CHAPTER II

PASTORAL AND PERSONAL EVANGELISM, OR WINNING MEN TO CHRIST ONE BY ONE

BY REV. JOHN TIMOTHY STONE, D. D . .,

CHICAGO , ILLINOIS ,

~X - MODERATOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,

U . S. A.

The story of evange1ism is the specific history of the Cross of Christ . Great movements and revivals have made up much of its general history, but slowly and quietly through the years and centuries the Evangel has won, as men and women have led their fellow human beings to repentance and have by pre ­cept and example followed in the footst eps of their Lord .

Jesus Chri st won most of His followers and chose His Apostles one by one. He called men to Himself, and they heard and heeded His call. The multitudes sought Him and heard Him gladly, but He sought individuals, and those indi­viduals sought others and brou ght them to Him. John the Baptist said: "Behold the Lamb of God," and Andrew his disciple heard and followed. Andrew found his own brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. Je sus the next day found Philip and bade him follow Him; Philip found Nathanie l and answered his questionings by the Saviour's previous reply, "Come and see." The Master called Matthew from his un­worthy work, and so the other Apostles. Saul of Tarsus was arrested by the Divine individual call as he pursued his intense and terrorizing campaign again st the early Chri stians. His "Who art Thou, Lord?" was fallowed by his complete sur­render as he asked, "Wha t wilt Thou have me to do?''

All through those first decade s of the early Church, and on through the ages, individual work for individuals has pro-

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Pas,toral and Personal Evangelism 25

gressed and accomplished results. How largely the Gospels, the Acts and the Epistles verify this fact! Even the marvel­ous work of Philip in Samaria was not the immediate plan of God, but the Spirit sent him past Jerusalem, down into the desert at Gaza, that he might win the E!hiopian eunuch to Christ, and through him no doubt countless hosts of Africa. The missionary journeys and efforts of Paul were filled with personal service . His letters are filled with personal mes­sages. Some of his 1nost important letters, such as Philemon, the Timothys and Titus, are addres sed and written to indi­viduals. His winning of Onesimus in Rome, and . the letter to Philemon which resulted is one of the most effective and

' beautiful experienc es recorded in all the Word of God. God has used men mightily in reaching vast multitudes of

people,, even from the days of I-Iis own ministry and the days of Peter and his associates at Pentecost. Even at this time, two hundred years after his unparalleled ministry, we are reminded of George Whitefield, who preached at times to fully thirty thousand people in the open air, and won his thousands and tens of thousands. We recall the vast multitudes who were reached by our own Moody and Sankey ; we note the vast audiences who flocked to hear Mr. Spurgeon, week after week, year after year. The strong evangelists of our own gen­eration verify before our very eyes God's honor placed on those to whom He gives such signal power. But our thought goes back to the great universal method our Lord Himself instituted, of reaching the individual by his fellow ~an.

The Almighty could have so arranged His Divine plan that He Himself, without human help, might arrest and enlist fol­lowers as He did with Saul of Tarsus, but this was not His plan. By man He would reach men. Human mediums of power must do His wondrous work. Man must go, in the power of His Spirit "into all the world, to preach the Gospel to every creature." And I-Iis promise was sure and perma­nent: "Lo, I am with you alway."

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26 The Fundamentals

GOD'S HOL ,Y SPIRIT

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'T 'he first requisite in winning men t.o Christ must be the presence and po,wer of t·l1e Holy Spirit. ''It is exp 1edie·11t that I go away from you, for if I go , not away, the Holy Spirit will not come .. " With His presence ''grea ·t~r works'' than the works 10£ Chri st ''shall ye do.'' ''Ye shall re 1cei11e p,ower when the H 1oly .Spirit is, come upon you,. and ye shall be ivitnesses .. " To liv1e in the p1ower of G1od's Holy , 1Spirit, a.nd to know th.p.t He is ·present and will lead, is in itself an assurance of a j 1oyful and su 1ccessf 'ul service. Tl1,e Spir ·it will constantly ''call t 10 · our rem embrance the things of Christ," and hence we ·may · riot be an xious as to the words ,ve are to speak, f'or He will direct us an 1d speak for and through us.

So man,y tin1es we are fearful and embarrassed, but this '

wil:l not b·e the case if ·we are under tl1e influence momentarily

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of · God's S1pirit. ''H 1e will guide us in.to all truth." ''He will not speak of Himself,'' but will gl,orify Chris·t.. That whi 1ch we say in weakne.gs He will use with power, and '''His word will not return unto Hi1n void, but will accom ·plish that wl1ere­unto i.t was sent.'' w ·e may always . take fo·r granted His pr·ep­aration,. for He does not send but calls us. His word is not ''Go 1," but ''Come .. '' Tl1t1s we will always be on the alert for opportunities t 10 speak the thin .gs He would have us, ,and our w,ords and tl1o·t1ghts will b 1e thos 1e wl1ich He sug ,gests and honors ,. W ,e w·ill be nourishe 1d constantly by His W ,ord within, and equipped with His sword for sustaine 1d protecti ,on and ag­gressive attack. If His Word abides in us, we will never be weak in body, nor unprepared and weapo ,nless. His Spirit will a.l.so give us courage and endurance, and the fearless one who has stability and patience need not £ear the unexpected nor the aggressive opponent. The Spirit of God also pre- _ pare ·s the one whom we must approach, and is working in his heart as, well as with our words.

