Ray’s Field Guide to Winning Souls
Call to Duty: Ten Proven Tactics for Soul-Winning (Ray Wade)
If I only relied on my earliest memories of Ray Wade, I would never have thought he was a Gospel preacher, and definitely not a passionate “soul-winner”. This is not due to any deficiency in his own life or testimony, but simply that what primarily stood out in my (childish) mind was that Ray was a wise-cracking funny man (and he was)! Later, in my teens, when I had the chance to sit around a campfire while hunting with Ray (and others from church), my perspective changed slightly. He was still hysterical, but in the woods I also saw a serious side, determined to get his game.
Twenty-odd years later, it all makes sense. There is no law against being a funny preacher, or a serious deer hunter, or a good-natured and dedicated soul-winner. Ray somehow combines all of these traits into his own life and ministry, as well as into this book, which tackles a serious topic with both humor and no-nonsense instruction (and a handful of funny hunting stories).
The tone is engaging, and feels like what you might hear if you sat around a campfire with Ray at “deer camp” for a week in the Fall, peppering him with questions about a life spent fishing for men.
I feel like the best way to “review” this book is to share three portions that I personally found to be the most impacting…
First, these challenging quotes are all from the Preface:
If you merely read these pages and forever set aside the information, you will join the growing throng of casual Christians who are adequately informed but inexcusably inactive. Pasting a religious bumper sticker or plastic fish on your car is insufficient evidence of your concern for peo-ple who don’t follow Jesus. […]
Soul-winning is the very essence of God’s plan for His reconciliation with mankind, yet, sadly, it is the most ignored of all God’s commands. While there are many reasons why Christians aren’t engaged in soul-winning, the main and simple reason is this: we don’t love God like we should. If we truly love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we will obey Him. It’s just that simple.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). There it is, pure and sim-ple. Gratitude alone should propel us into action, but I suspect the person was right who said, “A nanosecond (roughly one billionth of a second) is sufficient time to measure the average lifespan of gratitude.” It matters not how loud and long we pro-claim our love for Christ if we refuse to do what He says.
Numerous surveys have revealed that only about 5 percent of those who identify themselves as Christians ever lead one person to Christ… What a tragic statistic!
Yet, over the years, many of us have dared to sing that old prayer hymn:
Lord, lay some soul upon my heart
And love that soul through me;
And may I nobly do my part,
To lead that soul to Thee.
Another chorus of consecration I remember singing was:
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
Worse yet, we still sing those noble hymns with great exuberance as though we really mean it!
Soul-winning is not for the timid or the mildly interested but for those servants of Jesus Christ who understand that soul-winning is not an option for Christians. “Go ye…” is not a suggestion or an option but a direct command from God. He did not intend for Christians to engage in soul-winning only if we had little or nothing else to do or whenever we got around to it or when-ever we finally felt qualified (whenever that is).
If we have no intention of obeying God in this area, any old excuse will do; we needn’t concern ourselves with picking one that will sell. In God’s view, one is as pathetic and worthless as another.
Satan couldn’t care less either. He has a long list of excuses from which to choose, and he’s merely waiting for us to buy into one of them. But understand something: God keeps a really good set of books, and He’s not in the habit of “cooking” them for special cases— even yours. (pgs 15-19)
Second, in the Introduction, Ray begins to share some of his own personal story:
It took me a few years, but even as a young Christian I finally figured out there was a major difference between personal witnessing and leaving a few gospel tracts in the restroom at the local Laundromat. Although covert Christianity was safe (happily relieving me of having to prepare a cognitive presentation or answer questions), I couldn’t point to a single convert it had produced. Furthermore, after looking really, really hard, I couldn’t find a single verse of scripture where Jesus or His followers promoted drive-by Christianity—either by precept or practice. They either went or sent. (pg 21)
Most anybody can pace the floor or sit at the bedside of someone who is dying. Anyone can hum or play their favorite recording of Willy and Waylon. Anyone can say, “God loves you,” and, “So-and-so is waiting for you in heaven.” All those things have their time and place, but they cannot substitute for the genuine comfort of God’s Word.
I’ve watched family members and friends as they lovingly but vainly try to comfort the dying by telling them how wonderful it will be to reunite with friends and relatives—even pets. They trot out everything from grandma to Old Blue, the coon hound, like a carrot in front of a horse, in a vain effort to redirect their loved one’s anxiety. Sadly, the critical issue of spiritual readiness is seldom addressed. (pg 23)
Third, Ray tackles the first of Ten Tactics in Chapter 1 (Tactic One: “Be Prepared”):
This book is directed primarily to the 95 percent who have never led a single soul to Christ. Please understand something: feeling pity for the lost isn’t the same as reaching the lost. You can read statistics about the unsaved and shake your head in astonishment as you mumble, “Isn’t that awful?” and nothing will change. The lost will still be lost.
The Apostle Paul referred to non-productive work as “beating the air” or shadow-boxing (1 Cor. 9:26). Non-harvest activity accomplishes little (except maybe for impressing a few fellow Christians) unless it is a precursor to actual harvesting. Non-productive activity is about as useless as winning the “most spiritual” award at church youth camp.
The only legitimate way to prepare spiritually for soul-winning is to really mean it as you sing (or pray) “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart.” Without genuine, God-given compassion for souls, you will remain forever among the indifferent 95 percent, and that is way past tragic. (pgs 30-32)
[Spend time] with folks who have a lot of experience [soul-winning]…
As a big game hunter of many years, I had much rather hang out with guys who actually harvest game than with a bunch of Elmer Fudds whose only possible connection to hunting was their camouflage clothing. Most of those guys couldn’t tell a deer from a milk goat and, as my grandson Chris puts it, “couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat.”
My time in the woods is far too valuable to spend it with guys who head for the truck the minute their stomach growls or their feet get a little cool. I can eat later and warm my feet later. I’m there to hunt! (pgs 38-39)
I will leave the rest for you to discover. What remains are many touching personal testimonies, stories that will make you LOL, and the humble admonitions of a pastor who wants nothing more than that every Christian would take Jesus at His Word and become a true fisher of men.
I will also add that in the years since this book was published, I have personally seen Ray invest in countless dis-advantaged (read: poor, undisciplined, neglected) children in the “outback” of far eastern Oklahoma City, where he and his (infinitely patient) wife Shirley continue to pastor.
Ray says the best way to get the book is to email him directly: [email protected].
Alternatively, you can try ordering one of the few remaining copies on Amazon.
