DEALING WITH THOSE WHO WISH TO PUT OFF A DECISION UNTIL SOME OTHER TIME
1. There are several classes of those who wish to put off a decision.
One of the largest is composed of _those who say “I want to wait,” or
“Not to–night,” or “I will think about it,” or “I will come to–morrow
night_,” or some such thing. Use Is. lv. 6. The inquirer having read the
passage, ask him when it is that he is to seek the Lord, and when he
answers “While he may be found,” ask him when that is and then drive it
home. Ask him if he is sure that he can find Him to–morrow if he does
not seek Him to–day. Or you can use Prov. xxix. 1. It is well after he
has read this verse to ask the one with whom you are dealing what
becomes of the one who “being often reproved hardeneth his neck” and
when he answers “He shall be destroyed,” ask him how he shall be
destroyed, and when he answers “Suddenly,” ask him if he is willing to
run the risk. Or you can use Matt. xxv. 10‒12. Ask him who it was that
went into the marriage? and when he answers “They that were ready” ask
him if he is ready. Then ask him what happened after those who were
ready went in. Then ask him where “those who were not ready” were. Then
put it to him, “Are you willing to be on the out–side?” Or you can use
Luke xii. 19, 20. Ask the inquirer for how long a time this man thought
he had made provision. Then ask him: “If God should call you to–night
would you be ready?” Matt. xxiv. 44, is especially effective in dealing
with those who say “I am not ready.” 1 Kings xviii. 21, can be used with
good effect. An excellent way to use this verse is by asking the person
whether he would be willing to wait a year and not have an opportunity
under any circumstances, no matter what came up, of accepting Christ.
When he answers, “No, I might die within a year,” ask him if he would be
willing to wait a month. Then bring it down to a week and finally to a
day, and ask him if he would like God and the Holy Spirit and all
Christians to leave him alone for a day and he not have an opportunity,
under any circumstances of accepting Christ? Almost any thoughtful
person will say, “No.” Then tell him that if that is the case he had
better accept Christ at once. Dr. Chalmers was the first one to use this
method and it has been followed by many others with great success. Prov.
xxvii. 1; James iv. 13, 14; Job. xxxvi. 18; Luke xiii. 24‒28; xii. 19,
20; John viii. 21; xii. 35; vii. 33‒34, can also be used with this
class.
2. Those who say “_I must get fixed in business first, then I will
become a Christian_,” or “_I must do something else first._” Matt. vi.
33, is the great passage to use in such cases; for it shows that we must
seek the kingdom of God first.
3. Those who say “_I am waiting God’s time_.” If one says this, ask him
if he will accept Christ in God’s time if you will show him when God’s
time is. Then turn to 2 Cor. vi. 2, or Heb. iii. 15.
4. Those who say “_I am too young_,” or “_I want to wait until I am
older_.” Ecc. xii. 1, is an all–sufficient answer to such. Matt. xix.
14, and xviii. 3, are also good passages to use as they show that youth
is the best time to come to Christ and that all must become children,
even if they are old, before they can enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
It is often times wise in dealing with persons who wish to put off a
decision until some time in the future to use the passages given for
“The Indifferent,” until such a deep impression is made of their need of
Christ that they will not be willing to postpone accepting Christ.
In dealing with those under “1” above, it is best to use only one
passage and drive that home by constant repetition. One night I was
dealing with a man who was quite interested but who kept saying “I
cannot decide to–night.” I quoted Prov. xxix. 1. To every answer he made
I would come back to this passage. I must have repeated it a great many
times in the course of the talk until the man was made to feel not only
his need of Christ but the danger of delaying and the necessity of a
prompt decision. He tried to get away from the passage but I held him to
this one point. The passage lingered with him and it was emphasized by
the providence of God; for that very night he was assaulted and quite
seriously injured, and he came the next night with his head bandaged and
accepted Christ. The pounding which he received from his assailant would
probably have done him little good if the text of scripture had not been
pounded into his mind.