BE A SOULWINNER FOR CHRIST Sheryl T. Williams COPYRIGHT 2012. All rights reserved. Sheryl T. Williams P. O. Box 212776 Columbia, S. C. 29221 ALL SCRIPTURES ARE QUOTED FROM THE KING JAMES VERSION BIBLE 2 Hello Dear Reader I am Pastor Aaron B. Williams and I wanted to take this moment to share with you some things about my wife, Evangelist Sheryl T. Williams. If you read this book without knowing about her there is no way you would understand what she is writing. What you don’t know and can never get from the book is the kind of person she is. My wife is a small town southern girl who is extremely honest, sincere and believes in Jesus with all her heart. She is a person who, once she starts a project or task, does not quit until completion. I’ve seen her, several times, stay up almost all night typing papers until they are done. She is the same way when evangelizing. When she goes out, she does not stop until one-on-one she gets 30 or 40 people saved. She had a real bad day one day and only got nine saved! We went to a relative’s house one year for thanksgiving. After eating I was “knocked” out in the lazy boy lounge chair from eating more than my share of turkey. Sheryl picked up her Bible and got everyone in the house in a back room to have church. Sheryl ministered to the hearts of the people and got everyone in the house saved! A few hours later when I woke up she was sitting next to me and informed me that there was no one else left to get saved. I told her, there is the dog over there, go witness to him, get him saved… doesn’t the Bible say let everything that has breath, praise ye the Lord? I find there are two kinds of people. Those that talk and those that do. I have run across MANY intelligent, brilliant, talented, extremely knowledgeable Christian’s but 3 they don’t or won’t go out. My wife, on the other hand will never “WOW” you with her intellectual prowess. She is a straight shooter with no big words to impress you with but if you ever see her at work, it won’t be her intellectual capacity that captures your heart. What will capture and amaze you will be her great sincerity and fearlessness to approach ANYONE regardless of title, color, or station in life and ask them about “her Jesus!” When Sheryl is out to witness, if you bump into her, she’ll be sure to ask you, “Hey, excuse me, excuse me…I see you trying to get away from me, wait, “Are you born-again, do you know Jesus?” I just want to say to my sweet wife, “Go get’em Sheryl, Go get’em!!!” 4 Table of Contents Pages I. Hello Dear Reader.______________________________________ 3 II. Table of Contents._______________________________________ 5 III. Dedication.______________________________________________ 8 IV. Introduction.________________________________ 9 V. The Great Commission.________________________ 14 VI. The Godhead._______________________________ 18 VII. The Holy Spirit.______________________________ 20 VIII. God’s Glory.________________________________ 22 IX. God’s Favor & Grace._________________________ 24 X. Jesus Sent His Disciples by Two and Two._________ 25 XI. Techniques About Soul-winning. a. Your Partner.____________________________ 27 b. Biblical Literature.________________________ 33 5 Pages c. Contact Materials._______________________ 35 d. Before Going Out to Evangelize.____________ 37 XII. Witnessing Tools. a. The Holy Bible.__________________________ 40 b. Salvation Scriptures.______________________ 41 c. Your Personal Testimony.__________________ 43 d. The Roman Road. ________________________ 44 XIII. Another Way of Leading Someone to Christ.____________________________________ 51 a. Examples of What To Do To Win A Soul.___________________________________ 52 b. Witnessing to Teenagers.__________________ 58 c. Witnessing to Small Children._______________ 60 6 Pages XIV. The New Convert.______________________________ 62 XV. Warning To Women Going Out to Witness._________ 66 XVI. Warn People About Hell.________________________ 70 XVII. Contact Information.___________________________ 75 XVIII. About the Author._____________________________ 76 7 This book is dedicated to: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matt. 4:19 All reference texts are from the Authorized King James Version 8 Father God has been so good to me and by the power of the Holy Spirit, He has made me a powerful soul-winner. As I go out, one on one, as many as 40-80 people are saved. Seeing my abundant success, my husband asked me to write a book on how God uses me to lead so many people to Christ. This is what this book is all about, how he uses me to usher so many souls into the kingdom of God. First of all, I give all the credit to the Holy Spirit who dwells within me. I could not do what I do without the help of the Holy Spirit. In John 15:5, Jesus says in the last part of the scripture “….for without me ye can do nothing.” Soul-winner, when you go fishing, be prepared for all kinds of people and personalities you are going to meet. Everybody, is not going to want to hear the gospel message, and they will let you know. Some of the things they will say to you, “I don’t want to hear it,” move on,” I’m busy,” I got somewhere to go,” or I got something to do, ”I’m a Messianic Jew, and I don’t believe in women preachers,” or they will be rude, by walking away from you while you are talking. 9 Whatever the case may be, you have to be strong and take it. You cannot force people to listen to what you have to say. Remember, there are some souls you will win into the kingdom, and there are souls you won’t win. Thank God, for the souls you do win for Christ. When you run across people who act like this, tell the person to “Have a nice day,” and proceed on to the next person who wants to hear God’s message. The Bible instructs you what to do: Jesus said, in Matthew 10:14, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” Before 2003, my husband was winning souls for Christ. At that time, I had no experience in this area. I would go out with him and watch how he would preach and witness to people’s hearts about the gospel news of Jesus Christ, and lead people in the “Sinner’s Prayer” so they can get converted. As time went on, the Lord gave me a love in my heart for people’s souls, a thirst and a hunger to go out and win souls, and He put holy boldness in me to tell people the truth concerning 10 His holy Word. The summer of 2003, I started my journey alone in Crandall, Texas doing the work for the kingdom of God. From that time, until now, the Holy Spirit has won many souls for Christ. I am a willing vessel that the Holy Spirit works through so the work of Christ can be accomplished. The Lord instructed my husband in prayer, December 2009 to ordain me as an evangelist. In obedience to the Lord, my pastor ordained me in the office of Evangelist, January 9, 2010. Before moving to South Carolina in 2006, the Lord