What it Takes to Become a Soul Winner (Romans 1:14-17), Part 2

¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:14-17)

In our last sermon, we observed that Jesus wants every Christian to be a soul winner. Sharing Jesus with others is part of our “job description.” As we studied Romans 1:14-17, we learned that in order to become a soul-winner, there are three indispensable elements:

1. You must have a burden for the lost;
2. You must be bold in sharing Christ; and
3. You must have a Biblical based belief about what it takes to become righteous in God’s eyes.

As we thought about being bold in sharing Christ, I observed that the only way to get past personal barriers such as fear, timidity, and not knowing what to say, is to do what Paul did. He equipped himself to know how to share Christ. In like manner, we must equip ourselves to know to talk to others about Jesus.

In this message, I wish to focus on learning how to share Christ with others. There are many methods, but here is the method I use. I practiced saying these truths before a mirror and with family members before I risked it with strangers.

When I finally tried it with people I did not know, I found the Holy Spirit actively helping me and opening hearts of those with whom I dared to share.

Pray that God will make you sensitive to His appointments for you with others. If you get the chance to talk individually to a person, why not do the following:

Ask: “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

Leading Question: “If this were to be the day that you would stand before God to give account of everything you have done in this life, do you have the assurance that He would welcome you into Heaven?”
[Listen to the response. Whatever the response, you can ask this next question.]

Second Question: “Has anyone ever showed you from the Bible [while you say this, reach for your pocket New Testament and pull it out] how you can know for sure that He would welcome you into heaven?”
[Listen to the response. No matter what the person says, you can proceed to the next step.]

1. If he/she answers, “No,” say, “May I share with you just five Scriptures that explain how to know for sure? It will only take a couple minutes of your time?” [Smile].
2. If he/she answers that he/she already knows, say, “Great! Would you mind if I just shared five short Scriptures with you by way of review? It’s really great to know what the Bible says, isn’t it?” [Smile and nod your head].

Scripture Number One

Romans 3:23, ”For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

[Open to it; do not quote it. Let him or her see it as you read and watch as your index finger points out the place you are reading.]

1. “Bill (or Mr. Smith), this verse says that everyone has sinned. Do you think that you have ever sinned?” [Wait for the response. Usually most people will say, “Oh, I know that I have sinned.” If the person is not sure, show him or her what the Bible says sin is. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). Explain the law is God’s Word as contained in the Bible. Name a couple of the Ten Commandments, such as “Thou shalt not lie” or “Thou shalt not steal.” Then ask again if he has ever sinned. When he admits to sinning, proceed as below.]
2. “You know, Bill, it is very important to know and to admit that you have sinned. Let me show you the second Scripture.”

Scripture Number Two

Romans 6:23, ”For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

[Open to the passage; do not quote it. Let the person see it as you read it and watch as your index finger points out the place you are reading. Then proceed.]

1. “Bill, this verse says that the wages of sin is death.”
2. “Wages are something we earn. Every time a person sins, he is getting credit for what he is doing. The credit is in the form of wages.”
3. “According to this verse, Bill, our sins are earning us the wage of death. And did you know that the death mentioned here is not just physical death? Everyone dies physically, even the most holy person.”
4. “The death mentioned here is spiritual death which is separation from a personal relationship with God now in this life and eternal separation from Him after death.” [Do not pause here. Continue immediately.]
5. “But, Bill, notice what it says here. [Point to it.] God does not want us to be separated from Him. Instead, He is offering us a gift. The gift is eternal life, which is through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
6. “Bill, eternal life is defined in Scripture in terms of having a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. God wants to enter into a personal relationship with you. [Show him/her John 17:3 if he/she wishes to see this definition. Otherwise proceed with the next statements].
7. “This is the gift He wants to give us. But, Bill, we have the choice to either accept or reject a gift.” [Give an example.] “If I were to offer you this Bible, you could either accept it or say, ‘No, thank you.’ Right?”
8. “It is the same way with this gift of a personal relationship that God is offering through His Son, Jesus. You can say, ‘Yes,’ and accept it, or you can say, ’No,’ to God, and reject it. Now let me show you the third Scripture.”

Scripture Number Three

Romans 5:8. “But God commendeth [demonstrated] his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

[Open to it; do not quote it. Let him/her see it as you read it and watch as your index finger points out the place you are reading.]

1. “Bill, God loves you so much that He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins. On the basis of what Jesus did for you by dying for your sins, God is offering you the gift of eternal life.
2. “Let me show you what is necessary in order to accept this gift of eternal life.”

Scripture Number Four

Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

[Open to it; do not quote it. Let him/her see it as you read it and watch as your index finger points out the place you are reading]

1. “Bill, wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that every sin that you have ever committed would be blotted out by God, never to be remembered again?” [Smile, and slightly nod your head. Wait for response].
2. “Here is how it happens. We must repent of our sins.”
3. “To repent means to be sorry for your sins and with God’s help to stop doing what you know is wrong.”
4. “Repentance is much more than just saying, ‘Please forgive me of my sins,’ and then going right back the next day and doing them again.” [Give an example: “Suppose someone were trying to steal your hub
   caps”—you can substitute any item relevant to the person to whom you are talking—”and you catch them. The offender says, “I’m sorry. Please don’t call the police. I won’t ever do it again.” So you have mercy on him and let him go. But what would you think if you caught him the next night doing the same thing? Would you believe that he had really repented?” Wait for a response.]
5. “Repentance toward God is the same way. You must purpose in your heart and mind that with God’s help you will stop doing what you know is wrong. Now let me show you our last verse.”

Scripture Number Five

Rev. 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

[Open to it; do not quote it. Let him/her see it as you read it and watch as your index finger points out the place you are reading.]

1. “Bill, Jesus is knocking on your heart’s door, and He wants you to open the door and let Him in. But, Bill, the door knob is on the inside. Only you can open the door. He is a gentleman and will not come in unless you open the door and invite Him in.”
2. “Bill, if you really wanted to, is there anything in your life that would keep you from opening the door of your heart and inviting Him in?” [Wait for response. If his response is “Yes,” ask if there is anything you could do to help him to be able to open the door. Ask carefully, “Is it something I could help you with? Maybe something in the Bible you don’t understand that is keeping you from opening the door?” If the response is “No,” continue to step 3.]
3. “That’s tremendous, Bill. Would you like to open the door to Jesus right now?”
   [Wait for response. If it is “No,” thank him for letting you share the Bible that lets him know for sure how God would welcome him into Heaven. Invite him to church. Ask if you could come back sometime in the future and visit with him again. Smile, and leave graciously. If the response is “Yes,” continue to step 4.]