THE SECRET OF SOUL WINNING (THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW)
BY FRED HYDE

Prison bars, chain gangs, electric chairs, gas chambers, lethal injections, detox centers and Oscar’s “Quick Fix” Rehabs do not change men!

One of the most difficult tasks in all the world is to bring about change in a man. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2) When we look at the word laborers, we get a glimpse of what is involved in bringing men and women to God. The scripture further declares that “…it is not in man…to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) This tells me that men need help in directing their steps.

Change is not something which only happens around a person, change is something that must take place inside a person. This is why one cannot be saved just by saying, “I believe.” There must be a radical transformation which takes place on the inside. This is why soulwinning is a work of labor. It is so difficult to convince a person they can become completely new in every way when Jesus brings them to the “new birth”.

The question then arises, “How do I go about this difficult assignment which the Lord has given me in helping bring those, that God has sent my way, to the “new birth” and complete change.

In almost 20 years of direct “hands on” experience, I believe I can speak from the wealth of what I have learned in working with every imaginable scenario and problem one can think of. Here is the secret that I have found…

There are so many phonies in our day, that people are naturally leery of what you are telling them. I must convince them that I am sincere and that I do care about them. This takes time, sometimes years. I can’t just walk up to a person and say, “Jesus loves you,” and expect them to fall down on their knees and say, “I want to be saved.” I must lead them into the paths of righteousness. I can’t put a rope around their necks and start jerking.

I heard it said one time, “You can’t take a railroad crosstie for a pole, a log chain for a line, and a snapping turtle for bait, and be a fisher of men.” How profoundly true that is!

I had one man in Georgia who wrote to me. He said, “Dear Mr. Hyde, You have been writing to me for four years. I am writing to let you know that Sunday night I went to the little church you referred me to. I was baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and was filled with the Holy Ghost. My life is so wonderful.” This one took four years.

There are hundreds of men and women that I have been writing to for years, some as long as 16 years. Have all these people come to the Lord? Why certainly not, but there is one thing they do know, that we
are genuine. We may never win them, but when they do make their move, we’ll be there. Soul winners are genuine. Soul winners are patient. Is 16 years too long?

One person called me and was extremely upset and angry because he felt I was calling him an alcoholic. Did I get upset and angry with him? Never! I talked to him and by the time we were finished he had
calmed down. After our call, I wrote him a real nice letter explaining how much I enjoyed talking with him. The last I heard he was attending church with his wife. Soul winners are longsuffering…

Another man wrote to me, “My dear faithful friend, you have been writing to me for 12 years. I have never known anyone as faithful as you. Your letters mean so much to me.” Soul winners are committed.

One man told me, “It seemed that every time I looked out my door this woman was coming up my walk saying, ‘Oh! I know you’re going to visit our church this Sunday!’ I said to myself I’m going to go just
one time to get this woman off my back.” He did go, but it wasn’t just one time, it was for life. The Word was preached and he gave his life to God. Soul winners are determined.

What is the secret of soul-winning that very few people know? No matter what happens I’m going to stay with them. I’m going to pray and fast. I’m going to be determined, longsuffering and committed. Regardless of how things appear outwardly, I’m going to prove to them that God is genuine.

In the day of the Lord, when we are all clasping hands around the throne of God and you see the face of that one you worked with, loved and won, then you can say, “I learned the secret of soul-winning that very few people knew.”

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THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY FREEDOMLINE, MARCH 1997, PAGE 2.

THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.