Who Is Qualified To Win Souls – 8 Traits By Charles Spurgeon

Who Is Qualified To Win Souls?

I believe that characteristics that attract God’s attention as being most conducive to soul winning are also likely to be approved by man.

#1 Soul Winner Cannot Be Ignorant 

And, first, let me state that an ignorant fool is not likely to be a soul-winner. It is a man’s obligation to do the best he can with what little information he possesses, but I would not expect such a man to be used very much in God’s work. 

If he had a broader and deeper experience of God’s things, if he had been a knowledgeable man because taught of God, he could have used his knowledge for the good of others. But being mostly uninformed of God’s things himself, I don’t see how he can make them known to others. 

There must be some light in that candle that will illuminate men’s darkness and some knowledge of that man who will educate his brothers. A man who is virtually or entirely uninformed of the truth of God is disqualified from even joining the lists of great soul-winners. 

So let us all pray, brethren, that we may be fully taught in the truth of God, that we may teach others.

#2 Sincere In Relating To Others

Assuming you are not of the ignorant class, what traits must you have towards others to win them for the Lord? I should add, there must be an evident sincerity about us; not just sincerity, but such sincerity that anyone looking for it would find it. 

Believe in The Truth You Preach

If you don’t believe in the truths you’re teaching, your audience won’t believe you. There will be no efficacy or power in your preaching until they are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that you believe these facts yourself. Nothing you say to others must be suspected of being untrue; if it is, your effort is useless. Everyone who hears you should know you are doing one of the holiest duties ever assigned to man. It is difficult for those who hear you preach the gospel to be strongly affected by it if you do not understand it. 

“Did he preach a wonderful sermon?” I heard recently about a specific preacher. “What he said was very good.” the answer said. 

“But did you not profit by the sermon?” 

“No, not in the slightest degree.” 

“Was it not a good sermon?” 

“What he said was very good.” said the first. 

“So, what? Why didn’t you benefit from the preacher’s sermon?” 

This was the explanation that the listener gave, “I did not profit by the discourse because I did not believe in the man who delivered it; he was simply an actor performing a part; I did not believe that he felt what he preached, nor that he cared whether we felt or believed it or not.” 

Where such a state of things as that exists, the hearers cannot be expected to profit by the sermon, no matter what the preacher may say; they may try to fancy that the truths he utters are precious, they may resolve that they will feed upon the provision whoever may set the dish before them; but it is no use, they cannot do it, they cannot separate the heartless speaker from the message he delivers so carelessly. 

Soul Winning Is Not A Routine

As soon as a man lets his work become a matter of mere form or routine, it sinks into a performance in which the preacher is simply an actor. He is only acting a part, as he might in a play at the theatre; and not speaking from his inmost soul, as a man sent from God. 

I do beseech you, brethren, speak from your hearts, or else do not speak at all. If you can be silent, be silent; but if you must speak for God, be thoroughly sincere about it. It would be better for you to go back to business, and weigh butter or sell reels of cotton, or do anything rather than pretend to be ministers of the gospel unless God has called you to the work.

The most damnable thing a man can do is to preach the gospel like an actor and to convert worship of God into a show. Such mockery is fit for the devil, not God. Divine truth is far too valuable to be mocked. You can bet that if people accuse you of being dishonest, they will never listen to you again, and they will never trust your message if you give them a reason to doubt it.

#3 Earnest In Soul Winning

Another condition, manward, for soul-winning, which I believe we all possess, is obvious earnestness. 

Win Soul With Emotion And Earnestly

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” says the Bible. 

If a man is to be a soul-winner, there must be in his intensity of emotion as well as sincerity of heart. 

You may preach the most solemn warnings, and the most dreadful threatenings, in such an indifferent or careless way that no one will be in the least affected by them; and you may repeat the most affectionate exhortations in such a half-hearted manner that no one will be moved either to love or fear. 

I believe, brethren, that for soul-winning there is more in this matter of earnestness than in almost anything else. 

I’ve seen and heard several lousy preachers who brought many souls to Christ through their sincerity. 

There was positively nothing in their sermons (until the provision merchant used them to wrap around his butter), yet those feeble sermons brought many to Christ. 

It was not so much what the preachers said as how they delivered it that moved their listeners. 

The simplest truth was so driven home by the intensity of the utterance and emotion of the man from whom it came that it told with surprising effect.  

If one gentleman gave me a fifty or hundred-pound cannonball to roll across the room, and another gave me a rifle-ball and a weapon to shoot it from, I know which would be more successful. 

Never underestimate the power of a single bullet, for it often kills both the sin and the sinner. 

