CRASH COURSE

It is the responsibility of every saved Christian to share the good news of salvation with our neighbors & our friends.

Jesus said: “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” There is no exception.

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.”

Notice that Jesus says: “I AM WITH YOU ALWAY” as He proclaims the Great Commission.

He encourages us with those words, telling us that HE IS ALWAYS THERE WITH US, as we go out to preach the Gospel.

And when He says, “even unto the end of the world”, this means that we are to continue preaching the Gospel until He returns.

We don’t stop preaching until He comes back.

There’s no retirement for the Christian evangelist.

Paul tells Timothy before his own death 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.
[And then Paul speaks of his own death].
6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

So Paul preached the Gospel, leading up to the very last moments of his life.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus said to His disciples: “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”.

And lately we’ve been talking about the purpose & priorities of the church, and what a NEW TESTAMENT church should look like.

& #1 – AT THE TOP OF THE LIST is: TO PREACH the GOSPEL TO THE LOST.

We edify one another, we study the Scriptures, not just to increase knowledge for vanity’s sake …

…. but to put KNOWLEDGE to practical use … by going out there and preaching the Gospel & saving souls!

#2 The MISSION of the CHURCH is to form a tight-knit community of like-minded believers for the purpose of fellowship, edification, admonishment, prayer, Godly council, & even rebuke when needed.

In the Book of Acts, CHAPTER 2, verse 46, the Bible says: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart”.

• So that church-family/community/& preaching is at the top of what a NEW TESTAMENT church should look like.

#3 IT’S TO GIVE ATTENTION & CARE to the POOR and NEEDY among us.

And we’ll be adding to this picture of how a genuine church should function …

… As we study the Bible and expand on what a New Testament church looks like, based on the Scriptures.

… but the #1 MISSION / the #1 GOOD WORK that God has given to the church is the GREAT COMMISSION.

& It’s given to every believer, man, woman, boy or girl …

It’s for the pastor, the prophet, the evangelist, the teacher, the deacon, and for every member of the congregation, from the least to the greatest.

It’s for the seasoned believer and the new believer alike!
We should be preaching to our neighbors, our friends, to people at work, to people that we meet on the streets & in every day situations.

I remember when I first got saved, the underlying MOTIVE in everything that I did, in every conversation that I had …

…. was to preach the Gospel … and to save souls!

& I wasn’t that good at it yet, but I had an underlying AGENDA to PREACH THE GOSPEL & to pull souls out of the fire …

As a brand-new believer, the concept of HEAVEN & HELL was deeply engrained & forged into my mind.

When I got saved, IT HIT ME, that everyone I knew was blinded & on their way to Hell, including my PARENTS, my best friends …

& the thought of them BURNING FOR ALL ETERNITY in the fire FIRES OF HELL was unbearable to my mind!

JUDE 1:22-23 says: “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire …”

When we preach, we preach with love & compassion.
People are most responsive to that.

But for some, we must make the CERTAINTY of HELL a REALITY.

Jesus describes Hell as a “fire that never shall be quenched” and “where their worm dieth not” (Mark 9:44).

There will be no rest, no joy, no peace, no comfort, no relief, no reprieve for those who reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

REVELATION 21:8 says that THE UNBELIEVING: “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone”.

And that’s the #1 REASON we PREACH THE GOSPEL.

But if HELL is not a motivating factor, PREACH the GOSPEL because Jesus commands it in His Word.

In John 15:16, Jesus said: “… I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit …”

Jesus HIMSELF has selected you & ordained you to PREACH THE GOSPEL …

Jesus said In JOHN 20:21: “ … as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

• When Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts 26:18, He said that He “appeared unto” Paul, to “make thee a minister and a witness:

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God …

And that is what we are doing when we save souls for the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:4 says: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

• SATAN, as the god of this world, has blinded the MINDS of those who don’t believe.

That’s why it’s IMPORTANT, that we PRAY before going soul winning, that eyes would be opened & HEARTS would be receptive.

