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.