told me that He would send me places where no other person would want to go. In a dream, He showed me being in a place called a “wolves den,” where you find drug addicts, prostitutes, and drug dealers which He wanted me to minister to them the Word of God. He assured me that He would send an angel with a sword, which I saw, to protect me and that no hurt, harm, or danger would come to 11 me. The Lord showed me in a vision an angel standing with it’s hands on the front of the sword. The angel and the sword was an effulgence of light. The Lord did not permit me to see the angel’s face. I saw the angel from the torso down. After having that vision, I’m confident about going out to tell people about Jesus Christ. The Bible says, to go out and evangelize and witness by two’s. My husband’s work load does not permit him to be the pastor and evangelize with me. The Lord knows my need for a partner to evangelize with because my husband and “I” have lifted it up to Him in prayer. Now I’m standing in faith believing God that in His perfect timing, a good partner will come into manifestation. He knows exactly who He wants to put me with. Everything that you want and receive from God is by faith. Faith in knowing that He will do it for you. Your faith is the only thing that moves God. In Mark 11:22, Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” 12 To become a superior soul-winner for Christ you must have the following: 1. Be born-again. Filled with the Holy Ghost. 2. A love and compassion in your heart for people. 3. A thirst and hunger to go out and win souls. 4. Trust and depend totally on the Holy Spirit to help you. 5. Be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. 6. Be anointed by God. 7. A prayer warrior or intercessor. 8. A good listener. 9. A humble servant. 10.Be spiritually sensitive to the Holy Spirit. 11.Have holy boldness. 12.Show no fear. 13 The Great Commission Jesus instructed His disciples: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Jesus is not only saying this to the evangelists, but He is also speaking to the Body of Christ. Body of Christ, for the ones who are sleeping, it’s time for you to wake up now. For we are living the last book of the Holy Bible – the Book of Revelation, the 66th book. It is important for us to usher in as many souls for the kingdom of God before the door of the Gentiles is completely shut. Afterwards, no more Gentiles will be able to enter in because it will be opened for the Jewish nation to enter in. When Jesus was on the earth as God manifested in the flesh, as a child, He once stated to His mother and earthly father (Joseph): 14 “How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) If you are a disciple for Jesus Christ, the same thing should also apply to you, you must be about your Father’s business. It is important that many souls be ushered into the kingdom of God before it is too late. Whether you know it or not, there are some foreign countries right now where proselytizing (converting people) has been done away with (no one is allowed to do it.) The penalty for preaching the gospel in some of these countries is: being arrested, jailed, sent to a prison camp to do time, tortured, beaten, or even death for taking a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ. One day, in the United States, we will face the same hardships. If you are a soul-winner for Christ, one day you too will not be able to convert people to Jesus Christ anymore. You too may be arrested, put in jail, or sent to a prison camp for your 15 love, witness, and loyalty to Christ. Before that day comes to pass, you ought to say to yourself, I’m going out and win as many souls for Christ as I can, so when that day comes, you would have already accomplished the work that God called you to do. The Bible says in John 9:4: (Jesus said,) “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Jesus also says in Mark 13:10: “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.” The tactic of the enemy (Satan) is that the gospel news of Jesus Christ does not reach all nations because he doesn’t want souls to be won for the kingdom of God or the sinner’s eyes to be open to the truth. But he does want to take as many souls with him to the Lake of Fire 16 to burn for eternity because he already know his destiny. He and his imps are working overtime to cause people to reject Jesus Christ and the gospel message. Soul-winner, all the souls you win by the power of the Holy Spirit, your reward will be great in heaven. Jesus Christ, will reward you at the Judgement Seat of Christ with crowns for your soul-winning on the earth. 17 The Godhead In the Godhead, there is: God the Father or God Almighty = 1st person God the Son (Jesus), the Word = 2nd person God the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost = 3rd person One True God, with three distinct identities. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.” John 1:1 Jesus says in John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” God says in Acts 2:17, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:…” On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4 it says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…” 18 The Holy Ghost is God’s Spirit (see “my Spirit” Acts 2:17; and 2:4 filled with the Holy Ghost). When the Holy Ghost (anointing) comes down from heaven upon the believer in the Body of Christ, He gives the believer power to do God’s service on the earth. 19 The Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit is a person of the Godhead, and He’s not to be referred to as an “it.” The Holy Spirit’s function is: He works mightily through the believer. Some of the things that the Holy Spirit does for the believer: He keeps you, protects you, discipline, corrects, and chastises you, comforts you, helps you, brings all things back to your remembrance, and teaches you all things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, you will find listed all nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. In verses 4-7, it says, every gift is by the same Spirit. 4 “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” 5 “And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.” 6 “And there are diversities of operation, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” 20 7 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” He owns and operates every gift. He disperses His gifts to whom He wants to have them. He will give you a hunger and thirst in your heart to go out and win souls. 