Please, don’t interrupt me.
I just finished preaching an illustrated message on the street, then I turn and talk to a man who stays until the end. He is definitely interested in the things of God; I sensed our spirits connect as he listened to a message that:
- Confronted him with his sin
- Brought him to the judgment and declared guilty
- Exalted Christ’s work on the cross to save him from his sin
- Called him to repentance and faith in Christ
So I ask this young man what he thinks about the message (personal evangelism at its best) and I am more than hopeful I can lead him to the Cross. Suddenly, my fellow soul winner breaks into the conversation with questions and a fresh lecture.
Stop right there. This is a great time to teach you something that works better. 
Each of us develops standard questions that we use for personal evangelism, but we want to be led by the Spirit above all else. One of the most important (unwritten) rules of soul-winning is: ”Don’t interrupt me while I talk to someone about their soul”.
That sounds harsh, but only if you don’t know my heart. You need to understand that the Spirit is guiding me, and I am groomed by several years of training and evangelistic experience. I am asking questions that create tension. I can often see the Spirit’s conviction mount and silence is usually the only way to get that. If you interrupt me while the Spirit is at work in that precious silence, the dam breaks and it is very difficult to rebuild. If you interject a new idea, you will likely derail our conversation. [for even a good idea becomes a bad idea if it is neither timely nor moves us in the right direction.] If you are the “second” soul winner with OTRB:
- You will stand nearby to listen and pray
- You will touch me on the shoulder if you want to talk. (I will know you want to say something.) I may or may not let you speak. I may be in a slump: I may want you share your thoughts: it may be just the right thing.
- Don’t be offended if you don’t share. You will get to lead next time and I will be the listener.
It is a great idea to evangelize with someone prayerful by your side. Let’s follow the Spirit, cooperate with one another and watch how God works in amazement!
jacob bock
Bravissimo, Jacob…having been on the street for years I am all too familiar with what you described and unfortunately it happens too often. I have also been accused of being harsh and of not allowing the Spirit to flow…give me a break!!! I learned to not even apologize for telling people to stay out of the way. Here’s another classic example of what you are talking about: We sang on the street for four years: every Saturday from eleven to twelve we, all MEN, sang A Cappella Gospel music in Portland, Oregon, rain or shine. The rules were simple: I am the leader, I select the songs (classically and jazz trained on the piano for over twenty years)…and furthermore, keenly aware of what works on the street (worship songs where you get blissful are not good)…and you just can’t have ten choir directors. Furthermore, in order to sing on the street you had to be able to stay on key, listen to the other singers and blend in…no prima donnas…and you had to have rhythm. So many “sincere” people tried to join us and I had to ask them to not come any more or if they came to stand to the side and pray for us. You can imagine how that went down! The end result, however? A good group of men…you should hear ten fellows singing in harmony like that…and hundreds of people to whom we ministered week after week to the glory of Jesus. So keep on keepn’ on, my brother.Once, after being frustrated by yet another attitude encounter, I asked a good friend, choir director at a church, what he did with that type of conflict. He responded by reminding me that our Master Himself had to deal with similar challenges…Lord, who will get to sit at Your right hand?
Blessings upon you, Jacob…stay in touch and keep the posts coming…
Rico…we fly back to Kingston tomorrow….pray for us an dour ministry there…I’ll be hitting the streets on a “red Box” in just a few days…
Great, Jacob, excellent. A needed teaching.