Soul winner by C.H. Spurgeon (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example)
In Chapter 1 Spurgeon answers the question, 'What is it to win a soul?'
He firstly explains what soul winning is not:
(i) Stealing members out of churches already established;
(ii) Hurriedly inscribing more names upon our church-roll;
(iii) Merely creating excitement.
Then Spurgeon tells what soul winning is:
(i) Instructing a man that he may know the truth of God;
(ii) Impressing the man that he may feel the truth of God;
(iii) The Holy Spirit working regeneration in the objects of our love (signs of regeneration are conviction of sin, faith, repentance, real change in life, true prayer, obedience to the Lord's commandments).
To close, Spurgeon warns of the types of people who give false conversions:
(i) Tom Careless;
(ii) Miss Mary Shallow;
(iii) Charlie Clever;
(iv) John Fairspeech.
I liked how the first thing Spurgeon did in his book was condemn sheep stealing: 'We do not regard it to be soul-winning to steal members out of churches already established, and train them to utter our peculiar Shibboleth: we aim rather at bringing souls to Christ than at making converts to our synagogue. There are sheep-stealers abroad, concerning whom I will say nothing except that they are not "brethren", or, at least, they do not act in a brotherly fashion. To their own Master they must stand or fall. We count it utter meanness to build up our own house with the ruins of our neighbours' mansions; we infinitely prefer to quarry for ourselves.'
Great illustration to make the point. We should prefer to gather new stones for the building of the kingdom, not rearrange stones.
Next week's reading
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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