WINNING SOULS

The Bible says, "He that winneth souls is wise." Each one of us that is saved can thank Jesus that some person or persons witnessed to us--and each of us should witness to others. What does it mean to witness? To tell people that they are sinners and they need to be saved from the wrath to come and that the only way they will be saved is to REPENT giving God the authority in their lives and believe the gospel--(1) Jesus died for our sins, (2) was buried and (3) rose from the dead on the third day. Please see Salvation Made Simple for an excellent exposition of salvation.

A NOTE FOR THE SHY.

But what about those of us who don't feel ready for door-to-door evangelism? There are still a number of ways to witness, but in this article I want to focus on one--a Chick tract ministry. What is a "Chick tract"? It is a little cartoon booklet published by Bro. Chick of Chick Publications. They are highly interesting and to the point. If you've read my testimony, you might remember that I asked Jesus to save me after reading a Chick tract and then years later I started to walk with Jesus after reading a Chick tract. I use them a lot in my various ministries.

SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE SCARY.

Some people think Chick tracts are scary--I used to think so too but I loved to read them anyway. I was scared because I had no assurance of my salvation. One night, I gave one to an atheist who had said many hard things against the Lord. I came back after running an errand and he had a look of utter concern on his face and said, "I don't like being scared." Many people will say, "It's not right to scare people." First of all, I'm not scaring people, hell is real and it is being brought home to them. Second of all the Bible says, "...others save with fear". People get saved in different ways and fear of hell is a good enough reason to get right with the Lord. It is not hate or a scare tactic to tell the truth any more than it is a scare tactic to tell someone that their house is burning down.

"Okay, Sis. Tracy, how do I get started?" I'm glad that you asked that question.

GETTING STARTED.

1. Get yourself some Chick tracts.

You can get a free copy of "This Was Your Life" and a free catalogue by:
[A] Calling Chick Publications at 909-987-0071
[B] Writing Chick Publications at: P.O. Box 662, Chino, CA 91708-0062
[C] Or, visiting their website at http://www.chick.com (you can also read some of their tracts there)

COST: They are .13 each or $3.25 for a package of 25. You could start by ordering an all tract assortment where you can get one copy of every tract for $10 (there are about 70 tracts). You can then decide which you like best. My personal favorites are:

• This Was Your Life
• Holy Joe

But I use A LOT of them like:

• Big Daddy (evolution)
• Last Rites (Catholicism)
• Trust Me! (drugs and temptaion)
• The Trick (Halloween)
• ...and lots more...

2. Label the back of the tracts.

Get a pen, a stamp, or a set of labels so that you can put your church information on the back of the tract. If you'd like, you can put our website address on the back so that they can come visit us for more information. Our website address is http://www.jesus-is-lord.com.

THAT'S IT! You are now ready for your exciting tract ministry.

HOW TO USE THEM.

"But how can I use them if I'm shy?" I'm glad that you asked that question. The following are just a FEW ideas:

• When you go to a restaurant, leave a generous tip along with a tract
• On top of telephone booths
• In the bathroom stall
• Put them in trick-or-treat bags at Halloween (I love to use "The Trick" and "This Was Your Life" at Halloween along with a small gospel of John)
• Send them along with your bill payments
• Stick them inside of gifts and cards that you are giving
• Leave one on your desk at work
• Put them in your tract rack at church
• Seat at airport terminal
• On top of mailbox
• In a library book
• In a rented car ashtray or glove compartment

As you can see, the list could go on and on. When I leave them, they are gone within minutes and somebody has the gospel in their hands. If I'm going to a baseball game, I take tracts to leave everytime I go to the restroom. Lots of people like me have gotten saved because they found a tract.

FOR SOME, IT MAY BE THE ONLY WAY THEY'LL HEAR.

I don't recall a soulwinner ever giving me the gospel in a one-on-one presentation, but there were people [thank you, Jesus] who left Chick tracts for me to read and I am saved today because of it. I will never step one toe in hell.

For some folks it may be that the tract is the first step of their salvation. A seed is planted and is waiting on water from other Christians. Whatever the case, God will bring forth the increase.

IN CLOSING...

Don't forget that Chick tracts come in lots of languages and they come under lots of topics. They're terrific and great for the Shy as well as the Bold Soulwinner!