SOUL-WINNING
LESSON 7 of 7
"THE COUNTDOWN METHOD"
(A simple soul-winning plan)
- FIVE! Five approach questions
- FOUR! Four Spiritual laws contained in four Scriptures
- THREE! Three possibilities after the soul talk is given
- TWO! Two people on a team; for best results, go two by two
- ONE! One supreme purpose of a soul-winning effort is: learn to work with the Holy Spirit in
presenting the plan to the lost in a way which will bring them to Christ
- INTRODUCTION: God wanted everyone to win souls so He made it so simple that
ANYONE could understand it.
- There are only three parts to a soul-winning effort:
- The opening of the plan or the approach
- The body or the message during the soul talk
- The termination of the talk or the close
- After a short period (about five to ten minutes) of informal conversation in which you
break the ice with the prospect, the soul-winner should begin his opening of the soul-winning talk.
THE OPENING is contained in five approach questions. These approach questions bring the conversation
to the main body of the soul-talk: the message
- The message centers around THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS which are found in four scriptures
- The fact of sin (Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God")
- The consequences of sin (Romans 6:23a: "For the wages of sin is death...")
- The remedy for sin (Romans 5:8: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.")
- The individual response (Romans 10:13: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.")
- When these four principles are presented to the lost, there are three possibilities or
reactions from the witness:
- He will want to be saved
- He will not want to be saved
- He will hesitate in making a decision
- A personal worker simply has to learn what to do in these three situations. The Bible
pattern in soul-winning is for the soul-winning team to consist of two people. One to do the
witnessing while the other is to serve in assisting the soul-winner
- The final principle is the ONE SUPREME purpose of the visit which is: to work with the
Holy Spirit in presenting the plan of salvation to the lost
- If a person will take time to master:
1: These five approach questions
2: How to apply these four simple scriptures
3: Learn what do to when they receive one of the three reactions
...then they can and will become a great soul-winner
- THE OPENING OF THE PLAN
- Five to ten minutes of conversation which is designed to make the prospect like you
- Talk on his interest level. In order to be effective in witnessing, one must learn
to control the conversation. The soul-winner does this by asking questions which will keep the prospect
talking about things in which he is interested
- In visitation, we take the fear and distress out of witnessing by sending an S.O.S.
The letters each stand for an area of conversation which will lead the prospect to the object of the
visit which is presenting Christ
- S: Self-interest ... hobbies, vacation, family interest
- O: Occupation ... work, homemaker, student
- S: Soul-winning message
- The opening is designed where the soul-winner makes a transition from a friendly visit
and an enjoyable fellowship in which the prospect talks on his level of interest to a soul-winning
effort.
- This is the point where many soul-winners or would-be soul-winners choke up and are
unable to make a smooth transition to a visit that is Christ-centered where the message of salvation
is given. This transition takes place with the asking of five simple questions. The soul-winner
has been asking the questions which have kept the prospect talking on his interest level.
- The approach questions are so automatic and in harmony with your designed, controlled conversation
that the prospect has consented to the soul-winner's message without resentment and, in most cases,
is anxious to listen.
- The five approach questions
1: "You are interested in spiritual things, aren't you?"
It is better to say, "I can see by the plaque on the wall ... by our conversation ... by the Bible there ...
that you are interested in spiritual things, aren't you?"
2: "Have you ever considered that you need eternal life?"
3: "If you should die today, do you know for sure that you would
go to heaven?"
4: "You would like to know--wouldn't you?"
5: "If I could take your Bible and show you how you could know for
sure, would you consider doing something about it?"
- Upon his affirmative answer, the soul-winner uses their Bible or reaches inside his
pocket or hand bag and pulls his concealed weapon, the New Testament, and proceeds to show them the
message
- Master the approach questions. In mastering the approach questions, one will eliminate
many questions which the prospect will ask. This is one of the vital parts of witnessing and must
be mastered.
- THE MESSAGE CONTAINED IN THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS: The message is found in four simple
scriptures...
#1/4: THE FACT OF SIN: Romans 3:23:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"
- You speak this verse aloud while showing the verse to the prospect
- We are all in the same boat. Keep yourself on the same footing as the prospect by letting
him know you've both sinned--not just him
- People are trying to keep the Ten Commandments
- Thou shalt not bear false witness or lie
- Thou shalt not take God's name in vain or swear
- Honor thy father and mother
- The Ten Commandments show us that we have broken them. Therefore, we have sinned and come short
of God's standard
- Bank Robber analogy
- Ask how many banks would a person have to rob before he would be labeled a bank robber?
