Table of Contents
Introduction
It is said that one of the greatest miracles on earth is for a sinner to repent. No wonder the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Indeed, it is a miracle, a scarce phenomenon, for a sinner to abandon his evil ways and repent for the way of righteousness. Notwithstanding the difficulties attached, Jesus, in His days, caused tens of thousands of such a miraculous phenomenon to happen across Israel. He was very successful at winning others. At least, He won and discipled for Himself some twelve faithful men, then the seventy (Luke 10:1), then many others, and even certain individuals in the ranks of His arch enemies were won to become His disciples – e.g. Joseph of Arimathea (Mt 27:57, Luke 23:50-56), Nicodemus the Pharisee (John 3), and some of the rulers of the Synagogues (John 12:42).
Probably, you have not as yet realized why it is unusual or shocking that Jesus Christ was able to successfully win for Himself such great numbers of people. When Isaiah the prophet came to the scene and prophesied by the Spirit of the Almighty God, he made this prophetic utterance about Jesus the Messiah – “He (Jesus) grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)
This prophecy of Isaiah is self-explanatory enough. The prophecy contradicts Jesus’ success in soul winning that, physically, he had no extraordinary thing to attract people with. If beauty and other physical qualities and appearance were all that we go by, then no one would have desired to follow Jesus. Jesus might have had no striking physical quality to appeal to anybody’s desire. Actually, true beauty is leading a virtuous life of love, kindness, holiness, etc. For such a beauty, Jesus had it all, for He was a sinless man, but in terms of physical beauty, much might not have pertained to Him. He certainly was handsome, but we cannot compare Him to Absalom, a man well praised for his handsomeness. If Jesus was that strikingly handsome, people would have been charmed to follow Him just on account of His handsome looks, not through faith.
More so, it is quite unlikely you would perceive that Jesus was a macho man; certainly not, He did not possess any extraordinary physical strength. If Jesus was ever as strong as Samson, many people would have leaned on His great strength for their security, etc., and would not have come to Him by faith. He did not live in excess, nor did he show off in extravagant clothes nor walked the streets in an elegant style, lest he would have had many friends and followers. And of course, He was far from being rich. He had nothing; not even a place to sleep; He said it Himself (Luke 9:58). If He were wealthy, many would have become His disciples just on account of His wealth and not due to faith. Also, He was not of high birth, like the son of a wealthy man or a king, lest He would have won disciples on account of it.
Now this is where we should take a break and ask ourselves, “Then what exactly did Jesus do to win souls, successfully drawing thousands to Himself?” Jesus used both simple and divine strategies, both of which are at the disposal of man, to make His soul-winning and discipleship agenda possible. We can be sure that if we study and adopt Jesus’ strategies, we too will be successful at soul-winning. They are as follows:
1. The soul-winning strategy of visitation
Zacchaeus was a sinner much like Judas Iscariot. He too was consumed by the sin of the love of money or greed for money. He revealed it himself when he said, “… and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” However, this fellow, irrespective of his sins and weaknesses, was led into repentance by Jesus Christ and became Jesus’ disciple. Have you ever asked yourself what exactly Jesus Christ did to Zacchaeus to win him? Actually, He did nothing extraordinary. He did not lay hands on Zacchaeus, nor command any evil spirit of greed out of him, nor preach to him on end, nor perform signs and wonders. Jesus won Zacchaeus simply by visitation. He went with Zacchaeus to His house; that was all. Then Zacchaeus, full of appreciation, repented and said to Jesus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8).
In the parable of The Sheep and the Goat, Jesus Christ emphasized the necessity of visitation when He said, 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 ‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” (Matthew 25:34-36.)
Visitation is ordained by God; He expects us to render this service to one another – the sick, the convict, the destitute, also new converts, etc. What is more, you can harness visitation and make it into a soul-winning strategy just like what Jesus did. Some Christians have heeded the Master’s voice and have made a ministry out of visitation. They have taken to visiting the sick, the convict, the destitute, etc. regularly, if not daily. You cannot underestimate the relevance of visitation to its beneficiaries such as the sick, convicts, orphans, etc. Visitation warms their hearts, comforts their souls, and makes them feel the love of God.
Make the most out of visitation. When you visit them, pray with them; encourage them; share the gospel with them, most importantly; and lead as many as are willing to accept Jesus into their lives for their salvation – that is the main motive. Several reports have it that some sick persons are won for Christ just a few minutes before their last breath. What a great relief it is to be snatched from the flames of hell just at the eleventh hour, and this happens as a result of visitation. In some reports, many sick people are restored to good health instantly or a few days after having accepted Jesus; and why not? Because Jesus’ salvation is the panacea that heals and sets the soul free; and this, more often than not, translates to the miraculous healing of the sick body from any disease.
