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HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST
BY
R. A. TORREY
Superintendent Chicago Bible Institute
CHICAGO:
THE BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASSOCIATION
250 La Salle Ave.
Eastern Depot: East Northfield, Mass.
JUST PUBLISHED. By the same Author.
Vest Pocket Companion for Christian Workers.
The best texts for personal work. Classified for practical use, printed in full, and arranged for ready reference.
From Mr. Torrey’s preface:
“There is medicine in the Bible for every sin–sick soul, but every soul does not need the same medicine. This book attempts to arrange the remedies according to the maladies.”
120 pages, bound in Russia leather in vest pocket size, price 25 cents.
Fleming H. Revell Company, Publishers,
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CHICAGO.
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Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1893
by Fleming H. Revell Company
In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington D. C.
By the same Author.
Ten Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God. 16mo., paper
.15
“Masterful.”—Indiana Baptist.
“Of sterling excellence.”—Christian at Work.
“Thoughtful, helpful and timely.”—Golden Rule.
“It gives in clear and comprehensive style a cogent argument for the complete inspiration and absolute authority of the Bible. Because of its terseness and freedom from technical expressions it will form a useful compendium of information for Christian workers.”—Messiah’s Herald.
Fleming H. Revell Company, Publishers.
PREFACE
This book is written because it seems to be needed. The author has been repeatedly requested by Ministers, Y. M. C. A. Secretaries, Christian Workers, and his own students to put into a permanent and convenient shape the substance of what he has said at Conventions, Summer Schools and in the class–room on personal work. The time has come to yield to these requests. Never before in the history of the Church were there so many who desire to win others to Christ. The good work done by the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor is in no other direction so evident as in the many thousands of young people in this land who to–day are on fire with a desire to win souls. But while they desire to do this work, many do not know how. This little book aims to tell them. There are several well–known and valuable manuals of texts to be used with inquirers, but this book is intended not only to point out passages to be used but to show how to use them, illustrating this use by cases from actual experience. It is hoped that from a careful study of these pages any earnest Christian can learn how to do efficient work in bringing others to the Saviour.
CONTENTS.
PREFACE. Chapter. Page. I. The General Conditions of Success in Bringing Men to Christ7
II. How to Begin14
III. Dealing with the Indifferent or Careless20
IV. Dealing with those who are Anxious to be Saved but do not Know How29
V. Dealing with those who are Anxious to be Saved and Know How, but who have difficulties36
VI. Dealing with those who entertain false hopes50
VII. Dealing with those who lack Assurance, and Back–sliders57
VIII. Dealing with Professed Skeptics and Infidels65
IX. Dealing with the complaining77
X. Dealing with those who wish to put off decision until some other time83
XI. Dealing with the Willful and the Deluded87
XII. Some hints and suggestions94
XIII. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit104
HOW TO BRING MEN TO CHRIST
CHAPTER I.
THE GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS IN BRINGING MEN TO CHRIST
There are certain general conditions, the fulfilment of which is absolutely essential to real success in bringing men to Christ. These conditions, fortunately, are few and simple and such as any one can meet.
1. The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christ must himself be A THOROUGHLY CONVERTED PERSON. Jesus said to Peter, “When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren.” He was in no position to help his brethren until he himself, after his cowardly denial, had turned again to his Lord with his whole heart. If we would bring others to Christ we must turn away from all sin, and worldliness and selfishness with our whole heart, yielding to Jesus the absolute lordship over our thoughts, purposes and actions. If there is any direction in which we are seeking to have our own way and not letting Him have His own way in our lives, our power will be crippled and men lost that we might have saved. The application of this principle to the numerous questions that come up in the life of every young Christian as to whether he should do this or that, each individual can settle for himself if Christ’s honor and not his own pleasure is upper–most in his mind and if he looks honestly to God to guide him.
2. The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christ must have a LOVE FOR SOULS, i. e. a longing for the salvation of the lost. If we have no love for souls, our efforts will be mechanical and powerless. We may know how to approach men and what to say to them, but there will be no power in what we say and it will not touch the heart. But if like Paul we have “great heaviness and unceasing pain in our hearts” for the unsaved, there will be an earnestness in our tone and manner that will impress the most careless. Furthermore if we have a love for souls we will be on the constant watch for opportunities to speak with the unsaved and will find opportunities on the street, in the store, in the home, on the cars and everywhere that would otherwise have entirely escaped our notice.
But how is one to get a love for souls? This question is easily answered. First of all, a love for souls like every other grace of Christian character, is the work of the Holy Spirit. If then we are conscious that we do not have that love for souls that we should have, the first thing to do is to go to God and humbly confess this lack in our lives and ask Him by His Holy Spirit to supply that which we so sorely need, and expect Him to do it (1 Jno. v. 14, 15; Phil. iv. 19). In the second place Jesus Christ had an intense love for souls (Matt. xxiii. 37; Luke xix. 10), and intimate and constant companionship with Him will impart to our lives this grace which was so prominent in His. In the third place feelings are the outcome of thoughts. If we desire any given feeling in our lives we should dwell upon the thoughts which are adapted to produce that feeling. If any saved person will dwell long enough upon the peril and wretchedness of any man out of Christ and the worth of his soul in God’s sight as seen in the death of God’s Son to save him, a feeling of intense desire for that man’s salvation is almost certain to follow. In the fourth place, reflection upon our own ruined and unhappy condition without Christ and the great sacrifice that Christ made to save us, is sure to fill our hearts with a desire to bring others to the Saviour we have found.
3. The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must have a WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. vi. 17). It is the instrument God uses to convict of sin, to reveal Christ and to regenerate men. If we would work together with God, the Bible is the instrument upon which we must rely and which we must use in bringing men to Christ. We must know how to use the Bible so as (1) to show men their need of a Saviour, (2) to show them Jesus as the Saviour they need, (3) to show them how to make this Saviour their own Saviour, (4) to meet the difficulties that stand in the way of their accepting Christ. A large part of the following pages will be devoted to imparting this knowledge.