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Prayer ' is also a real factor in our lives ,, and we liv1e in His presence , by the trite conversational metl1od of association .

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As God speaks to us through His Word, so we talk with Him in prayer, and the place and surroundings are of little rela­tive importance, as we are always with Him and He with us. The word we speak and the act we perform is the expression of _Himself, and the impr ession is bound to be His as well, for our association with Him takes others into His pres ence as they communicate and associate with us. We may pray be­fore and after and as we speak with others, and do it so nat ­urally and impulsively that we may actually live in the atmos­phere of prayer without hypocrisy and without pretense. And prayer will become more and more a power in our work as we approach individuals from the very presence of the unseen but not unknown God. Assurance and confidence result, and · we are agreeably surprised with our selves to find that our happi­ness does not depend so much upon the evidence of our suc­cess as upon the consciousness of our faithfulness.

We will also seek to win others to Christ that they too may be used by His Spirit and associated with Him, rather than simply to obtain salvation; not what we can do for the1n, but what God's Spirit can and will do with them.

The Spirit of God will also lead us to gain from others the experiences and methods through which they have gone to learn to do this work for Him; hence conferences and testi­mony will take on new life and .gain keener interest. We will overlook littlene ss, and the greatness of God is seen in His confidence placed in those who win others to Him . Criticism will give place to appreciation and suggestion to expressions of gratitude. We will see in others w.hat God sees, and fail to see what we have seen before by way of fau lt and error. We will also learn to take the difficult things to God in prayer instead of taking them to men in controversy, and will be sur­prised to find how many easily adjust themselves for us.

God's Spirit will also prompt us to spend longer seasons alone and seriously think upon life's greatest issues and values. Prayer will be less genera l and more specific and individual.

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Souls will m,ean n1ore, and things less .. Lives will become more attractive and fascinating, ! ,and b,ooks,, papers and stot·ies will only control interest when related to lives which can b1e in-

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fluenced fo1· and by Him. The last verse of ''In the Secret of His Presence'' asks the

real question :

''Would you like to know the secret of the sweetness of ' the Lord?

Go and hide beneath His shadow; this shall then be your 1-e-ward.

And whene'er you leave the sile11ce of· th at happ ,y resting place, You must feel and bea·r· the image of the Mas ter i11 your face." ·

This will be the result, and others will be won by you as they see in your very face t'l1e reflectio ,n of c ·hrist, because H 'is, Spirit dwells within you.

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'THE BIBLE •

A second most necessary ele1nent in winni11g men to the Master is a l{nowled.ge and appropriate use of God's Word. We must be workn1 en wl10 need not to1 be ashamed, who can rig 'htly divide the Word of T ruth. The use of · the Bible is the ,greatest advanci11g weapon for Christ.. T 'l1e work ,er wl10 'knows his Bible wi ll constantly read it for strength and ap,ply it in dea·ting with the unconverted. I-Ie wi.11 not argue with men, nor talk ab.out· Go·d's Word, b,ut l1e will explain wit/1 it,. and repeated]y ref er t 10 it. An op 11en Bible before and ,;vith an in,quirer almo·st .always mea11s co·nversio ,n and spiritual gro ,wth to follow. When dealing with your subject, ask i( l1e has ever co.nsidere :d what the Bible says on tl1e p,oint un 1de.r di.scussio ,n. For instance, a. man tells you he does not take rnttch stock in what you have bee11 saying about tl1e necessity of tl1e Cro ss ,; it seems somewhat fool.ish to him. Do 11ot be angry, but r,eply pleasantly that you do not blame l1im a bit, in f,act, Paul himself writes, in his first letter to the Corintl1ians,

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that men will feel exactly that way. Tell him you appreciate his frankness, and n1eanwhile pull your Testament from your pocket or take it from the table, and turn to the pas sage in First Corinthian s, one, eighteen ; or bette r still, hand him an­other copy of the Bible open · to the place, and read from your own copy: ~'For the preaching of the Cro ss is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." Then, before he is angered or troubled about that word "perish," ask hiln to notice in the same connection the twenty-first verse, ju st below: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishn ess of preaching to save them that believe." Th ese passages will at least arrest his attention, and uncon­sciou sly interest him somewjiat in reading the Bible him self.

I well remember a son1ewhat like experience to this sug­gest ed, which happened in my parish calling years ago . I was talking in the office of a man who was a confessed unbelieve r, when he made some such criticism of a former sermon he had heard. I followed the cours e outlined, and after reading the ver ses, he remarked upon their application, and told n1e he would "look into the Pauline writings ." He became later a fairly regular attendant in church, and someti1nes came to our Bible class.

From such a chapter as that, I would take a man into the second chapter, which attracts one from the very first sen­tence, "I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I was deter­mined not to know anything among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Then read the fifth ver se : "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." Then the ninth ver se, with its wond erf ul vision: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard , neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Hin1." This verse will prove a vista to many to scenes beyond.

