 
How to   
Bring Men   
to Christ

What the Bible Tells Us About Fruitful Evangelism to Unique Individuals

Reuben A. Torrey

Contents

Preface

Ch. 1: Dealing with Yourself First

Ch. 2: How to Begin

Ch. 3: Dealing with the Indifferent or Careless

Ch. 4: Dealing with People Who Desire to Be Saved, but Do Not Know How

Ch. 5: Dealing with Those Who Desire to Be Saved but Who Have Difficulties

Ch. 6: Dealing with Those Who Entertain False Hopes

Ch. 7: Dealing with Those Who Lack Assurance and Dealing with Backsliders

Ch. 8: Dealing with Professed Skeptics and Infidels

Ch. 9: Dealing with the Complaining

Ch. 10: Dealing with Those Who Wish to Put Off a Decision until Some Other Time

Ch. 11: Dealing with the Willful and the Deceived

Ch. 12: Some Additional Hints and Suggestions

Ch. 13: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Reuben A. Torrey – A Short Biography

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Preface

This book was written because it seemed to be needed. The author has been repeatedly requested by pastors, YMCA secretaries, Christian workers, and his own students to write down the substance of what he has said at conferences, summer sessions, and in the classroom regarding personal work. The time has come to give in to these requests.

Never before in the history of the church have there been so many people who desire to win others to Christ. The good work done by the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor is in no other way so evident as in the many thousands of young people in this land who today are on fire with a desire to win souls. But while they desire to do this work, many do not know how.

The purpose of this little book is to tell them. There are several well-known and valuable manuals of texts to be used with those seeking to be saved, but this book is intended not only to point out passages to be used, but also to show how to use them, illustrating this use by cases from actual experience. It is hoped that from a careful study of these pages, any sincere Christian can learn how to be effective in bringing others to the Savior.
Chapter 1

Dealing with Yourself First

There are certain general conditions that are absolutely essential and must be fulfilled in order to have real success in bringing people to Christ. These conditions, fortunately, are few and simple, and everyone is able to meet these conditions.

You must be truly and thoroughly converted. The person who desires real success in bringing people to Christ must himself be a thoroughly converted person. Jesus said to Peter, When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren (Luke 22:32). Peter was in no position to help his brothers and sisters until he himself, after his cowardly denial, had turned again to his Lord with his whole heart.

If we desire to bring others to Jesus, we must turn away from all sin, worldliness, and selfishness with our whole heart, yielding to Jesus the absolute lordship over our thoughts, purposes, and actions. If there is anything in which we are seeking to have our own way and not letting Him have His own way in our lives, our power will be crippled and people will be lost who might have been saved.

This principle can be applied to the many questions that come up in the life of every young Christian as to whether he should or should not do certain things. Each individual can settle these things for himself if he has Christ's honor and not his own pleasure uppermost in his mind, and if he looks honestly to God to guide him, asking what will most honor and glorify God.

You must have a love for others and a desire for souls to be brought to Jesus. The person who desires real success in bringing people to Christ must have a love for souls. He must have a longing for the salvation of the lost. If we have no love for souls, our efforts will be mechanical and powerless. We may know how to approach people and know what to say to them, but there will be no power in what we say and it will not touch the heart. But if, like Paul, we have great sorrow and continual pain in our hearts for the unsaved (Romans 9:2), there will be a sincerity in our tone and manner that will affect even those who are the least concerned about their souls. Furthermore, if we have a love for souls, we will be constantly watching for opportunities to speak with the unsaved. We will find opportunities on the street, in the store, in the home, at work, and in many other places that we otherwise would not have noticed.

But how are we to get love for souls? This question is easily answered. First of all, a love for souls, like every other grace of Christian character, is the work of the Holy Spirit. If, then, we are conscious that we do not have that love for souls that we should have, the first thing to do is to go to God and humbly confess this lack in our lives, asking Him by His Holy Spirit to supply that which we so desperately need, and expecting Him to do it.

And this is the confidence that we have in God, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him (1 John 5:14-15).

My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Secondly, Jesus Christ had an intense love for souls.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that didst kill the prophets and stone those who are sent unto thee, how often I desired to gather thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37).

The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

Intimate and constant companionship with Jesus will provide to our lives this grace that was so prominent in His life.

In the third place, feelings are the result of thoughts. If we desire any certain feeling in our lives, we should focus on the thoughts that are beneficial in producing that feeling. If any saved person will dwell long enough upon the danger and misery of anyone out of Christ and the worth of his soul in God's sight as seen in the death of God's Son to save him, a feeling of intense desire for that person's salvation is almost certain to follow.

In the fourth place, reflection upon our own broken and unhappy condition without Christ and the great sacrifice that He made to save us is sure to fill our hearts with a desire to bring others to the Savior we have found.

You must know and love the Word of God. The person who desires real success in bringing people to Christ must have a working knowledge of the Bible. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (see Ephesians 6:17). It is the instrument God uses to convict of sin, to reveal Christ, and to bring people new life. If we desire to work together with God, the Bible is the instrument upon which we must rely and that we must use in bringing people to Jesus.

We must know how to use the Bible so that we can:

  * show people their need of a Savior;
  * show people that Jesus is the Savior they need;
  * show them how to make this Savior their own Savior;
  * meet the difficulties that stand in the way of their accepting Jesus Christ.

A large part of the following pages will be devoted to providing this knowledge.

You must be a person of much prayer. The person who desires real success in bringing people to Christ must pray much. Solid work in soul winning must be accompanied by prayer at every step.

We must pray to God to lead us to the right people to approach. God does not intend for us to speak to everyone we meet. If we try to do so, we will waste much valuable time in speaking to those whom we cannot help, and we will not do any good in speaking with them when we might have been speaking to those to whom we could have done much good. God alone knows the ones with whom He intends us to speak, and we must ask Him to point them out to us. We must expect Him to do it, just as He did for Philip. The Spirit said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot (Acts 8:29).

We must pray to God to show us just what to say to those to whom He leads us. After all our study of the passages to be used in dealing with the various kinds of people, we will need God's guidance in each specific case. Every experienced Christian worker will testify to the many times in which God has led them to use some text of Scripture that they would not otherwise have used, but which proved to be just the one needed.

We must pray to God to give power to that which He has given us to say. Not only do we need a message from God, but we also need power from God to send the message home to the person's heart. Most Christian workers have to learn this lesson by humiliating experiences. They sit down beside an unsaved person and reason and plead and bring forth texts from the Word of God, but the person does not accept Christ.

At last it dawns upon them that they were trying to convert the person in their own strength. They then say a humble and earnest prayer to God for His strength. God hears, and in a short time this person who was once thought to be a very difficult case has settled the matter of his sin and is rejoicing in Christ.

We must pray to God to carry on the work after our work has come to an end. After having done that which seems to have been our whole duty in any given instance, whatever may have been the apparent outcome of our work, whether successful or unsuccessful, we should definitely commit the case to God in prayer. If there is anything the average Christian worker in this hurrying age needs to have impressed upon him, it is the necessity of more prayer. By praying more, we will not work any less, but we will accomplish much more.

You must be filled with the Holy Spirit. The person who desires real success in bringing people to Christ must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ye shall receive the virtue of the Holy Spirit which shall come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth, Jesus said to His disciples (Acts 1:8). The greatest condition of soul-winning power is the same today, we must have the Holy Spirit before we can be effective witnesses. A later chapter will be given to a study of what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is and how any Christian can obtain it.
Chapter 2

How to Begin

When God has led us to think that He wants us to make an effort to lead some specific person to Christ, the first question that confronts us is, "How should I begin?" If the person has gone forward after a church service or has remained to talk after a prayer meeting or Sunday school, it is comparatively easy. You can then ask him if he is a Christian, if he wants to follow Jesus, why he is not a Christian, or some other direct and simple question that will inevitably lead to a conversation along this line.

But if the person is one whom you know outside of church or who perhaps is a complete stranger to you, it might not at first appear as simple, yet it is not so very difficult. You can talk with the person about some general topic or on something suggested by recent events, and soon bring the conversation around to the great subject.

Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria in John 4 is a very instructive illustration of this:

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water; Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy food.) Then said the Samaritan woman unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman said unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; from where then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank thereof himself, and his sons and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life. (John 4:7-14)

Often, even in dealing with complete strangers, it is good to get to 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 may 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 rejection.

One day I met a man on one of the most crowded streets in Chicago. As I passed him, the impulse came to speak to him about the Savior. Stopping for 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 asked, "My friend, are you a Christian?"

He answered, "That's a strange question to ask someone."

I said, "I know it, and I don't ask every stranger that question, but God put it into my heart to ask you."

He then told me that his cousin was a minister and had been urging this very matter upon him, and that he himself was a graduate of Amherst College, but had been ruined by alcohol. After further conversation we separated, but the man later accepted Christ as his Savior.

It is often best to win a person's confidence and respect before bringing up the subject. It is good to select someone and then make your plans to win him to Christ. Get to know him better, pay attention to his interests, be kind to him, and when you have the right opportunity, talk with Him about his soul.

An old and complete infidel in Chicago was won to Christ in this way by a young woman, who met him when he was sick and alone. She visited him day after day and showed him much kindness, and as his sickness grew, she spoke to him of the Savior 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 of Christ. One day I was riding on a train and praying that God would use me to lead someone to His Son. A young lady, the daughter of a minister, with whom I had previously spoken about Christ, came in with a friend and sat down directly in front of me. I took out a little bundle of tracts, selected one that seemed best for the situation, 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 accept Christ right there. Her difficulties were soon met and answered, and she accepted Christ. As she left the train, she thanked me very sincerely for what I had done for her.

You will often meet someone whose face tells the story of unhappiness or frustration. In these cases, 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 trust Him."

Skill in beginning a conversation will come with practice. It might be a little awkward at first, but the more you do this, the easier it will become and the better you will be at it.

When the subject is first brought up, it is good to find out where the person with whom you are dealing stands spiritually; then you will know how to wisely deal with him. In the chapters immediately following this, the different types of people one is likely to meet will be given, and the first point to be determined is to which group any specific individual belongs.

How can we find out to which group anyone belongs? First, by asking him questions. Ask questions such as "Are you a Christian?" "Are you saved?" "Do you know that your sins are forgiven?" "Do you have eternal life?" "Are you confessing Christ openly before the world?" "Are you a friend of Jesus?" "Have you been born again?" A person might answer these questions untruthfully either through ignorance or a desire to mislead you. Nevertheless, their answers and the way they answer will show you much about their real condition.

Secondly, we can find out to which group someone belongs by watching his face. A person's face will often reveal that which his words try to conceal. Anyone who applies himself to study the faces of those with whom he deals will in many instances be able to tell the exact condition of those with whom they are dealing – no matter what they may say.

Thirdly, the Holy Spirit can help us understand the spiritual condition of those with whom we are speaking. If we look to the Holy Spirit, a view of the person's position will often flash into our minds, along with a Bible verse that is needed.

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 people to join the church or to give up their bad habits or to do anything else other than to trust in Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Savior and Master. He is the one who bore their sins in His own body on the tree. He is the one through whom they can have immediate and entire forgiveness. It is to Him that they should completely surrender the guidance of their thoughts, feelings, purposes, and actions.

