Articles
Win Souls, Not Arguments
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is for their salvation.” (Rom. 10:1). “Let your speech always be with grace, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (Col. 4:6). In evangelism, we should focus on winning souls, not arguments. Winning arguments is about me; winning souls is about God and helping people find Him.
Here are some soul-winning tips. 1) Listen more, talk less. Ask them to tell you their story. 2) Always use a kind, friendly tone, even in disagreements. 3) Find common ground. If you celebrate points of agreement, it softens points of disagreement when they come up (cf. Acts 17:22). 4) Thank them for talking with you. Religion is highly personal, this person is special for opening up about it. 5) Ask questions to express disagreement. Instead of, “That’s wrong,” say, “I see where you’re coming from, but how do you reconcile that with this verse?” 6) Point them to Scripture. Let them know your only desire is to discover God’s Word together, not to push your own agenda. God’s Word, not our word about God’s Word, saves souls (cf. Acts 11:14). 7) Pray for them. 8) Follow up with kindness. Even if they reject the gospel at first, we might win them over with love.
