Soul Winning: Bringing the Lost into the Kingdom of God

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, and He now sends His followers to continue that rescue mission – proclaiming the gospel so that everyone has the opportunity to hear, believe and receive eternal life.

Why Soul Winning Matters

Jesus came to save the lost – those outside the Kingdom of God and therefore out of relationship with Him – for “He is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance” (Mt 18:14; Lk 19:10; 2 Pet 3:9). He also commands His followers to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel, [and] make disciples by teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, effectively continuing the work He started (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15; Act 1:8).

This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, for He “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3-4). God’s heart is that none should be lost, yet regrettably the majority of people refuse the offer of salvation, for although the gate of mercy stands open to all, “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Mt 7:13-14).

Try and understand the terrible everlasting fate of those who die without Christ

Salvation is never forced upon anyone – each person must respond in faith – and this sobering reality does not excuse us from the task. Precisely because so many are perishing, we must be proactive in sharing Christ and being a witness, for Jesus said, “Let your light shine [live openly as a believer] before others, that they may see [the good you do] and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). A silent, hidden faith benefits no one; the lost will not be reached by our good intentions, but by believers who deliberately and lovingly bring the gospel to them.

Everyone has the right to hear a clear gospel presentation in a language they can understand, indicating that Christ’s offer of salvation deals primarily with the life to come (eternity) and is not just for the benefit of our earthly existence. People need to be made aware that if they die without having accepted Christ as their Saviour (living in an active relationship with Him) they will be doomed to an eternity of pain and regret, for “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (Jn 3:36; 1 Jn 5:12). It is their freewill choice to accept or refuse the offer of salvation that is given, with the Bible declaring “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…Whosoever will may come” (Rom 10:13; Rev 22:17).

As Christians, we are to bear spiritual fruit – not just by living changed lives that validate the good news we convey through a Christ-like example, but also by actively bringing others into the Kingdom of God by challenging people with the message of the gospel as the only solution for our personal sin. Those who go out bearing seed will return with a harvest, for those who win souls to righteousness are wise and will shine like stars (Ps 126:5-6; Prov 11:30; Dan 12:3).

Do I intentionally share Christ?

Our Responsibility to Witness

The spiritual shepherds of the Old Testament were reprimanded because they didn’t search for the scattered sheep – individuals wandering oblivious they were lost and vulnerable. Similarly, even today, if we fail to witness for Jesus we will be held accountable; but if we witness and people don’t respond, we are cleared from that responsibility (Ezek 3:18-19, 33:3-9, 34:6). We can learn from Paul who said, “I am compelled [to share Christ]…I am simply discharging the trust committed to me…woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor 9:16-17). He understood there would be intense sorrow and shame if, when he stood before Jesus to give account of his life, he had failed to share with the lost that there was a way through Jesus Christ to escape eternal damnation and instead experience eternal life. “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death” (Jas 5:20). The testimony of some early Christians was, “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard [experienced in our lives]…for out of the overflow the heart speaks” (Lk 6:45; Act 4:20). James states, “Anyone, then, who knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (Jas 4:17).

As believers, we should all be part of God’s message of redemption for humanity by speaking and sharing our testimony through general conversation with those who do not know Jesus (Act 22:15). Like Jesus, we should mix with the unsaved – without embracing their sinful ways – so we can introduce them to Him and, when appropriate, present a direct challenge: ‘Why not enter God’s Kingdom now’.

Am I motivated by love for the lost to share Christ with them?

Sharing the Gospel with Grace

There is a plentiful spiritual harvest but few workers, so we are to pray for more evangelists (harvesters) to bring in the ‘crop’ – those who will believe in Jesus because of our message (Mt 9:37-38; Lk 10:12; Jn 17:20). Each believer has a distinctive role in bringing in that harvest, for as Jesus said, “one sows and another reaps” (Jn 4:37) – whether planting the seed or gathering the crop, it is God who gives the growth (1 Cor 3:6-7).

Am I doing my part?

Soul winning is based on being a faithful witness, proclaiming with sensitivity and loving concern what we have experienced and know to be true. We are to present the facts, yet not with pressure or persuasion forcing a reluctant change of mind in the other person. It is only the Holy Spirit who brings conviction and subsequently new birth to a truly repentant sinner – our responsibility is to present the facts and intercede on their behalf, for the question is asked, “How can they believe unless they hear because someone shares the good news with them?” (Rom 10:14). While there are various methods or approaches, there is no set formula that brings about the definite change of allegiance – from the kingdom of Satan that ends in spiritual death into the glorious domain of God that results in eternal life (Jn 10:10). There is much rejoicing in heaven when a lost soul is truly saved (Lk 15:7).

As in the natural, when a baby is born there is crucial follow-up. Paul visited the emerging congregations to strengthen them, as well as writing various epistles (letters) to provide teaching, correction and encouragement to the new believers (Act 15:36, 18:23), allowing the Holy Spirit to minister through us as instruments in God’s hands, serving a common purpose to see the lost saved, established in the faith and walking with God (1 Cor 3:5-9; 3 Jn 1:4).

It must be stressed, subsequent to people turning to Christ for salvation, there must be the ongoing walk with Him, otherwise the initial profession becomes a futile and deceptive exercise – a form of godliness without its reality. Jesus Himself warned that many people will be excluded from heaven because, although they thought they were in the Kingdom, they were in fact not: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven…Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Mt 7:21-23). Their confidence rested in association with Christ and religious activity rather than a living relationship with Him, and such self-deception is tragically common.

A serious warning

Scripture therefore urges believers to continue to live in Him, “rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith” (Col 2:6-7), to remain in the Vine, for “apart from me you can do nothing” and a fruitless branch is taken away (Jn 15:4-6), and to confirm that faith is genuine, “for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Jas 2:26). Genuine salvation always demonstrates itself in a transformed, obedient life that perseveres to the end, and it is the role of the soul winner to help ground new believers in the Word, prayer and fellowship so that what began in profession matures into a lasting possession – with each person charged to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Cor 13:5).

Reflection and Application:

Pray daily by name for people you know who don’t yet follow Jesus.
Prepare a three-sentence testimony of what Christ has done for you.
Ask God each week to lead you to one person who needs to hear the gospel.
Encourage and ground new believers in God’s Word as soon as they respond.