Soul-winning (evangelism) is a crucial part of Christian living and requires Godly wisdom from the Holy spirit. We all have that one friend who is kind, well mannered and has a good heart but does not believe in Jesus because they “don’t do religion’ or do not believe in the existence of God. Or that friend who goes to church out of tradition because she was brought up to always attend church on Sunday mornings but does not have a personal relationship with God.
As Christians, we have been charged with the mandate and mission of soul winning; to make Jesus known. Hence, we have an essential duty to evangelize, witness and help people enter into a close relationship with Jesus so that they can enjoy eternal life.
If more Christians could understand what is at risk and the battle that the enemy has launched against the souls of men, then we would take soul-winning more seriously. We would also earnestly yearn for everyone that we know and even strangers to be saved from eternal condemnation and experience life eternal.
Here are a few practical ways you can win over an unbelieving friend or even family member:
Spark healthy conversations on faith
I think this is one of the best places to start. Ask about their fundamental faith beliefs, ask what they know about the Christian faith. Seek to understand the rationale behind their unbelief and listen patiently. Based on my personal experiences, while listening to unbelievers talk about their disbelief it is easy for us Christians to launch into debate mode in a bid to defend our faith and beliefs. Rather than launch into a debate on faith, the best thing to do is to just wait and listen attentively without rebuking them harshly. We must have these conversations in a loving manner rather than trying to shove Jesus and the gospel down the unbeliever’s throat.
Another way to further these conversations, is to give or gift them books, devotionals, christian literature and most importantly, the Bible.
Tell them the truth of the gospel
While this seems like an obvious thing to do, most people tend to get carried away and; muddle up the gospel with their opinions or personal doctrines. The gospel put simply is “good news” that Jesus is Lord, he died for the sins of mankind and resurrected from the dead; and that all those who believe in Christ have eternal life. We should never deviate from these essential principles.
One of my anchor scriptures for witnessing to people is John 3;16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
It is important that your “evangelism conversations” be centered on Christ, his death on the cross, his resurrection, the need for the unbeliever’s repentance from sin, eternal life, atonement, and justification.
Be persistent yet gentle
Speaking to someone who holds dear the beliefs that there is no God can be quite challenging and frustrating. However, no matter how challenging the evangelism task might be, we must continue to persist in your efforts to speak to unbelieving friends and family members about salvation in Christ Jesus.
In your persistence you must also be gentle so as not to become a pest; be careful not to turn every single topic of discussion into an avenue for evangelism. Asides from being concerned about their beliefs in Christ or the lack thereof, be genuinely interested in their general wellbeing. Be sensitive and respectful in your approach, but most importantly have it at the back of your mind that your words are seeds that might not even bear fruits immediately but in the future.
Pray for them
The power of prayer can and should never be underestimated in the quest for soul winning. If you are believing for anyone (friend, coworker, family member) to be saved and come to the knowledge of Christ, you should pray for them. Not just once; but always without relenting as the bible says that the fervent prayers of the righteous man availeth much. Intercede on their behalf and ask God to reveal himself to them in a way that’ll capture their hearts so that they can have personal encounters that make Jesus so real to them that they can’t deny or look back.
Time and time again, there have been stories of people accepting Christ as their Lord after living their lives in utter darkness just because they had a loved one who had been praying fervently for their salvation. One of the best ways to lead someone to Christ is to pray for them and with them.
John 14:13 says “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”. Go ahead and pray for that loved one’s salvation, pray fervently for that wife, that brother, that in-law, that friend to be saved; engage in spiritual warfare to ensure that their souls are saved from damnation.
Asides from praying for the salvation of unbelieving friends, you should also pray and ask the Holy spirit for wisdom on how best to reach out to them.
Model Christ to them and live an exemplary life
We have heard unbelievers say things like “if this how Christians behave then I don’t want to be a Christian” because they witnessed a so-called Christian acting cruel or immoral. One of the best ways to win over an unsaved friend is to win them over by our conduct and way of life.
The goal is to live a holy life and walk in the love of Christ in a way that challenges unbelievers and ignite in them a burning desire to know the Saviour.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35)
You won’t be perfect in all your ways but even in your mistakes and missteps, you would exude humility and grace. Everything about you should depict holiness, your speech, mode of dress, character, conduct, work ethics and so on.
1 peter 3:1 talks about wives winning over their unbelieving husbands who “may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives”. This principle, however, does not only work with husbands and wives but also with friends and other family members.
After you have been able to win someone to Christ by the grace of God, don’t just leave them thinking your work is done, help them as they take the baby steps of faith, encourage them along the way knowing that they might make a few rookie mistakes.
In conclusion, we must understand that at the end of the day as much as we might try to make efforts to win someone over for Christ, it is God himself and his HolySpirit that can do the actual work of salvation and soul winning. We are only vessels and conduits. In John 6:44, Jesus says “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”