Preach Enthusiastically

So, brethren, it is not the bigness of the words you utter; it is the force with which you deliver them that decides what is to come of the utterance. I have heard of a ship that was fired at by the cannon in a fort, but no impression was made upon it until the general in command gave the order for the balls to be made red-hot, and then the vessel was sent to the bottom of the sea in three minutes. That is what you must do with your sermons, make them red-hot; never mind if men do say you are too enthusiastic, or even too fanatical, give them a red-hot shot, there is nothing else half as good for the purpose you have in view. We do not go out snow-balling on Sundays, we go fire-balling; we ought to hurl grenades into the enemy’s ranks.

What earnestness our theme deserves! We have to tell of an earnest Saviour, an earnest heaven, and an earnest hell. How earnest we ought to be when we remember that in our work we have to deal with souls that are immortal, with sin that is eternal in its effects, with a pardon that is infinite, and with terrors and joys that are to last forever and ever! A man who is not in earnest when he has such a theme as this,—can he possess a heart at all? Could one be discovered even with a microscope? If he were dissected, probably all that could be found would be a pebble, a heart of stone, or some other substance equally incapable of emotion. I trust that, when God gave us hearts of flesh for ourselves, He gave us hearts that could feel for other people also.

#4 Love The Hearers

These things being taken for granted, I should say, next, that it is necessary for a man who is to be a soul-winner, that he should have an evident love to his hearers. I can’t imagine a preacher winning souls by insulting his congregation and behaving as if he hated their very sight. These men are only pleased when they are dumping wrath bottles on people who are unhappy to listen to them. 

Not Fill With Rage

“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves.” I heard a brother preach. “I do not say that this man came to the place where we are,” he began his speech, “but I know another man who came to this place and fell among thieves.” You can probably expect what would happen if such venom was hurled. He maintained his calm while the preacher raged at the audience with all his might.

To have significant influence over others, you must truly care about their well-being. 

Dogs and cats, for example, like the people who adore them, and humans are very similar to these dumb creatures. 

People soon get to know when a cold man gets into the pulpit, one of those who seems to have been carved out of a block of marble. 

There have been a few of our brethren who have tried and failed. On each occasion, I was told that “He is a good man, a wonderful man; he preaches well, very well, but still we do not get on with him.” “Why do you not like him?” “Nobody ever did like him,” they said. “Is he quarrelsome?” “Oh! dear no, I wish he would make a row.” “Well, sir, I do not think he has any heart; at least, he does not preach and act as if he had any.”

Big Heart For People

It is tragic when a ministry fails because of a lack of heart. You should have a huge heart, like Portsmouth or Plymouth, so that everyone in your flock may anchor there and feel safe. 

Do you not observe that men who thrive in ministry and win people for Christ have big hearts? 

Think, for instance, of Dr. Brock; there was a mass of a man, one who had bowels of compassion; and what is the good of a minister who has not? I do not hold up the accumulation of flesh as an object worthy of your attainment, but I do say that you must have big hearts if you are to win men to Jesus; you must be Great-hearts if you are to lead many pilgrims to the Celestial City.

Not Devoid of Human Nature

I have seen some very lean men who said that they were perfectly holy, and I could almost believe that they could not sin, for they were like old bits of leather, there did not appear to be anything in them that was capable of sinning. I met one of these “perfect” brethren once, and he was just like a piece of seaweed, there was no humanity in him. I like to see a trace of humanity somewhere or other about a man, and people, in general, like it, too; they get on better with a man who has some human nature in him. 

Make The Hearer Comfortable

Human nature is a wonderful thing when connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. Men who live a hermit-like existence of self-absorption are unlikely to have much impact on the world or to bring good to their fellow creatures. To serve the people, you must love them and mix with them. 

Some pastors are better men than others, but they don’t do as much good as those who are more human, who sit with the people and make themselves as comfortable as possible. 

You know, brethren, that you might appear to be too good, making people think you are angels, cherubim, and seraphim, rather than fallen sons of Adam. Don’t be like them, but mixing with them in complete love and compassion, knowing that you would do all in your power to lead them to Christ, so that you may say with the apostle Paul, “Be men among men.” “While I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all to gain more. And to the Jews, I became a Jew in order to gain the Jews; to those under the law, I became under the law in order to win those under the law; and to those without the law, I became without the law in order to gain those without the law. I became weak to win the weak; I became all things to all men to rescue some.”

#5 Not Selfish Or Self Centre

The next qualification, manward, for soul-winning, is evident unselfishness. 

When a man is known as selfish, he cannot draw men to Christ. 

