Many Christians have the goal of becoming a “soul winner.” I don’t have a problem with that term, per se, but I think sometimes the term can put the cart before the horse in our minds. Let me explain. When we think of a soul-winner, often it is someone who always has an exciting story to tell about someone they met on the plane home or the grocery store who accepted Christ right then and there. In our minds, if we are a soul-winner, then we must have such stories to tell as well. My question has always been, how many souls do you have to win to be labeled a “soul winner”? This puts the cart before the horse because we are suddenly concerned with a certain number of conversions rather than just faithfully doing the work to which Christ has called us.
Now, what is the work Jesus Christ has called us to? Hasn’t He called us to get people saved? Well, yes and no. Jesus didn’t exactly tell us to get people saved. He told us to give the gospel to people. The Great Commission, given to his twelve disciples and, by extension, every disciple to come is this: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We are called to preach the gospel to those we meet as we go about our business. Since the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16), we should expect that those to whom we preach the gospel will be saved. However, we must make sure we understand our place in the process and God’s place in the process.
In I Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul paints an analogy that helps us gain this proper perspective. He uses the analogy of planting seed and watering the seed to yield a crop. Just as cultivating crops is a process, so “winning souls” to Christ is a process as well. And just like people working the field attend to different responsibilities, so members of the Church may have various parts to play in the process of giving the gospel.
First, Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that the men who led them to Christ were simply servants of Christ. Addressing divisions in the church over different leaders, Paul poses a rhetorical question in verse 5, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?” Paul even goes on to explain that these men had different parts to play in the process of bringing them to Christ, saying in verses 6 and 7, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” The first point Paul makes here is that our part in the process is not to “make the sale” or, to keep with Paul’s analogy, “reap the harvest.” We are nothing special. We are not responsible to reap the harvest or win the soul; that is God’s part to play. However, we do have an important role, which gets to Paul’s next point.
Second, Paul says that as members of the Church, we are on the same team, striving for the same goal; but our work as individual members of the team matters. He says in I Corinthians 3:8, “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” For this reason, it makes no sense to make “soul-winning” a competition. We are a team and, as a team, we have different parts to play. The key is that when we play in cooperation with each other, we get more accomplished together than any one player would on his own. Now, being a team player does not mean you sit back at let the rest of the team carry to load. As Paul also notes, we work together for a common goal and God rewards us individually for our own work. A team player works in cooperation and coordination with other team members, but he also must focus on doing his part faithfully.
A third point that Paul makes which can shape our perspective of witnessing is that we are fellow workers with God! In verse 9, he says, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry.” Paul describes us as God’s field but also as God’s fellow workers in the field. The truth is that we are not responsible to win souls for God; we are winning souls with God. We are never alone in our endeavor as God’s witnesses; God goes with us and works alongside us! We are the vessels that carry to the gospel to others and the Holy Spirit is the power that convinces someone about the truth of the gospel. How incredible that God has chosen to do His work with and through us! He could have done it any way He wants, but He chooses to use us because He knows it will bring Him glory and benefit us.
Sometimes, we are so concerned with being a “soul winner” that we become discouraged if and when someone does not accept Christ during every encounter. As a result of this discouragement, we may fail to be a faithful seed-scatterer. Thus, it is important to realize, at the end of the day, “winning souls” or “reaping the harvest” is something God does. We can lead a soul to Christ, but God is the one who ultimately wins them.
Paul’s analogy in I Corinthians 3 helps us to see that witnessing for Christ is not about how many souls we can say we’ve won; it’s about being a team player; it’s about being a faithful field worker. My question should not be “How many souls have I won to Christ?” or “Have I won more souls than Brother so-n-so?” or “Am I a soul-winner like Sister so-n-so?” Rather, my question should be, “Am I a faithful field worker?” Answering in the affirmative means that I have taken every opportunity to open my mouth with the gospel, or share the love of Jesus, or grapple with difficult questions someone has about faith. Have I made the most of every encounter? I may not “close the sale” every time I open my mouth to witness to someone, but that is not what determines my success or failure in God’s eyes. I am simply responsible to consistently, faithfully plant the seed and water the seed. Sometimes, I will be blessed to be there at the moment that God reaps a harvest or wins the soul. Certainly, that is exciting and encouraging! But whether this is a regular occurrence, I can know that my seed-scattering and plant watering is not in vain. Why? Because as the passage says, the Church is striving together for the same goal. Some plant, another comes by and waters, and another is there when the harvest is reaped. It is a process that requires “all hands on deck” . . . or “all hands in the field” to keep with Paul’s analogy.
Having this proper perspective of witnessing can guard us against pushing people into “making a decision” or “saying a prayer” before they are ready; it can guard us against becoming discouraged or disillusioned because we don’t “win a soul” every time we open our mouths; and it can help keep us in our place as the servant and God in His as the Master of the field. This perspective can also help us to be flexible with our method of sharing the gospel. Every person is not the same and, therefore, we should not expect every encounter to be the same. Some encounters you will spend clearing away obstacles to the gospel—like someone’s religious background or atheistic worldview. Other encounters will look like sharing a quick presentation of the gospel, ending with the person promising to think about it. Still others will be a quiet handing out of a tract to someone who may or may not be interested. But all of it matters and all of it is success if you are simply doing the work every time. I think it is fair to pray that God will bring someone across your path who is ready to accept Christ. I have prayed that way! In the meantime, however, keep scattering and watering the seed.
Each of us will have an opportunity to play every part of the process. We will each have an opportunity to plant and to water and to be there when the harvest is ready. To be ready for any role at any moment, we must simply focus on being a faithful field worker. Being a witness for Christ is not like being a door-to-door salesman. Our success as ambassadors for Christ is not measured by how many “sales” or souls we got this month. Our success is measured by how much seed we scattered, how much we made of every opportunity, and how well we work together with our fellow workers in the Church.