I recently preached on this topic on a Wednesday night Bible study/prayer meeting.
The idea was how the church is falling away in its music, standards, Bible, and even soul winning. Today, the big shots say (after sharing a "weak" version of the gospel), "come forward and make your committment to Christ" or "raise your hand to make your decision for Christ."
These money-suckers are getting "New Years Resolutions" from lost people and insinuating that they are receiving eternal life. They're damning them with deceit, and giving false hope to sinners bound for hell.
The points I then made in the message were how to deal with the lost today considering the confusion surrounding salvation.
1. Do not assume anything. Don't assume they are lost, don't assume they are saved, especially don't assume (just because they raised their hand or walked an aisle) that they fully understand the gospel and their condition apart from Christ. Assume nothing and deal with each individual with a completely blank slate.
Do not assume the individual is ready to receive Christ. You may be wrong, and the consequences irreversible.
2. Ask the right questions. The only way to learn "where" they are at is to ask them pointed questions that force them to divuldge. Never say, "Do you want to get saved?" You're putting the "s" word right into their mouth. (After removing the individual from the crowd into privacy...) I always begin with, "why did you raise your hand/come forward?" If they reply with the "s" word, I come back with "what makes you think that you need to be saved?"
The right questions will yield the person's true condition, and avoid "re-treads" and confusion. I ask about church backround and what they've been taught or believe in regards to Jesus Christ and salvation. The more you get out of their mouth (uncoerced), the better you can discern and determine how to deal with the individual.
3. Listen. (otherwise stated - "shut-up and listen") The only way to find out what they believe or know is to get them talking. This step is so important yet often uneffective if your mouth is running the whole time.
So what if you know that they are a sinner, do they know? So what if you know that their works cannot save them, do they know it? You can't move forward until you know where they are - listen to what they say.
4. Look for conviction. You must exercise spiritual discernment and determine if God is working on the individual. You cannot deal with someone when God is not dealing with them - you'll make a big mistake if you continue.
Patience is necessary as well as an element of schepticism over excitement. Conviction is easy to spot when God is pressing on a sinner, "hanging them over hell". No conviction? it's over. No sense of their condition as a sinner without Jesus Christ? - STOP, express your concern and promise to pray for them.
When you fully understand what they understand you may deal with them from the word of God appropriately.
These ideas are to be considered the "entrance ramp" to the Roman's Road or any form of gospel presentation. Folks are very confused and lost; it is important to move slowly if necessary, or sometimes backing off is the right thing to do.
There are also self-proclaimed "aggressive soul winners" out there who use no discernment and are only after a "notch on their belt" or a mark in their Bible. The damage they do is just as devestating as that of the "big shots" mentioned above.
Matt. 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
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