21 God’s Glory Soul-winner, when you go out to witness or preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, make sure you give all the glory and credit to the Lord. This is an area where some people mess up. You want the Lord and the Holy Spirit to continue to be with you when you go out soul-winning, and give you favor with Him and the people you are ministering to. He pours out His measure of grace upon you - giving you the ability to do what you cannot do in yourself, winning souls for the kingdom of God. Always give God the glory. Remember, you are just a willing vessel or instrument that He chooses to work through. In my experience, when I’m out witnessing I notice sometimes after I lead people in the “Sinner’s Prayer” the need to pray with them about their circumstances, situation, or for healing to be manifested in their body. Afterwards they thank me, and want to give me the credit. I usually correct the person in a nice way by saying to them, don’t 22 thank me, but thank Jesus for what He’s doing in your life, or I say to them that “Jesus loves you.” I do not want God’s glory because I know without a doubt in my heart, that it is by His Spirit I do these things. I always want God’s anointing, favor, and grace to be in my life. You will go a long way, when you give God all the glory. The Bible says in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” 23 God’s Favor & Grace When you go out to evangelize or witness to the hearts of the people about the good news of Jesus Christ, always ask Father God, in Jesus name, to give you favor with Him, the people you come in contact with each day, or people He leads you too, to minister. Also, in prayer, ask Him to pour out more grace upon your life. Ask Him to equip you with what you need to win souls for His kingdom. 24 Jesus Sent His Disciples by Two and Two In the Bible, Mark 6:7, Jesus told his disciples to go forth by two and two. 7 “And He called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits.” This is wisdom. When you go out to evangelize, it’s best to be coupled by two’s especially in the times we are living in today. You need to have a partner with you so you can have another set of eyes with you in case they see something you don’t see because you can’t see everything that’s going on around you especially when you are preaching the gospel. You need a partner with you to handle distractions and interruptions. Pray to the Father while you are ministering, bind up the enemy. Pray to keep 25 the enemy from doing what he wants to do, i.e., prevent the person you are witnessing too from saying “yes” to Jesus, and receiving Jesus in their heart as Lord & Savior. Another good reason for having a partner with you is just in case something happens such as danger or if your vehicle breaks down on the road or highway. If it concerns danger, your partner can call 911, or if the vehicle breaks down, your partner can call for help, road assistance, or a wrecker truck. Either way, you won’t be all alone. 26 TECHNIQUES ABOUT SOUL-WINNING Your Partner Pray and ask Father God in Jesus name to give you a partner that you can get along with, one who you are compatible with, one who is not fearful, one who knows something about the Word of God, and one who is a prayer warrior or intercessor. Ask God to let His perfect will be done in your life. In Jesus name. Amen. Make sure you have a partner who is not lazy. You don’t want someone who is just going to stand around while you are doing all the work. If your partner is not preaching or witnessing, they need to be watching out for interruptions or distractions from others, or people who are standing around that the enemy sends to distract. When something like this occurs, your partner should be praying under their breath, binding up the enemy, and asking Father God to send angels from the kingdom of God to stop the devils in their track from 27 operating or coming against the work of the kingdom. You as a partner, can also pray in the Spirit (speaking in an unknown tongue) under your breath while the other person is witnessing to the soul about Jesus. When you pray in the Spirit, you are speaking mysteries unto God. It is a communication that no one understands but God, unless He reveals the interpretation to you, or makes it known through someone else to reveal what He said to you. The devil don’t know what is being said in the spirit realm. Praying in the Spirit is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which the Holy Spirit owns and operates (1 Cor. 12:10.) It is truly a wonderful gift to have. If you don’t have the gift of speaking in tongues, and you desire it, all you have to do is ask Father God for it and He will bless you with it. Some people receive the gift immediately, while others receive it later, but be assured, you will receive the gift if you 28 ask Him. In my experience, I did not receive the gift of speaking in tongues immediately upon conversion, but asked and received it a few years later. Concerning which partner God wants to use to minister about Jesus, you have to have your spiritual antenna up, be spiritually sensitive, and be able to discern who God wants to use. God uses the one with the mantle or anointing on their life, or the one who is flowing in the Holy Ghost. If you notice your partner is being used by God, don’t try to interrupt or take over the conversation. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Step aside, and let your partner be led by the Spirit. If you are not ministering the Word of God, then your job would be to pray the person(s) being ministered too will be attentive, their ears and eyes be opened to receive the truth, the Holy Spirit will woo that person to God. Also, pray the Holy Spirit convicts that person’s heart of their evil 29 and wicked ways, the person will surrender (say yes) to God, and give their heart and life to Him. Also, the person will get born-again of the Spirit of God. Ask Father God to send angels and give His angels charge to stop Satan and his imps from causing any interruptions, distractions, or hindrances. Always remember to plead the “Blood of Jesus.” Partner, another thing you can do while the other partner is preaching, witnessing, or giving a personal testimony about how good God is, or what He has done for them in their life. You can have a supply of tracts on hand to pass out to people. If you are a person who is shy, you don’t feel comfortable preaching, or witnessing the gospel because you feel you don’t know enough of the Bible, or have the holy boldness to witness the gospel, hand out tracts to the people. This is another way to get the gospel message out to people. When the person read 30 them, the tract can minister to the person’s heart and get them converted (saved). Tracts are booklets with the gospel message written in it. Tracts can be anything from a single sheet of paper to a booklet. You will always find the “Sinner’s Prayer” at the back of the booklet for the person to say, if they want to give their life to Christ. If they repeat the prayer, it’s a done deal. They are now a child of the living God. Congratulations are in order, and the heavenly host is rejoicing in heaven over that soul. When