Often I’m asked to come to churches and light a fire within the members to win souls and reach the world. I’ve given 17 years of my life to Radical and Adventurous Soul Winning, and I must admit that it’s been the time of my life. Of all the things that I enjoy and am involved with, there is nothing more rewarding, fulfilling, and satisfying than seeing a soul won to Jesus Christ. It causes me to want to do more and spend the rest of my life taking this precious gospel around the world to the streets, college campuses, neighborhoods, ghettos, homeless shelters, cancer centers, to doctors, celebrities, businessmen, third world countries, high schools, children, jails, nursing homes, internet, TV, radio, or wherever and whatever I possibly can. Jesus came to this earth for the cause of people, to save sinners, and to give life to this world. Thank God that He has given us the awesome opportunity to live in an era where so many are hungry for God and are ready for the gospel. I’m deeply moved, at this current moment, as I sit in my office and reflect upon my experience and involvement in Soul Winning. It’s been a thrill, and at the same time, a very overwhelming task when I consider all that God requires of us and can do through us. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to share with you three reasons that I’m a Soul Winner; it’s going to be a major challenge to keep it within three, but I’ll do so for the sake of your time. I’d beg you from the depths of my heart and with every drop of blood in my body to read this and be inspired, motivated, encouraged, and mainly awakened to the need, cause, and urgency that lies before us. Get ready to weep, get excited, and want to take action at the same time.1. Burden –
The first reason that I am a Soul Winner is because of the genuine burden that God gave to me, because I sincerely asked for it at a young age. There were three divine moments in my life where I could feel the transfer of burden in my heart and spirit. It reminds me of the young preacher whose church was exploding and growing at a very rapid rate that used to weep while preaching. Feeling the embarrassment of weeping so much while he preached, he actually prayed and said, “God, please take away my tears.” The Lord honored his prayers and his tears were gone. However, after about six months, the young pastor’s church began to decline and lose members, influence, and momentum. It was then that God began to deal with this preacher about the cause of such a loss; it was because he prayed for the Lord to take away his tears; therefore, lost his burden. He then found a place to pray and said, “Lord, please give me back my tears!” Friends, I write this with tears streaming down my face, and I write for the cause of hurting, lonely, empty, lost, and confused families, children, teenagers, and people that need a church of compassion and burden. Do you mind if I share an observation with you about the 21st century church? Our churches in the 21st century are consumed with the mechanics of “church”, and many of us are so talented or perhaps have gotten so busy that we’ve lost the burden of what this is really all about. I’m a Soul Winner, because I have a burden and a heart full of compassion for this world and those that have to go to bed at night with no Holy Ghost, no peace, and no Jesus. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be without God and His presence, power, and peace in my life.
I’m not even going to attempt to express my burden for the poor, fatherless children, hurting single mothers, bound alcoholics, a man that has made decisions in life that have led him to a bed that consists of a park bench or the sidewalk, and the millions of precious, sincere people that attend churches with no power, life, or Holy Ghost revival. We must pray and ask Jesus to let us have His heartbeat and His Spirit, and if we let it happen, then we must be prepared to live life with compassion and burden. It’s not always easy, but people of burden and compassion will change the world and make a life changing eternal difference in the lives of people.
2. Excitement –
Please understand that Soul Winning is not an issue that we should be debating the mechanics over. I’m actually stunned and amazed at the amount of people that evaluate the Tim Downs approach, Soul Winners Boot Camp approach, or the Holy Ghost crusade approach. I’m not sure where those well meaning people are coming from when they want to spend their time making issues over the cause of evangelism and soul winning. The real issue is that we are missing out on the purpose of sharing our testimony; we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony. I will admit that not everyone sticks, and the majority of churches have a very weak follow up and discipleship system. For that very reason, I’ve given myself to the solution, and I believe that God has given me insight; I plan on teaching churches, pastors, and leaders to effectively follow up and disciple people. However, while we may not all have everything together just yet, please don’t overlook the joy and abundant excitement that fills your heart when you share the gospel, serve the poor, baptize a sinner, and watch God fill someone with the Holy Ghost. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that winning souls is an addiction, a thrill, and the joy of a lifetime. It’s the single most rewarding and exciting element of the church. Let’s not become distracted with who uses what method to reach people. Methods are like tools – they are all necessary for certain functions of assembly or construction and are meant to help us and make life easier. Church doesn’t have to be a competition nor do we need to make it all about comparison either. We need to get back to simply enjoying being a Christian, the blessings of God, and enjoying the journey of winning people to Jesus. If you feed the homeless, go to the jail every Tuesday night, knock on every door in your city, teach Bible Studies, drive a Sunday school bus, bake cookies for the shut ins, or whatever you may do to serve, give, let your light shine, or pray people through on a daily basis, just go do it, and let the excitement return to your life. Nobody has all the answers or right methods. We are simply called by Jesus to do six things; (1) Let our lights shine, (2) Do good works, (3) Serve the poor, (4) Witness, (5) Win Souls, and (6) Disciple people. If we all do those six things, regardless of our method or style, it’s meant to be exciting, fun, and addicting. Did I make myself clear?
3. It’s the Will of God –
Please let me make it very clear that Soul Winning is not supposed to bring condemnation on your life. It’s not about that. However, you know yourself better than we all do, and you know if you are truly a careless, apathetic, lazy, and critical “Christian” that simply just doesn’t care, and therefore, it’s easier on your own conscious to talk about those that are winning souls or to make excuses of why you are not. We’ll leave that for the Lord to decide. However, let me go on record, stand flat footed and tell you that Soul Winning is the perfect will of God. There isn’t a person alive on this planet that attends one single church, preaches one message, teaches one Sunday school class, or holds one position that is exempt from Winning Souls. It’s not a separate ministry of the church; while there may be different methods or ministries that all affect Soul Winning, it doesn’t exempt our individual responsibility to be a witness to our neighbors, family, friends, or co-workers. It’s our calling from God, and it’s His perfect will for us to win souls. You’ll never in your lifetime meet one person that is more radical, addicted, passionate, and consumed with Soul Winning than Jesus Christ. There is no way possible that any of us could stand before nail scarred hands with a calloused, apathetic, hard, and burden less heart. It’s just not going to happen. If you desire to be in the perfect will of God, then please begin following Jesus, and allow Him to make you fishers of men.
I’ll close with a few thoughts to provoke and cause all to think. If we have no passion to win souls, we are not following Jesus. Why should we hear the gospel three times a week when there are millions that have never heard it one time in their lives? Why would you not want to see your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers experience Salvation and be saved from a lake of fire? Would you not want to do the very thing that pleases God the most? Are you willing to learn more about Soul Winning? One last thought; I know of thousands of preachers and saints that will go to conference after conference to listen to preaching, but when it comes to just pure raw Soul Winning and going to the streets, where are they? Are you willing to finally actually GO? Are you willing to actually put it into action and win a soul? Are you willing to be trained and experience a Soul Winning explosion? If yes, then please be bold enough to join us at one of our 16 Soul Winners Boot Camps by visiting swbootcampfire.com, and I can assure you that you’ll leave with a Soul Winning Passion and tools that will help you reach your friends and family. God bless you as you follow God with your whole heart and allow yourself to become an effective Soul Winner in 2009!
Matthew J Maddix
