God of love desires all men to hear the gospel and receive salvation. So He urges His children who received the Holy Spirit to preach and spread the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21). This is because without preachers people cannot fathom things concerning God in human wisdom. Apostle Paul was devoted to gospel-spreading for the Gentiles. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel."
We should be aware that preaching is a believer's responsibility and duty, and should preach in season and out of season. Let's now delve into how to preach and lead souls to God.
01 We should preach by the work of the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 4:20 says, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." Thus, we should first receive boldness and strength from above through sufficient prayer, and preach with God-given courage and the Spirit's fullness. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:4, "…and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."
It is in this way that preaching is not about our own ability, but the dependence on the Holy Spirit. Under His guidance, we should be able to help unbelieving listeners demolish their fleshly thought and take it captive to the belief in God. Here, the armament of the Word of God is also important.
It's because the Word of God can pierce as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12), and drive out and shatter the enemy devil and Satan.
Hence, if we pray for those who we want to evangelize and preach the Word to them in the works of the Spirit, God will move their hearts and make them feel spiritually thirsty, thereby bearing fruit.
02 We should help them realize the value of the gospel for themselves
The gospel of Jesus Christ is by far the most precious message of the truth in the world. However, not recognizing its value, some people stubbornly refuse to hear it. In such a case it is better to wait for a good chance to preach and help them realize the value for themselves, rather than trying to force it upon them or continuing to urge acceptance.
We can help them by inviting them to the church's special events and giving sermon tapes or books or church's newspaper. Then as a good chance comes we can talk to them comfortably and help them accept the gospel without inducing reluctance in them.
We can preach the gospel not only with words. There are also many other ways that fit according to the listeners' situations. This is how we can lead more people to God.
03 We should give off the fragrance of Christ with love and care
We need to show our love and care through deeds as well as to pray. When we live by the Word of God, we can give off aroma of Christ and our beautiful words and deeds will move people's hearts. Then they will easily accept the gospel when we preach.
Thus, we should always greet people politely, take a warm interest in their wellbeing, and act in a gentle manner. If we win their favor, it will be helpful to lead them to God.
We can share delicious dishes with them, console them or rejoice together in their sorrowful or happy occasions, and help them as they have problems so that they feel thankful and joyful because of our actions. We can also preach the gospel to the sick and the poor while helping them with financial support.
But of course we ought not to evangelize only sick, poor, or old people. Rather we should equally give everybody the chance to hear about the gospel without limitations.
Therefore, we should consider where we should go to preach and how to preach so as to please God. We should also check if those who are led to the church will be able to keep attending and live proper Christian lives.
04 It is good to know people's interests or problems and offer spiritual help to them
In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman, incurred her curiosity concerning spiritual things, and then satisfied her spiritual thirst. He preached the gospel to her in this way. As in this example, satisfy a person's most important and urgent needs in various ways, by answering their questions, or suggesting ways to solve their problems.
We should let them know the way to solve their problems and help them to pray to the Lord. Suppose one has a disease. We can present the way to receiving healing to them, by preaching about God the Healer to them.
If one has a problem in his business, we can urge him not to live by human wisdom and methods but to live by the Word of God. We can preach about God who can resolve any problems and who can make everything prosper. As explained, when a person has a problem, while providing them with solutions we can also preach the gospel.
05 More importantly, we need to take care of those who came to attend church
Until they stand on the rock of faith, we should continue to take care of those who we led to church through prayer, counseling, and visitation so that they can grow up in faith. Moreover we should help them make the Word the bread of life for their spirits lest that they be tempted by tests or trials. We, along with group members or parish members, should constantly show unsparing interest and love through deeds.
Most importantly, we should let them know the shepherd properly so that they can trust and obey him and thereby become well-rooted in faith. We have realized God's amazing love and grace. Now let's receive God's strength and preach the holiness gospel earnestly to others as well!
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