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Ask a man who doubts God's lo1ve for l1im if he has, ever •

carefully consid ered tl1at his salvati 1on does not so much re ,st up,on his confi.idence in l1is own belief as in God's con6de11ce in him. Tel l him that faith grow,s b,y use and action. Ask him to pray, ''Lord, I believe; help Thou m.y unb.elief.'' Turn to I-Ieb1·ews, eleven one, ,and rea d it fr ,om the Revised Versio11, which ,is far stro 11ger in this vers ,e: ''Faith is. tl1e assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of tl1ings not seen.'' 'Then go on with this great ''Faith chapter ." Stop and dwell upon some of the ref ,erences, if it will ·add to the interest ,. R ·emen1-ber t,o l1ave an open B,ible before your compan ,ion as you re.ad . Reading to a man \vill n,ot help a listener and read ing W'ith you ,vill. Let the eye help 'tl1e ,ear, and make it perso 1nal by letting him follo,vv yot.1 as you read. Perh ,aps sometimes as,l< hin1 to re ,ad an occa sional verse tha ·t ne·e,ds emphasis , an,d then yo,u con1ment on it, asking l1im to read on .

If a man d,oes 11ot unde1·stand how Go,d can love him, do not disci1ss it, but turn to F ir st ~01·,inthians , the tl1irteentl1 chapter~ and read it slowly and thoughtf ully. Always begin that chapter with the last verse of the twelft l1: ''A nd yet show I unto you a more excellent way ." Change the word ''charity'' to ''love ." When you get to the fourth verse, inte r­sperse a remark such as this: ''Have you ever read anything more wonderful than thi s: 'Lo ,ve suff e1 .. etl1 long and i.s kind, love envieth 11ot, lov1e vaunteth not itself , is no,t puffed up, do 1tl1 not b,ehave it .self unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked t thinketh no evil.' '' Why, eacl1 ve rse o,f th is wond er ful chapter will grow more a11d more impressiVe as one reads ,011. Tl1en read tl1rough the fir,st verse o,f chapte r fourtee n, which gives us tl1e admoni ,tion, '''F ,ollow after love and desire s,piritual gifts." A,sk a man if sucl1 attainment as this isn't wo,rtl1 wl1ile. Turn 'b,ef are he a11s\i\rers to J ol1n tl1ree, sixteen: '' F'or God so, loved the world tl1at He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not p~ ish, but have everlasting life.'' ''For God came not into

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the world to condemn the world, but that the world throug h H im might be saved."

In othe r word ,s wi11 a n1an b,y the love of Godti Before h,e can qu estio n again, ask hi m to , tur .n, or b,etter , take his Bible and tu rn for him, to Luke the fifteenth chapter, and beginning with the eleventh verse, read together the parabl e of the Prod igal Son. 1"'hen quickly and easi ly tur11 to First Jol1n, the third chapter: ''B ehold wl1at manner of love the Fathe r hath bestowed upon u s, tl1at we should be called the sons of Go,d. The :refor ,e the world knowetl1 us not, because it knew Him not." Read on a way in that chapter, and then turn over to the fifth chapter and read th ere. T l1en tur n to Reve latio ,n three, twenty , and read : '' Behold, I stand .at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I wi]l come in to him and he to Me, and he shall ,go in and out and find p,asture." ~

Tell l1im in conne 1ctio,n with this verse the story of Holman Hunt , th e great artist who painted, ''Th e Ligh t of the World." Describe tl1e picture till he recalls it, of Christ stand ing before th e lat ticed door, knocking , holding a lanter n in the other ha nd, th e distan t love in the Mas ter 's eye sl1owing that the interest of H is thougl1t was within the cottage. Tell him how Holman Hun t, after the picture had been pa inted, called in a friendly art ist to criticise tl1e picture. His friend, after scru-tinizin g the pictur e, said, ''But you have no, latch on tl1e door .. '' ''N '' 1· d h · f ., h. ''th ,o, rep 1e t e great pa inter , re erring to t is ver s,e, _ e latch of tl1is door is on tl1e inside. 'Beho ld, I sta nd at the door .and knock. If an)' man hear My voice and open the door.'''

Show how Chri st respects the human lif e by knocking and not forcing His entra n,1c1e, an,d how if the individual opens He will come in and ab1ide. ·

If you have one burdened with a sense of his own guilt .and sin, turn to I saia h one, eighteen: ''Com e novv and let us reason tog e·ther, saith the L,01'9d. Though yo1ur sins be as s,c,a,r-, Jet , they shall be as white as snow; tho ugh they be red like

