WISDOM TO WIN SOULS
(week 10/11)
OLUBI JOHNSON
Proverbs 11:30 KJV: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
Here the scripture tells us that fruit of the righteous: a person in right-standing with and is practicing right-doing by the life of God he has access to by his right-standing is a ‘tree’ of life. This means that the life of God flows through him that others can ‘eat’ from just like we eat fruits from trees.
Now this fruit of life gives the wisdom to win souls or get men born-again by life and power of the Holy Spirit.
This same truth is symbolized in
John 7:37-39 KJV: In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Ezekiel 47:9 KJV: And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
The ‘fish’ spoken of here symbolize men that are being born-again into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 4:17-19 KJV: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (18) And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. (19) And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
It takes the wisdom that comes from the light of the life (Jn. 1:4; 8:12) of God to ‘win souls’ in this manner.
It is crucial now to get this wisdom because we are living in the time in which a great harvest of ‘souls’ are to drawn into the kingdom of God: born-again.
This great harvest of this 3rd day which will be effected by the glory of God shining through the perfect church is prophesied of in:
Psalms 50:2 KJV: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
Isaiah 60:1-5 MKJV: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of Jehovah has risen on you. (2) For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you. (3) And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning. (4) Lift up your eyes all around, and see. All of them gather themselves; they come to you. Your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. (5) Then you shall fear and become bright, and your heart shall throb and swell for joy; because the abundance of the sea shall turn to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.
Zion symbolizes the perfect church; the light of the glory of God will cause kings and nations to come into the church: get born-again; and with this will also come the wealth of the nations: a part of our Abrahamic inheritance (Ps. 2:8; Gen. 22:18; Gal 3:29).
So what is the wisdom to ‘win souls’?
1. We ‘win souls’ by praying in the Spirit with all types of prayer (Eph.6:18) including and especially ‘travail’ or ‘groanings’ as this is what releases the power of God in sufficient measure to get men born-again.
Isaiah 66:8 KJV: Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Romans 8:26 MKJV: Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
2. We ‘win souls’ by a conduct that adorns the fruit of the Spirit:
1Peter 3:1-4 ESV: Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, (2) when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (3) Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewellery, or the clothing you wear– (4) but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
Though this verse speaks of a husband-wife relationship, it can be applied to all men in all relationships; you can win people without words by showing forth the fruit of the Spirit: meekness and lowliness of heart and acts of goodness, kindness and gentleness.
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Romans 2:4 MKJV: Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, and the forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
3. Thirdly, we ‘win souls’ by preaching the gospel to men as the Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity and prompting in our daily interactions with men like the Lord Jesus did with the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:7-43) and Philip did with the Ethiopian eunuch (Act. 8:26-39). We should endeavour to do this at least once every month to ‘win souls’ so bringing forth fruit, in this regard, once a month as typified by trees planted by the river of life in
Psalms 1:1-3 MKJV: Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. (2) But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night. (3) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed.
Ezekiel 47:12 KJV: And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
So by prayer in the Spirit with travail, conduct adorned by the fruit of the Spirit and Spirit led preaching of the Word, we will ‘win’ a multitude of ‘souls’ in this time of harvest.
