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Winning Souls

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 14, 1903

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 80, No. 15.

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Winning Souls

THERE are many ways of doing good. The farmer who plows the ground, plants the seed, and reaps the harvest confers a great benefit on his fellow men. The inventor who contrives an ingenious device like the telegraph, the telephone, or the steam engine, is a benefactor of the race. One who writes a noble poem or paints a grand picture contributes something toward the elevation of men. The physician who goes about healing diseases, relieving pain, and saving life deserves the respect and gratitude of every member of the community in which he lives and labors. The philanthropist who pours out his money freely to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, educate the ignorant, and improve the condition of the unfortunate classes is a messenger of mercy to the sons of men.
But he that winneth souls is above all the rest. The greatest work that man can do is to win a soul. This is the work of the Lord. God is a soul-winner. We have reason to believe that among all the mighty works of God in the universe none is greater than the salvation of the soul. It was for this that the Son of God came into the world. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” To his disciples Jesus said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And again he said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” These greater works are the works of the wise who win souls.
The wisdom that winneth souls is not the wisdom of this world. It is not the wisdom of the farmer, or the inventor, or the scholar, or the statesman. It is not mere knowledge or learning or genius. It is the wisdom that cometh from above, the wisdom of God, which he has promised to bestow freely on all those who ask him. There is a holy secret in the heart of the soul-winner. Do we possess that secret? If so, we are, indeed, workers together with God. Our labor is not in vain in the Lord. We shall see souls converted from the error of their way. Perhaps we had it once, but it has slipped away from us. Are we longing to have it restored unto us? If we search diligently, we shall find it again.—The Christian Advocate.