Churchsermon.org: Soul-Winning Manual, Lesson 6 of 7

SOUL-WINNING

LESSON 6 of 7
"PERFECT WHAT YOU HAVE--ESPECIALLY THE CLOSE"
(Hebrews 6:1: "...let us go on unto perfection...")

INTRODUCTION: The curse of modern day Christianity is mediocrity! Most children of God are satisfied with just getting by--just half-doing a job. The Bible commands in Hebrews 6:1 to "go on unto perfection..." This command needs to be heeded. Thus consider the principle in our final lesson: perfect what you have, especially the close
THE BIBLE TEACHES CHRISTIANS TO GO ON TO PERFECTION (OR MATURITY)
- The Bible was written so children of God could be perfected. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is given ... That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly (completely) furnished unto all good works."
- Pastors and evangelists were given to perfect the Saints (those saved). The Bible states in Ephesians 4:11-12, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"
- Children of God are commanded to be perfect
  - Matthew 5:48: Says Jesus, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
  - Bear in mind the word perfect means "to become mature or fully developed"--a growth into maturity of Godliness. It does not mean sinless perfection
- The Bible promises that the child of God can grow into perfection
  - 1 Peter 5:10: "...after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
  - God's method of perfecting the Saints is through tests (i.e., how you handle compromising situations in the world, your weaknesses). This is what God means by, "after that ye have suffered a while..."
- The Christian is commanded to leave off playing church and go on to perfection
  - Hebrews 6:1: "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;"
  - Hebrews 6:3: The children of God will play Church, if God permits
  - Hebrews 5:12: The children of God will regress in growth, if God permits: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."
  - The pastors are charged with keeping their members from regressing:
    - Charged with developing members
    - Hebrews 13:17: Must answer for the members' welfare
- Becoming perfect was Paul's greatest desire
  - Philippians 3:12-14: Paul said he would give up everything to be like Christ. He said that he would press on "toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
  - 1 Timothy 1:16: Paul is our example. He asked for something very important: not riches, not a comfortable, easy life, but "for this cause I obtained mercy..."
PERFECT WHAT YOU HAVE
- In this soul-winning course, we have gone over many important principles which we should continue working with until we have perfected them
- Perfect the fact you are a "fisher of men"
  - Use the type of bait the fish like
  - Control the conversation by practicing questions which will keep them talking about things in which they are interested:
    - S: Self-interest ... their family, hobbies, etc.
    - O: Occupation ... student, homemaker, etc.
    - S: Soul-winning effort ... religious background
- Perfect the fact you are to train other soul-winners
  - 2 Timothy 2:2; 1 Peter 3:15: This means you are to master the principles
  - Acts 20:20: This means your visitation outreach should be one complete process of training. Show them by doing--teaching in the public service and from house to house
- Perfect the fact you are to walk by faith
  - This means you are to harmonize your practice with your theology. Do not fuss at people who quote the verse, "the just shall walk by sight or feeling."
  - Psalm 126:5-6: Your business is to go. God's business is to bless. He promised if you go, He will bless
  - Ecclesiastes 11:4: Do not look at circumstances or weather, JUST GO!
  - Submit yourself to the pastor to be trained. That is, walk by faith, with fear and trembling until you are a consistent soul-winner-trainer
- Perfect the fact that you know the source of your fear
  - 1 Peter 5:8: The devil will roar at you to scare you out of witnessing. Watch for this attack.
  - James 4:7: He will insult your manhood; embarrass you by intimidating you into becoming a coward. Resist him and he will flee from you.
  - Ephesians 6:16: He will shoot dirty thoughts into your mind, tear down your self-image, enlarge your inferiority complex by making you think thoughts of fear, doubt, unworthiness and lust. Quench them by having faith in God's Word.
  - 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: He will build up impossible situations in your imagination. Bring every thought into captivity (that is, control your thinking). Believe the Bible instead of the devil's lies which he shoots into your mind.
- Perfect the art of making the proper approach
  - Think of something funny before you knock
  - Think "you are the luckiest person in the world--one of God's servants has come to bless you and your house today."
  - Claim the presence and power of the Holy Spirit
  - Go right into the "five approach questions" (see Lesson 7)
- Perfect the "shooing away of the birds"
  - Use the conversational method of witnessing
  - Use the prospect's name often
  - Ask him/her questions which will keep his mind centered on your soul-talk
  - Use gestures to aid his attention
- Perfect the method of avoiding questions and illustration of spiritual truth
  - When he asks you a question, smile and say, "That is an interesting question. In a little while we will come back to that if you will remind me. But did you notice--look right here..." Then take them right back to the point.
