Toward the end of the year of obscurity, Christ had two personal one-on-one soul winning encounters. The first was a Pharisee and the other was a Samaritan woman. We can learn great lessons from Christ’s approach of winning the lost. The first account is in John chapter 3. A man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night. Nicodemus came secretly because Jesus was not well accepted among the Pharisees. Nicodemus addressed Christ as Rabbi, which is a Jewish scholar or teacher. He said, “we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Although this was the year of obscurity, Christ began performing miracles. The miracles peaked Nicodemus’ interest. We don’t know exactly the reason for seeking Christ, but Jesus took this encounter as an opportunity to present the Gospel. Christ brought the subject of salvation immediately into the conversation. This is a great example as a soul winning approach. Almost every day, we come across individuals. When conversations begin, the spiritual aspect is usually not involved. However, we should take encounters as opportunities to share the Gospel.
Christ’s conversation with Nicodemus transitioned into a spiritual statement. In John 3:3, the Bible says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus could not see the spiritual nature of this statement. He responded, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” Christ’s answer was, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” This verse is often misunderstood that salvation comes through baptism. Christ is saying that without a physical and a spiritual birth, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Being born of water is simply a term of being born physically. The process of birth involves water. Christ’s approach was to speak on a subject that was familiar. Nicodemus understood being born physically, but Christ began to explain the spiritual birth. Jesus used a known concept and applied it spiritually. This can be an effective approach by using common concepts and applying it to salvation. Again, Christ’s approach to soul winning should be followed. He is our example in every area of life. Let us use Christ’s soul winning tactics as we witness to others.
