Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.
Before coming to the River at Tampa Bay church, I never knew and understood the importance of soul winning as I do now. I always thought people came to Christ at the altar in a church not outside the church. I also never knew I had the responsibility as a born again believer to win the lost.
That responsibility I thought was relegated only to the pastor. I would invite people to church but I never lead them to Christ. So when I came to the River and was introduced to Soul winning it was something new for me. I have been a Christian for many years but never attended a church where such importance and emphasis was put on winning the lost; and it was everyone’s responsibility.
I remember the first day I went soul winning it was on a Saturday and I knocked on several doors before I was able to lead someone to Christ. But when I did something took place inside of me. I felt satisfied. I was finally doing what the Lord had commanded. “Go ye therefore in all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.(NKJV Mark 16:15) That was a mandate not a request. Every time I go out I experience something different.
I find people searching for something to fill the void, many of them don’t know it’s Jesus until you introduce Him to them. I also find many of them know it Jesus but they are glad that someone cared enough to tell them. One evening after work I stopped at a gas station to get some gas and a young lady pulled up to the pump next to me. She had a child in the car and asks if I could keep an eye on him while she goes in to pay for the gas. I obliged.
When she came out I approached her and ask her if anyone told her God loves her and has a wonderful plan for her life? She began to weep and said the prayer. We talked for about 30 minutes after as she poured out her heart to me. That young lady and I spoke several times after and I was able to encourage her in the Lord. The gospel is indeed good news.
Worship Soundtracks from RMIRiverSong on Vimeo.
Soul winning has changed my life; I just want to share a couple things that have happened during soul winning this past year while I have been at RBI. First of all God opened up a door in my home town for me to teach a group of Spanish people how to use the gospel soul winning script.
It’s one thing to lead someone to Jesus but it’s totally different having the opportunity to teach someone to lay up eternal treasure & watching them go out for the first time and lead people to Christ, that is the best sight to behold. The group I was going out on the streets with was so excited to learn about soul winning, the group kept on growing every week. That’s just one of the many incredible things that God has done through soul winning.
Now something that even came as a surprise to me, which it shouldn’t have because this is what Jesus is all about, the Lord is so good. I knocked on a door at the apartments where we were soul winning but no one answered so I waited for a while, as I was walking away my soul winning partner thankfully noticed the person had opened there door, so I ran back over to him & started sharing about Jesus.
It only took a few seconds before the guy let me know he was deaf, so I proceeded to write on a paper asking if I could pray for him, his response was a nod for yes. As I began to pray for his ears this boldness came over me like I never felt before, I knew God was going to open that mans ears. I did what I could imagine Jesus doing being led by the Holy Spirit I stuck my fingers in his ears and commanded them to be open in the name of JESUS, God not willing that his word would return him void did just as I prayed and opened the guys deaf ear, the man was so excited immediately he pointed to his other ear signifying for me to pray for that one as well.
The LORD opened his other ear too. Thank you JESUS, so after that he was able to hear me read him the script and he signed the whole prayer back to me. As my soul winning partner and I walked away we were just turning the corner as we heard the man start to yell in side because of what Jesus had done. That totally blew me away; you never know what the LORD is going to use you for when you go out to soul win. Leading people to Christ will shake this world if we all get out there and allow the LORD to use us!!!