4. The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must PRAY MUCH. Solid work in soul winning must be accompanied by prayer at every step. (1). We must pray God to lead us to the right persons to approach. God does not intend that we speak to every one we meet. If we try to do it, we will waste much valuable time in speaking to those whom we cannot help, that we might have used in speaking to those to whom we could have done much good. God alone knows the one to whom He intends us to speak, and we must ask Him to point him out to us, and, expect Him to do it. (Acts viii. 29). (2). We must pray God to show us just what to say to those to whom He leads us. After all our study of the passages to be used in dealing with the various classes of men, we shall need God’s guidance in each specific case. Every experienced worker will testify to the many instances in which God has led them to use some text of Scripture that they would not otherwise have used but which proved to be just the one needed. (3). We must pray God to give power to that which He has given us to say. We need not only a message from God but power from God to send the message home. Most workers have to learn this lesson by humiliating experiences. They sit down beside an unsaved man and reason and plead and bring forth texts from the word of God, but the man does not accept Christ. At last it dawns upon them that they are trying to convert the man in their own strength and then they lift an humble and earnest prayer to God for his strength, and God hears and in a short time this “very difficult case” has settled the matter and is rejoicing in Christ. (4). We must pray God to carry on the work after our work has come to an end. After having done that which seems to have been our whole duty in any given instance, whatever may have been the apparent issue of our work, whether successful or unsuccessful, we should definitely commit the case to God in prayer. If there is anything the average worker in this hurrying age needs to have impressed upon him, it is the necessity of more prayer. By praying more we will not work any less and we will accomplish vastly more.
5. The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ must be “BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY GHOST.” “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost, is come upon you,” said Jesus to his disciples after having given them the great commission to go out and bring men to Himself. The supreme condition of soul winning power is the same to–day: “after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” A later chapter will be given to a study of what “the Baptism of the Holy Ghost” is and how any Christian can obtain it.
CHAPTER II.
HOW TO BEGIN
When God has led us to think that He wishes us to make an effort to lead some given individual to Christ, the first question that confronts us is, “How shall I begin?” If the person has gone into an inquiry room, or remained to an after–meeting, or even if they are merely present at prayer–meeting, Sunday–school or other ordinary service of the church, it is comparatively easy. You can then ask him if he is a Christian, or if he would not like to be a Christian, or why he is not a Christian or some other direct and simple question that will lead inevitably to a conversation along this line. But if the person is one in whom you have become interested outside the religious meeting and who is perhaps an entire stranger, it does not at first sight appear so simple, and yet it is not so very difficult. The person can be engaged in conversation on some general topic or on something suggested by passing events, and soon brought around to the great subject. Christ’s conversation with the woman of Samaria in the 4th chapter of John is a very instructive illustration of this. Oftentimes even in dealing with entire strangers it is well to broach the subject at once and ask them if they are Christians or if they are saved or some similar question. If this is done courteously and earnestly it will frequently set even careless people to thinking and result in their conversion. It is astonishing how often one who undertakes this work in humble dependence upon God and under His direction, finds the way prepared and how seldom he receives any rebuff. One day the writer met a man on one of the most crowded streets of Chicago. As I passed him the impulse came to speak to him about the Saviour. Stopping a moment and asking God to show me if the impulse was from Him, I turned around and followed the man. I overtook him in the middle of the street, laid my hand upon his shoulder and said: “My friend, are you a Christian?” He started and said: “That’s a strange question to ask a man.” I said, “I know it, and I do not ask that question of every stranger, but God put it into my heart to ask it of you.” He then told me that his cousin was a minister and had been urging this very matter upon him, that he himself was a graduate of Amherst college, but had been ruined by drink. After further conversation we separated but later the man accepted Christ as his Saviour.
It is often best to win a person’s confidence and affection before broaching the subject. It is well to select some one and then lay your plans to win him to Christ. Cultivate his acquaintance, show him many attentions and perform many acts of kindness great and small and at last when the fitting moment arrives take up the great question. An old and thorough going infidel in Chicago was in this way won to Christ by a young woman, who found him sick and alone. She called day after day and showed him many kindnesses and as the consumption fastened itself more firmly upon him she spoke to him of the Saviour and had the joy of seeing him accept Christ.
A wisely chosen tract placed in the hand of the one with whom you wish to speak will often lead easily and naturally to the subject. One day I was riding on a train and praying that God would use me to lead some one to His Son. A young lady, daughter of a minister, with whom I had had some conversation on this subject came in with a friend and took the seat immediately in front of me. I took out a little bundle of tracts and selected one that seemed adapted for the purpose and handed it to her and asked her to read it. As she read, I prayed. When she had finished, I leaned over and asked her what she thought about it. She was deeply moved and I asked her if she would not accept Christ right there. Her difficulties were soon met and answered and she accepted Christ. As she left the train she thanked me very heartily for what I had done for her.
You will often meet some one whose face tells the story of unhappiness or discontent: in such a case it is easy to ask the person if he is happy and when he answers “no” you can say, “I can tell you of one who will make you happy if you will only take Him.” Skill in beginning a conversation will come with practice. One may be rather awkward about it at first but as we go on we will acquire facility.
When the subject is once opened the first thing to find out is where the person with whom you are dealing stands; then you will know how to wisely treat his case. In the chapters immediately following this all the classes of men one is likely to meet will be given, and the first point to be ascertained is to which class any given individual belongs. But how can we find out to which class any person belongs? First. By asking him questions. Such questions as “Are you a Christian?” “Are you saved?” “Do you know that your sins are forgiven?” “Have you eternal life?” “Are you confessing Christ openly before the world?” “Are you a friend of Jesus?” “Have you been born again?” One may answer these questions untruthfully, either through ignorance or a desire to mislead you. Nevertheless, their answers and the manner of them will show you a great deal about their real state. Second. By watching his face. A man’s face will often reveal that which his words try to conceal. Any one who cultivates the study of the faces of those with whom he deals will soon be able to tell in many instances the exact state of those with whom they are dealing irrespective of anything they may say. Third. By the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit if we only look to Him to do it will often flash into our minds a view of the man’s position, and just the scripture he needs.
