Personal evangelism involves various methods for winning souls to Christ, emphasizing the need for guidance by the Holy Spirit. The sermon outlines seven approaches: direct, indirect, interrogation, good deed, help me please, literature, and after-meeting. It illustrates these methods through the examples of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4 and Philip's ministry to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The core lesson is that effective soul-winning requires understanding and applying appropriate methods, often by focusing on Christ and responding to the Spirit's leading. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to be humble, faithful, and individually focused in their evangelistic efforts.
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Welcome to the Bible study. Appreciate those of you that are here tonight. As we turn to the lesson, if you have a lesson book, it is lesson number eight tonight. Last week we had lesson number seven, which dealt in particular with those who would be inquiring regarding salvation. May I emphasize the distinction between the two lessons, number seven and number eight. Last week it was in respect to those who were inquiring for salvation.
The lesson this week, number eight, is in respect the proper approach or the different approaches that a soul winner will seek to follow. in winning others to the Lord Jesus Christ. You have particularly, which we cannot go into detail, but if you have a lesson book, you can read the first seven paragraphs that our beloved brother Alfred Gibbs has made regarding these approaches to people as we seek to witness to them for the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are seven different approaches that he mentions. I only wish to take them up briefly and mention them, but if you do have a lesson book, I hope you'll read it for yourself. For I do prefer going to the two examples which he gives at the end of that lesson, one in the life of the Lord Jesus, in John chapter four, and the other in the life of Philip the Evangelist, in the eighth chapter of the book of Acts. So let me please say a very brief word regarding these seven different approaches which our brother mentions in the lesson book.
First of all, you will note the first paragraph has to do with what he calls the direct approach. And in reading the paragraph, you will recognize sometimes A direct approach can be very harsh. It all depends upon the person, but may we be reminded of a principle that we all should follow every time, and that is seek to be led by the Holy Spirit. For it is just as much essential for one who is seeking to witness to be led by the Holy Spirit as even the preacher who supposedly is to preach the Word of God.
But the direct approach that he mentions can be oftentimes, which he does sometimes can, and he does mention it can be a shock approach. Too sudden. I'll give you an example. When I was a young Christian in my teens, I believe, I was told of a certain man who was a barber. He had found the Lord as his Savior. And he had been encouraged, as often you may be, when you're saved in some evangelistic meeting, you may be encouraged immediately to be a witness to the Lord Jesus and to tell others of the Savior and seek to leave them to Christ.
Well, this father thought he should do that with his customers. So on one occasion, while he was strapping his razor, you know, a shaminger fellow, strapping his razor, he said to the man in the chair, are you prepared to die? Well, you lost the customer right away. The fellow just went down the street, didn't wait to answer. I think of another occasion that actually happened up north in my early days, a man who was a prize fighter. was saved in an evangelistic meeting. He too was encouraged and rightly to be a witness to the Lord.
And may I say, sometimes it can be done without giving them any instruction, how to do it. But one night after a meeting, when the invitation was being given, and when some of the Christians were still around, they heard a commotion at the back of the building on the outside. and running around to see what it was. He was a man who has been a Christ fighter and just been saved. And he had another man on the ground and he was beating him in the fist with his fist and saying, will you believe? Will you believe? Will you believe? Well, he pulled him off by the way and said, you can't do that.
Well, he said, I only know how to use my fist. Well, now that was a shock approach. Now, listen. That implies, as the writer suggests, you've got to be careful. There are some who can give a direct approach and mean it and do it rightfully, but it does require skill without any doubt. But you have a second approach called the interrogation approach. Oh, I beg your pardon, let me cover the indirect approach first. The indirect approach. And that's a very good one. You may be in conversation, I suggest to you.
Sometimes at the store, the cashier, the sales clerk, there can be conversation. I had it yesterday in a certain place here in the town. And the man wanted to put down something like a... Me to sign up for something I didn't want. I said, no, I don't want that. I said, I may be in heaven by the time I need it. Well, he said, I'm glad to know you're going to heaven. He said, that's where I'm going to, but I don't want to go yet. But anyway, you know, the conversation turned, and you can often do that, whether it's from the web talking about the weather and many other subjects, and it takes care, skill, to turn the conversation until you have the conversation along the lines of the gospel to present to the one to whom you're speaking.