Selfishness seems to be ingrained in some people. You see it at the table at home, in the house of God, everywhere. 

When such persons engage with a church and congregation, their greed quickly emerges. They intend to gain whatever they can, although, in the Baptist ministry, they rarely get much. 

“Well, let me have but food and raiment, and I will be therewith content.” I trust every one of you will say. If you attempt to forget about money, it frequently comes back to you twice, but if you strive to grasp it, it may not return at all. 

These individuals don’t want their people to know anyone who can preach better than they can, and they can’t stand hearing of any excellent work going on anyplace but in their own chapel. 

If there is a revival elsewhere and people are saved, they mock, “Yes, many converts, but who are they? How will they fare in a few months?” 

They are considerably more concerned with their own annual acquisition of one new member than with their neighbor’s annual gain of a hundred. 

If your people perceive you as selfish, you will soon lose control over them. If you decide to be a great man, you will surely go to the cats. 

What are you, my dear brother, that people should all bow down and worship you, and think that in all the world there is none beside you? 

It’s simple: the less you think of yourself, the more people will think of you. Do not be selfish, or you will never be tools to win people for Jesus Christ.

#6 Holiness Of Character

Then I am sure that another thing that is wanted in a soul-winner is the holiness of character. It is no use talking about “the higher life” on Sundays and then living the lower life on weekdays. 

A Christian pastor must be exceedingly careful not to offend the flock’s weaker members. All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient. We should never do something that we believe is wrong, but we should also be ready to not do things that aren’t wrong but might cause others to stumble. Both our character and our teaching will lure others to holy things when they see us not merely about holiness but living it ourselves.

#7 Seriousness Of Manner

I think also that, if we are to be soul-winners, there must be about us a seriousness of manner. Some brethren are born serious. 

Not Only In The Form

A man in a train compartment once overheard two people talking. One remarked, “Now, I believe the Church of Rome has great power and will succeed with the people since her clergy are clearly holy. For example, a Cardinal is a skeleton, reduced to skin and bone by his extended fasting and prayers. Whenever I hear him talk, I am struck by his holiness. Look at Spurgeon, he eats and drinks like the rest of us.” 

His friend listened carefully, then softly remarked, “Did it ever occur to you that the Cardinal’s look was because of a malfunctioning liver? I suppose it is his liver that makes him so skinny.” 

Here, the gloomy temperament is not a sign of grace, but a signal that their livers are not functioning properly. 

They never laugh because they believe it would be sinful to do so; instead, they go about the world causing human sorrow, which is bad enough without their useless contribution. 

Such folks seem to believe that they were born to dump buckets of cold water on all human happiness and pleasure. 

Don’t always attribute your seriousness to grace, dear brethren, because it may be because of your liver’s condition.

Not Frivolous

We will need all our cheerfulness to comfort and lift those who are down, but we will never lead many souls to Christ if we are full of that frivolity which certain men possess. 

“It is all a joke; just hear how those young fellows jest about religion. It is one thing to listen to them when they are in the pulpit, but it is quite another matter to listen to them when they are sitting around the supper table.” 

I heard about a man dying and asking the pastor to see him. “Do you remember a young man walking with you one evening, some years ago, when you were going out to preach?” the dying man asked the pastor. He said no. “I recollect it very well,” said the other. “Do you not remember preaching at such-and-such a village, from such-and-such a text, and after the service a young man walked home with you?” “Oh, yes, I remember that very well!” “Well, I am the young man who walked home with you that night; I remember your sermon, I shall never forget it.” “Thank God for that,” the pastor replied. ” You won’t thank God after hearing what I have to say,” the dying man said. Although you said little to me on the trip to the village, your sermon affected me, and I was inspired to consider surrendering my life to Christ. I wanted to talk to you about my soul on the way home, but you made so much fun of religion and everyone who professed it I couldn’t say anything, and now I’m damned, and my blood will be at your door as long as you’re alive: “So he left the world. 

One would not want such a thing to happen to him, therefore take care not to invite it. Our lives must be serious if we want to bring other men to Christ.

#8 Have Tender Heart

Finally, if we are to be much used of God as soul-winners, there must be in our hearts a great deal of tenderness. I like a man’s religious bravery, but I’m not interested in seeing him brazen-faced and impudent. 