Having led anyone to truly accept Christ, the next step will be to show him from God's Word that he now has forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The following verses are examples of this:

Whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins through his name (Acts 10:43).

In him all that believe are justified from all the things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:39).

He that believes in the Son has eternal life, and he that does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word and believes him that sent me has eternal life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

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 Jesus Christ by using the Word of God. In the chapters that immediately follow, we will try to show what specific portions of the Word to use in certain cases and how to use them.
Chapter 3

Dealing with the Indifferent or Careless

One type of people most frequently met with are those who are indifferent or careless. There are several ways of dealing with them. One way is to show them their need of a Savior. A good verse to use for this purpose is Romans 3:23. Get the person with whom you are dealing to read the verse: for all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God.

Then say to him: "Who has sinned?"

"All."

"Who does that include?" and keep up the questioning until he says, "It includes me."

Then ask him what it is that he has done, and keep at it until he comes out plainly and says, "I have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This is likely to make him feel his need of a Savior.

Another good verse to use is Isaiah 53:6: 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 (KJV). After the verse has been read, ask him who it is who has gone astray, and by a series of questions bring him to the point where he will say, "I have gone astray."

Then ask him what kind of a sheep has gone astray, and continue asking him along this line until he says, "A lost sheep."

"What are you then?"

"Lost."

Then ask him what the Lord has done with his sin, and hold him to that point until he sees the truth of the verse, that God has laid his sin on Jesus Christ. Now he is ready for you to ask him the direct question: "Will you accept this Savior upon whom the Lord has laid your sin?"

Still another verse to use is Psalm 130:3: If thou, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall endure? When the verse has been read, ask him, "If the Lord kept a record of your sins, would you be able to endure His justice?"

In dealing with this type of person, I use Matthew 22:37-38 more frequently than any other passage of Scripture: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Before having the person read the verse, it is good to ask him, "Do you know that you have committed the greatest sin that a person can commit?"

In all probability he will answer, "No, I have not."

Then ask him what he thinks is the greatest sin a person can commit. When he has answered, say to him, "Now let us see what God considers the greatest sin."

Read the verses and ask him, "What is the first and greatest of the commandments?"

Then ask him, "What, then, is the greatest sin?"

He will soon answer that the violation of the first and greatest of the commandments must be the greatest sin. Ask him if he has kept that commandment, and when he admits that he has not, as sooner or later he must, ask him what he is guilty of in the sight of God, and hold him to that point until he admits that he is guilty of committing the greatest sin that a person can commit.

An illustration from life may help make this verse clear. I was dealing with a very bright young man who evidently had no deep sense of sin nor of his need of a Savior. In fact, when I asked if he was a Christian, he quickly said that he had always been a Christian; but there was something in his manner that showed that he had no clear understanding of what it meant to be a Christian. I then asked if he had been born again, and he did not even understand what I was talking about. I asked if he knew he had committed the greatest sin that a person could possibly commit, and he at once answered, "No, I never did in my life."

I asked what he considered the greatest sin, and he replied, "Murder."

I took my Bible, opened it to Matthew 22:37-38, and asked him to read the verses, which he did. I then asked him, "If this is the first and greatest commandment, then what is the greatest sin?"

He answered, "I suppose the breaking of that commandment."

I asked if he had always kept that commandment, if he had always loved God with all his heart, soul, and mind. I asked if he had always put God first in everything. He replied that he had not. I then asked him, "Of what then are you guilty?"

The Spirit of God carried the text home, and with the greatest sincerity he replied, "I have committed the greatest sin that a person can commit, but I never realized it before in my life."

Another verse that can be used effectively is John 8:34: Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin. After the person has read the verse, ask him, "What is one who commits sin?" Ask him if he commits sin. Then ask him the direct question, "What are you then," and hold him to it until he says that he is the slave of sin.

Then ask him if he desires to be set free from that awful bondage. Hold him to this point until he sees his need of Jesus Christ as a deliverer from the slavery of sin.

Isaiah 57:21 is another verse that the Holy Spirit has used for the salvation of many people who have been indifferent to the claims of the gospel. Read the verse to the person slowly: There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked. After the verse has been read slowly, thoughtfully, and earnestly, ask him who it is who says this.

Ask him if it is true. Then ask him if it is true in his case. Ask, "Do you have peace?"

One night a careless young man was going out of one of our tents in Chicago, and as he passed by me I took him by the hand and said to him, "You need the Savior."

He wanted to know why I thought so. I replied, "Because you have no peace."

He said, "Yes, I have."

"No, you have not."

He then asked me how I knew that. I told him God said so, and I quoted the above passage. He tried to laugh it off and say the verse was not true in his case. Then he became angry and left the tent in anger; but the next night I saw him kneeling with one of our workers in prayer, and when he arose from his knees, the worker came over and said that the man wanted to speak with me.

As I approached him, he held out his hand and said, "I wanted to ask for your forgiveness for what I said last night; what you said was true. I didn't have peace." I asked him if he had now accepted the Savior. He said he had.

Galatians 3:10 is a verse that we frequently use in our work in dealing with the indifferent, or those who seem to be unconcerned about their souls. Have the person with whom you are dealing 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 continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Then ask him the question, "What is everyone who does not continue in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them?"

When he answers, "Cursed," ask him if he has continued to do all things that are written in the book of the law. When he replies, "No, I have not," ask him the direct question, "What are you then?" Hold him to that point until he says, "I am under the curse."

In many cases, the person will be ready at once to be led to the thirteenth verse of the same chapter that shows how he may be saved from that curse under which he rests. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree) (Galatians 3:13).

Romans 6:23 can often be used with good effect: For the wages of sin is death. Ask the person, "What are the wages of sin?"

Then ask, "Who earns those wages?"

Next ask him, "Are you a sinner?" "What wages, then, have you earned?" "Do you want to accept your wages?"

John 3:36 is a verse that can be used in a similar way: He that believes in the Son has eternal life, and he that does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Ask the question, "Upon whom does the wrath of God abide?"

Then, "Do you believe on the Son?" "What then abides upon you?"

Then ask the decisive question, "Are you willing to walk away with the wrath of God abiding upon you?"

Below are some passages that can be presented to show in a most impactful way the awful consequences of sin:

And to give you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power, with flaming fire, to take vengeance on those that do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with eternal destruction by the presence of the Lord and by the glory of his power (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Therefore I said unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye do not believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).

I saw the heaven open, and behold a white horse; and he that was seated upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war (Revelation 19:11).

Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

If these verses are used, they should be read with the deepest sincerity and seriousness, and they should be considered until the person with whom you are dealing realizes his terrible situation.

There is another way to wake someone up from his indifference, and that is by showing what Jesus has done for him. I have found Isaiah 53:5-6 more effective for this purpose than any other passage in the Bible: But he was wounded for our rebellions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes healing was provided for us. All we like sheep have become lost; we have turned each one to his own way; and the LORD transposed in him the iniquity of us all. The King James Version is even more clear and more powerful: 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.

An incident from life will illustrate its use. A lady had asked for prayers for her daughter, a young woman about twenty years of age. At the close of the service I walked up to the daughter and asked her if she would accept Jesus Christ as her Savior 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 sit down for a few minutes, and as soon as we were seated I opened my Bible to Isaiah 53:5-6 and began to read. I made no comment upon the verses whatsoever, but the Spirit of God carried them home, and tears began to roll down the cheeks of the young woman. She did not become a Christian that night, but did shortly afterward. When using these verses, it is good whenever 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 3:16 can be used in a similar way: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I was talking one night to someone who was apparently most apathetic 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 2:24 is a verse of similar character: He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed. Ask the person whose sins they were that Jesus bore in His own body on the tree, and keep pressing to it until he says, "My sins."

First Peter 1:18-19 is also useful in bringing out in detail what Christ has suffered for us: Knowing that ye have been ransomed from your vain conversation (which you received from your fathers), not with corruptible things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without contamination.

There is still another way to wake up indifferent people, 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. Hebrews 10:28-29 is very effective for this purpose, as is John 3:18-20:

He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:28-29).

He that believes on him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness more than the light because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (John 3:18-20).

Often you will meet someone who is not willing to sit down and let you discuss these things 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 the person some convicting verse in great sincerity. Verses that we have already mentioned, such as Hebrews 10:28-29, Romans 6:23, John 3:36, and Isaiah 57:21 might be good for this situation. After quoting the verse, leave it up to the Spirit of God to carry the truth home to his heart. A direct word of this kind has often resulted in the salvation of a soul.

The passages mentioned above can also be wisely used with someone who is not completely indifferent or careless, but who does not have a sufficiently deep sense of his sin and his need to turn from his sin and accept the gospel.
Chapter 4

Dealing with People Who Desire to Be Saved, but Do Not Know How

There is a very large group of people who desire to be saved, but simply do not know how. It is not difficult to lead this type of person to Christ. Perhaps no other passage in the Bible is more used for this purpose than Isaiah 53:6: 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 (KJV).

It makes the way of salvation very plain. Read the first part of the verse to the inquiring person: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. Then ask, "Is that true of you?" When he has thought it over and said yes, say to him, "Now let us see what God has done with your sins."

Read the rest of the verse to him: And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Ask him, "What, then, is necessary for you to do to be saved?" Very soon he can be led to see that all that is necessary for him to do is to accept the Sin-Bearer whom God has provided.

Some years ago in a church service I noticed a white-haired man who did not stand up with the Christians. At the end of the service I walked down to him and asked, "Are you not a Christian?" He said he was not. I was sure he was interested, so I asked him the direct question, "Would you become a Christian tonight if I show you the way?" He said that he would.

We sat down together, and I opened my Bible to Isaiah 53:6 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 asked him, "Is that true of you?"

"Yes," he answered.

"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 with your sins?"

He thought for a moment and said, "He has laid them on Christ."

"What then," I asked, "is all that you have to do to be saved?"

He replied quite promptly, "Accept Him."

"Well," I asked, "will you accept Him tonight?"

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 he asked 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 later I met his pastor and I asked about him. I learned that he had gone to his home in a distant village, set up the family altar, and united with the church, along with his son, who had been the only remaining member of the family out of Christ. Apparently all that this man was waiting for was for someone to make the way of salvation plain to him.

I sometimes say it this way when using this verse: "There are two things a person 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, he needs to know that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior – and this verse tells him that, too. What he needs to do is simply to accept this all-sufficient Savior whom God has provided."

John 1:12 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 does God give the power to become the sons of God?"

"As many as receive Him."

"What must you then do to become a child of God?"

"Receive Him."

"Well, will you receive Him as your Savior and as your Master now?"

Isaiah 55:7, Acts 16:31, John 3:16, and John 3:36 are all useful in making the way of salvation plain. For example, Isaiah 55:7 says, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Acts 16:31 says, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Numbers 21:8 compared with John 3:14 can often be used with good effect: The LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent and lift it up as a banner, and it shall be that anyone that is bitten and looks upon it shall live (Numbers 21:8). As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up (John 3:14).

When these verses are used, you should lead the person to see just what the serpent-bitten Israelite had to do to be saved – that he simply had to look at the bronze serpent lifted up on the pole; then show him that the sin-bitten man simply has to do the same thing – look at Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross for his sins.

Romans 1:16 is another excellent verse to use: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (KJV). It makes the way of salvation very clear.

