How To Win Souls And Keep Them: Stunted Babies – Spiritual Paediatrics (How To Win Souls And Keep Them) (ePub)

 Glory be to God for this timely effort from Rev. Davidson Okpala.

It could not have come at a better time than now, given the fact that despite the enormous commitment of financial and human resources to evangelism by churches, Christian groups and individuals, the fruits of these effort are hardly enduring. The implication of this includes the fact that converts or otherwise 'babies' in the Lord soon make a U-turn not long after they are converted.

They return to the world or still remain lukewarm afterwards because the all important element of followup is missing.

The body of Christ (Church) has lost so many new converts as a result of the failure to follow-up or doing so wrongly, such that, there is no nurturing of our efforts. It is akin to planting in a garden and failing to water the plants. The consequence of this is discernable and obvious. Therefore, this book, Effective follow-up for Churches & Christian Groups, is a call to an "official" duty. Also it is a reminder of a failed duty. It will definitely ginger workers in the vineyard at various levels to the important need of saving those God has been sending to the Church.

In fact, many people may not find the title of the work appealing, especially as it is not dealing with the ever popular elements of miracle, prosperity, signs and wonders, healing and breakthrough. Yet, the very basis of the church is embodied in evangelism and caring which is summed up in follow-up.

The problem is that many Christians neglect this aspect which is the pilot of spiritual fruitfulness.

I recommend this book to all Christian groups, churches and individuals, especially those who are burdened in their hearts with populating the kingdom of heaven and saving souls from eternal destruction.

No doubt, it is also a virile weapon for church growth. God bless you as you use it.

MIKE OFOEBU.

Today, not much goes for follow-up in Christendom. Yet, it is the heart of the matter or better still, it is the heart beat of God.

Year in, year out, there have been familiar patterns of crusades, conventions, seminars, revival meetings, meal functions etc. All these efforts are aimed at bringing into the fold the lost souls i.e those yet to embrace the faith. But where are the fruits to show for all the resources so committed for these efforts, both in terms of time and finances?

In John 15:16 Jesus puts it succinctly thus: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

Let us consider a few hypothetical situations that will be relevant to us.

A typical example of this situation is a couple who have cried to God for the blessing of the fruit of the womb for over  11 years of marriage.

On the twelveth year, the Lord gives them a child and three others as the years go by. This should have brought the river of overflowing joy into the family, but something else goes wrong.

From the first to the last of the kids, not one can walk i.e they are all crippled. So unhappiness still engulfs them and you can understand why.

In like manner the host of heaven rejoices when a soul is won into the kingdom of God but unhappy when he never matures to the level of a saint.

Again, a mother who keeps having babies year to year with none surviving is indeed not a happy mother. If anything, she is full of agony and pains.

These will not be your portion. But it goes to show that just as in the physical realm, God is concerned about bearing profitable fruits in the spirit realm.

The Lord concluded the earlier verse (John 15:16) with great promise that if we establish these converts,