How to bring men to Christ 9

How to bring men to Christ 9

CHAPTER XI.

 

DEALING WITH THE WILLFUL AND THE DELUDED

 

 

1. THE WILLFUL

 

There are several varieties of the Willful. There are those for example

who say “_I do not wish you to talk to me_.” In such a case it is

usually best to give some pointed passage of scripture and let it talk

for itself and then leave the person alone to reflect upon it. Romans

vi. 23; Heb. x. 28, 29; Heb. xii. 25; Mark xvi. 16; Prov. xxix. 1, and

Prov. i. 24‒33, are passages which are good for this purpose.

 

Then there are those who say “_I cannot forgive_.” Matt. vi. 15 and

xviii. 23‒35, are good to use as showing that they must forgive or be

lost. Phil. iv. 13, and Ezek. xxxvi. 26, will show them how they can

forgive. There are a great many people who are kept from Christ by an

_unforgiving_ spirit. Some times this difficulty can be removed by

getting the person to kneel in prayer and ask God to take away their

unforgiving spirit. I once reasoned a long time with an inquirer who was

under deep conviction, but was held back from accepting Christ by a

hatred in her heart toward some one who had wronged her. She kept

insisting that she could not forgive. Finally I said, “let us get down

and tell God about this matter.” To this she consented and scarcely had

we knelt when she burst into a flood of tears, and the difficulty was

removed and she accepted Christ immediately.

 

There are those again who say “_I love the world too much_.” Mark viii.

36, is the great text to use with this class. Luke xiv. 33, will show

the absolute necessity that the world be given up. Luke xii. 16‒20;

1 Jno. ii. 15, 16, 17, will show the folly of holding on to the world

and Ps. lxxxiv. 11, Romans viii. 32, will show that the Lord will hold

back no good thing from them.

 

There are those who say “_I cannot acknowledge a wrong that I have

done_.” Prov. xxviii. 13, will show the wretchedness and woe that is

sure to follow unless the wrong is acknowledged. Others will say “_I do

not want to make a public confession_.” Romans x. 10; Matt. x. 32, 33,

will show that God will accept nothing else. Mark viii. 38; Jno. xii.

42, 43, and Prov. xxix. 25, will show the peril of not making it. There

are those who say “_I want to have my own way_.” Is. lv. 8‒9, will show

how much better God’s way is, and Prov. xiv. 12, shows the consequences

of having our own way. Finally there are those who say “_I neither

accept Christ nor reject Him_.” Matt. xii. 30, will show that they must

do one or the other. This verse has been used to the conviction of a

great many.

 

 

2. THE DELUDED

 

_a._ Under this head come the _Roman Catholics_. A good way to deal with

a Roman Catholic is to show him the necessity of the new birth and what

the new birth is. Jno. iii. 3, 5, 7, shows the necessity of the new

birth. What the new birth is, is shown in Ezek. xxxvi. 25‒27; 2 Cor. v.

17; 2 Peter i. 4. Many Roman Catholics understand the new birth to mean

baptism, but it can be easily shown them that the language used does not

fit baptism. Further than this, in 1 Cor. iv. 15, Paul says to the

Corinthian Christians he had begotten them again through the gospel. If

the new birth meant baptism he must have baptized them, but in 1 Cor. i.

14, he declares he had not baptized them. Acts viii. 13, 21, 23, shows

that a man may be baptized, and yet his heart not be “right in the sight

of God” so he has “neither part nor lot in this matter.” It is well to

take a step further and show the inquirer what the evidences of the new

birth are. 1 Jno. ii. 29; iii. 9, 14‒17; v. 1, 4, give the Biblical

evidences of the new birth. The next question that will arise is “How to

be born again.” This question is answered in Jno. i. 12; 1 Peter i. 23;

Jas. i. 18.

 

Acts iii. 19, is a good text to use with Roman Catholics as it shows the

necessity of repentance and conversion. What repentance is, will be

shown by Is. lv. 7; Jonah iii. 10. Still another way of dealing with

Roman Catholics is by showing them that it is the believer’s privilege

to know that he has eternal life. Roman Catholics almost always lack

assurance. They do not know that they are forgiven, but hope to be

forgiven some day. If you can show them that we may _know_ that we are

forgiven and that we have eternal life, it will awaken in a great many

of them a desire for this assurance. 1 John v. 13, shows that it is the

believer’s privilege to know. Acts xiii. 38, 39; x. 43, John iii. 36,

are very useful in leading them into this assurance. Still another way

of dealing with them (but it is not best to use it until you have

already made some progress with them) is to show them the advantage of

Bible study. Good texts for this purpose are John v. 39; 1 Peter ii. 1,

2; 2 Tim. iii. 13‒17; Jas i. 21, 22; Ps. i. 1, 2; Josh. i. 8; Mark vii.