When we have learned where the person with whom we are dealing stands, the next thing to do is to lead him as directly as we can to accept Jesus Christ, as his personal Savior and Master. We must always bear in mind that the primary purpose of our work, is not to get persons to join the church or to give up their bad habits or to do anything else than this, to accept Jesus Christ, as their Saviour—the one who bore their sins in his own body on the tree and through whom they can have immediate and entire forgiveness,—and as their Master to whom they surrender absolutely the guidance of their thoughts, feelings, purposes and actions. Having led any one to thus accept Christ the next step will be to show him from God’s word that he has forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Acts x. 43; xiii. 39; Jno. iii. 36; v. 24, will answer for this purpose. The next step will be to show him how to make a success of the Christian life upon which he has entered. How to do this will be told later. Each person is to be led to accept Christ through a use of the word of God. In the chapters that immediately follow this we will try to show what specific portions of the word to use in given cases and how to use them.
CHAPTER III.
DEALING WITH THE INDIFFERENT OR CARELESS
One of the classes of men most frequently met with, is The Indifferent, or Careless. There are several ways of dealing with them. One is to show them their need of a Saviour. A good verse to use for this purpose is Romans iii. 23. Get the person with whom you are dealing to read the verse, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Then say to him: “Who have sinned?” “All.” “Who does that include?” and keep up the questioning until he says, “It includes me.” Then ask him what it is that he has done, and keep at it until he comes out plainly and says: “I have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” This is likely to make him feel his need of a Saviour. Another good verse to use is Isaiah liii. 6. After the verse has been read, ask him who it is that has gone astray and by a series of questions bring him to the point where he will say, “I have gone astray.” Then ask him what kind of a sheep one is that has “gone astray” and hold him to it until he says “a lost sheep.” “What are you then?” “Lost.” Then ask him what the Lord has done with his sin, and hold him to that point until he sees the truth of the verse, that God has laid his sin on Jesus Christ. Now, he is in a position for you to put to him the direct question: “Will you accept this Saviour upon whom the Lord has laid your sin?” Still another verse to use is Psalms cxxx. 3. When the verse has been read, ask him, “If the Lord marked iniquities could you stand?” In dealing with this class of men I use Matthew xxii. 37, 38 more frequently than any other passage of Scripture. Before having the person read the verse, it is well to ask him, “Do you know that you have committed the greatest sin that a man can commit?” In all probability he will answer, “No, I have not.” Then ask him what he thinks the greatest sin a man can commit. When he has answered, say to him, Now let us see what God considers the greatest sin. Read the verses and ask him, “What is the first and greatest of the commandments?” Then ask him, “What then is the greatest sin?” He will soon answer that the violation of the first and greatest of the commandments must be the greatest sin. Ask him if he has kept that commandment and when he confesses, as sooner or later he must, that he has not, ask him of what he is guilty in the sight of God, and hold him to that point until he admits that he is guilty of committing the greatest sin that a man can commit. An illustration from life may help to make the use of this verse clear. I was dealing with a very bright young man who evidently had no deep sense of sin nor of his need of a Saviour. In fact when I asked if he was a Christian he said promptly that he always had been; but there was something in his manner that showed that he had no clear understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. I then asked if he had been born again and he did not even understand what I was talking about. I next asked if he knew he had committed the greatest sin that a man could possibly commit and he at once answered, “No, I never did in my life.” I asked what he considered the greatest sin, and he replied “murder.” I took my Bible and opened it to Matthew xxii. 37, 38, and asked him to read the verses, which he did. I then asked him, “If this is the first and greatest commandment, what must be the greatest sin?” He answered, “I suppose the breaking of that commandment.” I then asked if he had always kept that commandment, if he had always loved God with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind. If he had always put God first in everything. He replied that he had not. I then asked him, “Of what then are you guilty?” The Spirit of God carried the text home and with the greatest earnestness he replied, “I have committed the greatest sin that a man can commit, but I never saw it before in my life.” Another verse that can be used with effect is John viii. 34. After the man has read the verse, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin,” ask him “what is one who commits sin?” Then ask him if he commits sin. Then put to him the direct question, “What are you then,” and hold him to it until he says “the servant of sin.” Then ask him if he does not desire to be delivered from that awful bondage. Hold him to this point until he sees his need of Jesus Christ as a Deliverer from the slavery of sin. The Holy Spirit has used Isaiah lvii. 21 to the salvation of many men who have been indifferent to the claims of the Gospel. After the verse, “There is no peace saith my God to the wicked,” has been read slowly, thoughtfully, and earnestly, ask him who it is that says this. Then ask him if it is true; then ask him if it is true in his case. “Have you peace?” One night a careless young man was going out of one of our tents in Chicago and as he passed by me I took him by the hand and said to him, “You need the Saviour.” He wanted to know why I thought so. I replied, “Because you have no peace.” He said, “Yes I have.” “No you have not.” He then asked me how I knew that. I told him God said so and quoted the above passage. He tried to laugh it off and say the verse was not true in his case. Then he became angry and went out of the tent in a rage, but the next night I saw him kneeling with one of our workers in prayer and when he arose from his knees, the worker came over and said he wished to speak with me. As I approached him he held out his hand and said, “I wanted to beg your pardon for what I said last night; what you said was true, I didn’t have peace.” I asked him if he had now accepted the Saviour. He said he had.