To put it briefly, all beneficiaries of a soul-winning visitation reap enormous physical and eternal benefits; aside from being won for Christ, the sick might receive healing, the destitute is lit with hope, the bereaved is comforted, and the convict has his share of the insidious peace and freedom that only comes from salvation from the wrath of God.
Even though you have taken it upon yourself to visit and share the love of God with the sick, the convict, the bereaved, and the destitute such as orphans, widows, the poor, etc., you should also not forget the new converts. They are like newborn babies who desire and need the attention of mature Christians so that they can stand. The new converts may not last long in the faith without the mature ones’ help and attention.
2. The soul-winning strategy of invitation
How do you think Jesus won some of the faithful disciples of His such as Peter, Andrew, Matthew, Philip, and Nathaniel? Have you any idea? Anyway, He won them by invitation. See
Peter and Andrew: 18And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Matthew 4:18-22)
John and James: And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22)
Matthew: As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. (Mark 2:14)
Philip: The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” (John 1:43)
Nathaniel: Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46)
It is quite evident from biblical accounts that, at least six of the twelve disciples of Jesus were won by invitation. Jesus invited them to come and follow Him and they came. Today, some Christians have conceptually attached a lot of difficulties to soul-winning to such an extent that they almost do not attempt winning a soul in their lifetime. Sometimes, it takes the very simple things that we do not regard to win the unbeliever for Christ. Sometimes, it is not a matter of preaching on end. Sometimes, it takes just an invitation to win the unbeliever for Jesus. Do not relent from continually inviting the unbeliever to church; it could be your neighbor, your classmate, your husband, your wife, your friend, etc. Invite them over to evening services, morning services, prayer meetings, Bible studies, etc.; and then leave the rest in the hands of God to change them.
3. The soul-winning strategy of leading a holy life
On the day Jesus was arrested and was being tried, the Bible testifies – 55 Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56 For many bore false witness against Him (Jesus), but their testimonies did not agree. (Mark 14:55-56).
If the very people who saw, heard, and met Jesus could not find any accusation against Him, then so shall it be that for all ages to come none would ever find any provable accusation against Jesus. One of the things very remarkable about Jesus is the sinless life He led. He was clean, unspotted, and perfect; and the people of His time could testify to that because they were firsthand witnesses to how He led His life. The Bible testifies again that He was tempted in every way like us yet He was without sin (Hebrew 4:15). Apparently, Jesus’ righteous life became one of the strategies by which he won souls.
On the cross of Calvary, one of the criminals who was crucified acknowledged Jesus’ innocence and testified to His righteousness and further, he put his trust in Him for his salvation; the Bible says – 39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (Luke 23:39-42)
The repentant criminal believed in Jesus not because Jesus preached to him or worked a miracle for him; rather, he believed in Jesus because he knew Jesus — he knew Jesus was a righteous man who was without fault. Though Jesus had been accused and crucified like a criminal, he believed His crucifixion was not fair and that He was an innocent person who did not deserve to die. How did he come to have this bold faith? It is because he was a witness to Jesus’ sinless life.
Now let’s consider things the other way. If Jesus were preaching and working miracles alright, yet His life was tainted with the sins of lying, alcoholism, pride, fornication, hypocrisy, etc., do you think this man would have had such faith and clear conscience to testify about Him on the cross? Do you think such a soul-winning event would have happened at Calvary if Jesus were a sinner? Certainly not.
Normally, we think that we lead a righteous life for our own good. Though that is true, it should be at the forefront of our minds that, sometimes, our righteous lives may be the only means by which the unbelievers, who are watching us, will come to know God. In other words, your righteous life could be the only evangelism to win certain unbelievers for Jesus. The truth is that not all unbelievers will believe in the Gospel we preach, but as much as we make the word of God our rule of life and conduct, we become a true reflection of Jesus Christ. And when we become like Christ, the unbelievers around us will see the contrast between our lives and theirs; then they will understand why they are sinners; then they will acknowledge the essence of salvation; then they will see the need for a savior; and finally they will desire to surrender to this same God who has made us become better persons.
Jesus said to that effect, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16)
Your holy life of love, forgiveness, patience, kindness, fidelity, modesty, etc., maybe the only light by which some unbelievers would acknowledge the existence of God and believe in His Son Jesus for their salvation. Unfortunately, Christianity is heavily overpopulated with people who are Christians only in name, not in deeds; for they continually commit much the same sins as the unbelievers. Therefore, the unbeliever does not see why he is a sinner, or why he needs a savior, or why he should ever repent and be a Christian; knowing that those professing to be Christians, who claim to be in the light, are equally as sinful in deeds as those who belong to the darkness. Anyone who calls himself a Christian, a believer, or a disciple of Jesus should make a difference; that is, he should let the world see the nature of Jesus Christ in him.