7, 8, 13; Matt. xxii. 29. These texts, excepting the one in 1 Peter ii.

1, 2, are all practically the same in the “Douay” or Roman Catholic

Bible as they are in the Protestant Bible and it is well oftentimes in

dealing with a Catholic to use the Catholic Bible.

 

Still another way of dealing with a Roman Catholic is to use the same

method that you would in dealing with an impenitent sinner—that is to

awaken a sense that he is a sinner and needs Christ. For this purpose

use Matt. xxii. 37, 38; Gal. iii. 10, 13; Is. liii. 6.

 

Many people think that there is no use of talking with Roman Catholics,

that they cannot be brought to Christ. This is a great mistake. Many of

them are longing for something they do not find in the Roman Catholic

church, and, if you can show them from the word of God how to find it,

they come along very easily and they make very earnest Christians. Do

not attack the Roman Catholic church. Give them the truth, and the

errors in time will take care of themselves. Often times our attacks

only expose our ignorance.

 

There is one point at which we always have the advantage in dealing with

a Roman Catholic; that is that there is peace and power in Christianity

as we know it that there is not in Christianity as they know it, and

they appreciate the difference.

 

 

_b._ _Jews._ The best way to deal with a Jew is to show him that his own

Bible points to Christ. The most helpful passages to use are Is. liii.;

Dan. ix. 26; Zech. xii. 10. There are also useful passages in the New

Testament; the whole book of Hebrews, especially the ninth and tenth

chapters and the seventh chapter, 25th to 28th verses, and the whole

Gospel of Matthew. A great many Jews to–day are inquiring into the

claims of Jesus of Nazareth, and are open to approach upon this subject.

The great difficulty in the way of the Jew coming out as a Christian is

the terrific persecution which he must endure if he does. This

difficulty can be met by the passages already given under the head of

“Those Who are Afraid of Persecution.”

 

(Note. There are a number of good tracts for Jews which can be had from

the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, 79 Mildmay Road, London.)

 

 

_c._ _Spiritualists._ Lev. xix. 31; xx. 6; Deut. xviii. 10‒12; 2 Kings

xxi. 1, 2, 6; 1 Chron. x. 13; Is. viii. 19, 20; 1 John iv. 1‒3; 2 Thes.

ii. 9‒12, are passages to be used with this class.

 

In dealing with all classes of deluded people it is well to begin by

using Jno. vii. 17, and bring them to a place where they heartily desire

to know the truth. There is no hope of bringing a man out of his

delusion, unless he desires to know the truth.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XII.

 

SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

 

 

There are a few general suggestions to be made that will prove helpful

to the worker.

 

 

1. _As a rule choose persons to deal with of your own sex and about your

own age._ There are exceptions to this rule. One should be always

looking to the Holy Spirit for his guidance as to whom to approach, and

He may lead us to one of the opposite sex, but unless there is clear

guidance in the matter, it is quite commonly agreed among those who have

had large experience in Christian work that men do, on the whole, most

satisfactory work with men, and women with women. Especially is this

true of the young. Many unfortunate complications oftentimes arise when

young men try to lead young women to Christ or vice versa. Of course, an

elderly motherly woman may do excellent work with a young man or boy,

and an elderly, fatherly man may do good work with a young woman or

girl. It is not wise ordinarily for a young and inexperienced person to

approach one very much older and maturer and wiser than themselves on

this subject.

 

 

2. _Whenever it is possible, get the person with whom you are dealing

alone._ No one likes to open his heart freely to another on this most

personal and sacred of all subjects when there are others present. Many

will from pride defend themselves in a false position when several are

present, who would fully admit their error or sin or need, if they were

alone with you. As a rule it is far better for a single worker to deal

with a single unconverted person, than for several workers to deal with

a single inquirer or for a single worker to deal with several inquirers

at once. If you have several to deal with take them one by one. Workers

often find that when they have made no headway while talking to several

at once, by taking individuals off by themselves they soon succeed in

leading them one by one to Christ.

 

 

3. _Let your reliance be wholly in the Spirit of God and the Word of

God._

 

 

4. _Do not content yourself with merely reading passages from the

Bible—much less in merely quoting them, but have the one with whom you