How to bring men to Christ 4

How to bring men to Christ 4

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