Galatians iii. 10 is a verse which we very frequently use in our work in dealing with the Indifferent. After the one with whom you are dealing has read the verse, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” ask him the question, “What is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them?” When he answers, “Cursed,” ask him if he has continued in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them and when he replies, “No, I have not,” put to him the direct question, “What are you then?” and hold him to that point until he says, “I am under the curse.” In very many cases the inquirer will be ready at once to be led to the thirteenth verse of the same chapter which shows how he may be saved from that curse under which he rests. Romans vi. 23 can often be used with good effect. “For the wages of sin is death.” Ask “what are the wages of sin?” Then, “who earns those wages?” Then, “Are you a sinner?” “What wages then have you earned?” “Do you wish to take your wages?” John iii. 36 is a verse which can be used in a similar way. Ask the question, “Upon whom is it that the wrath of God abides?” Then, “Do you believe on the Son?” “What then abides upon you?” Then put the decisive question, “Are you willing to go away with the wrath of God abiding upon you?” 2 Thes. i. 7–9, and John viii. 24; Rev. xx. 15; xxi. 8; xiv. 10–11, set forth in a most impressive way the awful consequences of sin. If these verses are used they should be read with the deepest earnestness and solemnity and dwelt upon until the person with whom you are dealing realizes their terrible import.
There is another way to arouse a man from his indifference, and that is by showing what Jesus has done for him. I have found Isaiah liii. 5–6 more effectual for this purpose than any other passage in the Bible. An incident from life will illustrate its use. A lady had asked prayers for her daughter, a young woman about twenty years of age. At the close of the services I stepped up to the daughter and asked her if she would not accept Jesus Christ as her Saviour at once. She stamped her foot in anger and said, “My mother should have known better than to do that; she knows it will only make me worse.” I asked her if she would not sit down for a few minutes and as soon as we were seated I opened my Bible to this passage and began to read, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” I made no comment upon the verses whatever, but the Spirit of God carried them home and tears began to roll down the cheeks of the young woman. She did not come out as a Christian that night but did shortly afterward. It is well in using these verses, whenever it is possible, to get the inquirer to change the pronoun from the plural to the singular. “He was wounded for my transgressions; he was bruised for my iniquities, etc.” John iii. 16 can be used in a similar way. I was talking one night to one who was apparently most indifferent and hardened. She told me the story of her sin, with seemingly very little sense of shame, and when I urged her to accept Christ, she simply refused. I put a Bible in her hands and asked her to read this verse. She began to read, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” and before she had finished reading the verse she had broken into tears, softened by the thought of God’s wondrous love to her. First Peter ii. 24 is a verse of similar character. Ask the inquirer whose sins they were that Jesus bore in his own body on the tree, and hold him to it until he says, “My sins.” 1 Peter i. 18–19; Luke xxii. 44; Matt. xxvii. 46, are useful as bringing out in detail what Christ has suffered for us.
There is still another way to arouse indifferent persons, and that is by showing them that the one damning sin is that of which they themselves are guilty—the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. Heb. x. 28–29 is very effective for this purpose. John xvi. 9; iii. 18, 19, 20, and Acts ii. 36 can also be used.
Oftentimes you will meet one who is not willing to sit down and let you deal with him in this deliberate way. In that case the only thing to do is to look up to God for guidance and power and give him some pointed verse in great earnestness, such for example as Heb. x. 28–29; Romans vi. 23; John iii. 36; Isaiah lvii. 21, and leave it for the Spirit of God to carry the truth home to his heart. A passing shot of this kind has often resulted in the salvation of a soul. The passages given above can be wisely used with one who is not altogether indifferent or careless but who has not a sufficiently deep sense of sin and need to be ready to accept the Gospel.
CHAPTER IV.
DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW
There is a very large class of persons who are anxious to be saved but simply do not know how. It is not difficult to lead this class of persons to Christ. Perhaps no other passage in the Bible is more used for this purpose than Isaiah liii. 6. It makes the way of salvation very plain. Read the first part of the verse to the inquirer, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way.” Then ask, “Is that true of you,” and when he has thought it over and said “yes,” then say to him, “Now let us see what God has done with your sins,” and read the remainder of the verse, “And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” “What then is it necessary for you to do to be saved?” Very soon he can be led to see that all that it is necessary for him to do is to accept the sin bearer whom God has provided. Some years ago I noticed in a meeting a white–haired man who did not stand up with the Christians. At the close of the service I walked down to him and said, “Are you not a Christian?” He said he was not. I was sure he was interested, so I put to him the direct question, “Would you become a Christian to–night if I would show you the way?” and he replied that he would. We sat down together and I opened my Bible to Isaiah liii. 6 and read the first part of the verse, “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way.” I then said to him, “Is that true of you?” and he answered “yes.” “Now,” I said, “let us read the rest of the verse, ‘And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’” “What has the Lord done,” I said, “with your sins?” He thought a moment and said “he has laid them on Christ.” “What then” I said “is all that you have to do to be saved?” and he replied quite promptly, “Accept him.” “Well,” I said, “will you accept him to–night?” He said, “I will.” “Let us then kneel down and tell God so.” We knelt down and I led in prayer and he followed in a very simple way telling God that he was a sinner but that he believed that He had laid his sins upon Jesus Christ, and asking God for Christ’s sake to forgive his sins. When he had finished I asked him if he thought God had heard his prayer and that his sins were forgiven, and he said “yes.” I then asked him if he would begin to lead a Christian life at once, set up the family altar and openly confess Christ before the world, and he replied that he would. Some months after I met his pastor and made inquiries about him and found that he had gone to his home in a distant village, set up the family altar and united with the