Not Apologetic About God’s Word

A young man goes into a pulpit, apologizes for attempting to preach, and hopes the people will bear with him; he does not know that he has anything particular to say if the Lord had sent him he might have had some message for them, but he feels himself so young and inexperienced that he cannot speak very positively about anything. Such talk as that will never save a mouse, much less an immortal soul. If the Lord has sent you to preach the gospel, why should you make any apologies? Ambassadors do not apologize when they go to a foreign court; they know that their monarch has sent them, and they deliver their message with all the authority of king and country at their back. Nor is it worthwhile for you to call attention to your youth. You are only a trumpet of ram’s horn, and it does not matter whether you were pulled off the ram’s head yesterday, or five-and-twenty years ago. If God blows through you, there will be noise enough, and something more than noise; if He does not, nothing will come of the blowing. When you preach, speak out straight, but be very tender about it; and if there is an unpleasant thing to be said, take care that you put it in the kindest possible form. 

Conduct Business In Love

Certain Christian brothers were outraged when some of our brethren went to deliver a message to them. 

“I would not have minded your speaking to me; you have a way of putting an unpleasant truth so that a man cannot be offended with you however much he may dislike the message you bring to him,” he remarked when I spoke to him about it. 

“Well, but,” I responded, “I put the matter just as strongly as the other brethren did.” 

“‘They stated it in such a terrible way that I couldn’t tolerate it. If you blow me up instead of those others, I’ll take it!” 

There is a method to conduct things such that the person reprimanded feels thankful. One may kick a man downstairs in a manner he will enjoy, while another may open a door in such a way that you will not pass through until he is gone. 

Now, if I must tell anyone certain unpalatable truths that he must know if he is to be saved, I must be true to him, but I will attempt to deliver my message in such a way that he will not be insulted. 

Then, if he takes offense, he must; the probability is that he will not, but that what I say will take effect upon his conscience.

Don’t Preach With Rage

I know certain brethren who preach like warriors. They remind me of the Irishman at Donnybrook Fair; they seem to invite someone to fight them during the sermon, and they are never satisfied unless they are fighting someone. 

He preaches so vehemently on Clapham Common that the unbelievers he targets can’t stand it, and there are frequent clashes and rows. If certain men could preach in heaven, I’m afraid they’d make the angels fight. 

I know a few preachers like this. 

One has, to my knowledge, served in over a dozen locations throughout his brief ministry. The ruins he leaves behind tell you where he has gone. He invariably finds the churches in a terrible situation and cleanses, demolishes them right away. Usually, the chief deacon is the first to depart, followed by all the prominent families, until the man has sufficiently cleansed the region that the few remaining people cannot keep him. He moves on to another location and destroys again. 

He’s a spiritual shipwrecker, and the only time he’s pleased is when he’s digging a hole through the planks of a decent ship. He claims the ship is unstable, so he bores and bores until, just before she sinks, he sneaks off and boards another ship, which also sinks quickly. 

He believes he is called to separating the valuable from the vile, and he makes a nasty mess of it. I have no reason to assume it is his liver, but his heart, that is causing me to lose my patience with him. It’s risky to keep him over three days since he’ll squabble with the world’s most peaceful man. I will never suggest him to a pastorate again; let him find a place for himself if he can since I think that wherever he goes, the grass will never grow again. To get rid of this unpleasant, bitter spirit, travel to sea. 

I pray it happens to you under Mahomet’s tale. “There are two dark droplets of sin in every human,” the tale goes. The great prophet himself was not immune to wickedness, therefore an angel was dispatched to take his heart and squeeze the two black droplets of sin from it.” If you have any hatred, ill-will, or bad temper, pray to the Lord to take it out of you while you are here; do not go into churches to fight as others have done “ 

Speak Truth In Love

“Still,” says a brother, “I am not going to let the people tread on me. I shall take the bull by the horns.” You will be a great fool if you do. I never felt that I was called to do anything of the kind. Why not let the bull alone, to go where he likes? A bull is a very likely creature to project you into space if you get meddling with his horns. “Still,” says another, “we must set things right.” Yes, but the best way to set things right is not to make them more wrong than they are. Nobody thinks of putting a mad bull into a china shop in order to get the china cleaned, and no one can by a display of evil temper set right anything that is wrong in our churches. Take care always to speak the truth in love, and especially when you are rebuking sin.

Conclusion

I think, brethren, that soul-winning will be done by guys of the type I’ve described, and that this will be especially true when they’re surrounded by individuals of the same type. To receive the fullest and richest rewards, you must first infuse the surroundings in which you live and work with this spirit. So, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, may you and your people be what I pictured! Amen.

This article is an edited version of the article ” Qualifications for Soul Winning — Manward ” from Charles Spurgeon’s book “The Soul Winner”. Check out our related posts for more information on this topic, or get a copy of the book from Amazon.