Proverbs 11:30 (KJV)

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

Soul-winning is a consequence of the fruit of the righteous. When Christians are not developed in the fruit of the spirit and godly Christian character, they repel and discourage nonbelievers and unbelievers rather than attract them to Christ, and this hugely impacts and impedes on soul winning.

The preaching of the gospel goes beyond mere words because a man’s words comes from the man’s spirit and his nature. Fruits grows on the branches of trees as the roots gets water and nutrients from the soil environment which them flows through the trunk and goes to the branches where fruits are produced. Therefore, fruit comes from the very nature of a tree, which then manifests outwardly in the branches for all eyes to see (Matthew 7:16-18).

Matthew 7:16-18 KJV

“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?   Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.   A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

The reason for the weakness, lack of results, and lack of productivity in a lot of the evangelistic endeavours in the body of Christ is due to the fact that unbelievers and non-Christians alike are confused, as they are yet to see living epistles in the offices, neighbourhoods, malls who don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk by living the life exemplified in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:1-3).

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 (KJV)

“Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?  Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:  Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

In Matthew 4:13-20, Jesus went and lived in Nazareth as an epistle, the word encapsulated in flesh and blood, and the people observed that He led a godly life different from what was prevalent in the region. Matthew reports how the lands of Nephthalim and Zabulon, as well as the sea beyond Jordan – those who sat in darkness – saw a great light and got attracted to the light (John 1:14). It was after these that Jesus began to preach saying “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. It is not surprising therefore that Peter and his brother Andrew heard the gospel from Him and immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

Matthew 4:13-20 (KJV)

“And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  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.  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

John 1:14 (MSG)

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

If our evangelistic endeavours either as individuals or as a corporate body are going to produce much fruit that will bring glory to the Father in heaven, this is the model we must adopt. We must pursue hard after bearing the fruit of the Spirit and godly Christian character in words and deeds (John 15:8).

 John 15:8 (KJV)

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

Let us go for godly character and fruit…

God bless you!