church together with his son, the only remaining member of the family out of Christ. Apparently all that this man was waiting for was for some one to make the way of salvation plain to him. I sometimes put it this way in using this verse: “There are two things which a man needs to know and one thing he needs to do in order to be saved. What he needs to know is, first, that he is a lost sinner and this verse tells him that; second, that Christ is an all–sufficient Saviour and this verse tells him that. What he needs to do is simply to accept this all–sufficient Saviour whom God has provided.” John i. 12 brings out this thought very clearly, “As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” After the verse has been read you can ask the one with whom you are dealing, “To whom is it that God gives the power to become the sons of God?” “As many as receive him.” What must you then do to become a son of God? “Receive him.” Well, will you receive him as your Saviour and as your master now? Isaiah lv. 7; Acts xvi. 31; John iii. 16 and iii. 36 are all useful in making the way of salvation plain. John iii. 14 compared with Numbers xxi. 8 and the following verses, can often be used with good effect. When they are used you should lead the inquirer to see just what the serpent–bitten Israelite had to do to be saved—that he had simply to look at the brazen serpent lifted up upon the pole—then show him that the sin–bitten man has to do simply the same thing—look at Christ lifted up on the Cross for his sins. Romans i. 16 is another excellent verse to use. It makes the way of salvation very clear. You can ask the inquirer whom it is, according to his verse, that the Gospel saves, and he will see that it is “every one that believeth.” Then ask him, “What then is all that is necessary for one to do in order to be saved,” and he will see that it is simply to believe. Then ask him “believe what,” and the answer is “the Gospel.” The next question that naturally arises is, what is the Gospel? This is answered by 1 Cor. xv.; 1–4. These verses show what the Gospel is, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that he was buried and that he rose the third day according to the scriptures” and this is what he must believe in order to be saved. He must believe from his heart that Christ died for his sins and that he rose again. Then ask the inquirer, “do you believe that Christ died for your sins? do you believe that he rose again?” If he says that he does, ask him if he will make this a heart faith and get down and ask God for Christ’s sake, to forgive his sins and believe he does it because he says so, and then trust in the living Saviour to save him day by day from the power of sin. Romans x. 9–10 also makes the way of salvation clear to many minds where other verses fail. Romans x. 13 makes it, if possible, more simple still. This shows that all that a man has to do to be saved is to “call upon the name of the Lord.” You can ask the inquirer “Are you ready now and here to get down and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation and to believe that God saves you because he says he will?” The way of salvation can be made plain by the use of Exodus xii. 7, 13, 23. These verses show that it was the blood that made the Israelites safe and just so it is to–day the blood that makes us safe, and when God sees the blood he passes over us. The only thing for us to do is to get behind the blood. Then show the inquirer that the way to be behind the blood is by simple faith in Jesus Christ. Luke xviii. 10–14 is exceedingly useful in showing what a man may have and yet be lost (the Pharisee) and what a man may lack and yet be saved (the Publican) and that all that a man has to do to be saved is simply to do as the Publican did, that is take the sinner’s place and cry to God for mercy and then he will go down to his house justified. This passage can be used in the following manner to make the meaning more clear. Ask the inquirer, “Which one of these two (the Pharisee or the Publican) went down to his house justified?” Then ask him, “What did the Publican do that the Pharisee did not do, that brought him the forgiveness of his sins while the Pharisee went out of the Temple unforgiven?” When he studies the passage he will soon see that what the Publican did was simply to take the sinner’s place before God and cry for mercy and that as soon as he did this he was “justified” or forgiven. Then you can ask him, “What is all that it is necessary for you to do to find forgiveness?” Then ask him, “Will you do it now and here?” and when he has done so ask him if he believes God’s word and if he is going down to his house justified. What saving faith is, is beautifully illustrated by Luke vii. 48–50. The fiftieth verse tells us that this woman had saving faith. Now ask the inquirer, “What was the faith she had,” and show him that her faith was simply such faith that Jesus could and would forgive her sins, that she came to him to do it. This is saving faith. Galatians iii. 10–13 also makes the way of salvation very simple. The tenth verse shows the sinner’s position before accepting Christ—“under the curse.” The thirteenth verse shows what Christ has done—has been made a curse for us. What the sinner had to do is, evidently, simply to accept Christ.
CHAPTER V.
DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ARE ANXIOUS TO BE SAVED AND KNOW HOW, BUT WHO HAVE DIFFICULTIES
A very large number of persons whom we try to lead to Christ, we will find are really anxious to be saved and know how, but are confronted with difficulties which they deem insurmountable.
1. One of the difficulties is, “I am too great a sinner.” 1 Tim. i. 15 meets this fully. One Sunday morning a man who had led a wild and wandering life and who had recently lost $35,000 and been separated from his wife, said to me in response to my question, why he was not Christian, “I am too great a sinner to be saved.” I turned at once to 1 Tim. i. 15. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” He quickly replied, “well, I am the chief of sinners.” “Well,” I said, “that verse means you then.” He replied, “It is a precious promise.” I said, “Will you accept it now?” and he said, “I will.” Then I said, “Let us kneel down and tell God so,” and we knelt down and he confessed to God his sins, and asked God for Christ’s sake to forgive him his sins. I asked him if he had really accepted Christ and he said he had. I asked him if he really believed that he was saved and he said he did. He took an early opportunity of confessing Christ. He left the city in a short time but I was able to follow him. He became a most active Christian, working at his business day times but engaged in some form of Christian work every night in the week. He was reunited to his wife and adopted a little child out of an orphan asylum and had a happy Christian home. Luke xix. 10 is also a very useful passage to use in dealing with this class of men; especially useful when a man says, “I am lost.” You can say, “I have a passage intended expressly for you. If you really mean what you say, you are just the man Jesus is seeking. