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Susan has had an interesting discussion on her blog about soulwinning. You can read the posts here and here. I found her posts yesterday and today very thought-provoking. I really enjoy reading her blog, but today’s post there really made me think.
I spent four and a half years in the South, and attended a solid Independant Baptist church there. We had a very strong soulwinning program there: Thursday nights at 7 and Saturday mornings at 10:30. Stephen and I would go to the Saturday morning session (before Little man arrived; after he arrived I didn’t get to go much anymore).
When we were praying about coming to IN, I had a discussion with the pastor’s wife about the church. I spent a good amount of time just asking her about different facets of this new church. I basically asked her questions that started, “How does the church do _______ ?”
Her response to soulwinning shocked me. “People do not take kindly to a pastor just showing up on their doorstep here.” I could hardly fathom that – from hearing our previous pastor talk, sometimes it was easy to get the impression that people were thrilled that he would visit.
There really can be culture shock moving from the South to the North (Or vice versa, really. I had that when I first moved to the South). Some areas are not overly noticable. Things that are merely different; you make note of changes, and go on with life.
The thought of soulwinning being rejected really threw me for a loop. How would a person witness?
On the other hand. . .
The ladies from our church travelled across the state yesterday to attend a ladies’ refresher meeting at a large (um, not-so-conservative) church. Since I had never attended a ladies’ meeting here in the North, I went with very few expectations. I was excited about the opportunity for fellowship with our ladies.
The morning’s speakers weren’t bad. I didn’t get a lot out of the sessions, but they weren’t bad either. The breakout session was something else. I got a huge laugh out of it (some of it was presented in a funny manner), but other than a few giggles, that’s about it.
It was the keynote speaker’s final session that really made me think. She presented an opportunity for ladies to accept Christ, and I really started to think. My mind wandered and I began to wonder just how many women in the room truly were saved – and how many of the ladies in the room were living lives of confusion and deception like I was.
They ended it all with a drama that was supposed to represent the saints presenting their crowns to Jesus when He sits on the throne of Heaven. There was a lot of pagentry, a lot of elaborate costumes and music and even a fog machine. What broke my heart was the appearance of the person who was supposed to be portraying Christ. The beard and wig he was wearing looked absolutely ridiculous (It wasn’t just me that thought that – other ladies later told me they thought the same thing). I sat there just grieved because it was evident that people had tried very, very hard to have a nice production. . .only for it to fall flat and look ridiculous. Could they not see it for themselves?
All in all it just really burdened my heart for adults that haven’t accepted Christ. People who are like I was. . .who try their best to serve Christ. They serve and serve and do and do and do – never knowing for certain if they have acceped Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. So many people who are trying to work their way into Heaven instead of relying on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. People who are so blinded by their lives that they simply do not see that they cannot get to Heaven on their own.
That brings me back around to Susan’s post and my original thoughts about soulwinning. How is my life different? What do I do on a daily basis to win souls to Christ?