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.. 32 The Fundamentals

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crims on, they shal l be as wool.'' Then turn to Roma ns seven and eight and read with him fr ,om vers e fourteen. I l1ave personally known n1ore men reached by tl1ese chapters 'tl~an by any others. They are a sort of photograph or mirror to mos t m 1en of their own very lives. Just note that fifteenth ver se: ''For what I do, I allo,v not; for what I would, that do I not, I but what I hate, t·ha.t do I .. " Then verse seve11teen: ''Now then it is no more I tl1at do it, bu t sin that dwelletl1 in m e." Read on, verse aft ,er ver :se, u11til you get to that power­ft1l v1ers ·e, t.he eleventh 0 1f the eigl1tl1 chapter. Then you will have to stop . '' But if the Spirit of Hi m that raised up Je sus from the d.iead dwell in y 1ou, He that . raised up Cl1rist. from the dead shall also quicken yottr mortal bodies by His Spirit that

dwelleth in yo 1u. '' •

Tl1is verse will inspire 1nos.t men who need it. It Iift ,s a n1an out o,f hin1s·elf. Ther 1e is .actual life power in i1cs truth~ The tl1r·ill and longing , is liabl 1e to come especially aft ,er a n1an has realized wl1at sin ·is d1oing in and f,or him .. I have known ma ny a ma n look up at that ver se and ask if it could be possible for him to attain such a thi11g. Of course it can. That eleven th verse, led i1p to aright by that which prece 1des it, will arouse almost any heart. Then take a man right over to chapter twelve: ''I beseech you, therefore ., brethren." Tell your man how the firs t eleven chapters of Romans are the theory of Paul's great theme of ''Justification by Faith,'' and that now in the twelfth we ha·ve tl1e ·practical, h,ence th1e

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''therefore." ''I beseech you, therefore, bt"eth1"en, by the · mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacri­

fice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye trans­formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

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Tell a man the glory of sacrifice, and wllat it means to live that kind of a life, subject to God's wil]. Turn over then to ~ .phesians three, the fourteenth verse, and read Paul's great

Pa.sitoral and Personal Evangelism 33

prayer with him, telling him you want him to know how a man who felt those truths of Romans could pray for other n1en. Then read all that prayer, Ephe sians three fourteen, through verse tw nty-one. Re-read verses twenty and twenty -one. This verse will lead us to our knees, and that means victory. Let us consid~r in this connection the subject of

PRAYER

We do not estimate the place and power prayer has in win­ning others to Chris t, prayer for others in intercession, and prayer with others as we take them individually into the very presence of God.

First, prayer for them. No matter what your method or lack of method may be, take those for whom you are working up to God in prayer. Pray for them by name; pray that you may approach them aright and appeal to them with Divine wisdom. Pray that you may be able to put yourself in their place, and be patient as well as wise with them. Pray that ?ou n1ay turn to the right Scripture, and use the appropriate 1llustrations, to help them. Pray that you may lead them to Jesus instead of talking with them about Him. Pray that they may be responsive and willing. Pray that their sins may not hinder them from giving their best selves to the considera­tion of this all-important subject. Pray that they may see in you that vital interest and real sincerity which will actually arouse them. Pray that their companions and surroundings may not prove a barrier or hindrance to them. Pray that you may converse with them on the essentials and not spend the time on unimportant and relative matters.

Pray that you may not be timid or careless, but fearless, clear and exact. Pray that human sympathy and love may influence you to show your heart and soul to touch and melt their hearts. Pray that ju st. the favorable opening may come to you, and that you may be ready to use it. Pray most of all for the Holy Spirit's pow:er with you.

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Then secondly, pray 'lJJith the individual. After Scripture has had its chance, and decision shottld be reached, get your friend on his knees, and ask him to decide after you have poured out your heart to 1 God for and with him. I have known more men who have yiel ,ded on their knees than any­where else. At just the right time, when genuinely ·prompted by loving imp1ulse and sincer ,e ,motive, y,our hand pla,ced ttpon his sl1oulder may help him make the decision. Jo let one know you love him for Christ's sake breaks many a heart. When tl1us praying, no matter how cold your heart may have been, you wil] feel tl1ree are present rather than two, and the third is the Saviour of m1en.

When you pray with 'the one for whom you are working, be m1ost specific an ,d pla,in in yo1ur petiti 1on. Then ask him to pray for himself. If he cannot, fran1,e his prayer for him, and ask hi1n to repeat. Bring him tl1en and there to a decision if pos sible, an 1d seal the occasion with .prayer again. Pray frequently between questions, if led. 'Re ,member the destiny of a human soul is in the balance. Pour out your soul to God and labor with Christ for that soul. Wh ,en nothing one could say, quo ,te ,or argue would help 0 1r convince,, I have seen 1nen yield on their kn ,ees and rise to their feet happy and con­fi,dent in Christ. Someti ,mes a s,ubtle and unco ,nfessed sin is lttrking in the mind or heart, and that keeps from decision. On one's knees in prayer, this is liable to be yielded, and tl1e life freed from tl1e fetters of concealed guilt.

Sometimes an unforgiving spirit is the cause of delay. Tl1ere is no place so su1-e to overcome bit 'terness or hatred as the pla 1ce of prayer. Leading the ht11nan life into the pla 1ce . of prayer will bring Divine power into the work, and con-qu,ers where ,you might £ail. '

Another form of prayer for the individual may be used by putting down , upon a t,ist or card the names of those for whom you are praying. We have in 1our own church a small card which is distributed oc,casionally a't the prayer service

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a~d at other spiritual gatherings, which is entitled ''Prayer List .. '' On it there are spaces for names, and a bla11k line for the name of the signer and the date. A small footnote states !ha_t a copy of the card may b,e mailed to the pastor, although it is not reqttired or urged. The list is for the individual Christian, a definite prayer for a definite soul. Many of these cards are handed in to me, and we thus unite in prayer for these souls. It is a real method of binding pastor and people • in P1rayer :£or indivi ,duals.