And that's an indirect approach. Then there is what the next one is, the interrogation approach. Coming and approaching a person with a question. Just a little over a week ago, more than a week ago, maybe two weeks ago, a sister in Christ in another city was telling me, she was at the shopping mall. when two young men came to her and said, Are you saved? And she said to them, Yes, I know I am saved. I'm a Christian. I know the Lord Jesus is my Savior. It was a direct question. They stopped her and asked her directly with a question, Are you saved?
A good question to ask. But she suspicions two young men might be Jehovah's Witnesses, or maybe even Mormons. She found it was not the case. They were really genuine believers. But that was by a question they approached her, and she was willing to answer. But at the same time, she noticed after she walked away, they went to another, a young lady, and after, and the young lady brushed them off right away. It doesn't always work. So your question has to be carefully worded, are you safe? And give me, I say, a testimony that I know of a dear Christian in the upper part of this state.
Traveling up an escalator on one occasion in a department store, the poor old soul, she lost her balance when she got to the top. And over she went on the floor, and two or three men came in a hay to pick her up and help her out. And as soon as they lifted her to her feet, the one that lifted her up, she looked at her, oh, she says, are you saved? That's how quick she wants to witness. But you can always have a question. Are you a Christian? Whatever it may be, let the Lord guide the interrogation approach. It's often been used, and it's still being used, to lead souls to Christ in that manner.
And then you have what is called, and the writer calls the good one here, the good deed approach. I think of an example that I read very recently concerning a dear woman who moved into a new neighborhood, husband and wife and children, and immediately, not very soon after being there, her two boys were not liked by the neighbor next door who had to be a lonely old man, and he had no use for the boys cutting up and playing around there. And so he was very rough and gruff toward them. And in fact he told her, to tell those boys to stay away from my property.
Now she was hoping to witness for him, to him, for she was a believer. And when he thus spoke, she didn't know how she should do it. Then she thought what she would do. She began to beg for that old man. He had no wife, no one to cook for him. She began to cook him certain things, send him food. And before you know it, she broke down the opposition. and the joy later of leading him to Christ. Now that's the good deed approach. And it's a good one. It may take a long time to work, but ultimately it can, and ultimately it does. And then there is another approach that the writer says, Help me please.
To help me please approach. Going to someone say, Can you help me? Oftentimes, may I give you this suggestion? I know I have used it in trying to find a location in a new place I did not know familiarly. I would go to someone, could you help me, maybe in a store, could you help me find such and such a place? And oftentimes it can be led by asking them another question, could you tell me the way to heaven? Sometimes you can ask a question, could you, I think of a man, I think brother gives mention such a person. He asked the question of somebody every day, can you tell me how to be saved?
And he got an answer oftentimes, oh, if you do the best you can, and then, oh, no, he said, I read in the Bible that doesn't work. And he told him, we're saved by grace through faith. That none of yourselves. It is the gift of God, none of which any man should boast. And thus you can recognize that help me please approach. When you're seeking some depth. If I may, I go incidentally the same. We'll see in a moment that's the kind the Lord Jesus used. In John four, when he said to the woman that the well give me to drink. And yet I've been so surprised. I can't even read that he got his drink either. If you find it, let me know.
But to help me please approach. Often it was. May the Lord guide us by the Spirit. And then there is the literature approach. Tract distribution. The giving out of tracts. I bless and thank God that in my early days of being saved. I filled my coat pocket with tracts. I don't know if I always had the best of kind of tracts that people enjoyed, but I filled my pockets with gospel tracts. And I could tell you many occasions, even in this statement, I moved to South Carolina. of the blessing of God and the distribution of tracks. Be sure that you know the track is straight.
Read it for yourself. Be sure it is authentic according to the scriptures and the way of salvation. But many times the giving of a track, many a person has been saved by a track. Let me give you this thought. And I'm speaking the truth. In recent years, in the country of Malawi in Africa, a native evangelist, and someone over there got a copy of one of my little pamphlets, Gospel pamphlets, have you found the nail? And strange to say, he found in using it, the Muslims of the country were receptive to that message.
