THE IMPORTANCE OF WINNING SOULS:
The greatest challenge in the church today is the challenge to share the gospel with those who are lost. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls.”
When you plant a seed for an apple tree, an apple tree will grow and that tree will produce a lot more fruit than that one seed. In the same way, a righteous life can produce much more fruit and its influence can be far reaching. Our example and our teaching can promote spiritual health and lead to eternal life for ourselves and for others whom we influence.
The Jewish Bible translates this verse: “A wise man captivates people.” In other words, men and women who follow God’s teachings attracts other people to them in friendship and influence so they’ll listen and follow the godly person’s example.
What we have here is simply the description of a winsome attitude. We’re talking about a good person and all that he or she says or does becomes a source of blessing and a “tree of life” to many. His or her life has an attractive power and gathers souls (friends) to his side for the service of God and the cause of God’s truth.
Proverbs is, of course, a book of God’s wisdom. Wisdom can “win” for us many things: wealth, friendship, knowledge, position, influence. But the crown which wisdom wears is its positive influence in the work of human souls.
Let’s talk about winning souls to Jesus Christ…
WINNING SOULS FOR CHRIST:
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Christ was a soul winner (Luke 19:10). Our Savior came to change the course of the world and His chosen method was personal contact. I perused the first Gospel account and counted 15 times when Jesus had personal contact with one or two people. The NT church was a soul-winning church – Acts 5:42.
Saving a soul is the greatest work we could ever possibly do for the individual (Matt. 16:26). Saving someone from great personal harm or even physical death does not even compare to the saving a soul from eternal hell.
Let’s look at Paul’s words from Romans 1:14-17. When you expect to win someone to Christ, you learn to be more liberal in your love, more faithful in your prayers, more consecrated in your lifestyle, more prayerful and studious in your Bible study. Evangelism pays great dividends in our individual lives.
To do this, “wisdom” must:
- Stop evil influences. Influences that can lead someone away from Christ.
- Begin holy and helpful influences, influences that will lead someone toward Christ.
- Turn the course of a life away from a downward spiral to the opposite course which leads upward, heavenward. Some people need “forty acres to turn their faith around,” to turn their religion around. Everybody’s conversion does not happen, perhaps, as quickly as yours. Everybody’s conversion does not happen as quickly as Saul of Tarsus. That’s why we have to be patient.
- To give joy of the purest kind to hearts of the greatest worth and satisfaction to the Savior Himself. Let’s read James 5:19-20.
Paul Holland
