Reach Out to Win Souls

Planet Earth is very different from the New Testament days. Crime, pollution and global warming have made for an intrinsically distrustful human race. Thus a Believer's approach to witnessing has to adapt from the methods used back then. It isn't easy to connect with perfect strangers. Much less to engage them in conversation long enough to touch on our beliefs. To our advantage, we have the perfect template provided by Jesus Christ and his apostles. We must use our interpersonal skills to make the template work for us. Here's the rub, not everybody has people skills. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, does not automatically fix our personality flaws. When we read about the disciples in the gospels, they sometimes come across as petty, self-important and frustrating. It wasn't until Lord Jesus completed His task and went home, that they finally came to terms with the mantle of leadership.


We have to, at least, come to terms with our negative idiosyncrasies before reaching out to non-Believers. If we want someone to consider changing their lifestyle, mindset and philosophy; then we must have the courage to accept that we too are a work in progress. Human, fallible, flawed but living our lives for Him is far better than anything else we could imagine. We are not better than them but we have our purpose and that makes all the difference. Psalm 51:1 to 3 (KJV) encapsulates the humility that we must express:

"¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  ²Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me."

When I was in high school, our homeroom was right next to the Form where all the school prefects were. One day, during a free period, the quiet was shattered by sounds of tumult from a nearby classroom. We heard a desk get flipped over and a student screaming, "How dare you! I am not a whore!" Apparently this was the sound of a crusade invitation gone horribly awry. The young lady, invited to the church crusade, was gently told the Believer classmate, "It's time to put aside your whoring ways." They were not friends before that incident and certainly not afterwards.


We Believers are often broadly painted as judgmental, but telling somebody that they have "whoring ways" is flat out slanderous. Even if the young lady was sexually active, that gives no one the right to call her as a prostitute. What was the Believer thinking? Was she thinking at all? Reaching out to non-Believers doesn't mean that you must become a social butterfly, but you can't condemn someone like that. You're damaging the images of your church and faith. If you're going to break someone down with the invitation, why would they want to attend the event? Nobody willingly goes somewhere to be abused.


In addition to God's Word, there are other resources to help you fly the flag for Jesus Christ without traumatising the non-Believers in your life. In 1936, a man named Dale Carnegie wrote a book called "How to Win Friends and Influence People". This tome taught many to do just as the title declares. My Dad has had a copy in the house for decades but I only read it recently and was very surprised at how insightful it is. Originally geared towards sales people, it is clear that this is a good . However, many Biblical principles are seen applied in everyday situations. It's not about manipulating people. It's about positively influencing people. Jesus Christ has changed our lives for the better and we want as many people possible to experience the same. People are so jaded, burned out, stressed out, freaked out and worn out. If we want them to take a leap of faith and join our family, then we have to make them feel like welcomed not condemned. We have to think before we talk. Walk a mile in their shoes. Reach out to the non-Believers and be the salt bringing out the flavour in their lives.