You can ask the person who it is that the gospel saves, and he will see that it is everyone who believes. Then ask him, "What is the only thing necessary for someone to do in order to be saved?" He should see that it is simply to believe. Then ask him, "Believe what?" The answer is "the gospel."

The next question that naturally arises is "What is the gospel?" This is answered by 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:

Moreover, brothers, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received and in which ye stand; by which also ye are being saved if ye retain the word that I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

These verses show what the gospel is – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures – and this is what a person 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 person, "Do you believe that Jesus 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. Ask if he will believe that God will do this because He says so, and ask him to trust in the living Savior to save him day by day from the power of sin.

Romans 10:9-10 also makes the way of salvation clear to many minds where other verses fail: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (KJV). Romans 10:13 makes it, if possible, even more simple: Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This shows that all that a person has to do to be saved is to call upon the name of the Lord.

You can ask him, "Are you ready right now to get down on your knees and call upon the name of the Lord for salvation, and to believe that God saves you because He says He will?"

The way of salvation can be made plain by the use of Exodus 12:7, 13, 23:

And they shall take of the blood and put it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses in which they shall eat it. . . . And this blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. . . . For the LORD will pass through smiting the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

These verses show that it was the blood that made the Israelites safe, just as today the blood makes us safe. When God sees the blood, He passes over us. The only thing for us to do is to get behind the blood. Show the inquirer that the way to be behind the blood is by simple faith in Jesus Christ.

Luke 18:10-14 is very useful in showing what a person may have and yet be lost (the Pharisee), and what a person may lack and yet be saved (the publican):

Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast two meals every sabbath; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, reconcile me, a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for anyone that exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Show that all someone has to do to be saved is to simply do as the publican did – take the sinner's place and cry to God for mercy, and then he will go down to his house justified. This passage can be used in the following manner to make the meaning even more clear. Ask the inquirer, "Which one of these two (the Pharisee or the publican) went down to his house justified?" Then ask him, "What did the publican do that the Pharisee did not do that brought him the forgiveness of his sins, while the Pharisee went out of the temple unforgiven?"

When he studies the passage, he will soon see that the publican simply took the sinner's place before God and cried for mercy, and that as soon as he did this, he was justified, or forgiven. You can then ask him, "What is all that it is necessary for you to do to find forgiveness?" Then ask, "Will you do it here and now?" When he has done so, ask him if he believes God's Word and if he is going down to his house justified.

Saving faith is beautifully illustrated by Luke 7:48-50: He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And those that sat at food with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace. The last verse tells us that this woman had saving faith.

Now ask the inquirer, "What was the faith she had?" Show him that her faith was simply the faith that Jesus could and would forgive her sins, and that she came to Him to do it. This is saving faith.

Galatians 3:10-13 also makes the way of salvation very simple: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith, but The man that does the commandments shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree).

The first verse in this passage shows the sinner's position before accepting Christ. He is under the curse. The last verse shows what Christ has done. He has been made a curse for us. What the sinner has to do is simply to accept Jesus Christ.
Chapter 5

Dealing with Those Who Desire to Be Saved but Who Have Difficulties

A large number of people whom we try to lead to Christ really want to be saved and seem to know how, but are confronted with difficulties that they think are insurmountable. Let's look at some of these difficulties and excuses and see how to deal with them from the Bible.

I am too great a sinner. First Timothy 1:15 addresses this fully: This is a faithful saying and worthy of acceptation by all, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. "First" here means "chief," as some versions say. The apostle Paul was saying that he was the biggest sinner ever.

One Sunday morning I met a man who had led a wild and unfaithful life, had recently lost thirty-five thousand dollars, and had been separated from his wife. I asked him why he was not a Christian. He responded, "I am too great a sinner to be saved."

I turned at once to 1 Timothy 1:15. 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 asked, "Will you accept it now?"

He said, "I will."

I said that he should kneel down and tell God so, and we knelt down and he confessed his sins to God, asking God for Christ's sake to forgive him for his sins. I asked him if he had really trusted in Christ, and he said he had. I asked him if he really believed that he was saved, and he said he did.

He quickly took an opportunity to confess Christ. He soon left the city, but I was able to keep in touch with him. He became a most active Christian, working at his business during the day, and engaging in some form of Christian work at night. He was reunited to his wife, and they adopted a little child from an orphanage and had a happy Christian home.

Luke 19:10 is also a very useful passage to use in dealing with this class of people; it is especially useful when someone says, "I am lost." For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. You can say, "I have a passage intended just for you. If you really mean what you say, you are just the person Jesus is seeking."

Romans 5:6-8 is also 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 asked, "Didn't you hold your hand up tonight for prayers?"

He said yes. I asked, "Why, then, are you hurrying away? Do you know God loves you?"

He replied, "You don't know who you are talking to."

"I don't care who I'm talking to, but I know God loves you."

He said, "I'm the meanest thief in Minneapolis."

I responded, "If you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, then I know God loves you," and I opened my Bible to Romans 5:8: But God increased the price of his charity toward us in that while we were yet sinners the Christ died for us. "Now," I said, "if you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, you are a sinner, and this verse says that God loves sinners."

The man broke down, and we went into another room where he told me his story. He had just gotten out of jail, and he 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. In spite of the protests and oaths of his companions, he stopped for a few minutes to hear, and he stayed through the meeting and went with us to the mission, along with others who wanted to hear more or who had questions.

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 wicked as he was.

Here are some other passages that are also very useful in dealing with this type of person:

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, Those that are whole need not a physician, but those that are sick. Therefore go ye and learn what this is, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13).

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

Emphasize the whosoever in that verse. John 3:16, Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 43:25, and Isaiah 44:22 are also useful passages in dealing with this type of person.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Then come, shall the LORD say, and we shall be even; if your sins were as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; if they were red like crimson, they shall become as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

I, even I, am he that uproots thy rebellions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins (Isaiah 43:25).

I have undone, as a cloud, thy rebellions, and thy sins, as a mist, return unto me; for I have redeemed thee (Isaiah 44:22).

Isaiah 1:18 and Psalm 51:14 are especially useful in dealing with people who have committed murder. Then come, shall the LORD say, and we shall be even; if your sins were as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; if they were red like crimson, they shall become as wool (Isaiah 1:18). Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness (Psalm 51:14).

Never tell anyone that his sins are not serious. It is sometimes good to say to this type of person, "Yes, your sins are great. They are far greater than you realize, but they have all been cleared up." Then show them Isaiah 53:6 and 1 Peter 2:24.

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 (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).

He himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

A woman once came to me very concerned about her soul. After trying to explain why she was so upset, she was at last able to unburden her heart. Fourteen years before she had killed a man, and the memory of the act remained upon her conscience until it had almost driven her insane.

When she told her story to me and another Christian, we turned to Isaiah 53:6. After reading the verse very carefully to her, I asked her what the Lord had done with her sin. After a few moments of deep and careful thought, she said, "He has laid it on Christ."

I picked up a book. "Now," I said, "my right hand represents you, my left hand represents Christ, and this book represents your sin. I put the book in my right hand and I asked, "Where is your sin now?"

She said, "On me."

"Now," I said, "what has God done with it?"

She said, "He laid it on Christ," and I laid the book over on the other hand.

"Where is your sin now?" I asked.

It was a while before she could find the courage to answer, and then she sincerely said, "On Christ."

I asked, "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 1:29, Acts 10:43, and Hebrews 7:25 are also helpful texts in dealing with this group of people.

The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Unto him all the prophets give witness, that whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins through his name (Acts 10:43).

Therefore he is able also to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

I don't think I could remain strong or I am afraid of failure. First Peter 1:5 is useful in showing that we are not to keep ourselves, but we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation (KJV).

John 10:28-29 shows that the safety of the one who accepts Christ does not depend upon his efforts in staying strong, but upon the keeping power of the Father and the Son: I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Second Timothy 1:12 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: I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Isaiah 41:10, 13 are also helpful: Do not fear for I am with thee; do not be dismayed, for I am thy God, who strengthens thee; I will help thee always; I will always uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. . . . For I am the LORD thy God that holds thy right hand saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Jude 24 shows that whether or not we can keep ourselves from falling, Christ is able to keep us from falling: Now unto him that is powerful to keep you without sin and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

Second Chronicles 32:7-8 and Romans 14:4 are also good texts to use.

Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria nor for all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people were upheld by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah (2 Chronicles 32:7-8).

Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? By his own master he stands or falls; and if he falls, he shall be made to stand, for God is powerful to make him stand (Romans 14:4).

First Corinthians 10:13 is especially useful when someone is afraid that some great temptation will overtake him and he will fall: No temptation has taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I am too weak. With such a person, use 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content in weaknesses, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Ask him, "Where is it that Christ's strength is made perfect?"

When he answers, "In weakness," tell him, "The weaker you are in your own strength, the better." Philippians 4:13 shows that however weak we may be, we can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us. First Corinthians 10:13 will show that God knows all about our weakness, and He will not permit us to be tempted above our strength.

I cannot give up my evil ways or bad habits. Galatians 6:7-8 will show them that they must give them up or perish: Do not deceive yourselves; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows in the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.

Philippians 4:13 will show them that they can give them up in Christ's strength: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is an excellent plan to point the one who fears that he cannot give up his bad habits to Christ, as a risen Savior. You can use 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 for this.

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, had fallen in with evil companions, and had fallen into sinful ways. Now he could not break away from his sins.

I said to him, "You only know half the gospel – the gospel of a crucified Savior. Through trusting in the crucified Savior, you found pardon; but Jesus Christ is also a risen Savior. First Corinthians 15:4 says, He was buried and . . . he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that all power was given unto Him. He has power to give you victory over your evil habits. Do you believe that?"

He said yes.

I continued. "You trusted in the crucified Christ and found pardon, didn't you?"

"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 Savior. When he arose, his very countenance was changed. "I am so glad I came," he said.

Sometime later I received a letter from him telling me how he had found constant victory through trusting in the risen Christ.

I will be persecuted if I become a Christian. Never tell anyone that he will not be persecuted, but show him from the Bible that persecution is the only path to glory.

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12).

All that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall also suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 5:10).

Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to remain in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).

Show them from Romans 8:18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be manifested in us. Show them from passages such as Acts 5:41 and 1 Peter 2:20-21 that it is a privilege to be persecuted for Christ's sake.

Hebrews 12:1-3 is useful in showing them where to look for victory in persecution:

Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, leaving behind all the weight of the sin which surrounds us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who having been offered joy, endured the cross, despising the shame and was seated at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied in your souls and faint.

It will hurt my business or I can't be a Christian in my current business. Point people who use an excuse like this to Mark 8:36: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? 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 Matthew 6:32-33, which contains God's promise that if we put God and His kingdom first, He will provide for all our real temporal needs: For the Gentiles seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

The following passages are also very effective to use with this type of people:

Then Jesus said unto his disciples, If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26).

And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my storehouses and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast stored up? So is he that lays up treasure for himself and is not rich in God (Luke 12:16-21).

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime didst receive thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted here, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass from there to us (Luke 16:24-26).

There is too much to give up. Mark 8:36, quoted in the previous section, will show people that it is better to give up everything than to lose their soul. Philippians 3:7-8 will show them that nothing compares to Jesus Christ: But those things which were gain to me, I counted loss for Christ. And doubtless I even count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

Psalm 16:11 will show them that what they give up is nothing compared with what they get: Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Romans 8:32 will show them that God will not ask them to give up any good thing: He that did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also give us all things with him? In other words, 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 Savior saying, "There is too much to give up."

