Easy Believism Defended

Soul-winning Christians are sometimes accused of propagating “Easy Believism” Some might call this the “1-2-3-follow-me-plan-of-salvation.”  This is where a soul-winner takes a Bible and shows someone a few quick verses (concerning salvation of course) and then leads him or her in the sinners prayer to get saved.  Many critics have tried to discredit other soul-winning Believers who have successfully won many souls to Jesus Christ.  These scorners accuse us of being “out for the numbers” so we can brag to others of what we’ve done for God.  Let me tell you my friend, it is “...GOD THAT GIVETH THE INCREASE” (1st Corinthians 3:7).  I cannot save anyone (surprised huh?).  That was a joke of course.  No priest or Pope can save you-Only Jesus!!!  All we can do as soul-winners is to speak the Gospel of Christ to lost sinners and then pray that God will work in their hearts.  However, it will be God that does the saving, not us.  

Someone who would criticize a church for knocking on doors to win souls has a problem.  Thank God for the churches who take the time and effort to go out into the streets and the community preaching the Gospel.  Listen to the Words of Jesus Christ Himself, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and COMPEL THEM TO COME IN, that my house may be FILLED” (Luke 14:23).  Look up the word “compel” and you might be surprised.  It means “to force or make someone do something.”  Wow!!!  Does Jesus want us to force people to get saved?   Well, yes and no.  No, because you can’t force a person to accept Christ-It must be from the heart.  Yes, because people get stuck in life and need someone else to prod (help) them along to do what is right.  We must be gentle though, “...be gentle unto all men, apt (ready) to teach, patient” (2nd Timothy 2:24).   God does NOT want us to shove the Gospel down anyone’s throat.  However, we are COMMANDED to go forth preaching the Gospel, “GO ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).  The biggest problem with Believers today is that they have lost their “get-up-and-GO.”  GO!!!  Soul-winning is NOT an option, it is a command from God.  You can argue and speculate whether or not a Christian should go out door-to-door-soul-winning, but you cannot argue about soul-winning.  I think if you’ll do some homework you’ll find that the Believers who are not actively involved in a soul-winning church rarely ever tell a soul about Jesus Christ-If ever!!!  When do you tell others about Jesus???  This is what the ministry is all about-Finding a way to get the Gospel to others.  Very few Believers have any idea what I am talking about- It’s called soul-winning.  Also notice the word “filled” in Luke 14:23-God wants His house FILLED!  If God is not interested in numbers, He’s sure not interested in empty pews!!!  God wants us to “compel” others to come to church to hear the preaching.  Perhaps this means giving away bikes, a meal or a computer as a promotion.  This is acceptable to God-He told us to “compel” others to come.  God wants us to “compel” others if necessary to allow us to share the Gospel of Christ with them.  They won’t come to us-We must go to them!!!  There is a great enemy of soul-winning called “lifestyle evangelism.”  It is the belief that a Christian does not need to go soul-winning, just as long as he lets his light shine (a lifestyle) so others will come to him and want what he has.  Now I’m not against letting our light shine-God commands us to do so, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  However, this is NOT acceptable as an end in itself.  Too many lazy Believers are looking for excuses not to go soul-winning.  Jesus wants us to tell others about the good news of Christ.  This is all God is asking of us.  We don’t need to act religious or wear some strange clothing.  No, we simply need to be ourselves and share with others what the Lord has done for us through His infinite grace.  God is simply saying that He wants us to put forth as much effort as possible (to do what it takes) to help bring other folks to Christ as Savior. 

The argument against “easy believism” is that many people are coerced into praying a prayer but DON’T actually get saved because they didn’t know what their doing.  Unfortunately, I would have to agree that this does happen sometimes; However, it is not for us to judge what is going on in another persons heart.  There are people in the past with whom I had spent countless HOURS UPON HOURS teaching them the Word of God.  Today many out of them are out of church and I sincerely doubt their salvation.  One young man whom I had taught quite a bit is now working as a bouncer in a night club.  At one time, he was a faithful member of a Baptist church.  Satan offered him a good time and he fell for it.  By the way, he didn’t quit church overnight.  He started going to a nightclub while he was going to church also.  This is usually how it happens-straddling the fence (the middle of the road game).  After a short time, he quit church and stayed in the nightclubs.  Last I heard, he was in trouble with the law and his mother was worried sick (literally) over him.  It bothers me to this day-Satan has control of his life now!!!  Do you see what the devil does to people?   On the contrary, I can show you people whom I’ve known from years back who are still in church today and are doing a wonderful work for God.  Some people stay and some quit-why?  Only God knows that answer.  I’m simply saying that whether you spend five minutes or five years teaching someone-some people will disappoint you.  It’s painful to see many years worth of labor go down the tubes to Satan.  The Apostle Paul felt the same way towards the Galatians, “ I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you LABOUR IN VAIN” (Galatians 4:11).   These folks were dabbling with false religion and the Apostle Paul was sick over it.  I know to an extent how Paul must have felt.

