The Art of Soul Winning, complied by Owen Meany, news and views..
SOUL WINNING
There are thousands of Christians and preachers in the world who are eager to "win souls." This is not bad, but many of them are so desperate to brag on the numbers of people they have convinced to be born again that they use a short cut to convince the hearer.
They will usually take you to The Epistle to the Romans, and they will lead you through several verses there which they imagine give you enough understanding to be converted. The problem is, you do not come to really know Jesus Christ with this plan.
The book of Romans was written for people who had already become Christians and needed to understand the issues of life better.
So, you prayed a cute little prayer, and after possibly being baptized, and starting out on the way they told you would lead to heaven, you now have doubts. You may well come to wonder what is missing.
I will tell you what is missing:
You have not come to know Jesus Christ in a personal way. The book of the Gospel of John, along with the Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are books God put in the Bible for YOU. They show you the person, life, and destiny of Jesus Christ. The Gospel books of the Bible show you the love, the gentleness, and heart of Jesus. They also show you that he was and is God in human flesh.
And, the Gospel books make it clear what you have to believe to be converted or born again.
This study of John’s Gospel may be the first time you have really seen Jesus Christ and his works in perspective. Please forget the talk and blather of those who gave you a sort of "trailer" version of Jesus, and forget the Hollywood Jesus of The Passion.
Put another way, you cannot believe in someone whom you have never gotten to know personally. The Epistle of Romans, reading little picture tracts, and sitting through a fire breathing sermon are NOT enough to show you who Jesus is.
God gave you four books of Gospel so that you would not miss the message. Will you make sure you DO know Jesus Christ? You could have responded to someone, or some message, long ago and yet never come to know Jesus Christ as your God and friend.
I pray that you will really come to know Jesus Christ as your best friend and your Savior as you read John’s Gospel.
I pray that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.