What is a soul-winner?

What is a soul-winner? Consider this verse:

Matthew 5:13 "¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."

A born again believer is called the “salt of the earth” in this verse. What does salt do for the food? Jesus tells us that salt is used to “savour” the food, to make it palatable for consumption. Therefore, that is the job of a soul-winner. His job is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to savour the word of God, to break it down, so that it is palatable to the soul that feeds upon it.

Consider this example:

Acts 8:31-33 "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth."

This passage of scripture was about a eunuch of Ethiopia, a man of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, having read the book of Isaiah, but had trouble understanding it. The part of the scripture he could not understand was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth…" The next verses tell us:

Acts 8:34-35 "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

That was an “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) seeking for answers from the word of God. That eunuch of Ethiopia was looking for a born again believer endued with the Spirit of the living God to guide him. That was when Philip, the soul-winner, opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, preached unto him Jesus. The next verses tell us:

Acts 8:36-37 "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

So, after Philip expounded Jesus to the eunuch of Ethiopia, he understood from the book of Isaiah. He could see Jesus from this passage of scripture, and received the word of God in the good ground of his "honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15). That was a fine example of how a born again believer should be doing soul-winning. Not going from door-to-door asking people to pray the sinner’s prayer, or resort to emotionalism to make people feel guilty of what they have done.

Luke 8:15 "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

An honest and good heart will by nature seek to know the truth, and the truth will be found of him in the 66 books of the word of God. Therefore, as the salt of the earth, the job of a soul-winner is to savour the word of God, to break it down so that it may be understood by the hearer, and in so doing, make the word of God palatable for the soul that feeds upon it. However, in the same verse in Matthew 5:13, Jesus also used the term “good for nothing” for Christians who received the gospel but won’t preach it to others and produced no fruit.

Connect this to:

John 15:2 "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."

John 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."

The end of those “good for nothing” Christians is to be cast out because they beareth not fruit, so that they will wither off and be cast forth as a branch into the fire to be burned (in hell). The sinner's prayer they've prayed will not save them, but will prove them to be liars before a thrice-holy God.