How to bring men to Christ 3

How to bring men to Christ 3

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