Quote:
Originally Posted by edjen01
i believe part of the problem is the term "soul winning"....like its a contest, game, or something we win or lose. we don't win or lose any souls other than our own.
according to Jesus and St.Paul...if we allow the Spirit to live in us...we will bear the fruit of the Spirit...the fruit of the Spirit naturally attracts people because these things are missing from our world...giving us the opportunity to share the fruit of the Spirit with them and its source.
you do not train a fruit tree to bear fruit...it is a natural result of correct growth. i believe the reason many believers feel the need to attend "soul winners camps"...is because its easier to get hyped-up and repeat actions...then grow. growth is not easy, fast, or instantly noticed...and that is exactly what many believers/pastors are looking for.
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I'm not sure I follow everything you're saying, but I do agree that bearing fruit is the natural result of correct growth. Isn't "fruit" the fruit of the spirit, though? Not people converted through evangelism?
I think the church is often stuck in a box, and so I empathize with the efforts of some to break that open. Even if its sometimes overzealous.
Also, one evangelist places an emphasis on community service as an "outreach" program, which is really brilliant, considering that's really what the church should be doing
anyway. (Serving the community.) If we would serve
people as we were meant to do, it would create natural opportunities to share the Gospel.
As I mentioned previously, many people cloister themselves away from the community, and then expect 1 hour a week on Saturday morning to do the trick. No, what is needed is
regular interaction with potential new converts, and no-strings-attached service to those who are in need.
I once mentioned in an outreach meeting that we should try volunteering at the homeless shelter or nursing home, and one woman spoke up and blandly asked, "Well, what would be the point?"
Too much emphasis is placed on numbers, and some often feel that if a conversion isn't imminent, then that person (or those people) are a waste of time.
Currently, our church is involved in ministry with the local jail. Most of the program is focused on offering freedom from addiction classes and anger management classes. However, it DOES create opportunities for witnessing, that we would otherwise lack. The important thing, though, is that you must have the best interest of the inmates at heart--if you only care about adding a number to your church roster, the effort will fail.
People need to feel that the church ACTUALLY cares about them, whether or not they convert. No-strings-attached.
Those are the kinds of soul-winning "programs" that I'm interested in (which really should be a lifestyle anyway), and IMO are the only ones that will be effective. People have had quite enough of self-centered religion.
Soul-winning will never be successful if you don't have regular
positive interaction with sinners. So...I said all that to say...I think some of the "popular" soul winning evangelists are simply trying to break people out of their little shells and get them into contact with sinners. It seems novel to some, which is why they need training or a "seminar." But it seems like the first church did just that--they were out in public, on the streets, etc.
Hybrid Mode
