First SOULWINNING Outing - A Report!

Today was the first day that I went out and went “soul winning”. It was a very interesting experience, and I was surprised at how things went…

Yesterday, my sister, while out at lunch with a relative, ran into a believer from a nearby church that shared he was going soul winning in a nearby large town on Saturday afternoon – and that I (or any others) was welcome to join him. My heart confirmed that it would be a good thing to do, so I called him that evening and we talked through the plans.

The idea was to meet up with some other believers, drive to a spot in the city that has a lot of people (a popular shopping district): set up a table with free hot cocoa near the park fountain (with a sign asking “are you going to heaven?”), those at the table would share with the people that stopped for something warm to drink, while others would head out in groups of two and pass out tracts and witness throughout the shopping district.

I rode with the brother into the city and everyone then met at another brother’s house. As we got out of our vehicle to go inside and meet, I noticed two young boys playing football next door. I grabbed a few tracts and went over. I asked if they were playing tackle football, and they said “yes.” I asked what would happen if they were tackled on the cement, and they simply shrugged their shoulders. I pulled out a million dollar bill tract and offered it to them – they were duly impressed. I then pulled out an IQ test (“paris in the the spring”) and went through that. It took them several tries before they saw the double words! I then explained what was on the back of the cards, and began going through the good person test with them.

I found out their ages (9 and 10) as we went through the test. They both readily acknowledged breaking the various commandments. Despite both of them having attended Catholic church, neither one of them had any idea of the good news of the gospel – and they both acknowledged concern over their eternal destiny in hell. I spent 10 to 15 minutes sharing the gospel with them, and encouraged them to get right with God while they are young. I gave them some more in-depth tracts, told them that everything I was sharing was from the Bible, and encouraged them to read it and to find a relationship with Christ. As I headed over to the house we were meeting in, they both thanked me and returned to their game.

After we had a time of prayer and planning at the brother’s house, we set out for the shopping district. We found parking, and loaded up with tracts. Once we were set (while still in the parking lot), I noticed two young fellows walking towards their car to leave the parking lot. I hustled over to them (one was already in the car, but the passenger had only opened his door to get into the car) and asked if he had ever been given a million dollar bill. He hadn’t – and thought it was very cool. I asked if he’d ever taken the good person test, and he said no. I asked if he was a good person, and he said yes. I’ve found it’s a lot more fun to take two friends through the good person test, because you can bounce questions off either one – so I then asked him if his friend in the car was a good person – he said he wasn’t (with a big laugh). I asked his friend if he also wanted to take the good person test, and he said “sure” – so he got out of the car and came around to talk with us.

We had a great time going through the test –as the one fellow continued painting his friend with a broad, black brush! I finally asked him what he was doing with him as a friend – and we all laughed. After the test, they acknowledged a destiny in hell, and that it concerned them. As we talked, the conversation was still upbeat and friendly, but you could see a visible shift as they became more serious and somber. They were truly listening and thinking. We discussed the various methods people use to try and “pay for their fine” (from promising to not break the law in the future, to confessing their guilt, to attempting to bribe the judge with good words), and they could see the futility of each. I then shared the gospel with them, and they appeared to understand. I asked if they had Bibles, and they both did. I encouraged them to read in the book of John – and to not delay in getting right with God. At the end, they thanked me for sharing and then headed off.

As we were walking back through the parking lot a couple rejected a million dollar bill tract, but another couple (with a child) accepted it. Two other young fellows were over by their sporty little car chatting – so I went over and asked if they would like a million dollar bill. They both did. We talked, and neither had taken the good person test – so we started into it. They caught on rather quickly and had fun with it. But, they, too, became more serious as we discussed the consequences to those “commandments” that were fun to joke about breaking. I again shared the various man-centered approaches to God (confession, seeking to do better, and good works) and they agreed that those don’t erase the penalty. I then shared the gospel and encouraged them to get right with God before it is too late. They were receptive and listened attentively (and interjected their thoughts as we talked – it wasn’t a one-way conversation!). We probably talked for about 10 minutes, and then I left them with some more in-depth tracts.

So far, we hadn’t gotten out of the parking lot, and, including the two boys playing football, had already been able to share with 6 people! I had a suspicion, though, that we were doing far better than we would when we got to the shopping district.