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.’” Romans v. 6–8 is a very effective passage. I stopped a man one night as he was hurrying out of a meeting. Laying my hand on his shoulder I said “Did you not hold your hand up to–night for prayers?” He said “yes.” I said, “Why then are you hurrying away? Do you know God loves you?” He replied, “You do not know who you are talking to.” “I do not care who I am talking to but I know God loves you.” He said: “I am the meanest thief in Minneapolis.” I said “If you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, then I know God loves you,” and I opened my Bible to Romans v. 8. “But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” “Now,” I said, “If you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, you are a sinner, and this verse tells that God loves sinners.” The man broke down and going into another room with me told me his story. He was just out of confinement for crime; had started out that very night to commit what he said would have been one of the most daring burglaries ever committed in the city of Minneapolis; with his two companions in crime he was passing a corner where he happened to hear an open–air meeting going on and stopped a few minutes to hear and in spite of the protests and oaths of his companions stayed through the meeting and went with us to the Mission. After telling me his story we kneeled in prayer. Through tears he cried to God for mercy, having been led by God’s precious promise to believe that God loved a sinner even as vile as he. Matt. ix. 12, 13; Romans x. 13 (Emphasize “whosoever”); John iii. 16 (Emphasize the “whosoever”); Isaiah i. 18; 1 John iv. 14; John ii. 1–2; Isaiah xliv. 22; Isaiah xliii. 25 are also useful passages in dealing with this class of men. Isaiah i. 18 and Ps. li. 14 are especially useful in dealing with men who have committed murder. Never tell any one that his sins are not great. It is well sometimes to say to these men, “Yes, your sins are great, greater than you think, but they have all been settled” and show them Isaiah liii. 6; 1 Peter ii. 24. A woman once came to me in great agitation. After many ineffectual attempts she was at last able to unburden her heart. Fourteen years before she had killed a man and had borne the memory of the act upon her conscience until it had almost driven her crazy. When she told the story to another Christian and myself, we turned to Isaiah liii. 6. After reading the verse very carefully to her, I asked her what the Lord had done with her sin. After a few moments’ deep and anxious thought she said, “He has laid it on Christ,” I took a book in my hand. “Now,” I said “let my right hand represent you, and my left hand Christ, and this book your sin.” I laid the book upon my right hand and I said: “Where is your sin now?” She said “On me.” “Now,” I said, “what has God done with it?” She said “Laid it on Christ,” and I laid the book over on the other hand. “Where is your sin now?” I asked. It was long before she could summon courage to answer, and then with a desperate effort she said, “On Christ.” I said, “then is it on you any longer?” Slowly the light came into her face and she burst out with a cry, “No, it is on Him, it is on Christ.” John i. 29; Acts x. 43; Heb. vii. 25, are also helpful texts in dealing with this class of men.
2. Another difficulty we frequently meet with, is “I can’t hold out,” or “I am afraid of failure.” 1 Peter i. 5 is useful in showing that we are not to keep ourselves but are “kept by the power of God.” John x. 28, 29 shows that the safety of the one who accepts Christ does not depend upon his “holding out” but upon the keeping power of the Father and the Son. 2 Tim. i. 12 shows that it is Christ’s business and not ours to keep that which is entrusted to him and that he is able to do it. Isaiah xli. 10, 13 are also helpful. Jude 24 shows that whether we can keep from falling or not, Christ is able to keep us from falling. 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, 8; Romans xiv. 4; 2 Thes. iii. 3, are also good texts to use. 1 Cor. x. 13 is especially useful when one is afraid that some great temptation will overtake him and he will fall.
3. Another difficulty very similar to the preceding one, is “I am too weak.” With such a person, use 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. Ask him “where is it that Christ’s strength is made perfect?” When he answers “in weakness,” tell him “then the weaker you are in your own strength the better.” Philippians iv. 13 shows that however weak we may be, we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. 1 Cor. x. 13 will show that God knows all about our weakness and will not permit us to be tempted above our strength.
4. “I cannot give up my evil ways or bad habits.” Gal. vi. 7, 8, will show them that they must give them up or perish. Philippians iv. 13 will show them that they can give them up in Christ’s strength. It is an excellent plan to point the one who fears that he cannot give up his bad habits, to Christ, as a risen Saviour, 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4. A man once came to me and said: “I come to you to know if there is any way I can get power to overcome my evil habits.” He told me his story; he had been converted in childhood but had come to Chicago, fallen in with evil companions and gone down, and now could not break away from his sins. I said to him: “You know only half the gospel, the gospel of a crucified Saviour. Through trusting in the crucified Saviour you found pardon. But Jesus Christ is also a risen Saviour, 1 Cor. xv. 4, ‘All power is given unto Him,’ Matt. xxviii. 18. He has power to give you victory over your evil habits. Do you believe that?” He said, “yes.” “You trusted,” I continued, “in the crucified Christ and found pardon, did you not?” “Yes,” he replied. “Now,” I said, “will you trust the risen Christ to save you from the power of your sins?” “Yes, I will.” “Let us kneel down then, and tell him so.” We knelt and talked it all over with the Saviour. When he arose his very countenance was changed. “I am so glad I came,” he said. Some time after I received a letter from him telling me how he found constant victory through trusting in the risen Christ.
5. “I will be persecuted if I become a Christian.” Never tell any one that he will not be persecuted, but show him from such passages as 2 Tim. ii. 12; 2 Tim. iii. 12; Matt. v. 10, 11, 12; Mark viii. 35; Acts xiv. 22, that persecution is the only path to Glory. Show them from Romans viii. 18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us. Show them from Acts v. 41; 1 Peter ii. 20, 21, that it is a privilege to be persecuted for Christ’s sake. Heb. xii. 2, 3 is useful in showing them where to look for victory in persecution.
6. “It will hurt my business,” or “I can’t be a Christian in my present business.” Point such an one to Mark viii. 36. This will show him that it is better to lose his business than to lose his soul. After this thought has been sufficiently impressed upon his mind, show him Matt. vi. 32, 33 which contains God’s promise that if we put God and His kingdom first, that He will provide for all our real temporal needs. Matt. xvi. 24–27; Luke xii. 16–21; xvi. 24–26 are also very effective passages to use with this class.
