The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30
This verse tells us that the believer who wants to win souls must be wise, intelligent and skillful. Soul-winning is not just a task to be done; it is an art to be mastered. “To win” means to accept, to draw, to in-fold, to mingle, to be intertwined and to be meshed together. In other words, “to win” is to build relationships. Soul-winning must therefore be relational. The way we win people is through building great relationships. The Berkeley translation says, “he who wins friends is wise.” As such, we win people to the Lord by fi rst winning them over as friends. People don’t really care how much we know until they know how much we care.
How do we skillfully build successful relationships?
(1) Serve one another.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus did not come behaving like a prima donna. Instead, He was known as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 11:19). He was able to win many to Himself because He served them sincerely.
(2) Give to others.
“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men” (Prov. 18:16). If you are generous to people, doors will be open for you to connect with them. Be a giver.
(3) Be interested in other people.
“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4). Make everyone you meet feel important and signifi cant.
(4) Esteem others.
“Let nothing be done through selfi sh ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (2:3). To esteem means to honor and to praise. Praise people generously, even for their smallest achievements.
(5) Encourage others.
“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NLT). Encouragement inspires courage which transforms ordinary people into extraordinary ones.
(6) Smile.
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health” (Prov. 15:30, NLT). People are attracted to happiness.
(7) Fulfill the royal law.
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well” (James 2:8). Treat others the way you want yourself to be treated. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). As we love people and build sincere, genuine friendships with them, we will win them over. And in that process, we will win them to the Lord.
This verse tells us that the believer who wants to win souls must be wise, intelligent and skillful. Soul-winning is not just a task to be done; it is an art to be mastered. “To win” means to accept, to draw, to in-fold, to mingle, to be intertwined and to be meshed together. In other words, “to win” is to build relationships. Soul-winning must therefore be relational. The way we win people is through building great relationships. The Berkeley translation says, “he who wins friends is wise.” As such, we win people to the Lord by fi rst winning them over as friends. People don’t really care how much we know until they know how much we care.
How do we skillfully build successful relationships?
(1) Serve one another.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus did not come behaving like a prima donna. Instead, He was known as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 11:19). He was able to win many to Himself because He served them sincerely.
(2) Give to others.
“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men” (Prov. 18:16). If you are generous to people, doors will be open for you to connect with them. Be a giver.
(3) Be interested in other people.
“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4). Make everyone you meet feel important and signifi cant.
(4) Esteem others.
“Let nothing be done through selfi sh ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (2:3). To esteem means to honor and to praise. Praise people generously, even for their smallest achievements.
(5) Encourage others.
“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NLT). Encouragement inspires courage which transforms ordinary people into extraordinary ones.
(6) Smile.
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health” (Prov. 15:30, NLT). People are attracted to happiness.
(7) Fulfill the royal law.
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well” (James 2:8). Treat others the way you want yourself to be treated. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). As we love people and build sincere, genuine friendships with them, we will win them over. And in that process, we will win them to the Lord.
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