A prayer list which includes all your friends is a most itl­spiring and useful method. One whom you see each day will be next in alphabetical ord er to a missionary in central India

far-distant hopes, and the whole world comes to your very room through the pow 1er 10£ prayer. As the years go by, so n1a:ny w·h,os,e names are tl1ere b,ef ore· you give t.hem.selves to God, and so many causes for. gratitude come. In days past, I tore up a ,c.ard when the heart ,yielded to God, but now we leave the c~rd just the same, for one needs prayer surely after conver­sion fully as much as before, th ,at growth and grace may abound. Prayer for individuals also , makes one alert when opportunities open to speak to them, and directs aright con­versa,tilon ,at such times. It also 1 ·f ·re,es us from mind-wander­ing and perplexity in prayer. ·we grow specific and very definite, and learn to ask for those tl1ings which we really Wa11t. Friendship and con1panions hip mean more w·hen we realize that we are meeting each other through Christ at the throne of grace, and individuals are co,nscious of greater ?ower tl1an human speech when they 1<:now tl1at you are pray­ing· f 0 1r them ...

Recently, when a man yielded to Christ, he rep]ied, when told by his friend he bad long prayed , for him: ''Well, I knew something was influencing me, for I have felt unhappy and dissatisfied until now, and it was not natural for me .to be troubled about myself.''

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36 Tke Fundamen .tal.s

Prayer is, then, a most effective and powerful agency in winning otl1ers. .

We ought also to pray more in our public utterances for the immediate and direct result of our preaching; that souls may be converted; that l1ear ts may be arrested in sin and turned to, God. Dr. Maltbie Babcock used to pray for a verdict then and there, that souls might yield during that very service. When a congregation feels that a preacher actual1y expects results, they begin to expect and pray fo,r thetn too. If tl1e sot1l hungers for souls, tl1en public as well as p·rivate pray rer will claim them. ·

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METHOD AND MEANS

We must now take up the subject of 1nethod an 1d means. The method is, after a1·1, secondary, and if it becon1es. too set · and orderly, it will be self-dest1·uctive, for as soon as one sees your metl1od, the heart and mind are steeled a,gainst it, and tl1er,e is little or no intere st. Wl1en God's Spirit leads, ,,;e ar ·e respo 1nsive to all kinds of openings a.nd ways. Instead of studying approach we si1n ply a 1dvance as the plan opens before us, an ,d we fi.·nd ourselves ,doing in an unexpected way the ve ·ry wort, we have always hoped to d 10. A revival of Go1,d's Spirit mean ,s the disreg ard of former ways and 1neans, a11d an ini.tiation of new and untried channels. We regar ,d and v.alue less th .e metl1od, and seek only for the result.

It is wise and right for us, l1owever, to consider methods and means. Christ Himself began His work with rea·cl1ing individuals and training them to w·ork for 1others. When Dr. Bruce wrote ''The Training of the Twelve,'' l1e gave us tl1e scholarly development of this tru th. The Fottnder of our faith gave Himself larg ·e1y to twelve men, and one of these was not worthy and anotl1er ext ·remely v·acillating. W ·i·th them He w·.alked, to them I-Ie t 'evealed Himself in convers ,a­tion, precept, ·p1arable a·nd ·miracle. They grew like. Him and follo ·we ,d His teacl1ing. Five hundred milli 1ons. of souls today

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honor Him as His followers, but He did not gain this vast multitude ·Of myriad t iongues and tri .bes by orga11izing .a great band, but by the selection and training of twelve men . True, the multitudes sought Him, as they had fallowed John the Bapitist, but He 1did n.ot seek ·tl1e multitudes. Gr·eat throngs fo llowed many of those early discip ,]es and preachers, even up through the latter centuries, and rnany were 1nightily used in preaching t,o great th1·ongs of men, but 1Christ's method still rem,ains I-1,e· so11ght i11dividua1s. What if I-le had 11,ever talk ed with that poor Samaritan woman at the well -side; we would neve r then have had tl1ose wond rous words , in the fourth chapter of Jo ,hn : ''Whoso drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whoso drinketh of tl1e water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him sha ll be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.'' What if tl1ese words had never occurred in tl1e Gosp "els ?­and they would not if Chr ist had not passed through Sama ria and taken pity on that poor sinful woman and talked with her. What if I-le had never spent time with Nicodemus ,vhen he sought the Master by nigl1t? What rich and significant wor lds those 1-Ie uttered then on regeneration: ''Ye must be born aga in. The wind blowet l1 where it l:isteth, and !hou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or wl1ither it goeth; so is every One who is born of the Spirit.' : Suppo se Cl1rist had . neve·r ,ove1·tak.en tl1e two disciples as tl1ey walked to Emmaus after His crucifixion, and we had never known th ,ose words iof I-Iis and that experience they l1ad as th eir l1ea1·ts ht11·ned witl1in them. He turne ,d and ,saw the tw,o disciples of John who had heard John the Baptist say, ''Behold the Lamb of God.'' Andrevv went from Christ to find l1is brother Peter, and . bro ,ugh t him to Jesus. Tlie next day Jesus Himself found Philip and told l1im, ''Follow Me.'' Philip found Nathaniel. All througl1 His wOrk on earth, Christ saw and f oun 1d individuals . Za,ccl1re11s was called 011.Jtt of a tree, Matthew from a money-changer's seat, but these men became

