If you are involved with soul winning, you probably have developed your own personal method of leading people to Christ. This is a typical method:

1. Read several scriptures to show that he/she needs God

2. Discuss grace and back it up with some scriptures

3. Praying with the person, guiding him/her in accepting Christ as savior

4. Assure him/her that they are now saved and in the Kingdom of God

5. Develop a plan for his/her personal growth

So, what could possibly be wrong with this method? The problem lies in item number 4. If you use number 4, or something similar, you are:

A. Setting yourself up as savior and judge

B. Providing a false sense of eternal security

C. Promoting a bad habit: putting trust in man

The problem is that we can’t possibly know what is in another person’s heart. We don’t know if someone has truly committed his/her life to Christ. What we need to do is send them to God to work out their salvation. Read the accounts of what Jesus said to the thief on the cross, the Samaritan woman, Nicodemus, Peter, and Mary Magdalene. He treated everyone differently, and personally; He is the only one who has the authority to welcome people into the Kingdom of God.

Also, consider the rich young man who came to Jesus and asked, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16 KJV) Jesus did not say, you must be born again. Jesus didn’t talk about grace and redemption, nor did He talk about faith and propitiation. He asked if the young man kept all the commandments, and the young man said that he did. Then Jesus continued, ” If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matthew 19:21 KJV)  This response of Jesus is packed with information, but let me simply say that Jesus knew the young man’s weaknesses and Jesus put the young man in a position where he had to decide whether or not to make a full commitment. The young man chose not to follow Jesus because he was unwilling to part with his riches.

If the young rich man would have come to us and we would have applied the 5-point method outlined at the beginning of this blog, we most probably would not have told him to sell all his possessions and follow Christ. We wouldn’t have had the authority to say such a thing. But, by not knowing his heart, we could have very easily welcomed him into the Kingdom, keeping his riches intact, and given him a false sense of security.

So, should we stop witnessing? Absolutely not! Should we stop teaching people how to be born again? God forbid! We have the great commission, a responsibility to go into all the world and baptize and teach. But, we do not have the responsibility nor authority to make promises, make deals, or decide when someone is ready to enter the Kingdom of God.

Believers need to know the voice of the Lord and develop good communication early in their walk of faith. This is the way God wants it: a personal relationship with Him, and that His children are not dependent on heritage, credentials, church, friends, intellect, talent, nor even religion.

Pastors, if you give an altar call and people respond, make sure they understand this: they need to go to God and work out the details – you can’t do it for them. If you comfort them and say, now you are saved, you may be giving them a dangerous, false sense of security. Be willing to answers their questions the best you can, but encourage them to have one-on-one conversations with God and let God give them the sense of security and let God welcome them to the Kingdom. God said to Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.(KJV)

 This is the same advice that Paul gave the Philippians and Timothy:

Philippians 2:12  . . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (ESV)

1 Timothy 2:5  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

One of the most important aspect of leading people to Christ is to get them going in the right direction: communicating and reasoning with God on a personal basis. Encourage them to start a personal relationship with God: meeting with Him regularly, reading His word, and seeking His presence in their life.