• We pray for God to prepare souls in advance & to give us an open door to preach the Gospel!

Paul asked for Prayer in Colossians 4:3: “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:”

Paul also prayed for BOLDNESS.

Paul prayed in Ephesians 6:19:
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel …
• So we ought to be confident.

And our confidence comes from knowing we have the truth of God’s Word, which is POWER UNTO SALVATION.

Romans 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 …”

In LUKE 24:49, Jesus also told His disciples NOT TO PREACH until the HOLY SPIRIT came upon them: “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

The DISCIPLES were NOT to preach by the POWER OF THEIR OWN STRENGTH … & neither should we!

• Now the HARDEST PART of SOUL WINNING is getting people to open up & to actually listen.

AND a lot of times, when we’re out knocking doors, as soon as people hear the words, “Gospel, Bible, Jesus, or Church” they’re already done and you get the typical, “NO, THANK YOU” or “I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL RELIGION”

… or my personal favorite, “I’M ALREADY A CHRISTIAN” as the door slams on your face.

& in those cases, we try to leave them w/ at least 1 Verse:

Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 6:23, anything that you can get to them & leave them with a Word, before leaving.

One of my favorites is ROMANS 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• & We’ll knock on 20 doors sometimes, before we get someone who actually wants to hear the Gospel.

So don’t be discouraged, it takes a lot of knocking sometimes, before someone opens up …

And that is the #1 challenge: To get people to open up & hear.

If they would actually open up – that’s the hardest part – it’s not too hard to preach to them!

So we’ll usually say something like …: “Hi, my name is Afshin, & we’re out preaching the Gospel today & asking people 1 IMPORTANT QUESTION:

[and that gets their attention …]

‘If you were to die today, are you 100% sure you would go to heaven?’

& Depending on how they answer … You can assess whether they are saved or not.

It’s like THE LITMUS TEST for salvation.

If they say, “Well, I’m not really sure …” (like most people do)

Then you say, “Well, would you like to be sure? The Bible explains us how we can be 100% sure of where we’re going after this life … and it only takes about 5 or 10 minutes to explain.”

Now, you don’t want to be robotic about it.

Sometimes, I don’t use that question.

Sometimes, I just say, “We’re out preaching the Gospel, telling people about Jesus.”

And have a conversation w/ them.

But getting back to that question, If they say, THEY ARE SURE, they ARE going to heaven when they die …

… Then we ask them, “What do you base that on?”

If they say, “I believe in Jesus, I’m already a Christian.”

“OK, great. Let me ask you 1 more question (because a lot of people claim Christ without understanding the true Gospel)

We ask: “Is there anything that you can do to lose your salvation?”

And that’s the ultimate test for someone who professes to be a Christian.

& IF THEY ANSWER, “YES, you CAN LOSE your salvation”, then we have a problem …

… because then they’re not relying on FAITH ALONE in Jesus for salvation, but are trusting in their own works.

They’re usually CATHOLIC, or PRESBYTERIAN or some other works-based Protestant religion, maybe they just grew up in church … whatever it might be …

• They’re usually not saved. Now, some may just be confused …

BUT Think about it: if they’re relying on their own ability to maintain their salvation …

Whether by good works or by trying to forsake sin for salvation …

… Then they’re not relying completely on the FINISHED WORK of JESUS CHRIST on the cross, but on their OWN SELVES to save themselves.

• They’re likely just a Christian by heritage & not truly born again.
• OK, so what BIBLE VERSES do we actually use?

• Let’s get into the MEAT OF IT.

It really starts w/ ROMANS ROAD.

CARDS / Bible > ROAD MAP

• So, there’s 3 MAIN STEPS that we take people through for the PLAN OF SALVATION.

• THE FIRST STEP is getting them to understand that we are all sinners who have broken God’s Laws.

WE START w/ ROMANS 3:10, 3:23 [READ]

• I tell them, “That includes you, that includes me … it includes all of us.”