"Do you think God loves you?" I asked.

"Certainly."

"How much do you think He loves you?"

She thought for a moment and answered, "Enough to give His Son to die for me."

"Do you think that if God loved you enough to give His Son to die for you, He will ask you to give up anything that is good for you to keep?"

"No."

"Do you want to keep anything that it is not good for you?"

"No."

"Then you had better come to Christ at once."

And she did.

Luke 12:16-21 (quoted above) and 1 John 2:17 will show them how worthless the things are that they are trying to hold: And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides for ever (1 John 2:17).

The Christian life is too hard. Say to the person with this excuse, "Let me show you from God's Word that you are mistaken about the Christian life being hard." Then turn to Psalm 16:11 or one of the following verses and show him that a Christian life is not hard, but is very pleasant.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3).

Then turn to Proverbs 13:5 and show him that it is the sinner's life that is hard: The righteous man hates lying: but the wicked man makes himself loathsome, and abominable.

I am afraid of my ungodly companions or I will lose my friends if I take Christ. Proverbs 29:25 will show them the consequence of yielding to the fear of man and the security of the one who trusts in the Lord: The fear of man brings a snare, but whosoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be lifted up.

Proverbs 13:20 will show them the result of holding on to their companions: He that walks with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Psalm 1:1 will show the blessedness of giving up evil companions: Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.

First John 1:3 shows how much better companionship one gets than he loses by coming to Christ: That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, that ye also may have communion with us; and truly our communion is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

My heart is too hard. Ezekiel 36:26-27 will show people with this excuse that though their hearts are hard as stone, that will make no difference, because God will give them a new heart: And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my commandments, and ye shall keep my rights, and do them.

I have no feeling. Ask the inquirer what kind of feeling he thinks he must have before he comes to Christ. If it is the peace of which Christians speak, show him from Acts 5:32, Galatians 5:22, and 1 Peter 1:8 that this feeling is the result of accepting Christ and confessing Him, and that he cannot expect it until he accepts and confesses Christ:

And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those that persuade him (Acts 5:32).

But the fruit of the Spirit is this: Charity, joy, peace, tolerance, gentleness, goodness, faith (Galatians 5:22).

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though at present ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).

If the feeling that he thinks he must have is the feeling that he is a sinner, then show him from Isaiah 55:7 that it is not the feeling that we are sinners that God demands, but a turning away from sin: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

You can show him from Acts 16:31 or John 1:12 that God does not ask us to feel that we are sinners, but He asks us to confess that we are sinners and trust in Christ as Savior.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:31).

As many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

Isaiah 55:1 and Revelation 22:17 will show the inquirer that all the feeling he needs is a desire for salvation.

Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that has no money; come ye, buy, and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).

The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

It is often good to show this type of person the passages for the indifferent (see chapter 3) until they do feel that they are sinners.

I am seeking Christ, but cannot find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 shows that when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find him: Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart (KJV).

After I preached one evening, I was speaking with a woman who was among those who stayed to inquire more about salvation. She said to me, "I have been seeking Christ for two years, but cannot find Him."

I replied, "I can tell you when you will find Him."

She looked at me in surprise, and I turned to Jeremiah 29:13 and read it: And ye shall seek me, and find me, for ye shall seek me with all your heart.

"There," I said. "That shows you when you will find Christ. You will find Him when you search for Him with all your heart. Have you done that?"

After a little thought she answered, "No."

"Well, then," I said, "let us kneel down here right now."

She did so, and in a few moments she was rejoicing in Christ.

You can point someone who has this difficulty to Luke 19:10: The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. You can also use Luke 15:1-10. These passages show that Jesus is seeking the sinner. You can say, "If you are really seeking Christ, it won't take a seeking Savior and a seeking sinner very long to find each other."

I cannot believe. In most cases where someone says this, the real difficulty behind their inability to believe is unwillingness to forsake sin. John 5:44 is a good passage to use with such a person: How can ye believe, who take glory one from another, and seek not the glory that comes only from God?

You can also use Isaiah 55:7: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. When using Isaiah 55:7, keep the person's attention on the fact that all God asks of him is that he turn away from sin and turn to Him.

God won't receive me or I have sinned away the day of grace or I am afraid I have committed the unpardonable sin. The people who honestly say this are generally about the most difficult type of people to deal with of any that you will meet. John 6:37 is a good text to use with them, for it shows that Jesus will receive anyone who will come to Him: All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.

Hold him continually to the point that he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. If they keep saying, "He won't receive me," repeat the text, looking to the Spirit of God to carry the truth home. Many utterly despondent souls have found light and peace through this verse in God's Word.

Revelation 22:17 is also useful, as it shows that anyone who desires can have the water of life freely: The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.

Isaiah 55:1 shows that anyone who desires salvation can have it: Ho, every one that thirsts, come ye to the waters, and he that has no money; come ye, buy, and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Isaiah 1:18 shows that no matter how great a person's sins may be, they can still find forgiveness: Then come, shall the LORD say, and we shall be even; if your sins were as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow; if they were red like crimson, they shall become as wool.

Acts 10:43 and John 3:16 show that whosoever will believe upon Christ will find pardon and eternal life. Romans 10:13 shows that anyone, no matter who or what he is, who will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It is sometimes good to turn to Hebrews 6:4-6 and Matthew 12:31-32 and show the inquirer just what the unpardonable sin is and what its results are.

For it is impossible that those who once received the light and tasted of that heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit and likewise have tasted the good word of God and the virtue of the age to come, and have backslidden, be renewed again by repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting him to an open shame (Hebrews 6:4-6).

This passage shows that the difficulty is not in God's unwillingness to forgive, but in the person's unwillingness to repent, and that anyone who is concerned about his salvation evidently has not committed the unpardonable sin nor has sinned away his day of grace. A little instruction along this line is often all that is needed.

Therefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, neither in the age to come (Matthew 12:31-32).

This passage shows that the unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Ask the person directly, "Have you ever blasphemed against the Holy Spirit?"

It is too late. When an inquirer says this, it is often good to use 2 Corinthians 6:2 and tell him that God says the time for salvation is today – right now.

Luke 23:39-43 is useful as showing that even at the last hour, Jesus will listen to the sinner's cry: And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Second Peter 3:9 shows that God's will is that none should perish, and He is delaying the judgment so that He may save as many as will come: The Lord is not late concerning his promise, as some count lateness, but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Deuteronomy 4:30-31 is an especially helpful passage, as it says that even in the latter days, the Lord will be merciful if you turn to Him: When thou art in trouble and all these things are come upon thee, if in the latter days thou shalt turn to the LORD thy God and shalt hear his voice (for the LORD thy God is a merciful God), he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them.

Isaiah 1:18 and Revelation 22:17 can also be used here.
Chapter 6

Dealing with Those Who Entertain False Hopes

By people who entertain false hopes, I mean those who think they will be okay in eternity, but who are not actually trusting in Jesus. Instead, their hope is in something else – something false. Among those who entertain false hopes, perhaps the largest class are those who expect to be saved by their righteous lives. These people are easily known by such sayings as these:

"I am doing the best I can."

"I do more good than evil."

"I am not a great sinner."

"I have never done anything very bad."

Galatians 3:10 is an excellent passage to use, for it shows that all those who are trusting in their works are under the curse of the law, and that there is no hope for them under the law: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

James 2:10, Galatians 2:16, Romans 3:19-20, and Matthew 5:20 are also very effective in showing that by the deeds of the law no one will be justified in God's sight.

Whosoever shall have kept the whole law, and then offends in one point is made guilty of all (James 2:10).

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:16).

Now we know that all that the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may submit themselves unto God. For by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:19-20).

I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 5:20).

All these passages show the kind of righteousness God demands, and that no one's righteousness comes up to God's standard. If someone wants to be saved, he must find some other means of salvation than by his own deeds. It is sometimes good in using these passages to say to the inquirer, "You don't understand the kind of righteousness that God demands, or you would not talk as you do. Let's turn now to His Word and see what kind of righteousness God demands."

There is another way of dealing with this type of person, and that is by using such passages as Luke 16:15, Romans 2:16, and 1 Samuel 16:7.

He said unto them, Ye are they who justify themselves before men, but God knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15).

In the day when God shall judge that which men have covered up, according to my gospel by Jesus, the Christ (Romans 2:16).

The LORD replied unto Samuel, Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for it is not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

These passages show that God looks at the heart. Hold the inquirer right to that point. Every person, when brought face-to-face with that, must tremble, because he knows that whatever his outward life may be, his heart will not stand the scrutiny of God's eye. No matter how self-righteous a person is, we do not need to be discouraged, for somewhere in the depths of everyone's heart is the consciousness of sin, and all we have to do is to work away until we touch that point.

Every person's conscience is on our side. Matthew 22:37-38 can be used when someone says, "I am doing the best I can," or "I am doing more good than evil." Say to him, "You are greatly mistaken about that. Did you know that you are so far from doing more good than evil that you have broken the first and greatest of God's laws?" Then show him the passage: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Hebrews 11:6 and John 6:29 show that the one thing God demands is faith, and that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom he has sent (John 6:29).

John 16:9 shows that unbelief in Christ is the greatest sin. John 3:36 shows that the question of eternal life depends solely upon a person's accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:28-29 shows that the sin that brings the greatest punishment is that of treading underfoot the Son of God: He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Before using this passage from Hebrews, it would be good to ask, "You think you are very good, but do you know that you are committing the most awful sin in God's sight that a person can commit?"

If he replies, "No," then say, "Well, let me show you from God's Word that you are doing just that." Then turn to this passage and read it with great seriousness and earnestness.

Another type of people who entertain false hopes are those who think "God is too good to damn anyone." When anyone says this, you can reply, "What we know of God's goodness we learn from the Bible, and we must go to that Book to find out the character of God's goodness. Let's look at Romans 2:2-6." Then read it.

For we are sure that the judgment of God is according to the truth against those who do such things. And dost thou think this, O man, that judgest those who do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or dost thou despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, ignoring that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to everyone according to his deeds.

Having read these verses, you can say something like this: "Now, my friend, you see that the purpose of God's goodness is to lead you to repentance, not to encourage you in sin; and when you trample upon His goodness, then you are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

John 8:21, 24 and John 3:36 will show the person that however good God may be, He will reject all who reject His Son.

Then Jesus said again unto them, I am going away, and ye shall seek me, but ye shall die in your sins; where I go, ye shall not be able to come. . . . Therefore I said unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye do not believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21, 24).

He that believes in the Son has eternal life, and he that does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).

Still another way to deal with this group of people is by showing them from John 5:40, 2 Peter 3:9-11, or Ezekiel 33:11 that it is not so much God who damns people, as people who damn themselves; for despite God's goodness, they will not come to Christ and accept the life freely offered.

Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life (John 5:40).

The Lord is not late concerning his promise, as some count lateness, but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements, burning, shall be dissolved, and the earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness (2 Peter 3:9-11).

Say unto them, As I live, said the Lord GOD, I do not desire the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and that he live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Ezekiel 33:11).