passing out Bible tracts, always greet the person with a smile, extending your hand out to them with the tract. Let the person you are handing the tract to, know you want them to have it. They are very popular, and people really like to read them. My husband and I, when we go out to preach or witness, we always take some with us to pass out, or leave them at different places for people to take with them. Another thing I want to say is make sure 31 when you and your partner are out witnessing the gospel, that you keep all your opinions to yourself, and give the person you are preaching or witnessing to the Word of God. Always, have the Holy Bible with you (the Sword of the Spirit) as your back-up in case you have to prove what you say. Show the person, that is being ministered too , the holy scriptures. In that way, the person can see it in the Word of God for themselves which settles it. The person has to make up in their mind whether they believe the Word or not. When you show the person the Word, it hinders the devil (Satan) from whispering or talking to the person’s thought life, telling them you are lying or saying, “that’s just your opinion.” 32 Biblical Literature Think about investing or buying biblical materials to give out to new converts. You can save some money, put it aside, and use the money only for this purpose. Some of the materials are inexpensive. My husband orders a lot of materials sometimes in bulk, from “Chick” Publications, where you can get a discount usually if you buy them in bulk. We like for the new converts to have these materials so they will be better informed about their conversion to Christ. The Chick tracts that he gets, we give out to anyone. As far as Bibles, he usually purchase them from stores on sale. We mostly give out Bibles to new converts or people who don’t have a Bible. When I go out to evangelize or witness, I make sure to take a gift bag of “goodies” (items) with me. The bag consists of Chick tracts, salvation booklets, or books, and most important of all, my Holy Bible. One (Bible) is always kept in the dashboard of my 33 vehicle, and a small one is kept in my purse. You never know when you might have to pull it out and use it. The book(s) and booklet(s) you give out to the new convert on “salvation,” can explain in greater detail, or give revelation to them about what happened when they got saved. Reading those books can open up their understanding, and be another tool for tapping into the Word of God. The Bible in Hosea 3:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:…” 34 Contact Materials Give out contact information especially for new converts if they need to get in touch with you to ask you any questions. Maybe they may want you to pray for them, about a situation they may be going through. They may need for you to explain to them something they did not understand out of the book or booklet you gave them on “salvation.” Remember, they just got born-again. They are little lambs, who can only take the milk of the Word. Don’t try to give them “meat” in the beginning because it will only choke them. They have to grow up to maturity, before receiving the “meat” of the Word. Invest into buying business cards from a print shop with either your church information (name of church, address, phone #, pastor’s name, service times,) your own personal business cards with your information on them (name, address, phone #, title of 35 office you hold), or exchange your information on paper (name, phone #) and give it to the new convert and vice versa. Let them know how they can get in touch with you or you can get in touch with them. 36 Before Going Out to Evangelize What to Pray About Always pray first before going out to preach or witness. You want God’s blessings upon what you are doing. Some things you can ask God for in prayer in Jesus name: 1. To be with you, to lead, guide and direct you where He wants you to go. 2. To anoint the words that come forth out of your mouth. To protect you from all hurt, harm, and danger. To send an angel and give that angel charge over your life. 3. To cover you in the “Blood” of Jesus. To give you traveling mercies to your destination, and back from your destination, and to protect your vehicle. 4. To prepare the hearts of the people you preach or witness too, and for them to receive the gospel message. 37 5. To give you favor with people. That the Holy Spirit will “woo” or draw the person closer to Him, and cause that person to get born-again of His Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can draw a person to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Let Him know, you can’t do it without Him, that you need Him, and for Him to bring the holy scriptures back to your remembrance. In Jesus name, Amen. You might say, do I have to say all of that before going out. The things that were said, are only suggestions of what you can use in praying to the Father before going out. In these dangerous times we are now living in, you want to make sure you are covered in prayer whether you are evangelizing or not. Another thing I do before leaving out of the house to do the work of the Lord, is get my husband, to anoint me with oil (holy, blessed, 38 oil), and ask him to also pray over me. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will remind him to pray over me or remind me to get prayer before walking out the door. You need a covering of protection over your life before walking out the door, wherever you go. Jesus said: in Matthew 10:16, “ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” 39 Witnessing Tools The Holy Bible Some people feel uncomfortable going out to witness because they feel they don’t know enough about the Bible. They feel that a person should know the entire Holy Bible from Genesis to the Revelation, which is not true. It’s not necessary to know the entire Bible when witnessing to people. The most important thing is to give what you do know and get people born-again of God’s Spirit. You can only give a person what you know from the Bible. You can also depend upon the Holy Spirit, if you are a believer, and the Spirit of God dwells in you. That is His job to give you what to say to the person at that time because He knows exactly what He wants to say to that particular individual about “salvation.” 