"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
II Peter 3:9
When I was in college I had a close friend, named Harold Cone, who was very serious about soul-winning. He wanted to see everyone won for Christ. Upon meeting an individual that did not have a relationship with Jesus, he would put them on his list of people that he would target in prayer and that he would later share the gospel with. He named the list as his “hit list”.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a hit list as a list of people or things selected as the object of a certain treatment or course of action.
I encourage you to develop a hit list of people who you want to see impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Examine your community discover people who might be receptive or who need to hear the message of Christ’s love.
Draw a Family tree and use it for prayer purposes.
On this tree, you should list family members that need Christ. Next, list work contacts that you have built personal relationships with. Lastly, list individuals who are on your heart because they may be going through stressful times; such as illness, loss of job, or bereavement.
Develop a “10 most wanted list” or for your hit list.
List 10 people you most want to see come to Christ.
Pray for Those on the “Hit List”. Spend 5 or 10 minutes daily in prayer for them. The result will be a changed attitude toward prayer, a changed life, and a new people populating the kingdom.
Cultivate relations with those on the “Hit List”. Pursue a relationship with the persons at the top of the list. Seek ways to serve and be kind to them, until the door opens for you to share Christ. If the person has experienced the loss of a loved one, visit them or send a card. Sho them love. If it’s the couple next door, invite them over for coffee and dessert. Invite the husband over for football and pizza or go along to hardware store. Look for things they enjoy doing and do them with lost people (share recipes – cook together) workout. If neighbors enjoy board games, invite them over for popcorn and Monopoly.
Discern their needs and look for time of reception. Your relationship will divulge their felt needs. Where a person is hurting, it is difficult to hide. God often uses emotional and physical pain in the life of a sinner to get attention and as a catalyst for spiritual interest.
Implement your evangelism strategy. Once you realize that a person is receptive to the gospel, ask the Lord to lead you how you should approach them with the gospel and go for it. Here are a few styles that you might use.
Invitational style. Invite them to a small Bible Study.
Confrontational style. Gently confront with their need for Christ.
Testimonial style. Share what Christ has done for you and through you.
Use each conversion to build momentum. At the point of conversion, excitement is high. Ask the new convert to draw up a family tree, “Hit List”, or “10 most wanted”. Begin to target the new list in prayer and look for timing and opportunity to share the gospel again and again.
This makes ministry very personal. Don’t think that it is someone else’s job. It is all of our responsibility. Every one of us must take the call to win the loss, personally. Set a “soul-goal” and watch God bring them in one-by-one. Every soul on your “family tree”, your” hit list”, or your “10 Most Wanted”, represents a person that Jesus Christ died for. #citiescanbewon #expandingBORDERS