7. “Too much to give up.” Mark viii. 36 will show them that they had better give up everything than to lose their soul. Philippians iii. 7, 8; Ps. xvi. 11 will show them that what they give up is nothing compared with what they get. Ps. lxxxiv. 11; Romans viii. 32 will show them that God will not ask them to give up any good thing; in other words, that the only things God asks them to give up are the things that are hurting them. A young woman once refused to come to the Saviour saying, “There is too much to give up.” “Do you think God loves you?” I answered. “Certainly.” “How much do you think he loves you?” She thought a moment and answered, “Enough to give his son to die for me.” “Do you think, if God loved you enough to give his son to die for you, he will ask you to give up anything it is for your good to keep?” “No.” “Do you wish to keep anything that it is not for your good to keep?” “No.” “Then you had better come to Christ at once.” And she did. 1 John ii. 17; Luke xii. 16–21 will show them how worthless are the things which they are trying to keep.
8. “The Christian life is too hard.” Say to the inquirer, “Let me show you from God’s word that you are mistaken about the Christian life being hard.” Then turn him to Matt. xi. 30; Prov. iii. 17; Ps. xvi. 11; 1 John v. 3, and show him that a Christian life is not hard but exceedingly pleasant. Then turn him to Prov. xiii. 15, and show him that it is the sinner’s life that is hard.
9. “I am afraid of my ungodly companions;” or “I will lose my friends if I take Christ.” Prov. xxix. 25 will show them the consequence of yielding to the fear of man and the security of the one who trusts in the Lord. Prov. xiii. 20 will show them the result of holding on to their companions, and Ps. i. 1 will show the blessedness of giving up evil companions. 1 John i. 3 shows how much better companionship one gets than he loses by coming to Christ.
10. “My heart is too hard.” Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, will show them that though their hearts are hard as stone, that will make no difference because God will give them a new heart.
11. “I have no feeling.” Ask the inquirer what kind of feeling he thinks he must have before he comes to Christ. If it is the peace of which Christians speak, show him from Gal. v. 22; Eph. i. 13; Acts v. 32; 1 Peter i. 8; Matt. x. 32, that this feeling is the result of accepting Christ and confessing Him, and that he cannot expect it until he accepts and confesses Christ. If the feeling which he thinks he must have is the feeling that he is a sinner, then show him by Is. lv. 7 that it is not the feeling that we are sinners that God demands, but a turning away from sin. Or, from Acts xvi. 31; John i. 12; that God does not ask us to feel that we are sinners but to confess that we are sinners and trust in Christ as a Saviour. Is. lv. 1; Rev. xxii. 17, will show the inquirer that all the feeling he needs is a desire for salvation.
It is often times well, however, with this class of inquirers to show them the passages for “The Indifferent” until they do feel that they are sinners.
12. “I am seeking Christ, but cannot find Him.”
Jer. xxix. 13, shows that when we seek him with the whole heart we shall find him. Speaking with a woman one evening in an after–meeting she said to me, “I have been seeking Christ two years and cannot find Him.” I replied, “I can tell you when you will find him.” She looked at me in surprise and I turned to Jer. xxix. 13, and read “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” “There,” I said, “that shows you when you will find Christ. You will find him when you search for him with all your heart. Have you done that?” After a little thought she answered “No.” “Well, then,” I said, “let us kneel right down here now.” She did this and in a few moments she was rejoicing in Christ. You can point one who has this difficulty to Luke xv. 1–10; xix. 10. These passages show that Jesus is seeking the sinner and you can say, “if you are really seeking Christ it will not take a seeking Saviour and a seeking sinner very long to find each other.”
13. “I cannot believe.”
In most cases where one says this the real difficulty which lies back of their inability to believe is unwillingness to forsake sin. John v. 44, is a good passage to use with such a one, or Is. lv. 7. In the use of the latter passage, hold the man’s attention to the fact that all God asks of him is that he turn away from sin and turn to Him.
14. “God won’t receive me,” or “I have sinned away the day of grace,” or “I am afraid I have committed the unpardonable sin.”
The people who honestly say this, are as a rule about the most difficult class to deal with of any that you will meet. John vi. 37, is the great text to use with them for it shows that Jesus will receive any one who will come to him. Hold him continually to that point, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” and if they keep saying “He won’t receive me” repeat the text, looking to the Spirit of God to carry the truth home. Many an utterly despondent soul has found light and peace through this verse in God’s word. Rev. xxii. 17, is also useful as it shows that any one who will can have the water of life freely. Is. lv. 1, shows that any one who desires salvation can have it. Is. i. 18, shows that no matter how great a man’s sins may be still here is pardon. Acts x. 43, and John iii. 16, that “whosoever” will believe upon Christ will find pardon and eternal life. Romans x. 13, shows that any one, no matter who or what he is, who will “call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It is well sometimes to turn to Heb. vi. 4–6, and Matt. xii. 31–32, and show the inquirer just what the unpardonable sin is and what its results are. Matt. xii. 31, 32, shows that it is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and put it squarely to him, “have you ever blasphemed against the Holy Ghost?” Heb. vi. 4–6, shows that the difficulty is not in God’s unwillingness to forgive, but in the man’s unwillingness to repent and that any one who is concerned about his salvation evidently has not committed the unpardonable sin nor sinned away his day of grace. A little instruction along this line is often times all that is needed.
15. “It is too late.”
When an inquirer says this, it is often times well to use 2 Cor. vi. 2, and tell him that God says, it is just the time. Luke xxiii. 39–43, is useful as showing that even at the last hour Jesus will hearken to the sinner’s cry. 2 Peter iii. 9, will show that His will is that none should perish, but that He is delaying the judgment that He may save as many as will come. Deut. iv. 30, 31, is an especially helpful passage as it says “Even in the latter days” if thou turn to the Lord he will be merciful. Is. i. 18, and Rev. xxii. 17, can alone be used here.
CHAPTER VI.