You can say, "God is not willing that any should perish, and He offers life freely to you, but there is one difficulty in the way. Let's turn to John 5:40 and see what the difficulty is." Then read the verse and say, "My friend, here is the difficulty – you won't come. Life is freely offered to you, but if you won't accept it, you must perish."

Second Peter 2:4-6, 9 and Luke 13:3 show how the good God deals with people who persist in sin.

For if God did not forgive the angels that sinned, but cast them down into the deepest abyss and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and if he did not forgive the old world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if he condemned by destruction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, turning them into ashes, making them an example unto those that after should live without fear and reverence of God. . . . the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished (2 Peter 2:4-6, 9).

Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).

Sometimes this last passage can be effectively used in this way: "You say God is too good to damn anyone. Now let us see what God Himself says in His Word." Then turn to the passage and read, Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Repeat the passage over and over again until it has been driven home.

A third type of people who entertain false hopes are those who say, "I am trying to be a Christian." John 1:12 will show them that it is not "trying" to be a Christian or "trying" to live a better life or "trying" to do anything that God asks of us, but simply receiving Jesus Christ, who did it all: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. You can ask the inquirer, "Will you now stop your trying and simply receive Jesus as Savior?"

Acts 16:31 shows that God does not ask us to try what we can do, but to trust Jesus and what He has done and will do: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Romans 3:23-25 shows that we are not to be justified by trying to do, but we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ on the simple condition of faith: for all have sinned and are made destitute of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus, the Christ, whom God purposed for reconciliation through faith in his blood for the manifestation of his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, by the patience of God.

Still another type of people who entertain false hopes are those who say, "I feel I am going to heaven," or "I feel I am saved." Show them from John 3:36 that it is not a question of what they feel, but of what God says; and what God says distinctly in His Word is that He who does not believe on the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

One afternoon I was talking with a lady who a few weeks before had lost her only child. At the time of the child's death she had been deeply interested in the things of God, but her serious impressions had largely left her. I asked her the question, "Don't you want to go where your little one has gone?"

She replied at once "I expect to."

"What makes you think you will?" I asked.

She replied, "I feel that I will go to heaven when I die."

I then asked her if there was anything she could point to in the Word of God that gave her a reason for believing that she was going to heaven when she died.

"No," she said, "there is not." Then she turned and questioned me, saying, "Do you expect to go to heaven when you die?"

"Yes," I replied. "I know I will."

"How do you know it?" she asked. "Do you have any word from God for it?"

"Yes," I answered, and I turned to John 3:36. She was led to see the difference between a faith that rested upon her feelings and a faith that rested upon the Word of God.

Luke 18:9-14 can also be used. You can say, "There was a man in the Bible who felt he was all right, but who was really all wrong. Let me read to you about him." Then read about the Pharisee who was so sure that he was all right, but who was all the time an unforgiven sinner. Make the inquirer see how untrustworthy our feelings are and what the ground of assurance is according to God's Word.

Proverbs 14:12 can also be used to show that there is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

The last type of people who entertain false hopes are those who say they are saved, though they are leading sinful lives. In the case of many forms of sin, a good passage to use is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Know ye not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God.

First John 2:29 will also, in many cases, sweep away this false hope: If ye know that he is righteous, also know that any one that does righteousness is born of him.

First John 5:4-5 is useful to show that those who are really born of God overcome the world, and the fact that they are living in sin and are not overcoming the world is evidence that they have not been born of God: For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Chapter 7

Dealing with Those Who Lack Assurance and Dealing with Backsliders

Those who Lack Assurance

Those who lack assurance may be divided into two classes.

1. Those who lack assurance because of ignorance. First John 5:13 will show these people that we can know that we have eternal life: These things I have written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

Often when you ask people if they know they are saved, if they know their sins are forgiven, or if they know they have eternal life, they will reply, "No one can know that."

You can say to them, "Yes, we can. The Bible says that all who believe can know it"; then show them 1 John 5:13.

John 1:12 shows that those who receive Jesus have the power to become children of God: As many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. A good way to use this verse is to ask the inquirer questions about it. For example, "What does everyone who receives Him receive power to become?"

The inquirer, if he is attentively looking at the verse, will answer, "A son of God."

Then ask the next question: "Have you received Him?"

If he replies, "Yes," then ask him, "What are you, then?"

It might be necessary to go over it several times, but at last the inquirer will see it and say, "I am a son of God."

John 3:36 can be used in a similar way. Ask the inquirer, "Who do these verses say has everlasting life?"

"He that believeth on the Son."

"Do you believe on the Son?"

"What do you have, then?"

In a little while, he will see it and say, "Everlasting life."

Then have him say over and over again, "I have everlasting life." Have him kneel down and thank God for giving him everlasting life.

One night I found a young man upon his knees at the close of the service in great distress. I showed him from the Bible how Jesus Christ had borne his sins, and I asked him if he would accept Christ as his Savior. He said he would, but he seemed to get no light, and he went out of the meeting in deep distress.

The next night he was there again, professing to have accepted Christ, but with no assurance that his sins were forgiven. I tried to show him from God's Word what God said about those who accepted the Savior, but the light did not come. Finally, he rose to leave the meeting. I had just shown him from John 3:36 that God said that He that believes in the Son has eternal life. As he turned to leave me, he asked, "Will you pray for me?"

I said, "Yes."

He walked a little way down the aisle and I called to him and asked, "Do you believe I will pray for you?"

He turned with a look of astonishment and replied, "Yes, of course."

"Why do you think I will pray for you?" I then asked.

"Because you said so," he replied.

I asked, "Isn't God's word as good as mine?"

He saw at once that while he had been willing to believe my word, he had not been willing to believe God's word, and he received assurance on the spot and knew that he had everlasting life. John 5:24 and 1 John 5:12 can be used in a similar way.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word and believes him that sent me has eternal life and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

He that has the Son has life; and he that does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).

Acts 13:39 is also very useful in dealing with this class of people: In him all that believe are justified from all the things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Ask the inquirer, "What does this verse say that all who believe are?"

"Justified."

Then ask him, "Do you believe? What are you, then?"

It will probably take two or three times going over it before he sees it, and when he answers, "I am justified," tell him to thank God for justifying him and to confess Christ, and see to it that he does so.

Many inquirers of this type stumble over the fact that they do not have the witness of the Holy Spirit. Show them from 1 John 5:10 that the witness of the Word of God is sufficient for their acceptance, and that if they do not believe this witness of God in His Word, they make Him a liar: He that believes in the Son of God has the witness of God in himself; he that does not believe God has made God a liar; because he does not believe the witness that God has testified of his Son. Then show them from Ephesians 1:13 that it is after we believe the testimony of the Word of God that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

The natural order in assurance is this: First, there is assurance of our justification, resting on the Word of God. Second, there is public confession of Christ, with the mouth. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10 KJV). Third is the witness of the Holy Spirit. The trouble with many people is that they want to reverse this order and have the witness of the Holy Spirit before they confess Christ with the mouth.

Matthew 10:32-33 teaches us that when we confess Christ before others, He confesses us before the Father: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in the heavens. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in the heavens. We cannot reasonably expect the witness of the Spirit from the Father until we are confessed before the Father. Confession of Christ logically precedes the witness of the Spirit.

In using these texts, it is very important to make clear what saving faith is, because many may say that they believe when they do not, in the sense of these texts, and so get a false assurance and entertain false hopes and never find deliverance. There is a great deal of careless dealing with those who lack assurance. Christian workers are sometimes so anxious to convince inquirers that they are saved, that they urge them on to assurance when they have no right to have assurance of salvation, as they have not really accepted Christ.

John 1:12 and 2 Timothy 1:12 make very clear that believing is receiving Jesus, or committing to Jesus: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12). Romans 10:10 will serve a similar purpose by showing that it is with the heart one believes unto righteousness.

2. Those who lack assurance because of sin. The trouble with those who lack assurance is often that there is some sin or questionable practice which they ought to confess and give up. John 8:12, Isaiah 55:7, Proverbs 28:13, and Psalm 32:1-2, 5 are useful passages in dealing with this group of people, for they show that it is when sin is confessed and forsaken and we follow Christ that we receive pardon, light, and assurance.

Then Jesus spoke again unto them, saying, I AM the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall attain mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile. . . . I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and I have not hid my iniquity. I said, I will confess (against myself) my rebellions unto the LORD, and thou shalt forgive the iniquity of my sin (Psalm 32:1-2, 5).

When one lacks assurance, it is often good to directly ask him, "Do you know of any sin that you are holding on to, or is there anything in your life about which your conscience troubles you?"

Backsliders

There are two types of backsliders, and each type should be dealt with in different ways.

1. Careless backsliders – those who have no great desire to come back to the Savior. With these people, use Jeremiah 2:5: Thus hath the LORD said, What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me and have walked after vanity and are become vain? Drive the question right home: "What iniquity have you found in the Lord?" Show them the sinful ingratitude and foolishness of forsaking such a Savior and Friend. They very likely might have wandered away from God because of unkind treatment by professed Christians, but hold them right to the point of how the Lord treated them and how they are now treating Him.

You can also use Jeremiah 2:13 and show them what they have forsaken and for what: For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters to hew them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Have them read the verse, and then ask them, "Is not that verse true? When you left the Lord, didn't you forsake the fountain of living waters and turn to broken cisterns that can hold no water?"

Illustrate the text by showing how foolish it would be to turn from a fountain of pure living water to broken cisterns or muddy pools. God has greatly honored this verse in bringing backsliders back to Himself.

You can also use Jeremiah 2:19: Thine own wickedness shall chastise thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee; know therefore and see how evil and bitter it is, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God and that my fear is lacking in thee, saith the Lord GOD of the hosts. After they have read it, ask them whether or not they have found it to have been evil and bitter to have forsaken the Lord their God.

Proverbs 14:14, 1 Kings 11:9, and Luke 15:13-17 can often be used with good effect with an unrepentant backslider, showing him the result of his wandering.

The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways, and the good man shall be separated from him (Proverbs 14:14).

The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart was turned aside from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice (1 Kings 11:9).

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his estate with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he longed to fill his belly with the husks that the swine ate, but no one gave them unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here with hunger! (Luke 15:13-17).

I have a friend who always uses Amos 4:11-12 with good results: I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the fire; and ye never returned unto me, said the LORD. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel; and because I must do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

2. Backsliders who are tired of their wanderings and sin and desire to come back to the Lord. This type of person is perhaps as easy a type to deal with as we ever find. Jeremiah 3:12-13, 22 will show them how ready the Lord is to receive them back, and that all He asks of them is that they acknowledge their sin and return to Him: Go and proclaim these words toward the north wind and say, Return, thou rebellious Israel, said the LORD and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, said the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast rebelled against the LORD thy God and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not heard my voice, said the LORD. . . . Return, ye rebellious sons, and I will heal your rebellion. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

Hosea 14:1-4 is a tender invitation to remorseful backsliders, and it also shows the way back to God: O Israel, become converted unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and be converted unto the LORD; say unto him, Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods, for in thee the fatherless finds mercy. I will heal their rebellion; I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from them.

Isaiah 43:22, 24-25; Isaiah 44:20-22; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Deuteronomy 4:28-31; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 John 1:9; and 1 John 2:1-2 set forth God's unfailing love for the backslider and His willingness to receive him back.