In crossing the street we stopped at the island in the middle of the intersection to talk with the homeless man that was holding a sign and asking for money. I said the only thing I could share with him had to do with his eternal destiny, and gave him the million dollar bill – which he thought was great. We started talking, and again worked through the good person test, followed by eternal destiny (hell), and then the gospel. It was probably 10 or 15 minutes of interaction in the middle of the intersection. I again encouraged him to get right with God, and not to simply say a prayer and go to church and be like a hypocrite. He agreed that churches are full of people that go to church on Sunday and then cuss and swear and live dishonest lives the rest of the week – and he agreed that God wanted more than that. Supposedly this man has a master’s degree in biology – and I was inclined to believe him. I’m not sure why he was on the street, but he wasn’t anything like so many whose minds are ruined by drugs and alcohol. Before we left I asked if I could pray with him and he said ‘yes.’ In prayer, I asked God to open his eyes and reveal to him his condition before God, his breaking of the commandments (as we all have), and that he will stand before a righteous judge when he dies. I asked that God would reveal Himself and His Son Jesus to him, and that he would turn over his life to Christ, and would live for Him. Afterwards, he thanked me and we headed off.

We met another homeless person with a sign on the other side of the intersection and tried to talk with him, but he was less communicative and seemed to have a mind that was dulled with drugs or alcohol. We gave him a million dollar bill and started to talk with him, but after awhile he said he wasn’t interested. I said it was fine – he didn’t have to talk with us – but encouraged him to get right with God before it is too late and to read the back of the million dollar bill.

We then arrived at the fountain and talked with the brothers at the table for a few minutes. The initial plan had been an hour and a half in the shopping district, but we only had about 45-60 minutes left. So, we set out.

I have never had so many rejections in trying to hand out tracts or share the gospel as I did in that upscale shopping district. It was amazing! At times, it was actually hard to pass out a million dollar bill – sometimes there would be three or four rejections in a row before someone would accept it!

I was paired up with a younger brother from another family, and we were simply walking around trying to start conversations and pass out tracts. The million dollar bill made a great ice breaker, but it was also nice anytime someone had a dog (I like dogs and enjoy meeting them – although not all of them enjoy meeting me) and we could talk about that. Despite the many rejections, we were able to share with a number of people. Several started through the good person test but would leave as they started to feel conviction. Others went through and heard the gospel and understood it, but it wasn’t resonating within. Several times in sharing with a couple, the lady would be receptive whereas the man wouldn’t be. Or perhaps the mother would be open, but the father would say they needed to run along. I would always apologize for interrupting – and then they would say it was no problem and no interruption (but they still were heading off!).

The challenge was starting conversations with people. I tried to say “Hi!” to almost everyone we passed, and started a number of conversations that didn’t go anywhere.

At the designated time we met back at the table. Several of the brothers went to get the vehicles so they could load everything up. I noticed a lady with a pit bull over by the fountain and asked if anyone had shared with her yet. Since no one had, I headed over.

A bonus when sharing with some that has a pet dog is being able to meet the dog. Keep in mind that not all dogs are friendly – I’ve had several nip at me while I held out my hand to them. Turns out the pit bull was still a puppy (just shy of 1 year old) and was very friendly.

The lady accepted a million dollar bill and then we went through the good person test. When it got to innocence/guilt and heaven/hell she quickly said heaven because God has forgiven her. As we talked further, she mentioned her father was a minister. From our discussion I somewhat doubted whether she had a proper understanding of salvation and whether she was living for Jesus (two clues: she was smoking a cigarette while we talked, and she isn’t in the Word very often) – but it was still a good opportunity to share. We talked for about five minutes, and I encouraged her to be in the Word on a daily basis. I left her with a “Are You Good Enough to Go to Heaven” tract and then rejoined the group.

Interestingly enough, in summary, I found out that:
- Setting aside a time to go “soul winning” doesn’t make the process any easier, it is still difficult to approach strangers.
- As a result of an afternoon of “soul winning”, I was able to share the plan of salvation with about 15 people (and the majority of those were VERY open and realized their need).
- Having someone along with you can bolster your confidence.
- There appeared to be more success in the parking lot, neighborhood, and fountain area rather than in the shopping district.