Wording of this Handout:
I have met Christians who have told me (sadly) they wish they were "more fruitful". What they mean by this is they wish they could bring more people through to salvation.
But "being fruitful" does not mean JUST winning souls. It is definitely part of the meaning, but it means a lot more than this.
Being fruitful means living a changed life. The fruit of the Spirit, in Galatians 6 are nine: love, joy, peace, long-suffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith (faithfulness), meekness, temperance (self-control).
We may not be much good at soul-winning, but we can be very good at being loving, at having joyfulness, at having inner peace, at being patient, at being gentle, at being good - that means doing the right thing, at being faithful - keeping promises, at being meek - that means not hitting back or taking personal revenge, at having self-control.
People who are like this will probably attract some unbelievers to Jesus, but even if they don't, they can still be happy with themselves because they will know that they are doing their best for God.
We may not catch a fish, but we can still be a good fisherman.
The Bible says "Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit." John 15:5 (The Living Bible paraphrase)