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38 The Fu1idamentals'

winners and leaders of other men. Saul of Tarsus was not let alone because he was a persecutor, but ,vas arrested on a higl1way with a p,ersonal word and question. His reply was : ''Who art Thou ?'' and ''What wilt Tl1ou have me to do?'' Paul, although a great preacher, . worked too with individuals, in no more beautiful way• ever illustrated than in the touching love I1e showed for Onesimus, the Pl1rygian runaway slave, wl1om he sent back to his master and P·aul's friend at Colossae,

Philemon. The greatest advantage which the large meeting has is so

interesting individuals in the truth that they will inquire from individuals who are ready to help them, as to the application of the truth they hear. A valuable series of mee tings is only sure in interest and result as individuals invite, seek and lea.d others to be present, and then follow them by individual effort. . The success£ ul revivals of today must follow this method if per1nanent and large results are to be attained. God works through men, and individuals must reach other

individuals. One of the mo st efficient means some have used is that of

training men and women to call upo,n those in their neighbor­hood and personally invite them to services not a formal in­vitation, but a call in which they may get acquainted and feel at home with one another; one call followed up with another until a friendli11ess springs up and there is a response. There are many departments in church life that take this work up, such as tl1e Home Department of ollr Sunday Schools, pastors' aid and visitation societies, and relative organizations; but there sl1ouid be a more definite personal responsibility put upon our members as they come into our church, , in reaching others, and in extending to them the definite invitatio ,n to attend God's house and give their lives to the Master. The Church of Christ universal has an immense force in herself to £ace the work of winning others to Christ, but we have not used that force. Tl•e foreign missionary lands have appre,,

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ciated this fact in the work tl1ey are doing, and in some places the condition of winning others has been imposed upon new ?1embers before they are accepted into full communion. For · 1ns,tan1ce, bef or1e a new, n1e1nber is received into the .Korean Church, the convert must not only confess his faith in Christ, but also lead anoth 1er 'to Christ. .

What if our membership were really working for others individually, and were trained with that in view? What if we called the attention of our new members to this very obliga ­tion and expectation? Some of our churches have had no new members for several year s, and some have very few. On the other hand, here is a great force of hundreds of thousands who are no,t working i~ tl1e very line of activity which it is their privilege and duty to use. Suppose a church with one hundred members so impressed this upon fifty per cent of its membership that each one of those fifty shou ld win on,e ,soul to Christ. It wottl1d mea·n tl1at that chu,rch added fifty per cent of ·it.s 'Q.lem'ber,ship tl1e hext year. If a c,hurch of five hundred members were to use twenty per cent of its membership, each . win.ning one soul a year to Christ, that would be a hundred members added to, that church. On the other hand, why should we not expect that many o·f our n1embers should have one or 1nore representatives at every ciommunion? This would mean, if five or ,six communions Were held during the year, that fifty such workers would add from two hundred fifty to three hundred to the membership of that individual church in a year.

Now, there is no question that a pastor has his definite work of preacl1ing. He must also realize that, no matter how • • intense and far- ·reacl1ing t'hat work may be, his pre-eminent work should be in his pulpit; but it is also his work to shep­herd his flock, and a shepherd cannot properly do that work without teaching his flock to follow him. He first must be an inviter and winner of men to Christ, and he must train his people to follow him. . The great need of the Church today is

40 The Fundamentals

a work with.in herself, in wl1icl1 her members may become individual an 1d definite worl{ers for the Lord Jesus Cl1rist, and the winners of others to Him. In son1e of our churches, this method and means of reacl1ing othe1·s has been caref ull.Y and tl1oroughly organized, so tl1at regular organizations , cf young pe·ople and otl1ers go out regularly to do this wo1rk in their neighborhood, inviting others to attend the churcl1 and ,af te.rw.ard winning tl1em individually to Christ. We do not find that all such visitors are able immediately to becon1e per­sonal workers, but we do find that this w·ork tends to lead the1n to desire to do that work, .and in many instances leads them i11to efficient service. In ot1r own church, hundreds t1pon hundreds have been W ·On in this way, and we. now have from fifty to· sixty young people who are d·oing this work regularly, week after week, the result being that the influence is felt upon all our services, and hundreds are present at our services wl10 would not be tl1ere except for this personal i11vitation and direct a.ssociation.

