Evangelism (which some also call, Soul-Winning or Witnessing), is the practice of leading lost and hopeless souls to our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and reconciling back-sliders to Him. It is the responsibility of every true believer to win souls. You became the mouthpiece of God when you got saved, and He counted you worthy of being a custodian of those souls. God's plan is to have everyone spend eternity with Him in bliss, thus, nothing gets closer to His heartbeat than the Salvation of Souls.

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EVANGELISM PREREQUISITES

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A Soul-Winner must be a genuine Born-Again Christian who loves the Lord and wants to lead others to Him. Below is a checklist of the virtues of a Soul-Winner:
 

• Love for God

• Love for Others

• Knowledge of the Word (to a certain degree)

• Selflessness

• Confidence in God’s ability to empower you for the task

• Patience

• Bravery (By the Lord’s empowerment)

• Humility and Meekness

• Sincerity (No hidden agenda/motives)

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THE BENEFITS OF EVANGELISM 

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• Heaven rejoices when you win a soul.

 

"Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
repents.”  (Luke 15:10)

 

• The Lord is pleased with you. His face shines upon you, and all that concerns you. More importantly, you are rewarded in Heaven.

 

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the Heavens; and those who lead many to
righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3 NIV)

 

• Don’t be surprised that your evangelism activities will pose a threat to the kingdom of darkness.

 

• Soul-winning brings joy to the one whose soul is won.

 

• The blood of others will not be required from your hand (Ezekiel 33:6-9). 
   

It is little wonder then, that the Bible says: 

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He that wins souls is wise. (Proverb 11:30)

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* Prepare to be hated, persecuted, and criticized; but count it all joy (James 1:2-4, James 1:12, Matthew 5:10-12)

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EVANGELISM STYLES

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There are different styles to winning souls. God in His supremacy, created us with different personalities, and entrusted certain gifts and talents to each of us.  A style that works for one person may not work for another.  It is a good idea to tailor our style towards our strengths and character traits, although for many, the style of evangelism is based on the calling of God upon their lives. We do not believe anyone should be restricted to a particular style of evangelism, except of course, God has a specific assignment for you. If you are in a fix as to what style to adopt, ask the Holy Spirit.  He will guide you.

 

1. Mass Evangelism
This is the most conventional style of evangelism. It is done through radio and television programs, the internet, church crusades, street-preaching, or ministration through drama and other performing arts. It is basically sharing the Gospel to a large audience through open-air meetings or settings where receivers of the Good News are unknown. The advantage of this type of evangelism is that it reaches a large number of people at a time.

 

2. Personal Evangelism
(i)  Another conventional style of evangelism is to witness to people on a face-to-face basis. People who use this style like to get to know the people they speak to about their faith. They sometimes tailor their messages to specific needs of an individual.  Door-to-Door Evangelism and Bible Study are very good examples of this approach. Personal Evangelism has the advantage of reaching those who would never go to a meeting to hear the Word. The drawback however, is that time is often limited for the soul-winner to give adequate information to make some impact.

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(ii)  You can hand out Gospel tracts, scriptural books, and other types of Christian literature to direct people’s attention to the Gospel. This is by far the easiest approach to evangelism, especially if the soul-winner is not yet grounded in the Word. It is also a very good approach for new converts or those who are just beginning to win souls. Feel free to make use of our printable tracts, mobile tracts, and printed tracts.

 

3. Intellectual/Educational Evangelism
If you are passionate about sharing knowledge with others or tend to have intellectual views about the Gospel, this is the style for you. Some people are very good at using logic to get their points across. A good example is in Acts 17:16-31, where Paul gave logical reasons to believe in the Invisible God. If you are an uncommon thinker and very creative, you can also adopt this approach with the use of written materials and other resources. Feel free to download and make use of our Simple Evangelism eBook, The One-Verse Witness.

 

4. Testimonial Evangelism
Do you have testimonies about God's awesome power and how He helped you through some tough times?  This is the style for you. In John 9, the blind man told the Pharisees he believed, because Jesus healed him. His testimony led others to Jesus Christ. Sharing personal testimonies to encourage and persuade others is the motive here.

 

5. Invitational Evangelism
Another approach to soul-winning is to actively invite others to worship services, revival meetings, crusades, deliverance programs, and other religious events, where they can hear the word of God and see faith in action. This approach is very effective with people who are rigid and set in their ways. Such people like to see, before they believe.

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*Use Invitational Evangelism with one (or more) other style

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6. Service Evangelism
You can also take a more direct approach by being of service to others. Many mission and humanitarian endeavors are geared towards evangelizing through service, rather than words. We have heard of many who decided to follow Christ, not by what anyone has told them, but because of the humane gestures of those whom God sent their way. Being of service to the poor, the needy, and the helpless touches the heart of God - and very much so (Proverbs 19:17).

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TOOLS FOR EVANGELISM

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Your Bible, Gospel tracts, movies, videos, scriptural books, blogs/websites, food or food vouchers, little gifts, and other creative items. Youths particularly love these: T-shirts, caps, music (Gospel), and signature bracelets.

 

After all is said and done, beloved, the most effective style of evangelism that we are all to adopt in addition to those discussed above, is the Life-Style Evangelism. How do others see us?  Do we emulate Christ in the way we live our lives? For every true believer, Christianity should be a lifestyle of words and deeds that present Christ to a lost and confused world.

 

Remain Blessed in His Vineyard!

Deborah O Daniel (Toyin)