40 Salvation Scriptures Memorize some salvation scriptures, and know where to locate them in the Bible, in case you have to turn to them and show them to the person you are ministering too. At the front few pages of my Bible, is a page where I have a list of salvation scriptures. You can also use a concordance to locate scriptures, but you may have to use it the night before you go out to witness. You can also use the computer and go on the internet in Google to look up your scriptures. If you are using the concordance, you have to know some words in the scripture you are looking up, look it up by that particular word(s), scan the list of scriptures until you come across the one you want, and it will give you the name of the book in the Bible to turn to along with the chapter number for that book and the number where the scripture is. If you use the computer, do a Google search by typing some of the words of the scripture 41 text in the Google box, click the search button, and it will automatically bring up a list of all the scripture text, that fit what you are looking up, and pick the one you are looking for. Some examples of “salvation” scriptures are: Acts 16:31; Rom. 10: 9,10; John 3: 3, 5, 7; Luke 11:13, etc. 42 Your Personal Testimony Give your personal testimony for the glory of God. There may be something in your life that God has done for you which stands out and you want to tell the person you are witnessing too about it. You know God did it for you. It may be He gave you victory over something in your life, He brought you out of a struggle, He may have blessed you with something, He may have delivered you from a devastating situation, or He may have healed your body. Your powerful testimony about God can encourage the person’s heart because they may be going through something pretty rough at that time, and they may not know what to do about it, or who to call on. The testimony you give, can lift that person back up on their feet. Whatever the situation may be, God can deliver them from it and you want to give a “praise report” about it. When you tell of the goodness of God, it can touch the person’s heart you are witnessing too, and that person after hearing your report can say to themselves, “if God did it for them, surely, He can do something for me.” The Bible says, in Romans 2:11, “For there is no respect of persons with God.” 43 The Roman Road If you are a person who is not certain where all the salvation scriptures are in all several books of the Bible, there is another path you can take. You can use ONE book, the Book of Romans, to lead people to Christ. The scriptures used in Romans, are called “the Roman Road” because all the scriptures you will need to witness are found in Romans, which eliminates the need to flip back and forth between several books thereby, eliminating complexity and confusion. The “Roman Road” scriptures are as follows: you start with Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; 5:8; 6:23; 10:13; 10:9,10 to be used in that order when witnessing. Reading out loud and explaining to the potential convert the meaning of each scripture, after reading and explaining Romans 10: 9,10 you would lead them in the “sinner’s prayer.” I want to say a few words about what has come to be known as, “the sinner’s prayer.” Some Christians feel that just having a “sinner” say a quick prayer is most inadequate. They “feel” a “deep,” “spiritual experience” with tears and deep sorrow on the converts part is most necessary. They think a potential convert must show some kind of deep remorse and sorrow for all their sins, and 44 experience a great repentance experience and acknowledge Jesus as not only their Savior but also as their Lord, Redeemer, Healer, and everything else “deep” they can think of! Never-mind they didn’t get saved that way, after studying the Bible for two or three years, they now “see” and “understand” that just saying a simple prayer is inadequate!!! LOOK, God is at work in a sinner’s life. It is the Holy Spirit who is at work wooing and leading the sinner to Jesus Christ. Understand that the sinner’s prayer is just the FIRST step in a sinner’s long journey towards God the Father. After a person gets saved, now having the Holy Spirit on the inside, the Holy Ghost can do a greater work in the person’s life! You just forget what others think, and you continue to lead new converts in prayer asking Jesus Christ to save them! Another thing…(forgive me but this is a “hot button issue with me!”) The people criticizing that the sinner’s prayer is inadequate are not out there. All they’re doing is criticizing. They’re not out in the Father’s vineyard doing the work…you are! When my husband and I were in Dallas, Texas witnessing on the streets, the people would ask us “where are the Christians? The Jehovah Witnesses come, the 45 Mormons come, but where are the Christians. Of course, we knew others were out witnessing also but people we encountered would ask us, “where are the Christians…we don’t see them NO-MORE!!! Well, we know you are out there but as regards, the Christians who criticize you, let them criticize your use of the sinner’s prayer all they want but that’s ALL they can do. I’ve found, as a general rule, that the Christians who criticize also don’t come out to 5:30 a. m. prayer or all night prayer. They don’t hit the streets at no time to witness or go into the jails. They are not actually out there! All they do is explain, to whoever will listen to them, how they would do it!...So you let them TALK. You go right on and use the sinner’s prayer as a first step and don’t be moved by “the TALKERS!” You witness the best way you can after asking Jesus to help you. If it helps, use the “Roman Road” scriptures to help you lead people to Christ. REMEMBER to use the Scriptures IN THIS ORDER, 46 Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; 5:8; 6:23; 10:13; 10:9, 10; and then the sinners prayer! Here is an example of what you might say using some of these scriptures. Example: (Again, this is only a suggestion to give you the idea of what you might say.) You would walk right up to a person and say, HELLO, my name is (or “I’m”) (YOUR NAME,) I’ve got my Bible right here and I was wondering if I could pray for you…do you or anyone in your family need prayer? (They might say “I do,” or “not me but my husband sure needs prayer.”) If they don’t seem to want to respond say…”you mean everything in your family, is perfect, you have no needs? That will usually get a response because everybody needs something! Pray for them in Jesus name. Prayer helps to “break the ice,” and “warm” them up to you a bit and if it is a prayer that “touches” their heart, they will “perceive” that you seem to be 47 a “real Christian.” Believe me, they are checking you out. Quickly and immediately ask them, “may I show you this scripture…” Turn, in your Bible to Romans 3:10 and read Romans 3:10-12. Ask them something like this, “in general, would you say that you are a good person?” Most people will say “yes” because I’ve never robbed a bank, or stolen from anybody, or killed anybody…I know I’m not perfect but basically yeah, I’d say I’m a good person! (They’re starting to warm up to you because they haven’t shut you out…they’re talking!) You read Romans 3:10 again and say something like “yeah, most people do see themselves as “good,” but the Bible points out how God sees us. God’s word says that in themselves, there is none righteous, no not one. That all men are not good but sinners in need of salvation. The real point I want you to see is, men see themselves one way, but God see them quite differently. You would say “look at this” (you turn to the next Roman Road scripture, and read Romans 3:23.) God says, “for all have sinned, and come short…! We all sin and come short of what God expects!” 