We would here quo,te f ron1 a recent book upon tl1is sub­ject,* whicl1 I prepared for the work in our own cburc .h here in Cl1icago :

''Some five years ago, in reviewing carefully a minjstry of about fifteen years ., I was convinced of c,ertain effective and many ineffective results. This practical invento 1ry led me ·to consider tl1e method, means and value of relative ac·tivities. It was v·,ery clear to me that n1uch public work ha 1d not yielded res11]ts equal to c,ertain private and personal service, although tl1e latter is more easily known and tabulated. It was also evident that the worlc 0 1f th 1e preacl1er ancl pas .tor is not C1on­clud1ed in bringin ,g men to Christ, but in insp .iring and train­ing them to become the winners o,f others.

''In talking with colleagues in the ministry and gatl1·ering occ :asional evidence from varied churches, I discovered that a great weakness in the Churcl1 exists in a lack of masculine

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*'''Th ·e Invitation Committee,'' published by Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia, Pa. Leather, 25 ,cts.

Pastoral and Pe·rso,na/,' Evangelism 41

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spiritual leade rship the difficulty of finding strong men to fill spiritual offices and to lead in spiri tual service Boards of Trustees being more easily filled tl1an Elders' or Dea ,cons' Boa~ds, men more re sponsive . to u shering or even to taki ng official duty, tl1an to taking a Sunday School superintendency or ,cl.ass , ,or att 1endi11g, and p,articipating a,udi 'bly in the weekl .y prayer se1 .. vice. I als,10 f o,und n11en re .ady to ·relieve one in dis,­t ,1·ess or assis t mate1··ially ·in any e1nergency, who see111ed e:m­ba;~assed and helpless when asked to assist or direct in things sp11-1tual. ~

''Since this actual conditio ,n ha s been discovered, the 1effort has been made to , remedy i·t by giving con .stan t and fa ithful attention to indiv ,idu,al ,Christians, 11ot only poi ,nting out the ;Nay of growth tl1rough exhortation and inspiration, but through instructi on, example and personal direction. . ''The co1nmunity in which ,our church is p,laced has tnany thousands wl10 are unreache 1d and unattracted by any cl1urch. Ith~~ large numbers of youths of both sexes and many young f am1l1es. Altl1ough there are many wl1ose ho ,mes ate perma­ne11t, even a 'l,arger · num.b11er are tran ,sie,nt a11d henc .e iap·t to scatte r a.nd drif '·t f a1,.tl1er fron1 all n1oorin,gs.

''No pastor no1r force of professio 1nal assistants can hope success,fully t·o reach such a field, but tr ·ained · 1nembers ,hip can, ,and young men and young women who are int ere ste d, in­struc te,d and directed can see in such a neigl1borl1001d a vast sto.rehouse of raw human material which may be made into fi111shed product fo lr God. · Bette r st·ill, such latent life n1ay become energized and utilized to wi n a11d save itself with responsive, j ,oyfuJ life.

''Org anization has accomplished n1uch, but the work and worker need Divine inspiration an 1d spiritual food as well, and the Word of God, prayer and c,ommon sens ,e _co1mbine to make the work eff 1ective and perman 1ent ,. This litt le han 1dbook is, tl1.us sent ottt to a,ss ist, in meeti n,g that need , that the hundreds o~ young men and yo,ung women already won may b,ecome winners of others; and p1·imarily that the half hundred young people now working on these Invitation ColT!lTiittees m.ay have a ready reference in time of imm 1ediate need.

''We have a,Jso felt that our need m,ay be the ne 1ed 0£ oth 1ers elsewhere, and cordially extend to you as well, our comrade­ship.''

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42 The Fundamentals

In connecti ,on with this same little volume, there are cer­tain practical notes which we ·would also , give. to you:

''One cannot use Go 1d's Word without stt1dyin,g it. j

''You cannot win ot·l1ers to Christ ·unless you, beli,eve in Him and keep ne,ar Him yours ,elf ..

''H ie must , w,01·k throu.gh y 1ou. 'Apart from Me ye ca.n do nothing.' ·

''P1·,ayer must be a. reality and a p.ower to, you. 'As ·k, and ye shall receive.'

''Confiden ,ce in Christ's powet must attend your effort. 'I can ,do all things in Him which strengtl1eneth me.'

''Co1nmon sense means putting yourself in tl1e other. man's place. Do not merely argue. U s,e the Word of God.

''D 10 not do all the talking; win the confidence of the one for whom you are working, and let him tell his story.

''Do no1t be in haste. Remember 'God's delays , are not denials.' Work and wait, Be patient and persist en·t.

''Pray 7.ttitl1r your man ,as w,ell as for hin1. Don't be afraid of falli ng on yo·u·r .knees in the presence of ano1tl1.,er.

•'Get h,im 'to pray for hims 1elf. ''Learn to pray anywhere a·nd in any pos,ture in an office

or an alttomobil ,e, in a quiet !pot on the st ,reet, standin ,g, sit­ting or kneeling, but al·ways reverent 'ly.

''Get your man alon,e. D10 not present the matter ,vhen another is_ pres~nt. (Excep tional ~ases may occur, as at times when talk1ng with husband and wife.)

''S .tudy your case beforehand ( when possible). ''Do not approach your case with fear but with prayer and

faith. 'It shall be given unto you . . . . what you shall sp1eak.' . ''Learn how by doing, and gain confidence through expe­

rience ,~ ''Remember you are not only Christ's representative but

!hat .God's Holy Spirit is working tl1rou.gh. you. The power ts, H1s.