WE’RE ALL SINNERS before a HOLY GOD, in need of a Savior …

Now, you don’t have to do it exactly this way …

But this is a proven method & is among the most concise Bible verses regarding our sinful state.

• For example, I might also include 1 or 2 of the 10 COMMANDMENTS … if it’s needed.
Paul said in Romans 7:7: “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law” …

So the LAW REVEALS SIN.

• And we’ve ALL broken God’s Law & are guilty before God.

• Even Romans 3:10 & 3:23 are explaining that we have broken God’s LAW.

… & that is why we are deserving of both DEATH & HELL.

& you don’t need to spend a lot of time on that … you don’t have to go through the whole 10 commandments ….

… Most people get it just from Romans 3:10 or 3:23.

• We ran into a guy last week …

… And we asked him: “Are you 100% sure you will go to heaven?”

& his answer was that he would go to heaven based on that he’s GENERALLY A GOOD PERSON …

That he had done nothing wrong worthy of Hell.

• And those are 2 views that we usually get:
Either they admit that they’re sinners right away & they’re imperfect or …

…. they think they’re generally a good person and will make it to heaven based on their own merits.

So with someone like that, I might mention 2 or 3 of the 10 COMMANDMENTS …

• “Thou shalt have no other gods before me …” – ARE YOU WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD?

• “Thou shalt not bear false witness …” HAVE YOU TOLD A LIE?

• “Thou Shalt not steal” – have you ever stolen anything?

& then I explain that if you’ve broken even 1 of GOD’S LAWS, the Bible says that you’re guilty of breaking the WHOLE LAW.

JAMES 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

& We don’t get into like that w/ everybody.

Romans 3:10 & 3:23 is sufficient in most cases.

… But if the person is insistent that they’re comfortable with where they are going after death, without Christ …

I’ll mention HEBREWS 9:27: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

And that might put a little fear of God into the person who thinks they are going to make it on their own merit.

BUT IN MOST CASES, you don’t have to get that extensive in STEP #1 …

Most people will agree w/ Romans 3:10 & 3:23 & that’s all you really need.

& We ALWAYS use REVELATION 21:8 right after that, because it shows that even LYING will lead to HELL

• READ REVELATION 21:8

• Once we’ve gotten them to see that ALL HAVE SINNED, we then GO TO ROMANS 6:23.

• READ ROMANS 6:23

And “THAT’S THE BAD NEWS!”

BUT THE GOOD NEWS is on the OTHER SIDE of that SENTENCE.

• & I like to give them Romans 5:8 again: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• God had such great love for us, that He sent His own Son, JESUS to take upon Himself ALL of our SINS on the Cross …

• … that He was a PERFECT, SUBSTITUTE for what we deserved, being God Himself in the flesh ….

• God came to EARTH & became a MAN, took the penalty of our sins on Himself on the cross.

• Died … was buried … and since HE WAS GOD, DEATH could not hold Him down!

• So he ROSE AGAIN on the 3rd Day.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-4 explains this:
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

SO STEP #1: Get them to understand they are a SINNER & that the wages of their sin is DEATH & HELL. (Revelation 21:8 & Romans 6:23).

STEP #2: Give them God’s LOVE and the GOSPEL of SALVATION, HOW JESUS took the penalty of their sins on Himself. (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

STEP 3: IS SIMPLY TO INVITE THEM TO CALL ON JESUS FOR SALVATION

• CHECK CARD FOR VERSES

Now, we don’t always have time to give them every verse …

I’m just giving you an arsenal of verses that we use that have worked, so you can have them ready to use as needed.

Sometimes, we only have time to give them 2 or 3 verses …

• FINALLY, WE ALWAYS END w/ ETERNAL LIFE.

It’s really important to emphasize the PROMISE OF EVERLASTING LIFE, because that doctrine is so under attack today …

& it really gets to the HEART of the GOSPEL …

… because SALVATION is a FREE GIFT & it’s FOREVER.