48 Look at this next scripture, (you would turn to Romans 5:12 and read it out loud.) “Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world…for that all have sinned.” Explain, the Bible says when Adam sinned, death and sin came upon all men and as a result all men sinned. ALL OF US…” But look at what the next verse says! You turn to Romans 5:8. You read it out loud, “But God! yes we were all made sinners when Adam sinned, “but God commendeth his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us!” Then say, “look, look, look.” (Read Romans 6:23.) Say, “the wages of sin is death but God gives us a free gift – we don’t have to die for our sins, because we can be saved from death and experience eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Keep going through all the other Roman Road scriptures ending with Romans 10:9, 10 asking the person if they would like to avoid hell and receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. If they say yes, (get down to business quickly. The Holy Ghost is working.) Say, please repeat this simple prayer after me. We’re going to ask Jesus to come into your life and save you. 49 Say, Father God, I have sinned against you. I ask you to forgive me of all my sins. Thank you Father. Dear Lord Jesus. I ask you to come into my heart and life and save me Lord Jesus. I ask you to save me and I receive you right now as my personal Savior and Lord. Thank you Jesus. Amen. I’M SAVED!!! 50 Another way of Leading Someone To Christ Listed are some examples you can use: a. Smile, and introduce yourself to the person(s) you are getting ready to minister too. b. Ask the person “is there anything in your life you need prayer about; I’d like to pray for you or your family.” The Holy Spirit in Dallas, Texas led my husband to do this to “break the ice,” and get the conversation started on a positive note. c. Then, strike up a general conversation with the person. Usually, when you talk with a person, the negative tends to come out first, they will usually flood you with their problems usually focusing on themselves. But, be a good listener, because that person may need to vent out their problems to you. The best solution to their problem is for you to give them spiritual advice from the Word of God, or ask the person can you pray for them about their situation. Afterwards, leave it alone, and go back ministering to that person about Jesus Christ. 51 Examples Of What To Do To Win A Soul Introduce yourself to the person(s), and ask them some questions. 1. “Can I talk with you about Jesus Christ?” If the person says yes, continue on. If the person says no, let them know, it was nice talking with them, and leave them with a Bible tract, move on to the next person that the Lord leads you to talk with. 2. “Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior?” 3. “Have you opened your mouth according to what the Bible says, in Romans 10: 9, 10 and have you asked Jesus to save you?” 4. “Have you asked God the Father for the Holy Spirit according to what Jesus says, in John 3: 3, 5, 7.” You must be born-again. 5. Quote the holy scriptures to them or show it to them from the Bible. 52 6. Tell people about Jesus, who He is, what He did for them on Calvary, that He rose again on the third day, and let people know He is alive today. 7. You can tell people about the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, and what part they play in the believer’s life. 8. Tell people your personal testimony, how God delivered you out of a particular situation or circumstance in your life, what He has done for you, and how He has blessed you. 9. Soul-winner, tell and warn people about “Hell,” especially people who reject Christ, or backsliders. This is very important. You have to let people know where they will spend eternity for rejecting Jesus Christ. For example: if the Lord gave you a dream or vision about hell, then tell it. Most important of all, show them what Jesus says, in the Bible about hell. 53 10. After witnessing to the person(s) heart about Jesus: a. Ask the person(s) would they like for you to lead them in prayer to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior? b. Lead the person(s) in the “Sinner’s Prayer.” Let the person(s) repeat the prayer after you. Make sure when you are leading them in prayer they REPENT of all their sins. 54 One Example of “The Sinner’s Prayer “Father God, in Jesus name, I confess that I’m a sinner. I repent of my sins. I ask you to forgive me. Lord Jesus, save me. I believe you died for me, rose again on the third day, and you are alive today. Father God, I want to be born-again of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus for saving me. Amen.” 11. Let the new convert know they need to be water baptized. Among other things, baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, let the new convert know to pray to Father God, and ask Him to lead them to a Bible-believing church. Instruct them, to let the pastor know, they want to be water baptized! Make sure you leave the new convert with a church card, your business card, or exchange papers with your name and phone number information, just in case they need to get in touch with you or you want to call and check on them from 55 time to time. Tell them to start reading the Bible, the Gospel of John in the New Testament, and for them to ask the Father to teach them how to pray. After leaving the person (s), remember soul-winner, in your prayer time to continue to lift that person up in prayer, because they, the new convert (s) are babes in Christ, and they need your continued prayers. 12. You may have to lead a backslider back to Christ. They are people who in their life, turned their back on Him, may be running from Him, or at one time belong to Him but changed their mind and now don’t want anything to do with Him. Once you find out whether the person is in back-slidden condition, let them know, God loves them, and wants them to come back to Him. If they decide, after your witness to come back to the Lord, let the person know to repeat after you the prayer of re-dedication. 