4. The soul-winning strategy of preaching the word of God
18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me (Jesus), because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; (Luke 4:18).
In Luke 4:31-32, it was reported that Jesus went to Capernaum, and He taught the people; and the Bible testifies, “32 ..they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.” Testimonies of this kind are found almost everywhere in the Gospels – Matthew 7:28, Matthew 22:33, Mark 1:22, Mark 11:18, and Luke 4:32. Any time the people heard Jesus teaching or preaching, they were overwhelmed with surprise because of His messages and they began to ask questions and make inquiries into His background (Luke 4:22). When they learned that He was nothing more than a carpenter’s Son and was not high-born, nor comes from a family of Pharisees, nor a family of priests, they marveled at how He came by this great knowledge. On one occasion, some Jewish officers who had been charged to arrest Jesus had to call off the arrest when they heard Him preaching; and to that effect, they made this remark about Him, “No man ever spoke like this Man (John 7:46)!” Jesus won hearts by the word He preached and many believed in Him (John 4:42, John 8:30).
This same word that Jesus preached to earn commendation and win the hearts and souls of men was written down, preserved, and made available to us by the will of God. More so, the Spirit that inspired Jesus to preach these words of mystery and truth abounds for all Christians across the ages. Teaching or preaching the word by the inspiration of the Spirit is still a great strategy for winning souls. The Bible says, ” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rome 10:14, 17). Thus, until Christians teach or preach the word of God, the unbeliever may not stand the chance of believing for his salvation.
NB: Preaching the word to win souls is popularly called evangelism.
5. The soul-winning strategy of ministering with spiritual gifts
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit ….9 to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles… (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
To understand this soul-winning strategy, I want us to go back in time to the man called Samson. Almost all people remember Samson for his great strength. Samson was an enhanced man; the Holy Spirit Himself enhanced him by giving him strength far greater than ordinary. In consequence, Samson began doing the unthinkable; he killed a thousand men with a donkey’s jawbone, he pulled down and carried the gate of the city of Gaza, he rent open a live lion, etc. He manifested deeds that were quite beyond the realms of possibility.
Jesus Christ was also highly enhanced much like Samson. He was enhanced with spiritual gifts by this same Holy Spirit who was on Samson, but His, of course, was not for physical warfare. He was enhanced with many spiritual gifts to do wonders and bring miraculous healing to the infirmities of man without administering drugs, which is something the ordinary man cannot do by any means. These spiritual gifts heightened Jesus’ ministry to its peak and made His name ring a bell in the ears of the natives, and His fame swept across the land (Luke 7:17, Luke 4:37, Matt 9:31). Many people, particularly, beneficiaries and their relatives came to believe in Jesus on account of His miracles (John 11:45, John 7:31). In fact, spiritual gifts contributed to Jesus’ soul winning ministry so much that Jesus, at some point, remarked on it, saying, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” (John 4:48).
Jesus was full of spiritual gifts, and by these gifts, He won souls for Himself; hence these gifts became one of His soul-winning strategies. The Spirit who endowed Samson with supernatural strength and endowed Jesus with spiritual gifts, dwells within all Christians of today. Therefore Christians have the opportunity to ask and receive spiritual gifts to heal, and work miracles of all kinds, which will result in winning unbelievers for Christ.
However, across the centuries to this day, it is quite a common thing that some gifted Christians do lose sight of the purpose of spiritual gifts and translate their gifts into glory-seeking and gains-making instruments, leading to their shame and their fall. If at any point you forget what spiritual gifts are meant for, read the Gospels to learn of how Jesus utilized His spiritual gifts to win souls and make the people experience the love and the power of God. Once Jesus said
“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28)
Any time you use spiritual gifts to do a ministration such as healing, casting out demons, etc. you make the beneficiaries experience the love and the power of God and they feel that God has visited them. Most often such an experience results in faith and devotion to God, not only from the beneficiaries but also from their relatives and other witnesses. Spiritual gifts are powerful tools for winning the unbeliever for Christ Jesus. Moreover, they are neither meant for pride nor for making selfish gains; hence Jesus said, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8).
Conclusion
Jesus once said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21)” How many believers have read this verse of Scripture before? What do you make of it? Jesus says He has sent you; do you feel that you have been sent? To whom have you been sent? Every disciple has been sent to the unbeliever to disciple him for Christ Jesus. Many Christians do not still realize how great the value of winning a soul is. In brief, when you win a soul, you have given him a place in the eternal life of bliss with God and you have saved him from the untold realities of hell’s trauma. No man can ever repay you for your services of soul-winning; it takes God Himself to repay you. Consider soul-winning to be something to be proud of.
Visitation, invitation, leading a holy life, preaching the word, and ministering with spiritual gifts have been the age-old strategies that Jesus used to excel in soul-winning. We are not far from telling our success stories in soul-winning if we should stick to these strategies.