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from there, thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in trouble and all these things are come upon thee, if in the latter days thou shalt turn to the LORD thy God and shalt hear his voice (for the LORD thy God is a merciful God), he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them (Deuteronomy 4:28-31).

If my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

My little children, I write these things unto you, that ye sin not; and if anyone has sinned, we have an Advocate before the Father, Jesus, the righteous Christ; and he is the reconciliation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

Mark 16:7; 2 Chronicles 15:4; and 2 Chronicles 33:1-9, 12-13 give illustrations of notable backsliders who returned to the Lord, and how lovingly He received them.

First John 1:9; Jeremiah 3:12-13; 2 Chronicles 15:12-15; and 2 Chronicles 7:14 show just what steps the backslider must take to come back to the Lord and be restored to His favor. The backslider must humble himself, confess his sins, and turn from his sin.

Luke 15:11-24, the story of the prodigal son, is perhaps the most useful passage of all in dealing with a backslider who wants to return to God, for it has both the steps that the backslider must take and the kind of reception he will receive.

When a backslider has returned to God, he should always be given instructions as to how to live so as not to backslide again. The sort of instruction to be given will be found in chapter 12.
Chapter 8

Dealing with Professed Skeptics and Infidels

There are different kinds of skeptics, and the same method of dealing with one will not work for all.

Skeptics who simply do not take God seriously. With people like this, use 1 Corinthians 1:18: For the word of the cross is foolishness to those that perish, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God. If someone says that the Bible is foolishness to him, you can say, "Yes, that is just what the Bible itself says."

He will probably be surprised at this reply, and then you can show him 1 Corinthians 1:18, that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Then you can say to him, "You see that the Bible says that it is foolishness to some – to those who perish – and the reason it is foolishness to you is because you are perishing."

First Corinthians 2:14 can be used in a similar way: But the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

A Christian worker was dealing with a man one night whom he was trying to persuade to come to Christ. The man said, "All that you are saying is foolishness to me."

The worker quickly replied, "Yes, that is just what the Bible says."

The man looked at him in astonishment and asked, "What?"

"You said all that I have been saying to you was foolishness to you, and that is just what the Bible says." The man was more astonished than ever, and the worker showed him 1 Corinthians 2:14.

The man said, "I never saw that before; I never thought of it in that light before."

Second Corinthians 4:3-4 is very useful in showing this type of person that he is lost and that his skepticism arises from the fact that the god of this world has blinded his mind. Second Thessalonians 2:10-12 is useful in showing the origin of skepticism – because they did not receive the charity of the truth, and the consequences of skepticism – delusion and damnation.

John 8:21, 24 is also very searching in dealing with this type of skeptic, showing the terrible consequences of unbelief: Then Jesus said again unto them, I am going away, and ye shall seek me, but ye shall die in your sins; where I go, ye shall not be able to come. . . . Therefore I said unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye do not believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins.

John 5:44 and John 3:18-20 expose the origin of skepticism.

How can ye believe, who take glory one from another, and seek not the glory that comes only from God? (John 5:44).

He that believes on him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness more than the light because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (John 3:18-20).

Psalm 14:1 is useful in some cases, though one needs to be guarded in its use, using it only when it can be done with earnestness and tenderness: The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is no one that does good.

Second Thessalonians 1:7-8 can also be used with good results: To . . . you, who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power, with flaming fire, to take vengeance on those that do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Serious-minded skeptics. There is a large group of men and women today who really desire to know the truth, but who are in an utter fog of skepticism. John 7:17 is a very helpful passage in dealing with these people. It shows the way out of skepticism and into faith: If anyone desires to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God or whether I speak of myself.

Get the skeptic to act according to the idea of that verse. Ask him, "Will you surrender your will to God and promise to search honestly and earnestly to find out what God's will is so that you may do it? Will you ask God to show you whether you need a Savior and whether Jesus is a divine Savior, the Son of God? Will you promise, if God will show you that Jesus is the Son of God, to accept Him as your Savior and confess Him before the world?" Have him make his promise definite by writing it down. If you get him to do this, his skepticism will soon be gone.

At the end of a service one evening, I asked a gentleman why he was not a Christian. He replied, "I will tell you. I don't talk much about it, because I am not proud of it as some are, but I am a skeptic. I have lain awake nights thinking about this matter."

"Do you believe there is a God?"

"Yes. I never gave up my faith that there was a God."

"Well, if there is a God, you ought to obey Him. Will you tonight take your stand upon the will of God to follow it wherever it carries you, even if it carries you over Niagara Falls?"

"I try to be as right as I know how."

"That is not what I asked; will you take your stand on the will of God to follow it wherever it carries you?"

"I have never put it that way."

"Will you put it that way tonight?"

"I will."

"Do you believe God answers prayer?"

"I don't know; I am afraid not."

"You don't know that He does not?"

"No."

"Well, here is a possible clue to the truth. Will you follow it? Will you ask God to show you whether or not Jesus is His Son, and what your duty is concerning Him?"

"I will."

Not long after that, the man came into a meeting with a new look on his face. He arose and said, "I was all in a mist. I believed nothing." Then he told us what he had done. He had done just as he promised. "And now," he continued, "my doubts are all gone. I don't know where they have gone, but they are gone."

If the skeptic will not seek God in this way, you can show him that he is not an honest skeptic, and the trouble with him is not his skepticism, but his sin. If the person claims not to believe that there is a God, you can begin one step further back. Ask him if he believes there is an absolute difference between right and wrong; if he does not, he simply does not take these matters seriously. If he says he does, ask him if he will take his stand upon what is right and follow it wherever it takes him. He may try to dismiss you by asking, "What is right?" or he might say that he is doing what is right as closely as he knows how.

Get him to promise that he will take his stand upon what is right, whatever he may find it to be, and that he will follow it, whatever the consequence may be. Then show him that if he is honest in this promise, he will try to find out what the right thing is.

Next, say to him, "You don't know whether God answers prayer or not. I know He does, and you will admit that here is a possible clue to knowledge. If you are honest in your desire to know the truth, you will follow this possible clue. You can get down and at least pray, 'O my God, if there is a God, teach me Your will, and I will do it. Show me whether or not Jesus is Your Son. If You show me that He is, I will accept Him as my Savior and confess Him before the world.'"

Then tell the man to begin reading the gospel of John, reading slowly and thoughtfully, only a few verses at a time, asking God for light each time before reading, promising God that he will follow the light as fast as He makes it clear. If the man will sincerely follow this rational course, in every case it will result in the skeptic coming out into the clear light of faith – believing in the Bible as the Word of God, and in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. If the man is not an honest skeptic, this course of treatment will reveal that fact, and then you can show him that the difficulty is not with his skepticism, but with his rebellious heart.

If the person says that he does not know whether there is an absolute difference between right and wrong, then you can know at once that he is bad; you can look to him kindly and earnestly and say to him, "My friend, there is something wrong in your life; no one who is living right doubts that there is a difference between right and wrong. You probably know what is wrong, and the trouble is not with your skepticism, but with your sin."

One afternoon after I had given out an invitation for any skeptic or anyone else who wished to talk with me to remain after the meeting, a young man with whom I had dealt some months before stayed. I asked him what his trouble was. He replied, "The same trouble that I told you in the spring. I cannot believe that there is a God."

I asked him if he had done as I had advised him to do in our former conversation – if he had taken his stand upon what is right and to follow it wherever it carried him. He replied that he did not know that there was any difference between right and wrong. "I do not know that there is such a thing as right."

I looked him right in the eyes and asked, "Is there some sin your life?"

He said "Yes."

I asked, "What is it?"

He replied, "The same that I told you last spring."

I said, "You promised to give it up. Have you given it up?"

He said "No, I have not."

"Well," I said, "there is the difficulty. Your problem is with sin – not with skepticism. Give up that sin and your skepticism will take care of itself."

In some confusion he replied, "I guess that is the trouble."

Skeptics who doubt the existence of God. The passages used earlier in this chapter can also be used with this group of people, and generally it is wise to use them before using the verses mentioned in this section. There are however, three passages that are often effective with this specific class of skeptics.

The first is Psalm 14:1 (and also Psalm 53:1): The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Before using this passage, you can say to the person, "Let me read to you from God's own Word what He says about those who deny His existence." Often it is good to let the passage do its own work.

Sometimes, however, it is wise to dwell upon it a little. Call the person's attention to the fact that it is in his heart that the fool says there is no God. He does not believe there is a God, because he does not want to. You can add that the foolishness of saying in one's heart that there is no God is seen in two points: first, there is a God and it is foolish to say there is not one; second, the doctrine that there is not a God always brings misery and wretchedness. Ask the person directly if he ever knew a happy atheist.

Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:19-22 are also effective passages.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).

That which is known of God is manifest to them; for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him, his eternal power and divinity, are clearly understood by the creation of the world and by the things that are made so that there is no excuse; because having known God, they did not glorify him as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:19-22).

Skeptics who doubt that the Bible is the Word of God. Romans 3:3-4 is useful in showing that questioning the fact does not alter the fact: For what if some of them did not believe? Shall their unbelief have made the truth of God without effect? No, in no wise: for God is true, and every man a liar; as it is written, That thou might be justified in thy words and might overcome when thou dost judge.

Matthew 24:35 is often used by the Spirit to carry to the heart of the skeptic the certainty of God's Word and the truth that it always remains the same: The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mark 7:13, Matthew 5:18, John 10:35, and Luke 24:27, 44 are useful as giving Christ's testimony that the Old Testament is the Word of God. These are especially helpful in dealing with those who say that they accept the authority of Christ, but not that of the Old Testament; for in these verses Jesus sets His seal to the Old Testament, and they show conclusively that if we accept His authority, we must accept that of the Old Testament, also.

For verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law until all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:18).

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded this unto them in all the scriptures concerning himself. . . . And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me (Luke 24:27, 44).

Along the same line, John 14:26 and John 16:12-13 are useful, as they contain Christ's endorsement of the New Testament.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all the things that I have said unto you (John 14:26).

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will cause you to know the things which are to come (John 16:12-13).

First Thessalonians 2:13 can be well used to meet the statement that is often made that Paul nowhere claims that his teaching is the Word of God: For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, that having received from us the word to hear from God, ye received it not as the word of men, (but as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually works in you that believe.

Second Peter 1:21, John 8:47, and Luke 16:30-31 can also be used in dealing with this class.

For the prophecy did not come in times past by the will of man, but the holy men of God spoke being inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21).

He that is of God hears God's words; ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God (John 8:47).

And he said, No, father Abraham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, even though one rose from the dead (Luke 16:30-31).

First John 5:10 is very effective in showing the guilt of those who believe not the record that God has given: He that believes in the Son of God has the witness of God in himself; he that does not believe God has made God a liar; because he does not believe the witness that God has testified of his Son. Before using this last passage, you can say, "You doubt, do you, that the Bible is the Word of God? Let us see what God says about those who do not believe His testimony." Then turn to the passage and have them read it.

Skeptics who doubt a future existence. The following verses can be used to show that those who believe God's Word must also believe in a future existence:

But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not brought to life, unless it dies first (1 Corinthians 15:35-36).

Marvel not at this, for an hour shall come when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and those that have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but those that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29).

And many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall be awakened, some for eternal life, and some for shame and everlasting confusion (Daniel 12:2).