(Use your index finger for an attention-keeping gesture)
- How many lies? One
- How many sins? ONE
- Do not proceed with the prospect until he understands this first concept
#2/4: THE CONSEQUENCE OF SIN: Romans 6:23a:
"For the wages of sin is death..."
- There are two key words for you to understand:
- "Wages": you have to work for wages (payoff) ... that is so much an hour/day/month
- Sin also pays wages; the wages, or payoff, or what you get from being a sinner is death
- Death: means separation
- First there is physical death
- Have you ever been to a funeral?
- The real person has moved out of the old body
- When you die, God wants to reach down and take you to Heaven
- But if you have not been reconciled to God (i.e., being Born Again or
saved), sin shuts the door to Heaven
- Only two eternal places: Heaven and hell
- The wages or payoff for sin is eternal separation from God in hell
- Revelation 20:11-15: Explains the "Second Death" ... the casting of the
soul into hell
#3/4: THE REMEDY FOR SIN: Romans 5:8:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
- God had this problem:
- How can I make the sinner pay for his sin and yet forgive him?
- How can I be in two places at the same time?
- Only one way: if a substitute would die
- That is what Jesus was doing on the cross (paying for your sins!)
- Traffic ticket analogy
- Say I'm driving too fast, stopped by a policeman and he gave me a ticket
- Go before a judge: am I guilty? Yes. Then I have to satisfy the state. The penalty
is $250,000.00 or life in prison. But I'm broke.
- Judge says, "I have sworn to uphold the law. You must pay. Officer, please place him
in prison for life."
- Say you were there and interrupted with, "Judge, I have $250,000. Can I pay his ticket?"
And the judge answers, "I don't want to put him in jail but the law of the state must be satisfied.
If the offender will allow you to pay his ticket, then I will accept the payment on his behalf
and he can go free."
- Jesus paid your sin ticket
- Died in your place
- Bore your sins
- So you can go free
- Review the first three spiritual laws:
- You see that you have sinned (Romans 3:23)
- You understand that if you should pay for your sins, you would go to hell
- You understand how much the Lord loves you and that He wants you to be
saved
#4/4: THE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE: Romans 10:13:
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
- Notice that the scripture says, "whosoever shall call" ... that means anyone
- Jesus says before His Father:
- "If I leave Heaven, be born of a virgin, live a perfect life and then die in his place,
will you promise me if he hears how much I love him and if he comes to you and asks you to
forgive him because I died in his place, will you promise me you will
save him?"
- To which God replies, "Son, I could write his name down in the Bible. That is how positive
I would make it. But there are so many, I will just write, 'whosoever.' Then when they come I will
write their name down in the Book of Life."
- Jesus came to earth and...
- Led a perfect life, died in your place, paid for all your sins
- Rose again and ascended into Heaven
- Is now seated at the right hand of God as your advocate/attorney
- When you ask God to forgive you, Jesus immediately begins to pray:
- Father, you promised...
- I died for him...
- Accept my death as payment for his sin...
- Father, save him
- THREE POSSIBILITIES AT THE CLOSE: The plan of salvation has been given;
now the prospect will react in one of three ways
- The most vital time in the soul talk
- Do not overlook the importance where you will not master the close
- After you have presented a positive, confident image to the prospect in your approach
questions and in presenting the Four Spiritual Laws, do not become negative or falter here
- Go right into your effort to have the prospect pray and make a decision
- Enter into your close by:
- Asking the prospect these questions again:
- You understand you have sinned
- If you paid for your sins, you would have eternal separation in hell
- Jesus paid your sin ticket
- He is pleading your case right now to His Father
- That God will save you if you will ask
- Now I honestly believe that God has spoken to your heart
- Let's bow our heads now...
- I'll pray for you first
- Bow your heads and pray
- Pray the Four Spiritual Laws to him again, using his name
- Then ask him to take you by the hand and repeat this simple prayer:
"Dear God, I know I have sinned. If I died, I would go to hell. Please forgive me and save me.
Jesus, come into my heart. I receive you now and I trust you to take me to Heaven when I die. Amen."
- Ask, "You really meant that, didn't you?" He should say yes.
- Ask, "What did God say he would do if you ask him?" He should answer, "save me"
- Ask, "Can God lie?" He should answer, "no" (Titus 3:5)
- Ask, "Then according to the Bible, where would you go if you should die?" He should
answer, "Heaven"
- Now take a few minutes to rejoice with the person
- Final instructions to the prospect
- Get him to tell someone of his salvation
- Show him 1 John 5:10-13:
- "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not
God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have
I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
- Lead him to promise God in prayer he will be in church Sunday
- Make plans to sit with him in church and take him down to a public profession/baptism
appointment following the morning service