… if you have to WORK for it to MAINTAIN IT … then it’s not REALLY FREE, It’s not REALLY A GIFT …

So we always give them John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

John 11:26: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

John 3:16 mentions everlasting life: “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.”

It really helps also to explain that SALVATION is a FREE GIFT.

& that’s the last VERSE I usually use: EPHESIANS 2:8-9

• READ EPHESIANS 2:8-9

There is NOTHING YOU CAN DO to EARN or WORK your WAY TO HEAVEN.

THAT is the PURE GOSPEL.

• Literally, you can give the Gospel to someone within 5 – 10 minutes, if they are open & attentive.

& 1 thing you don’t want to do, is get argumentative w/ anyone or start debating doctrine …

If somebody steers off course … and starts debating … just bring it back to the SIMPLE GOSPEL …

2 Timothy 2:23 says: “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.”

Always bring them back to the POWER of GOD’S WORD!

Luke 8:11 says: “The SEED is the word of God”.

*** After preaching, we ask if they understood what we preached & if they BELIEVE …

& BROTHER NEIL put together some great questions we can ask:

(1) Do you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins?

(2) Do you believe that if you asked Jesus Christ right now to save you, that He would do it?

(3) If you were saved right now, how long would you be saved for?

(4) Is there anything you can do to lose your salvation, once you are saved?

… So if they understand the Gospel & are ready to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior …

We help lead them through the SINNER’S PRAYER.

Now, the SINNER’S PRAYER is somehow become this great controversial topic today …

But it is an INVALUABLE TOOL in soul winning.
The Sinner’s Prayer is just calling out to Jesus for salvation!

It’s how we help someone SEAL THE DEAL & CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.

REMEMBER, ROMANS 10:13: “For whosoever shall CALL upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

It TAKES a DECISION on our part … that’s what separates us from Calvinists …

We have the FREE WILL to RECEIVE or to REJECT Jesus.

& It’s important to explain that it’s not the SPECIFIC WORDS of a PRAYER that saves …

… It’s NOT A MAGIC FORMULA … It has to be genuine.

(You can have them pray after you).

LORD JESUS,
I know that I’m a sinner deserving of DEATH & HELL.

I understand that you took the punishment for my sins upon yourself.

That you died on the cross, was buried, and rose again after 3 days.

Lord Jesus, I believe, please save me.
I put my faith & TRUST in YOU ALONE for my salvation.
• Now, if someone gets saved, we give them as much information as they can retain …

such as re-enforcing OSAS.
Because that doctrine is also under attack today.

Ephesians 1:13 is really good for that: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

Once you get saved, you receive the Holy Ghost. Your spirit is born again.

Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

We explain to them to get a KJ Bible (in fact, we have KJV Bibles & we’ll give them one).

We encourage them to get BAPTIZED (not for salvation, but as a step of obedience, because God’s Word commands it).
& we invite them to church or tell them to find a good Bible-believing church that preaches FAITH ALONE from the KJV.

We also warn them of things to watch out for: such as works-salvation, fake Bible versions, compromising churches, etc.

And hopefully, they’ll come & learn from us, because at least we’re preaching the right Gospel from the right Bible!

Conclusion:

Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great,” in Luke 10:2, “but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16: “…yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

We can lose eternal rewards by NOT preaching the Gospel & we also don’t want to be those who are ashamed at Christ’s coming …

Matthew 10:32-33: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

1 John 2:28: “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”

By contrast, the Bible says in Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise”

And this thought is continued in Daniel 12:3: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
This speaks of the eternal glory and eternal rewards in heaven for those who win souls and preach the Gospel.

Paul told Timothy to: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season …”

This means that we ought to preach the WORD when it’s popular or when it’s unpopular …

In Luke 19:40 Jesus said: “… I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”

1 Peter 3:15 says: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

So let’s get out there & win souls today!