I have a Sincere question about a Bible Verse of Soul-Winning

[PreacherMatt]

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

What if you witness to people all the time but they do not come to CHRIST? Would I be called a fool? I know the Power of CHRIST scratches at their heart. But what if you pray, pray, pray and witness but no one comes to CHRIST? You know what I mean? what if you sincerely wants souls saved but they are not converted? Thank You!

Evangelist Matthew Sovine

[readytogo]

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

What if you witness to people all the time but they do not come to CHRIST? Would I be called a fool? I know the Power of CHRIST scratches at their heart. But what if you pray, pray, pray and witness but no one comes to CHRIST? You know what I mean? what if you sincerely wants souls saved but they are not converted? Thank You!

Evangelist Matthew Sovine

Well, if you're a fool, then so was the prophet Jeremiah. He preached for years, but never "won a convert". That didn't stop him (although he wondered if he was a fool to keep it up!)

We are told to plant seeds. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, Paul tells us that he was planting seeds. You're not responsible for the growth. That's God's (Holy Spirit's) job.

6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

[PreacherMatt]

Well, if you're a fool, then so was the prophet Jeremiah. He preached for years, but never "won a convert". That didn't stop him (although he wondered if he was a fool to keep it up!)

We are told to plant seeds. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, Paul tells us that he was planting seeds. You're not responsible for the growth. That's God's (Holy Spirit's) job.

6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Thank you, I knew about that, I just had to be remembered because I did not currently remember about those verses and about Jeremiah and say the life of Noah. Thank you again for your time. GOD Bless you abundantly.

[JennaB]

Also, remember Noah. Imagine how he must have felt knowing the end was coming, yet none but his immediate family were saved. I think you are a "fool" if you don't share the gospel which saved you with the lost. It's not up to you to do the saving, just the sharing. This is a very hardened age we live in.

[arapahoepark]

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

What if you witness to people all the time but they do not come to CHRIST? Would I be called a fool? I know the Power of CHRIST scratches at their heart. But what if you pray, pray, pray and witness but no one comes to CHRIST? You know what I mean? what if you sincerely wants souls saved but they are not converted? Thank You!

Evangelist Matthew Sovine

It's not your job to win souls. That's God's job. Your job is to proclaim the good news and open the door, so to speak, for God to do his job.

[Robert]

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

What if you witness to people all the time but they do not come to CHRIST? Would I be called a fool? I know the Power of CHRIST scratches at their heart. But what if you pray, pray, pray and witness but no one comes to CHRIST? You know what I mean? what if you sincerely wants souls saved but they are not converted? Thank You!

Evangelist Matthew Sovine

PreacherMatt,

Scripture commands us to preach the gospel; it never says we will be condemned for not making converts. We cannot argue a single person into heaven nor argue them out of hell; the choice whether to accept the Lord as saviour is up to them.

Another thing to consider is that we may never see the results of what we do in this life; but just because we don't see them does NOT mean that we had no effect. In this life, we may never know the impact of what we do for the Lord. But I know when we appear before him at the Bema Seat, we definitely WILL know, as all that we have done will be tested by fire in front of Him.

Finally, consider the times we live in; these are the end days before the Tribulation, when people's hearts are hardened already by this world. We live in uncertain times in a world that has so many material things to offer, but so little spiritually at the same time. Families are shattered, jobs lost, the economy is teetering, weather is out of control and earthquakes abound. The Middle East is closer to the brink than ever, and society is sliding far into outright and utter depravity.

So, with all that said: just continue to spread the word of the Lord and preach His Gospel. Let the Holy Spirit take care of the rest; after all, he's the expert in changing hearts. :) As for the verse: yes, one who wins souls is wise. But it doesn't say that you have sinned if you don't. After all, Jeremiah obeyed the Lord (as ReadytoGo stated) and he didn't have a single one.

You're doing what you are supposed to; hang in there and let god worry about who converts!

[mattfivefour]

Since the only way for a soul to be "won" to Christ is for them to hear the gospel and choose to accept it, then a soul winner is one who proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Robert says, that is ALL we are called to do. Only the Spirit of God can actually draw the person. (John 6:44) We merely are used of the Holy Spirit to give them the opportunity to hear the message and accept or reject it. (Romans 10:14) And desiring to be used by God is wise indeed ... and full of reward!

Interestingly,the Hebrew word translated "winneth" is (לָקַח laqach) which means "to take" or "to seize". When Paul speaks of himself being "apprehended by Christ" in Philippians 3:12, he uses the Greek verb καταλαμβάνω (katalambano = to seize). In other words jhe is saying that Christ snatched him from destruction and raised him to newness of life. (Romans 6:2) That is something he does for each of us. Therefore, since the Spirit of God works through us who are saved, when we witness we are giving people the chance to grab unto Jesus Christ by faith who will then seize them from the Devil.

[PreacherMatt]

Thank you guys, so much for helping me understand a little better. I knew that GOD always gives the increase, but I like to have other Brethren comments on things. GOD has blessed me and there is nothing better in this world than His sweet love Amen! GOD bless you all.

Evangelist Matthew Sovine