DEALING WITH THOSE WHO ENTERTAIN FALSE HOPES
1. Among those who entertain false hopes, perhaps the largest class are those who expect to be saved by their righteous lives. These persons are easily known by such sayings as these, “I am doing the best I can.” “I do more good than evil.” “I am not a great sinner.” “I have never done anything very bad.” Gal. iii. 10, is an excellent passage to use, for it shows that all those who are trusting in their works are under the curse of the law and that there is no hope on the ground of the law for any one who does not “continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” James ii. 10 is also useful. Gal. ii. 16, and Romans iii. 19, 20 are very effective by showing that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in God’s sight. Matt. v. 20—All these passages show the kind of righteousness God demands and that no man’s righteousness comes up to God’s standard, and that if a man wishes to be saved he must find some other means of salvation than by his own deeds. It is sometimes well in using these passages to say to the inquirer: “You do not understand the kind of righteousness that God demands or you would not talk as you do. Now let us turn to His word and see what kind of righteousness it is that God demands.” There is another way of dealing with this class, by the use of such passages as Luke xvi. 15; Rom. ii. 16; 1 Sam. xvi. 7. These passages show that God looks at the heart. Hold the inquirer right to that point. Every man when brought face to face with that, must tremble because he knows that whatever his outward life may be, his heart will not stand the scrutiny of God’s eye. No matter how selfrighteous a man is, we need not be discouraged for somewhere in the depths of every man’s heart is the consciousness of sin and all we have to do is to work away until we touch that point. Every man’s conscience is on our side. Matt. xxii. 37, 38 can be used when a man says “I am doing the best I can, or doing more good than evil.” Say to him, “You are greatly mistaken about that; so far from doing more good than evil, do you know that you have broken the first and greatest of God’s laws?” Then show him the passage. Heb. xi. 6, John vi. 29, show that the one thing that God demands is faith and that without that it is impossible to please God, and John xvi. 9, shows that unbelief in Christ is the greatest sin. John iii. 36, shows that the question of eternal life depends solely upon a man’s accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ, and Heb. x. 28, 29, that the sin which brings the heaviest punishment is that of treading under foot the Son of God. Before using this latter passage, it would be well to say, “You think you are very good, but do you know that you are committing the most awful sin in God’s sight which a man can commit?” If he replies, “No,” then say “Well let me show you from God’s word that you are;” then turn to this passage and read it with great solemnity and earnestness.
2. Another class of those who entertain false hopes, are those who think “God is too good to damn anyone.”
When any one says this, you can reply, “We know nothing of God’s goodness but what we learn from the Bible, and we must go to that book to find out the character of God’s goodness. Let us turn to Romans ii. 2, 4, 5.” Having read the verses, you can say something like this, “Now, my friend, you see that the purpose of God’s goodness is to lead you to repentance, not to encourage you in sin and when we trample upon his goodness, then we are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” John viii. 21, 24 and iii. 36, will show the man that however good God may be that he will reject all who reject His Son. Still another way to deal with these men is by showing them from John v. 40; 2 Peter iii. 9–11 or Ezek. xxxiii. 11, that it is not so much God who damns men as men who damn themselves in spite of God’s goodness because they will not come to Christ and accept the life freely offered. You can say “God is not willing that any should perish and he offers life freely to you, but there is one difficulty in the way. Let us turn to John v. 40, and see what the difficulty is.” Then read the passage: “Ye will not come to me that ye might have life,” and say, “My friend here is the difficulty, you won’t come; life is freely offered to you but if you will not accept it, you must perish.” 2 Peter ii. 4–6, 9; Luke xiii. 3, show how the “good” God deals with persons who persist in sin. Sometimes this last passage can be effectively used in this way: “You say God is too good to damn any one. Now let us see what God Himself says in his word.” Then turn to the passage and read, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Repeat the passage over and over again until it has been driven home.
3. A third class of those who entertain false hopes, are those who say “I am trying to be a Christian.” John i. 12, will show them that it is not “trying” to be a Christian or “trying” to live a better life or “trying” to do anything that God asks of us, but simply to receive Jesus Christ, who did it all, and you can ask the inquirer, “will you now stop your trying and simply receive Jesus as Saviour?” Acts xvi. 31, shows that God does not ask us to try what we can do but trust Jesus and what He has done and will do. Romans iii. 23–25, shows that we are not to be justified by trying to do, “but freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” on the simple condition of faith.
4. Still another class of those who entertain false hopes are those who say, “I feel I am going to Heaven,” or “I feel I am saved.” Show them from John iii. 36 that it is not a question of what they feel but what God says, and what God says distinctly in his word is that, “He that believeth not on the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” One afternoon I was talking with a lady who a few weeks before had lost her only child. At the time of the child’s death she had been deeply interested, but her serious impressions had largely left her. I put to her the question, “Do you not wish to go where your little one has gone?” She replied at once “I expect to.” “What makes you think you will?” I said. She replied, “I feel so, I feel that I will go to heaven when I die.” I then asked her, if there was anything she could point to in the word of God which gave her a reason for believing that she was going to heaven when she died. “No,” she said, “there is not.” Then she turned and questioned me, saying, “Do you expect to go to heaven when you die?” “Yes,” I replied, “I know I shall.” “How do you know it?” she said. “Have you any word from God for it?” “Yes,” I answered and turned her to John iii. 36. She was thus led to see the difference between a faith that rested upon her feelings and a faith that rested upon the word of God.
Luke xviii. 9–14, can also be used in the following way; you can say “there was a man in the Bible who felt he was all right, but was all wrong. Let me read you about him.” Then read about the Pharisee who was so sure that he was all right, but who was all the time an unforgiven sinner; and make the inquirer see how untrustworthy our feelings are and what the ground of assurance is, viz: God’s word. Prov. xiv. 12 can also be used as showing that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
5. The last class of those who entertain false hopes, are those who say they are saved though they are leading sinful lives. In the case of many forms of sin, a good passage to use is 1 Cor. vi. 9–10. 1 John ii. 29 will also in many cases sweep away this false hope. 1 John v. 4–5 is useful as showing that one who is really born of God overcomes the world and the fact that they are living in sin and are not overcoming the world is evidence that they have not been born of God.