I simply don’t buy this criticism of “easy believism.”  Why not?  Because it is EASY to get saved.  God only requires faith as a small grain of mustard seed for us to be savedI’m tired of dead-beat Believers attacking dedicated Christians Who are getting the job done.  Praise God for the soul-winners!!!  “High-pressure, button-hole evangelism” some call it.  So be it!!!  Of course it’s high-pressure when a Bible-toting soul-winner walks up to a child of the devil and presents the Gospel.  Of course your going to offend wicked sinners when you tell them they deserve to go burn in hell.  I could introduce you to multitudes of Believers Who would thank God that some soul-winner cared enough and was willing to OFFEND them one day.  Jesus said, “...blessed is he, whosoever shall not be OFFENDED in me” (Matthew 11:6; Luke 7:23).   Most people are offended at the mention of Jesus’ name.  Many people throughout history have even lost their lives for mentioning Jesus’ name.   What a wonderful Savior-Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!!  We hear of churches which claim to have hundreds of people saved (even thousands) on a single Sunday.  I say “Amen!!!”  It’s easy for the critics of red-hot soul-winning Christians to sit on their blessed assurance and criticize.  These dead-beat Believers never do anything for God, they just try to quench the spirits of those who have a zeal for God.  I once heard a Christian man say he didn’t believe in “putting cow’s up on the roof to get people into church.”  What a sad attitude this man had!  I heard another Christian man say that he would quit his church in a heartbeat if they ever gave away pumpkins as a promotion to bring kids to church.   It’s hard to imagine a man having so little loyalty for his own pastor and church that he would quit everything over a lousy pumpkin-this is where Christians are at nowadays.  If you don’t want to give out pumpkins at your lukewarm church, fine, but don’t criticize the red-hot soul-winning church that does.   If a pumpkin or a cow up on the roof will bring people to church to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I say wonderful!!!  If a church can use promotions to bring lost sinners to Christ, amen.  I am NOT condoning Halloween-it is Satanic in origin.  However, God created pumpkins and I love pumpkin pie!!!   There’s a fine line between faith and foolishness.  Hell has fire folks!!!  If you don’t agree with me, I sincerely wonder just how much you believe in a place called hell that burns with fire and brimstone.  Those who die in their sins will plunder into the depths of hell-fire and be tormented.  How could anybody be against promotions which bring people to church to hear the Gospel.  If a pie in the face or a water-balloon toss will fill the pews-Amen!

Perhaps you think God is not interested in numbers.”   Oh?  You had better read Luke 14:23, “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be FILLED.”  “Filled” is the opposite of “empty.”  Lord deliver us from lukewarm Christianity!!!  Jesus said He wants us to be hot or cold!!!   Listen to the Words of Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou art LUKEWARM, and neither COLD nor HOT, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”  God detests middle of the road Christianity.  Where are you?   The term “easy believism” was conjured up by some jealous and immature people who were too lazy to do any soul-winning for themselves.  That is so typical of human nature-If I am not willing to do what is right, then I must tear down and discredit those around me who are doing what is right-to make myself feel better.  This is childish and foolish.  Unfortunately, many people never grow up.  We must grow up in the Lord.  The Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away CHILDISH THINGS” (1st Corinthians 13:11).   What childish things did the Apostle Paul put away?   Childish thinking, understanding and speaking.  So many adults are still stuck in the rebellious teenage mentality.  So many adults are like little whining and fighting children.  It’s not hard to get people saved, it hard to get Believers to obey God’s Word and GO soul-winning with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Life is short, heaven and hell are real, we must GO if souls are to be saved.  Too many believers are sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises.  God only expects us to do what we can.