The Wisdom of Winning Souls
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” -Prov. 11:30
I’m afraid that the term “soul winning” has come to have a very particular connotation to it. We assume, when we see this phrase, that we’re discussing an official door-to-door ministry of the local church in which we head out with tracts and New Testaments with a view to winning converts to Christ.
Door-to-door ministry has its place, and I strongly encourage every Christian to use tracts and New Testaments, but this limited definition is insufficient to capture the fullness of the phrase “soul winning.” There are two phrases in this verse and I believe they are to be thought of as a single thought. The fruit or the product of a life lived in righteousness will be a life that influences and bears fruit in the lives of others.
Have you noticed some of the places that trees can take root? I used to have a bad habit of forgetting to clean out my gutters in a yard with three large maple trees. Twice every year we’d have six or eight inch tall maple saplings lining the edge of our roofline. The “fruit” of the maple tree was being shared and was sprouting up in surprising places.
What is the product of our life? I’m not talking about the kind of money you make, but rather the kind of influence you have. Does your life touch the lives of others in such a way that they are drawn to Christ? There are two key elements of a fruit-bearing life. One, we must live the life God intends by being Spirit-filled. Two, we must share the message God has given us by being Bible-drilled.
Nobody will ever get saved just by watching Christians live life. The message must be shared verbally, as God intended. But nobody will listen to the message if our lives are not fruit-bearing lives. Prayerfully, the “fruit” of your righteousness will become a tree of life in someone else’s soul today!
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