And he wrote asking for coffee. Then he wanted to get... Then, you know, that fella had nerves. He wrote, he said, I'd like to get three million copies for the three million people in all the country of Malawi. Well, I didn't have three million copies, but I did tell you what we did. A few brethren, myself included. We got a million printed. First of all, we sent in ten thousand. But then we got a million printed. It cost about twelve thousand dollars to print them and then ship them to Africa. But may I give you the thought?
There's much fruitfulness in literature in the third world countries. And literature approach is doing a great work in the countries where the gospel has been neglected. and particularly where literacy has not been very prevailing. But many of them are longing to learn to read. Many are finding the Bible being translated into their own language. And let me give you this thought. If they get the Bible in their own language, it's the only book they're able to read. They don't have any commentaries. They don't have any...
preacher sermons to read. They just have the Bible. And they stick with it. And you can find examples. And if you don't believe it, write the Wycliffe translators. They have example after example. When because of the assignment they get the word of God in their own native dialect, people are getting hungry. Not only that... Everyone that gets saved seems to become a preacher telling others about it and bringing others to Christ. So lift your pure approach. Now, it may not be popular here. I remember giving away about ten thousand tracts in one day myself.
Well, I would say five thousand. Ten thousand later on in a week. Over in sub to South Carolina. And from early morning to late at night. When the circus came to town, I went all through the circus parade, up and down the circus parade. I never saw the parade. There were so many people. The whole county was there. And I gave tracts out all the way up and down the parade. I went to the circus grounds. I don't know what the circus was doing, but I was giving out tracts, walking all the way around the whole place, giving them away. Afternoon and night. I went home at ten-thirty at nine.
I started in the morning about nine o'clock. My back ached. I said, Lord, I hope somebody gets a blessing out of my back ached. And a few weeks later at the county fair, giving out tracks there, an old black man came down the aisle and he saw me and he said, I want to talk to this gentleman. You're the man that gave them tickets away at a big show. You gave me one of those tickets. And when I read this, I said, that's just what my people's need. They need this. He says, I was a deacon at a certain such as a church. And he said, you know, I look for you all over. I couldn't find you. Well, I kept walking around the place.
I didn't stand still at all. But he said, you know what? I picked up every one I could find on the ground. I said, Lord, I wish he'd follow me all over. Then he said, brother, one night my aunt sent for me. Could I come over to her house? She had a border there, a man who was dying. And he was scared to die. He said, Brother, I went over there. And showing up, he was scared to death. He was dying. He looked at me and asked what I could do. And he said, You know, Brother, I had just one of them there, take it for life in my best pocket. Just one of them left.
I said, I'll tell you what I does for you. So the man on the bed, I read this. And he read the scripture on that track. He turned it over and read the gospel message applying it. And he said to the man, if you believe this, you die happy. And he said, before I left, I gave it to him. And I said, now you read it. You believe it. You die happy. And the dear old man looked up at me and grinned. He said, brother, that man dies happy. I said, Lord, thank you for the backache. Literature. Don't minimize this importance and its blessings.
And then the seventh one that Gibbs has is the after-meaning approach, after a gospel meeting. Let me say that. We're not properly concerned about the unsaved in our meetings when they come. Years ago, we would watch for them. And we will watch the reaction after the gospel message has been given. There are sometimes some that buttonhole people, which I'm not very much in favor of, it can be done in the right way and the wrong way. But they should be watched. They may be anxious souls, and wherever they are, if we see one that shows anxiety via question or a suggestion.
Wasn't that a good gospel message? telling us how to get saved, to break down the inquirer or the one who needs salvation. Pastor Benito, may I say this, in my early days we had more people saved after the gospel meeting than we see today. And let me say another thing we did, we took the unsaved to the gospel meeting too. We picked a muffin, brought them. And now go to John four. I want to follow very quickly the example of the Lord Jesus. As you see him personally witnessing, doing personal evangelism, you'll find it in your book.
But I would like to go down the chapter in that fourth chapter of John very briefly and quickly. Begin reading with me if I may in verse four. In verse three we're told he left Judea. and departed again into Galilee. And he must need go through Samaria. Now there's some, I know there are some that indicate or would suggest. He went there just because of the woman. Undoubtedly he did. But may I say, if you look at your Bible, man, he had to go through Samaria to get to Galilee. But please notice next, though. Notice what he did. In verse five, he cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called Saika, near the parcel of the ground that Jacob gave to his son.
Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearyed with his journey, sat thus on the well, and it was about the sixth hour. Now, I want you to notice something, and may I say lovingly, surely the Lord Jesus as none other person could, knew he would meet this woman at the well. But he chose the most convenient time, at the sixth hour, which was exactly twelve o'clock noon, when she came to the well for water.
Now from the context of the story you that have read it, she was not a very good woman in character. And without question of doubt, rather than come, knowing that her character was bad, her reputation was bad, and you can find it from the story, she preferred going in the heat of the day to get the water from the well, when there be no women there, or no other visitors there. And the Lord knew that. And he sat on the well, weary, at the time that she came. And we read verse seven. there cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water, and Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink.
Now then you have the Lord Jesus asking a favor. We mentioned that. Asking a favor. Give me to drink. Now the next thing that you notice, the shock that she got, and He asked the question. And please note, also please notice another thing in verse seven. The Lord made sure he was alone with her. His disciples were not there. They had gone to the city to buy food. And he was alone with her. And what a suggestion.
To be rightly alone with one you're seeking to bring to Christ. Now may I say. I've had to do it sometimes, seek to win someone in some meaning and poison to Christ with something going on around me. It's not a very easy thing. Far better, like I did on one occasion, when one man said to me, I'm the worst man in the city. I said, well, come in in this room, let you and I talk about it, and get them alone. And so the Lord Jesus had the woman alone. Now in verse eight, nine we read, Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew askest drink of me, which I am a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans?
Culturally speaking, they were not on speaking terms. The Jew, well may I say very frankly, from history, every Orthodox Jew despised the Samaritans. Every Pharisee despised a Samaritan. Every true Jew would not speak to a Samaritan who was of mixed breed, of Gentile and Jewish by nature. And so, but the Lord Jesus, oh, wait a minute. The Lord Jesus didn't consider any human barriers, whether racial, whether conventional, as the case may be.
He spoke to her. He spoke to her. But she was surprised. And she questioned him, see. And then you find the Lord Jesus tactfully. Having found her alone. And showing he was interested to ask her favor. Then he presented. Then in answer to her statement. In verse ten. The Lord made a statement. Now look. He presented to her a spiritual truth. When her interest was aroused, why she spoke with him, then he gave her a spiritual truth.
Look the words in verse ten. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gifts of God and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, she was ignorant. Thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee. Living water. She did not understand it. Go down through verse eleven, twelve and thirteen. She didn't understand it. She thought he was mentioning the water in the well. But as we had children often singing their chorus, he gave a water that was not in the well. And it was water that was not in the well he was speaking about.
But she did not understand the spiritual significance of his words. But go down the chapter. And now you find the Lord Jesus very quickly coming to the point as he particularly reveals to him. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well or a fountain of water. bringing up into everlasting life. And note the point. He had the gifts he could give her. He had asked her, give me. But he was the great giver.
And he wanted to give a living water. There would be inner, springing up into everlasting life. Until she couldn't understand. And then, you know what the Lord did? He probed her conscience. know what he said in verse fifty after verse fifteen when the woman said sir give me this water that I neither come to the that I thirst not neither come to the draw and then Jesus said unto her go call thy husband and come hither now go down just a verse or two for brevity's sake and see the result of that when the Lord Jesus probed her conscience when she said I have no husband Oh, if you had five, the one you live with is not your husband.
Oh, he knew her. He knew her life. The great ministry of the Holy Spirit, and may I emphasize this, John, sixteen, verse eight, through verse eleven, the first ministry of the Holy Spirit in winning the soul is to convict that soul of sin. Let me re-emphasize that. One of the reasons we have too many empty, false, worthless professions, they have not been under the conviction of sin.
But when a soul is under conviction from the Spirit of God, and under God convicted that soul has a heavy conscience. And the Lord deals with her conscience. She tries to evade it and speak about religion. Well, I guess she finds out a lot of that when you talk to anybody. But may I emphasize, when anybody talks about religion, just tell them you're not interested in religion. All you've got to talk about is Christ. For Christianity is not a religion.