56 Example of A Prayer of Rededication Father God, in Jesus name, I confess, I’m a backslider. Sincerely, I repent of all my sins knowingly and unknowingly. I ask you to forgive me for backsliding. I’m sorry for turning my back on you but I want to change that right now! I want to rededicate my life back to you. Please take me back! Thank you for your amazing grace and everlasting mercy. Thank you God… Thank you, in Jesus name. Amen. 57 Witnessing to Teenagers First, ask the parent or guardian of the teenager, for their permission to minister to their child, if present. It’s the respect you give towards a parent because they are responsible for the teenager’s well-being. Try not to witness or minister to the children, or teenager’s for long periods of time, or minister to them the way you would minister to an adult. Ask the teenager, have they ever heard of the man called Jesus? Tell the teenager something about Jesus – who He is, what He’s done for them, how He rose again, and that He is alive today. The Bible says, He sits on the right side of God the Father on the heavenly throne. After witnessing to their hearts about Jesus, ask them can you lead them in prayer to receive Jesus as Lord & Savior. Ask the teenager to repeat the “Sinner’s Prayer” after you, by saying, for example: 58 Example of the Sinner’s Prayer “Father God, in the name of Jesus, I now turn away from, and ask you to forgive me of all my sins. I also ask you for your precious gift of the Holy Spirit. Lord Jesus, I ask you to save me and fill me with the Holy Ghost! Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord. Amen.” 59 Witnessing to Small Children Ages 3-8 Years If present, ask permission from the parent or guardian, if you can minister to their child. If they give you the OK, start ministering to the little one letting them know: “Right now, you may not understand all I’m going to say to you about Jesus, but in time He will give you understanding concerning Him.” Ask the child have they ever heard the name of Jesus. Most of the time they will either reply by saying, “yeah” or “no,” or nod their head to the question. Ask the child, to repeat what you say, and lead them in prayer. Say to the child, “JESUS, SAVE ME.” Amen. The ones that can say JESUS and nothing else, ask the parent or guardian’s permission again, if you can pray over the child. If they okay your request, pray over the little one by saying something like this: 60 “Father God, in Jesus name, remember this child. When they reach an age of accountability where they can understand the gospel, send laborers in the harvest to witness to their heart about Jesus. Please prepare their heart for the gospel message, and cause them to get born-again of your Spirit, in Jesus name. Amen.” 61 The New Convert Tell the new convert: “There are a lot of things you are not going to know and understand in the beginning, but as time goes on or you start to grow spiritually in the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will open up things in your heart about Him (He will teach you about Jesus.)” Don’t get discourage or be in despair because you are not catching on to things quickly. Take it, one day at a time. The Lord knows about you and the exact timing when He wants to grow you up in Him. As far as your behavior habits, whether it may be for example (smoking, alcohol, drugs, prostitution, drug dealer, pornography) or any other things you need to be delivered from, that is the Lord Jesus department. Only He can deliver you, and make you more Christ-like. You cannot change yourself because you don’t have the power in yourself to do it, but He can. He is a professional in this area and He specializes in it. Be patient, and wait on the Lord, asking Him to change you. 62 If it happens, that you do something wrong, or you just happen to do something before the Lord that you know He’s not pleased with, or you said something or did something you had no business doing, the Bible tells us to REPENT about it. That means to turn away from and forsake that sin. 1 John 1:9, says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” You have to believe God and His holy Word, so the devil can’t come along and whisper in your thought life or deceive you by bringing condemnation upon you about everything wrong you are doing. The devil loves to play a record constantly in your mind. Some things he will say in your thought life is: “you are not worthy, you can’t make it, you can’t do it, that’s too complicated, you are stupid, you are old, you don’t have enough education, you are never going to be anybody, you’re never going to get out of your situation, no one loves you, you don’t have enough money, why don’t you give up, you really messed 63 up this time, and one of his favorites is: “why don’t you end it all.” He will constantly bombard the mind with the negative. The remedy to this situation is to get rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and to guard your mind and heart by renewing your mind with the Word of God (Romans 12:2.) Tell the new convert, “you must separate yourself from the world, and the things of the world that would influence you and your thinking. Also, separate yourself from people who are not in your best interest, or people who don’t love God or serve Him. When you got saved, Father God translated you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.” The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” In other words, go to church and don’t stop 64 going to church! Find some friends in the Lord, who can help you, pray for you, care for you, and be concerned about you and your well-being. “May God bless you and keep you, is my prayer.” 65 Warning To Women, Going Out to Witness Please be careful of your surroundings, when going out to witness. Women, I suggest you do it the way the Bible tells you, go out two by two. If you feel better grouped off, then wherever your destination is, I still suggest you break off in two’s. My reason for this is, you don’t need a group of soul-winners talking to one person about Jesus. It might make the person you are witnessing to feel uncomfortable, seeing so many people around them. It can also make the person feel afraid, and cause them not to want to hear what you have to say. Women, when you are witnessing, please do not go into houses especially where men are gathered. Witness to men only outside of the house, on the front porch or in the yard. You will be putting yourself at risk or in danger going into a house full of men to witness. This warning is for your safety and protection (you want to always be where people are, and where ongoing traffic can see you.) With the technology being 66 so advanced today, if something happens, out in the light, someone will call and report it to emergency 911. Women, you have to use wisdom. An example of a true story my husband told me: A young Christian woman who wanted to win souls for Christ went to a house to witness alone. She was a babe in Christ. When she entered the house, there was a woman she started to witness too. Somewhere, in the conversation, the woman she was witnessing too, let her know that she didn’t have any food in the house, and she was hungry. The Christian lady, out of compassion, let