Proverbs 11.30-31
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!”
In these closing verses of Chapter 11, the book of Proverbs focuses on the fruit of doing right and winning souls.
People who do right are like a tree of life that bears fruit that feeds and nourishes others. What a wonderful description of the kind of life to which the Lord calls the followers of Jesus! He calls us to be a tree of life that bears fruit, and then calls us to “capture” (that is, win) souls through wisdom.
Notice the order of these two callings: First, we must be people who do right. It is a call to live your life in a way that bears fruit and brings life to others. Then, because we have demonstrated ourselves to be trustworthy, we are called to do the work of wisely winning the souls of people within our sphere of influence.
Bearing fruit is the mark of the Christian. Jesus said in clearly in John 15:8: “In this is my Father glorified: that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” As we abide in Christ — that is, trust him, obey him, and fellowship with him — we will grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
Paul gives the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
When we manifest these attributes through the way we respond to the circumstances of life, people experience the reality of the kingdom. They experience the life of Christ in us and through us. They get a taste of the goodness of God. This is what it means to be an agent of the kingdom.
On the basis of that kind of fruit-bearing life, Proverbs says, we are then in a position to “capture souls.” In other words, we are called to win people to the kingdom. First we get their attention by the way we live, then we win them to the kingdom by means of godly wisdom.
I love this notion of capturing souls; of winning hearts and minds. Think about what it means to “win.”
To win in relationships, you must love selflessly.
To win in war, you must fight courageously.
To win in a debate, you must speak wisely.
This is precisely what the Lord calls us to do. In order to win the hearts and minds of people in your life, he calls you to:
Love selflessly. If you want to win people to the kingdom, they must experience the love of Christ in your life. Not the world’s kind of love, but God’s kind of love. Agape. Selfless love. Sacrificial love. This kind of love is not an emotion; it is an action. It is not a feeling; it is a discipline-driven decision to act in someone else’s best interest.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10.27)
Fight courageously. Scripture is very clear that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. In order to win the battle for the hearts and minds of people, we must stand firm in Christ, put on the whole armor of God, and defeat fear. The enemy will attack with deceit and temptation, and we must respond with truth, faith, and courage.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might … take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6.10-13)
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)
Speak wisely. To win souls, we must speak the truth, and we must speak it with wisdom. We must tell the gospel story, and then defend it against those who deny and distort it. We must have conversations and discussion. We must engage people in robust, respectful debate. We must be skillful at discerning and exposing error, and we must do it in love. We must win people by what we say, how we say it, and why.
“In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3.15)
This is how we win souls for the kingdom. This is how we fulfill the great commission. It is an incredible, awesome calling!
Trust God, do the work, and be a fruitful agent of the kingdom.
