Who Can Win Souls?
Who can win souls? The answer is a Christian. Yes, every Christian is a soul winner. This is our duty as the redeemed. The Great Commission teaches as much:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(Matt. 28:19-20).
You may wonder, "What can I do?" This important question relates primarily to winning souls. We must also consider why we would want to win souls. This objective is more than trying to get people to join the body that we are a part of; we are trying to help souls be added to the body of Christ. This goal is a direct result of what is written in Matthew 22:36-40.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
If we love God, we will be concerned for His creation, especially His human creation. If we love people, we will want to win souls for the Lord. If you were lost, would you want someone to show you the goodness of God and the plan of redemption bought by His only begotten Son? I assume that knowing what you know now, you would. To win souls is the epitome of loving God, neighbor, and doing what you would want to be done for you. "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matt. 7:12).
How Can We Win Souls?
How can we win souls? We have to follow Jesus' directive to "go." The body of Christ will never win souls if we are content to sit in a pew. The body (every member) must consider how they might impact the Gospel reaching their friends, coworkers, and community. Paul gives us all an example in Acts 20:18-21.
And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
He reminded the Ephesian elders that he taught in diverse locations, publicly and house to house. He taught diverse peoples, both Jews and Greeks. He taught diverse responses, repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus. We must recognize that this is certainly an approved example.
How does the church teach publicly? We certainly do so in our regular Sunday and Wednesday meetings. Do we teach publicly elsewhere? Social media and podcasts are all modern means by which we teach publicly. How can we teach house to house? We can teach our families. Parents are the most important teachers in their children's lives. By the standard of sincerity we teach our faith, and our children will learn. We cannot hope something will stick at worship, Bible class, or Bible camps alone. We must be teaching our children. We must teach our friends why we are committed to the God of Heaven. We must explain why we do not partake in the same language, substances, and behaviors that others might. We must teach why the God of the Bible is the only true God and that He cares about all mankind. We can teach many by the manner of life we live. Believing wives certainly have this ability, which may convince an unbelieving husband. "In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear" (1 Pet. 3:1-2).
What Is the Result When We Are Soul Winners
First, we recognize our purpose in life. Our purpose revolves around who we are in Christ. We have been redeemed to serve and have fellowship with our Lord. In response to our connection to Jehovah, we want others to embrace and receive what we have. This is what God commands us to do (cf. Mark 16:15-16). We are partners with God in this endeavor. "And working together with Him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1). We also recognize that we each play our part. Elsewhere, Paul records,
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
(1 Cor 3:5-7)
God is certainly the source of the seed (the Gospel) and the growth, but the need for soul winners is still present. We must recognize that while we labor, we may sometimes do the work of planting, and still others are doing the work of watering. Nevertheless, we are all working.
Will You Be Fruitful and Wise?
The Bible teaches the importance of soul-winning. The ones who would dedicate their lives to such are considered wise in the view of God. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." (Pro 11:30). Jehovah also presents to us a work that continues to bless others. Imagine if your parents or grandparents were New Testament Christians and, because of them, you are faithful today. Someone had to be a soul winner. You will never know how much winning one soul will do for the kingdom in the long run, but be assured that God is pleased when every sinner repents and is converted. Who can win souls? You can!