It is a person. But she starts turning away the soul of the conversation to worship where they, she worshiped. Right nearby where she lived was Mount Gerizim. On that mountain, four hundred years before this event, the Samaritans built a huge temple. They would never go to Jerusalem. And she tells the Lord, we worship at this mountain. You say Jerusalem is the place to worship. And the Lord Jesus tells her, you don't know what you worship in. And it's very bright. We know what we worship. But salvation is of the Jew. And but he follows the subject of worship. And tells her, the time's coming, neither here at this mountain nor at Jerusalem, will anybody worship their fathers.
And he speaks of what? May I give you the thought? Look, in John chapter three, the Lord Jesus dealt with a Pharisee who was a good Pharisee, a self-righteous Pharisee, a man that longed and expected and hoped again in the kingdom of God. But he never talked to him about worship. He talked to him about being born again. And he kept to the subject. Whether a woman at the well or whether the Pharisee and John three, they both needed to be born again. I'm under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But please note, go with me down to verse twenty-five.
And we finish it at verse twenty-six. The woman said unto him, I know the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things. Now in the next verse, he reveals who he is. Jesus said unto her, I that speak unto thee, and he. She was looking for them as well. And he said, I'm right in. I'm right in. And you can read the rest of the chapter.
You know what happens. she forgets the water pot that she brought to the well and leaves it there and leaves the Savior. Run to the town and says to everybody, come, see a man that told me all things I ever did. He's the Messiah. And you'll find the whole town came to see him. And the men said to the woman, after hearing him, we will not only believe on him because you said so, but because we've heard him ourselves. And You know for the first time, in your New Testament, those Samaritans who found the Lord Jesus through her testimony called Jesus the Savior of the world.
The Savior of the world. The Savior of the world met the woman of Psyche. A Psyche as well met the woman of Psyche. and turned her into a believer and a spiritual worshipper of himself. And she became, may I say this, she became a soul winner. Now here's the personal example. And you've got, I suggest we won't take time tonight, but I suggest read the same about healing. In chapter eight of John's Gospel, the book of the Acts, rather.
And may give you the thought, Philip left one of the most successful gospel campaigns in Samaria to speak to one man down in the desert on the way to Ethiopia. A unit of the Queen of Ethiopia's kingdom. Who was reading the scriptures. Now there's one thing. It's a great help when you find somebody reading the Bible. Then you can do what Philip did. Believe me, I point out to you. The Spirit of God led Philip. He led him at the right moment to join himself. And may I be reminded, when Philip went, joined himself to the charity, he ran when the Spirit told him to go.
Just in time to read the man, to hear the man reading Isaiah fifty-three, all about the Lord Jesus who was crucified. And he said, understandeth thou what thou wilt. reading? How can I accept some men's guide me? And Philip gone in the chariot. And from the same scripture he preached unto him what? Jesus. Listen. May I say something carefully? Don't stray from your subject. Christ. The unsaved need Jesus. And Philip led him to the Lord.
One soul going to another country, which I fully believe, that man carried the gospel to his country with blessing. Many remnants in Ethiopia today prove the gospel reached that land long ago, undoubtedly prove its converted Ethiopia. But there was a soul winner Whom the Lord was leading. My beloved, let me say this. God help us to know how to approach those. Let me also remind my heart and yours. Might be chorus we sometimes think.
Love that soul through me. Let's approach them in love. To present them in Christ. The Lord Jesus presented himself to this woman. And Philip, we well know, his only theme and subject was to point that man to the person of Christ. And he was baptized and went on his way rejoiced. God help us indeed to know the right approach. Read your chapter. Not only read it, study it, and also, most of all, as I'm sure you're familiar with the fact, learn your memory verse. that those verses may come to your mind and heart and to your mouth when you're speaking to him close to Christ.
Shall we pray? Father, in thy precious name, and in the name of the Lord Jesus, we thank thee. Out of thy precious words, the greatest soul-winner that ever was on the earth was thy dear son. Blessed Lord Jesus, We never read of thee getting many converts when you preach to multitudes. But we often read of thee speaking to one and another, one here, one there, dealing with individuals. Now, Lord Jesus, please keep us from wanting to be great preachers.
Help us, indeed, by thy grace, to be humble, faithful, So when it's for thee, seeking individuals who are lost, and bringing them to thyself, we ask it as we commend ourselves to thee in separating, in thy precious and holy name. Amen.