SOUL-winning is not a joke. It is serious business. It is warfare and you must prepare yourself adequately before you engage in it, whether targeting an individual or as a corporate initiative.
By Phillip Chidavaenzi
The very moment you decide to win people for Christ, you have set yourself up against demonic powers because the devil’s plan is to ensure that no one is saved.
Perhaps there are certain people that you have targeted to minister to. What do you do? Pray. Intercede for them. Present your case before the Lord. God is saying plead your case before the courts of heaven (Isaiah 1:18).
So you argue in your prayer room from the premise that it is God’s desire for every soul to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:1 (KJV), “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks be made for all men…”
Paul here is talking about persistent, ongoing prayers. Why should we do this? Why should we intercede for others? He then explains to us why this is important. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (KJV), “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; [4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
So the desire of God’s heart is for everyone to receive salvation, and to catch the revelation (knowledge) of the truth. Salvation is centred on acquiring “ginosko” (revelation knowledge), which leads to a relationship with the truth. What –– or rather, who –– is truth? John 14:6 (NASB), “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’.”
So, Jesus is the truth and as believers, we are duty-bound to help all those around us come to the knowledge of the truth. If it is God’s will for all men to be saved, it means it breaks His heart if we don’t fulfil this assignment.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Why is it important to pray along these lines? This is so that you can connect with the Holy Spirit so He can instruct you when the time is ripe for you to approach that person who has been on your heart for a long time.
But if you ignore the unction, you let down God. And you will account for your negligence on the day of judgement. Ezekiel 3:17-18 (KJV), “Son [daughter] of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give warning for me. when I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require from thine hand.”
God has made you a watchman over your family, neighbourhood, workmates, colleagues etc. Can you imagine that day, when you stand before the judgement seat of Christ, and He asks you: “My child, where is that neighbour of yours? They should have been here in heaven, but they are not, because you never told them about me. You are responsible for their damnation.”
Our faith is a partnership with God. You can’t win people to Christ alone. You need the Holy Spirit. So when you are intervening for someone’s salvation –– even if it’s going to take months or years for them to finally yield themselves –– it is not you, but the Holy Spirit, who is going to convict them. John 16:7-8 (KJV), “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement . . .”
This means as the Holy Spirit leads you, he enables you to persuade someone to accept Christ by presenting reasons.
l Phillip Chidavaenzi is the author of The Gospel of Grace: From the Old to the New Testament (2016) and Walking in the Spirit (2017). He can be contacted on [email protected]