the woman know that she would be back and that she was going to get her some food. When the Christian lady arrived back at the house and knocked on the door, there was a house full of men. The young Christian woman, not using wisdom, went in to deliver the food. The men grabbed her. 67 If anyone asks you to come into their house, I would suggest you tell them in a nice way “no thank you, my church or my church leader told me “I’m not allowed to go into anyone’s house.” They will understand that much better, as opposed to just saying, “No.” If you just say “no” to the person, it might offend them. You will be surprised. If you are going house to house witnessing, before you and your partner get out of the car, make sure you write the address down on paper, where you are, in case of emergency. Anything could happen, or come up such as: one of your family members, or partner’s family members, might be trying to get in touch with you by cell phone because they need to ask you something, or want to know where you are, or need to tell you to come home because of an emergency. It is very important, to always know where you are. Also, pick out familiar landmarks near the address where you are, especially if it is your first time ever going there, just in case a family member might 68 want to know your location, you will know what to tell them. Last thing, remember, to carry your cell phone with you at all times because you need it for communication. If you don’t own a cell phone, I would advise you to invest in one. Ask your partner, if they have one. 69 Warn People About Hell People need to know where they will spend eternity, if they reject the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, somehow, some of our churches, have gotten off this subject of Satan, devils, and hell. I thank God for the pastors, ministers, and other leadership that preach or teach about it. Leadership, we cannot just pick certain parts of the Bible to talk about, or just hear what we want to hear, but the Bible says, to preach the whole counsel of God. The devils, Satan, and hell are a part of the “whole counsel of God.” The devils, Satan, and hell are in the Bible, and they are important to understand in the Holy Bible. If Jesus warned people in His day about hell, and He is our example, guess what, the disciples of Jesus Christ, should follow Him and do the same. Jesus wants people to know that hell is real, that it exists, and devils are real, and they will torment you for eternity day and night if you choose to go there. Jesus gives 70 everyone a “freewill” to choose where they want to spend eternity, with Him, or in the “Lake of Fire.” Jesus does not want to see anyone go to hell, but if they choose to go there, He will give them what they want. In the Bible, Jesus talks about hell: He says, a. Hell is a place of torment (Luke 16:23-25, 28). b. where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:43-48). c. there is fire and brimstone in hell (Rev. 21:8). d. there shall be weeping or wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). e. to be cast into everlasting fire or hell fire (Matt. 18:8-9). If you are witnessing to a person and they do not want to accept Jesus Christ through your witness, ask the person can you show them something in the Bible Jesus said. Take them to one or two of the above scriptures you remember. Also, take them to the story about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). The person will need to see what Jesus said in the Word for themselves so they won’t think it is your 71 opinion, or something you made up. I have found in my witnessing too some people who rejected Jesus, that after I tell them of the vision(s) the Holy Spirit gave me about Hell or show them what the Bible says about Hell, the person usually change their mind, and receive Jesus. Some people will think you are putting fear in the person’s heart, but it’s not about what people think, it is important that you give the person the truth, and do it God’s way. Prior to them accepting Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working on that individuals heart. You will have those who reject Jesus, but the ones who do, let them know, that you will include them in your prayers. Even though, they didn’t come in, remember, the gospel seed was planted. Afterwards, if the person continuously keeps rejecting Jesus, they will have to stand before God at the “Great White Throne” judgment and account for their sin. The most important thing for you to know is, you tried, and you did your part. In my years of witnessing, I have 72 had people reject Jesus. I have also run across three people who told me to my face, they wanted to go to hell and meant it. My response to them, was, God will give you exactly what you want if you don’t change your mind about Him. Again, I want to reemphasize, if the person you are witnessing too, rejects Jesus Christ, bid that person farewell, and move on to the next person. You will find, when you witness that everyone is not going to accept Christ on the first try. You would like for them too, but some will not come to Him. When that happens, soul-winner, don’t get upset and bent all out of shape. Don’t let it upset you because you didn’t win that particular soul to Christ. Move on, and find someone else to witness too, who wants to hear your witness, testimony, or 73 what you have to say about Jesus Christ. Plant the seed, and watch the Holy Spirit water it, and God will give the increase. Remember, the soul you did not win, the Holy Spirit will send another witness to that person. Before I got saved in 1982, the Lord sent a woman that I knew to witness to my heart about Him, and I rejected Him because I was not ready. It was the second time, that I said “yes” to Him after my mother died. Soul-winner, all you can do is obey God, do what He has called you to do which is: spread the gospel message, tell the truth about the Word, point the person to Jesus, and let them know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and that He is the only way to heaven! Amen. 74 Contact Information: Sheryl T. Williams P. O. Box 212776 Columbia, S. C. 29221 (469) 474-1323 cell 75 About the Author Sheryl T. Williams, was born in Durham, North Carolina. She received Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior at the age of 24 and comes from a “holiness” background. Prior to 1995, the Holy Spirit began to permit Sheryl to “See” into the spiritual realms. In addition, God communicates with her in visions and dreams. Sheryl, is a graduate of RHEMA Correspondence Bible School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Class of 2003. She is a licensed, ordained Evangelist assisting her husband in the ministry. She is an extraordinary, fruitful, “soul-winner” leading many to Christ. She resides with her husband in Columbia, South Carolina. 76