  - They cannot see, perceive or understand spiritual things (John 3:3). The natural man has no spiritual discernment so we must use the method Jesus used of illustrating spiritual truth with physical objects so perfect the illustrations in the soul-talk. This will enhance your chances of getting a genuine conversion instead of a decision.
- Perfect the fact that you go right into the close by asking him to pray
  - Do not look at or become intimidated by his facial expressions
  - Let him make his own decision by praying with him and asking him to take your hand if he will accept Christ as his Savior
PERFECT THE CLOSE
- The most vital time of the soul talk
  - Matthew 4:18-19: You are a fisher of men. Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
    - Luke 5:10: Jesus said, "Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men."
    - Whoever heard of a fisherman who just fed fish? A good fisherman studies the habits of fish in order to catch fish. That is the sole object of fishing--to catch fish.
    - The most vital time in catching fish is when they bite! A good fisherman gets the fish committed to the hook when he bites. He knows how to hook the fish, reel him in and get him safely on the stringer.
    - How is it some fishermen who fish for men are able to get more of them caught for Jesus than do others who fish for men? There are two main reasons why this is so. Most soul-winners or would-be soul-winners need to do serious consideration and work in two areas:
      - The opening of the soul-talk (approach questions) and
      - The close (which is the most vital of the two)
  - Master the close. One will get so involved in learning the approach questions and the Four Spiritual Principles that he will have a tendency to neglect the close. DO NOT OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF MASTERING THE CLOSE.
  - The soul-winner will reason within himself:
    - My job is to present the Word
    - I don't want to talk him into anything
    - I want to make sure that his decisions are really for the Lord
    - A burning building: you wouldn't reason within yourself that way if you were trying to rescue a small child from dying in a burning building, would you? The normal reaction would be to go right into the building if you thought you could save the child. This is what Jude said about saving a person from the eternal fire of hell: "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire..." (Jude 1:23)
    - Paul talked them into it: "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men..." (2 Corinthians 5:11) Paul almost persuaded King Agrippa to be saved. The king uttered the heartbreaking words which doomed him to eternal hell in Acts 26:28: "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
      - Luke 16:20-31: Likewise the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus and how Lazarus suffered on earth but was comforted in Heaven while the rich man enjoyed earth and is now in hell
  - Negative feedback: if Paul persuaded men and Jude said to snatch (rescue) them, then where did this negative feedback originate? Where does it come from? THE DEVIL. The devil shoots these negative thoughts and fears into the soul-winner's mind at the POINT OF DECISION (just as he did with king Agrippa)
  - The point of decision: There isn't any other place where the devil attacks any harder than at the vital point of decision
    - Soul-winner must watch for that feeling of insecurity at the point of decision
    - Soul-winner must watch for that moment of hesitation at the point of decision
    - After you have presented a positive, confident image to the prospect in your Four Spiritual Principles, DO NOT BECOME NEGATIVE AND FALTER HERE!
  - Be confident and positive: this is the time the Holy Spirit has waited for. He has hovered over the prospect all of his life for this one moment
    - FOR THIS ONE MOMENT He has kept him alive
    - FOR THIS ONE MOMENT the Holy Spirit has convicted him
    - The sinner has been looking (in the wrong areas) and longing FOR THIS ONE MOMENT
    - FOR THIS ONE MOMENT He has been working on his heart as he did Cornelius' heart (Acts 10)
    - DO NOT BLOW THIS ONE MOMENT but be calm and positive. Go right into the close by saying to the prospect, "Joe, I would like to have a word of prayer. You wouldn't mind if I prayed would you, Joe?"
- TWELVE PROPER STEPS IN THE CLOSE
  - There are 12 simple steps in the close when the sinner wants to be saved. Twelve may seem to be quite a number for a person to remember but they are so natural that the soul-winner will not have a problem mastering them as he first thinks. Most people should learn these 12 steps as a silent partner working with a soul-winner in their "on the job" training:
  - #1: Ask the sinner to bow his head in prayer
  - #2: Pray for him (make the prayer simple--repeat the Four Spiritual Principles, then pause without saying, "Amen")
  - #3: ASK him to demonstrate his willingness to accept Christ as his Savior by taking your hand
  - #4: ASK him to repeat a simple prayer
  - #5: Say, "You really meant that, didn't you, Joe?"
  - #6: Say, "According to the Bible, if you should die right now, where would you go?"
  - #7: Rejoice with him on his salvation
  - #8: Have him tell someone right then of his salvation
  - #9: Show him 1 John 5:10-13
  - #10: Explain to him about the importance of making a public decision
  - #11: Make an appointment to pick him up Sunday morning
  - #12: Have a final prayer with him in which he thanks God for salvation and promises to be in church Sunday
SUMMARY

Master these principles! Become a fisher of men who is catching men and getting them saved. You will become a fisher of men if you FOLLOW JESUS ... that is, emulate His life or PERFECT WHAT YOU HAVE, ESPECIALLY THE CLOSE.