''Approach and do your work with a happy heart and ,vith joy. A]ways show that 'tl1e joy of Jehovah is you.r strength ·.'

''Beware of the ~emptation to postpone. The evil one . . prompts such suggestion. Many a man is never asked to give his heart to Christ because a good impttlse was averted by in .. decision and the false plea of 'a better time to speak.'

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Pasrt,ora.l and Pe,-s,onCU E,vangelism 43

''If ' you fai ·t, do not be discouraged, but determine to get nearer to God and to gain more po,wer 'thro 1u,gh you .r apparent failure. Write a good letter t 10 tl1e on1e you have failed to reac 'h or failed to find after repeated calling. Many have been won by c1orrespondence. He knows you lare inter 1ested very definitely if you write.

''Win back . to servic 1e the Christian man who has lost in­terest, and lost touch with Christ and the Church.''

Robert Speer has well said, ''When we love men for what we know Cl1rist can make them, we shall go after them for Rim. ," We might add, ''To persuade one S0 1Ul to 1 lead a better life is to leave the world better than you found it.'' God has certainly a very definite wo,rk for individuals to do in His Kingd ,om,, and the Cl1ristian worker needs to realize that his du.ty is to ,set people to worl<: and to train them in tl1is s,ervice.

Anotl1.er very effective n1eth1od is ·by corre ,sp1onden 1ce. So .tnany times wh 1en we 1do1 n1ot find peo,ple at home,, or whe11 w1e ,are no,t a,b]e to a,pp1r 1oa,ch th 1em as we desire, if we wo111ld sit 1down and ·w'rit .e a, d.irect and pers lonal 1et,te:r, it w·o1uld have i,ts weigl1t a:n.d influence.. 1Seve·ral years ag10 I knew· ,a p1a,st1or who w,as very much d.iscouraged with his w 1ork, wh10 ente ,red up.o:n this method, a·nd it resulte 1d in a large accession to h:is churcl1

·· at tl1e next coimmunion. H 1e has alway ,s been ,a different man •

and valued aright tl1e power of the pen in personal correspond -ence .. It should not be a substitttte for a persona ·t interview, but is a wonde ·rful addition to it, and where the one is denied the other can be used.

The ways and methods for reaching others are manifo ,ld, and .thank God th 1ey are as diversified as tl1e personalities and training of those who 1 are workers@ God has new methods and ways to use cons ,tantly, but we must be alert in this , great work, , and reac11 out in faith and in earnestn 1es's ..

011e, of the best n1eans of reaching others is. to be ab 1le to put one's sel.f directly in th 1e place of another, to feel his temptations, to understand l1is. ,difficulties., and to be willing to nieet him. upo,n his own ground and with his own needs. If we

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can establish tl1is human sympathy, we have gone a great way towar ·d reaching o·the ·rs.

Anothe ·r most eff1ective way mus.t be through the . S.ur1clay School and tl1rough the regular channels of active associati ,on. Whatever we can do to bring to others the positive ne.ed of settling tl1is, question f 1or one's self, co111municants' cla.sses, cat ,echetical c.lasses, individual pastor's , cl.asse.s, al.I s.uch methods ! sho1uld b~ used. A pastor shottld g,et int 10 the public and pri­vate scl100Is of the boys and girls 0 1£ his own parish, to know where they live and what their work is and w·hat their pro 1b­lem.s are ., and then l1e should plan. in some way to mee.t. them individually. A pastor .should go to the various Sunday School classes in his own Sunday School, not regularly or at stated titnes, bu·t sometim.es. inforn1.ally or by defini·te arrangem 1en·t with tl1e tea 1cher, thus getting into tou 1ch witl1 the sch,olar .s and Aneeting them upon their own ground. . He should .also arrange special . clas ses, to meet them and talk over their relationship to Chr ,ist. A]l through the church, he sl11ould have those who are so inte .reste 1d in .indivi ,duals that they will tak ,e to him the

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special cases and refer them to him . . But after all, the greate st m·ethod in the world, the greatest

means of all in winning others to 1Christ, i.s that of per sistent, patient, fait l1ft1l pra .yer. ·This ., followed b.Y action and · asso­ciated with all the details of service, will b1e rewarded. Tim es of revival will spring up. Others will wisl1 for sp·ecial ser,, ·ices and meth ,ods and will suggest them, and bef o1 .. e we know it our cl1urcl1,es will ·be alive witl1 a n.evyness ·Of material ,, a.nd ,ve will find th ,at men and women ar 1e not only cryin .g out, ''Wl1at. must we do to be saved?'' but ''How may we win otl1.ers to the Master?'' We will all bec,ome ''wor 'l<1nen wl10, ·n,eed not. to b11e a.shame ,d, rightly dividing the W 0 1rd of Truth,'' and we will realize , that Go·d's, Word sh.all not return to Him . void, but ''shall accomplish that whereunto it is sent. ·,, .

Surely, ' 1'He that win11eth souls is wis,e.:''

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