Skeptics who doubt the doctrine of future punishment and the conscious, endless suffering of the lost. Revelation 21:8 defines what "death" means when used in the Scriptures: The fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Revelation 17:8, compared with Revelation 19:20, shows what "perdition" or "destruction" means in the Scriptures.

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and shall go into perdition; and those that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is (Revelation 17:8).

And the beast was taken and with it the false prophet that wrought miracles in its presence, with which he had deceived those that had taken the mark of the beast and had worshipped its image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).

Revelation 19:20, compared with Revelation 20:10, shows that the lake of fire is not a place where those committed to it cease to exist, for we find in the latter passage the beast and false prophet are still there at the end of a thousand years, and that they, so far from being annihilated or losing conscious existence, are tormented night and day forever and ever.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10).

Revelation 13:7-8 shows that those who are subjected to the terrible retribution here described are those whose names are not written in the Book of Life: And it was given unto it to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and power was given it over all kindreds and tongues and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship it, whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 10:28 shows that there is destruction for the soul apart from the destruction of the body: Fear not those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Luke 12:5 shows that after one is killed and is dead, there is a punishment in hell: I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who, after being killed, has power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Mark 3:28-29 shows that there is such a thing as eternal sin: Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men and whatever blasphemies with which they shall blaspheme, but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit shall never have forgiveness but is obligated to eternal judgment.

Luke 16:23-26 shows that the condition of the wicked dead is one of conscious torment: And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime didst receive thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted here, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass from there to us.

Mark 14:21 shows that the punished inflicted upon the wicked is so severe that it would be better for the wicked if they had never been born: The Son of man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.

Second Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 show that hell is not a place where the inhabitants cease to exist, but where they are reserved alive, for the purpose of God.

God did not forgive the angels that sinned, but cast them down into the deepest abyss and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Peter 2:4).

The angels who did not keep their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in eternal chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6).

Hebrews 10:28-29 shows that while the punishment for transgression against the Mosaic law was death, those who have trodden underfoot the Son of God will face even more severe punishment: He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Matthew 25:41 gives further light upon the subject: Then he shall also say unto those who shall be on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. It shows that the wicked go to the same place with the beast and false prophet and the devil mentioned in Revelation 19:20 and Revelation 20:10, and they share the same endless, conscious torment.

Skeptics who doubt the divinity of Christ. Acts 10:36, 1 Corinthians 2:8 (compare with Psalm 24:8-10), Hebrews 1:8, John 20:28, Romans 9:5, and Revelation 1:17 (compare with Isaiah 44:6) show that there are several divine titles applied to Christ. The same titles that are applied to Jesus in the New Testament are applied to Jehovah in the Old Testament.

The word which God sent unto the sons of Israel, preaching the gospel: peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) (Acts 10:36).

Which none of the princes of this age knew (for had they known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory) (1 Corinthians 2:8).

Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; lift yourselves up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of the hosts, he is the King of glory (Psalm 24:8-10).

But unto the Son he said, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a rod of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom (Hebrews 1:8).

Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God (John 20:28).

Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh is the Christ, who is God over all things, blessed for all the ages. Amen (Romans 9:5).

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I AM the first and the last (Revelation 1:17).

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel and his redeemer, the LORD of the hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God (Isaiah 44:6).

In Hebrews 1:10, 13 we find divine offices attributed to Christ: Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands. . . . But to which of the angels did he say at any time, Sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

In John 5:22-23 (compare with Revelation 5:13), Hebrews 1:6, and Philippians 2:10 (compare with Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23), we find it taught that Jesus Christ should be worshiped as God.

For the Father judges no man but has committed all judgment unto the Son that everyone should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who has sent him (John 5:22-23).

I heard every creature which is in heaven and upon the earth and under the earth and such as are upon the sea and all that are in it, saying, Blessing and honour and glory and power, be unto him that is seated upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever (Revelation 5:13).

And again, when he brought in the firstbegotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him (Hebrews 1:6).

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God (Romans 14:11).

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth (Philippians 2:10).

I have sworn by myself; the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow; every tongue shall swear (Isaiah 45:23).

In John 5:22-23 (quoted above), we find Jesus claiming the same honor as His Father, and either He was divine or He was the most blasphemous impostor who ever lived. Drive it home that the one who denies Christ's divinity puts Him in the place of a blasphemous imposter. Mark 14:61-62 can be used in a similar way: But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said unto him, I AM, and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of the heaven.

First John 2:22-23, compared with 1 John 5:1-5, shows that the one who denies the divinity of Jesus Christ, no matter who he may be, is a liar and an antichrist.

Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This same is antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son, the same does not have the Father. Whosoever confesses the Son, has the Father also (1 John 2:22-23).

Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and anyone that loves him that begat also loves him that is born of him. In this we know that we love the sons of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:1-5).

First John 5:10-12 shows that he who does not believe that Jesus is divine makes God a liar: He that believes in the Son of God has the witness of God in himself; he that does not believe God has made God a liar; because he does not believe the witness that God has testified of his Son. And this is the witness, that God has given eternal life to us, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Hebrews 10:28-29 shows the foolishness, guilt, and punishment of rejecting Christ as the Son of God: He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

John 8:24 shows beyond a question that no one who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ will be saved: Therefore I said unto you that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye do not believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins.

John 20:31 shows that we have life through believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name.

Before taking up specific difficulties, it is generally best to deal with the inquirer using the passages for skeptics at the beginning of this chapter, under the sections relating to skeptics who do not take God seriously and for those who are serious minded.

Often there is no need to take up specific questions about topics such as future punishment, for example, until the inquirer has first settled the matter whether he will accept Christ as his Savior.
Chapter 9

Dealing with the Complaining

Those who complain about God. Many whom you wish to lead to Christ will say something to the effect that God is unjust and cruel. Job 40:2 and Romans 9:20 are very direct passages to use with inquirers of this type, and the passages need no comment.

Shall he that contends with the Almighty instruct him? Let him that disputes with God answer this (Job 40:2).

Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? (Romans 9:20).

It might be good to preface the reading of the passages with some remark like this: "Do you know how immense a sin you are guilty of in accusing God of being unjust and cruel? Let me read what God says about it in His Word." Then read the passages.

Romans 11:33 will serve to show those who are complaining that the reason God's ways seem unjust and cruel is because they are so deep and unsearchable: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments and his ways past finding out! The trouble is not with God's ways, but with the limitation of their own understanding.

Hebrews 12:5-7, 10-11 are especially useful in cases where the inquirer complains because of his own misfortunes or sorrows: And ye have quite forgotten the consolation which speaks unto you as unto sons, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art reproved of him: for whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges everyone whom he receives as a son. If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father does not chasten? . . . For they verily for a few days chastened us as it seemed good unto them, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. It is true that no chastening at present seems to be cause for joy, but rather for grief; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto those who are exercised by it.

Isaiah 55:8-9 will also often prove helpful: For my thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways as my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts more than your thoughts.

You will frequently meet people who will say, "God is unjust to create people and then condemn them." For these people, turn to Ezekiel 33:11: Say unto them, As I live, said the Lord GOD, I do not desire the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and that he live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? This passage deals with this complaint by showing that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but He desires their good; the wicked bring damnation upon themselves by their stubborn refusal to repent.

First Timothy 2:3-4 shows that God desires all to be saved: For this is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires that all men be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Second Peter 3:9 teaches that God is not willing that any should perish, and He is delaying His purposes in order that all may come to repentance: The Lord is not late concerning his promise, as some count lateness, but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

John 5:40 and Matthew 23:37 show that the whole cause of our damnation is our own willful and persistent refusal to come to Christ.

Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life (John 5:40).

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that didst kill the prophets and stone those who are sent unto thee, how often I desired to gather thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37).

John 3:36 and John 3:16 are also helpful in many cases.

Those who complain about the Bible. People will often say, "The Bible is contradictory and absurd" or "The Bible seems foolish to me." Two types of passages can be used in dealing with such inquirers.

The first type includes passages like 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Daniel 12:10; Romans 11:33-34; and in extreme cases, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those that perish, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

If our gospel is hid, it is hid to those that are lost, in whom the god of this age has blinded the understanding of those who do not believe, that the light of the gospel of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine in them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Many shall be purified and made white and purged, but the wicked shall get worse; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10).

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments and his ways past finding out! For who has understood the intent of the Lord? or who has been his counsellor? (Romans 11:33-34).

With all deception of iniquity working in those that perish because they did not receive the charity of the truth, to be saved. Therefore, for this cause, God shall send the operation of error in them, that they should believe the lie; that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth, but consented to the iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

The second type includes passages such as John 7:17, Psalm 25:14, and Matthew 11:25.

If anyone desires to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God or whether I speak of myself (John 7:17).

The secret of the LORD is for those that fear him, and he will show them his covenant (Psalm 25:14).

At that time Jesus answered and said, I praise thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and understanding and hast revealed them unto children (Matthew 11:25).

Sometimes the best thing to do with someone who says the Bible is full of contradictions is to hand him your Bible and ask him to show you one. In most cases, he will not attempt to do so, as people who complain about the Bible generally know nothing about its contents.

One day a man was brought to me to deal with, and when I asked him why he was not a Christian, he replied, "The Bible is full of contradictions."

I at once asked him to show me one.

"Oh!" he said, "It's full of them."

I said, "If it is full of them, you ought to be able to show me one."

He said, "Well, there is one in the book of Psalms."

I said, "Show it to me."

He began looking in the back of the New Testament for the book of Psalms. I said, "You are not looking in the right part of the Bible for Psalms. Let me find it for you." I found him the book of Psalms and handed it to him.

After fumbling around, he said, "I could find it if I had my own Bible here."

"Well," I asked, "will you bring your Bible tonight?"

He promised he would, and he agreed to meet me at a certain place in the church. The appointed hour came, but he did not.

Some months later in another series of meetings in the same church, one of the workers stopped me and said, "Here is a man I wish you would deal with; he is a skeptic." I looked at him and recognized him as the same man.

"Oh!" I said, "You are the man who lied to me here," and with much confusion he admitted that he was; but he was still playing his old game of saying that the Bible was full of contradictions. In nine cases out of ten, people who say this know nothing about the Bible, and when you ask them to show you a contradiction in the Bible, they are filled with confusion.

Those who complain of God's way of salvation. Many people will say, "I don't see why God could not save people in some other way than by the death of His Son." Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 11:33 are useful in dealing with such people.

For my thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways as my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts more than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33).

I have also used Romans 9:20 effectively with this type of person: Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

I asked a young student one night why he was not a Christian, and he answered that he did not see why it was necessary for Christ to die for him or why God would not save him some other way. I opened my Bible and read Romans 9:20 to him. Then I asked him, "Who are you to reply against God? Do you realize what you are doing? You are condemning God!"

The young man seemed very much confused and said, "I did not mean to do that."

"Well," I said, "that is what you are doing."

"If that is so," he replied, "I will take it back."

A good way to deal with such people is to show them that they are lost sinners. You can use the passages regarding the indifferent given in chapter 3. When anyone is led to see that he is a lost sinner, God's way of salvation will prove to be just the thing needed.

Those who complain about Christians. Very often when we try to persuade people to accept Christ as their Savior, they reply, "There are too many hypocrites in church." Romans 14:4 and Romans 14:12, especially verse twelve, are exceedingly effective in dealing with this type of person.

Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? By his own master he stands or falls; and if he falls, he shall be made to stand, for God is powerful to make him stand (Romans 14:4).

So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God (Romans 14:12).

Romans 2:1 and Matthew 7:1-5 are also excellent.

Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for in that which thou dost judge another, thou dost condemn thyself; for thou that judgest others doest the same things (Romans 2:1).

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with the judgment with which ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with the measure with which ye measure, ye shall be measured again. And why dost thou behold the mote that is in thy brother's eye but dost not consider the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou be able to see to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

John 21:21-22 is useful in showing the person objecting that he alone is responsible for his own relation to Christ, and that what others do is none of his concern: Peter seeing him said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus said unto him, If I will that he tarry until I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Those who complain about the way Christians have treated them. In dealing with people like this, turn the attention of the inquirer from the way in which Christian people have treated him to the way in which God has treated him. For this, use Jeremiah 2:5, Isaiah 53:5, and Romans 5:6-8.

Thus hath the LORD said, What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me and have walked after vanity and are become vain? (Jeremiah 2:5).

But he was wounded for our rebellions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes healing was provided for us (Isaiah 53:5).

For the Christ, when we were yet weak, in his time died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God increased the price of his charity toward us in that while we were yet sinners the Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

Read one or more of these verses, and then ask the inquirer if the fact that Christians have treated him badly is any excuse for his treatment of a heavenly Father who has treated him so well.

One night I turned to an older man and asked him if he was a Christian. He replied that he was not, but that he was a backslider. I asked him why he had backslid. He replied that Christian people had treated him badly. I opened my Bible and read Jeremiah 2:5 to him. Then I asked him, "Did you find any iniquity in God? Did God mistreat you?"

With much feeling, the man admitted that God had not treated him badly. I held him right to this point of God's treatment of him and his treatment of God, and not man's treatment of him.

Matthew 18:23-35, Ephesians 4:30-32, and Matthew 6:14-15 are also useful in showing the absolute necessity of our forgiving others.

Therefore is the kingdom of the heavens likened unto a man who is king who would take account of his slaves. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But he not having wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, to make payment.

The slave therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that slave was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But as the same slave was leaving, he found one of his fellowslaves who owed him a hundred denarius, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest. And his fellowslave fell down at his feet and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison until he should pay the debt.

So when his fellowslaves saw what was done, they were very grieved and came and declared unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked slave, I forgave thee all that debt because thou didst beseech me; was it not also expedient unto thee to have mercy on thy fellowslave even as I had mercy on thee? And his lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you unless from your hearts ye forgive every one his brother their trespasses (Matthew 18:23-35).

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which ye are sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God has forgiven you in Christ (Ephesians 4:30-32).

For if ye set men free from their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also set you free; but if ye do not set men free from their trespasses, neither will your Father set you free from your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).
Chapter 10

Dealing with Those Who Wish to Put Off a Decision until Some Other Time

There are several types of people who want to put off a decision until some later time. One of the largest groups consists of those who say, "I want to wait," or "Not tonight," or "I will think about it," or "I will come tomorrow night," or some such thing. For these people, use Isaiah 55:6: Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.

Have the inquirer read the passage, and then ask him when it is that he is to seek the Lord. When he answers, "While he may be found," ask him when that is – and then drive the point home. Ask him if he is sure that he can find God tomorrow if he does not seek Him today.

You can also use Proverbs 29:1: He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. After he has read this verse, it is good to ask the one with whom you are dealing what becomes of the one who being often reproved hardens his neck. When he answers, "He shall be destroyed," ask him how he will be destroyed. When he answers "Suddenly," ask him if he is willing to take that risk.

Another passage you can use is Matthew 25:10-12: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Ask him who it was who went in to the wedding. When he answers, "Those who were ready," ask him if he is ready. Then ask him what happened after those who were ready went in, and where those people were who were not ready. Then plainly ask him, "Are you willing to be on the outside?"

You can use Luke 12:19-20: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast stored up? Ask the person for how long a time this man thought he could live on what he had stored up. Then ask him, "If God would call you tonight, would you be ready?"

Matthew 24:44 is especially effective in dealing with those who say, "I am not ready": Therefore be ye also ready; the Son of man is to come in the hour that ye think not.

First Kings 18:21 can be used effectively: And Elijah came near unto all the people and said, How long shall ye halt between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. An excellent way to use this verse is by asking the person whether he would be willing to go a year without an opportunity under any circumstances of accepting Christ. When he answers, "No. I might die within a year," ask him if he would be willing to go a month without the possibility of accepting Jesus Christ. Then bring it down to a week, and finally to a day.

Ask him if he would like God and the Holy Spirit and all Christians to leave him alone for a day, and that he would not be able, under any circumstances, to accept Christ that day, even if he was dying. 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 used since by many others with much success. The following verses can also be used with those who want to delay making a decision to follow Jesus:

Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1).

Come now, ye that say, Today and tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain; and ye do not know what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? Certainly it is a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:13-14).

Therefore it is to be feared that he take thee away with a stroke, which cannot be avoided even with a great ransom (Job 36:18).

Strive to enter in at the narrow gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the husband of the house is risen up and shall have shut the door, and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not from where ye are, then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say unto you, I know you not from where ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. In that place shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out (Luke 13:24-28).

Then Jesus said again unto them, I am going away, and ye shall seek me, but ye shall die in your sins; where I go, ye shall not be able to come (John 8:21).

In dealing with those want to wait or who want to think about it, 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 tonight." I quoted Proverbs 29:1: He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. To every answer he made, I would come back to this passage. I must have repeated it many, many times in the course of the talk, until the man was made to feel not only his need of Christ, but also 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. He returned the next night with his head bandaged, and he 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.

Another type of people who want to wait to follow Jesus are those who say, "I must get established in business first, and then I will become a Christian," or "I must do something else first." Matthew 6:33 is a great passage to use in such cases, for it shows that we must seek the kingdom of God first: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Some who make the excuse of wanting to wait to follow Jesus say, "I am waiting for God's time." If someone 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 Corinthians 6:2 or Hebrews 3:15.

For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV).

Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation (Hebrews 3:15).

Some who delay following Jesus say, "I am too young," or "I want to wait until I am older." Ecclesiastes 12:1 is a sufficient answer for such people: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth while the evil days do not come nor the years draw near when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.

Matthew 18:3 and Matthew 19:14 are also good passages to use, as they show that youth is the best time to come to Christ and that all must become like children, even if they are old, before they can enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 18:3).

Jesus said, Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens (Matthew 19:14).

It is often wise in dealing with people who want to put off a decision until some time in the future to use the passages given for the indifferent (see chapter 3), until such a deep impression is made of their need of Christ that they will not be willing to postpone accepting Him.
Chapter 11

Dealing with the Willful and the Deceived

The Willful

There are several types of the willful – those who willingly reject Jesus.

For example, there are those who say, "I don't want you to talk to me." In such a case, it is usually best to give the person some direct passage of Scripture and let it talk for itself, and then leave the person alone to think about it. Romans 6:23, Hebrews 10:28-29, Hebrews 12:25, Proverbs 1:24, 33, and Proverbs 29:1 are passages that are good for this purpose.

For the wages of sin is death, but the grace of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

He that despised the law of Moses died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:28-29).

See that you do not refuse him that speaks. For if those who refused him that spoke on earth did not escape, much less shall we escape, if we turn away from him that speaks from the heavens (Hebrews 12:25).

Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one responded. . . . But whosoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely and shall rest from the fear of evil (Proverbs 1:24, 33).

He that being often reproved hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy (Proverbs 29:1).

Then there are those who say, "I cannot forgive." Matthew 6:15 is good to use to show that they must forgive or be lost: If ye do not set men free from their trespasses, neither will your Father set you free from your trespasses (Matthew 6:15). The parable found in Matthew 18:23-35 is also good to use.

Philippians 4:13 and Ezekiel 36:26 will show them how they can forgive.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

There are whole lot of people who are kept from Christ by an unforgiving spirit. Sometimes this difficulty can be removed by getting the person to kneel in prayer and ask God to take away his unforgiving spirit.

I reasoned for a long time once with an inquirer who was under deep conviction, but was held back from accepting Christ by a hatred in her heart toward someone who had wronged her. She kept insisting that she could not forgive. Finally I said, "Let's kneel down and tell God about this problem." She agreed to this, and almost as soon as we knelt down, she burst into a flood of tears, the difficulty was removed, and she immediately accepted Christ.

Some who willfully reject Jesus say, "I love the world too much." Mark 8:36 is the best verse to use with this type of person: What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Luke 14:33 will show the absolute necessity that the world must be given up: Any one of you that does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 12:16-20 and 1 John 2:15-17 will show the foolishness of holding on to the world.

And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my storehouses and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast stored up? (Luke 12:16-20).

Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides for ever (1 John 2:15-17).

Psalm 84:11 and Romans 8:32 will show that the Lord will not hold back any good thing from them.

The LORD God is a sun and shield unto us; the LORD will give grace and glory; he will not withhold good from those that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

He that did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also give us all things with him? (Romans 8:32).

Some who will not follow Jesus say, "I cannot bring myself to confess a wrong that I have done." Proverbs 28:13 will show the wretchedness and misery that is sure to follow unless the wrong is admitted and confessed: He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whosoever confesses and forsakes them shall attain mercy.

Others will say, "I do not want to confess Jesus Christ publicly." Romans 10:10 and Matthew 10:32-33 will show that God will accept nothing else.

With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10 KJV).

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in the heavens. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 10:32-33).

Mark 8:38, John 12:42-43, and Proverbs 29:25 will show the danger of not confessing Jesus openly.

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).

Nevertheless, even among the princes many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God (John 12:42-43).

The fear of man brings a snare, but whosoever puts his trust in the LORD shall be lifted up (Proverbs 29:25).

There are people who reject Jesus who simply say, "I want to have my own way." Isaiah 65:8-9 shows how much better God's way is, and Proverbs 14:12 shows the consequences of having our own way.

Thus has the LORD said, As when one has found new wine in a cluster and says, Do not destroy it; for a blessing is in it; so will I do for my slaves' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my elect shall possess the land for an inheritance, and my slaves shall dwell there (Isaiah 65:8-9).

There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12).

Finally, there are those who willfully reject Jesus who say, "I neither accept Christ nor reject Him." Matthew 12:30 will show that they must do one or the other: He that is not with me is against me, and he that does not gather with me scatters abroad. This verse has been used to bring conviction to many people.

The Deceived

In addition to those who willfully refuse to accept Jesus Christ, there are many who do not accept Jesus because they are deceived.

In this category are 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. John 3:3-7 shows the necessity of the new birth: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a person be born again from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again from above.

The new birth is explained in Ezekiel 36:25-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; and 2 Peter 1:4.

And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my commandments, and ye shall keep my rights, and do them (Ezekiel 36:25-27).

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be made participants of the divine nature, having fled the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:4).

Many Roman Catholics understand the new birth to mean baptism, but it can be easily shown to them that the language used does not fit baptism. Even more clear, in 1 Corinthians 4:15, Paul says to the Corinthian Christians that he had begotten them again through the gospel: For though ye may have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet ye shall not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. If the new birth meant baptism, Paul must have baptized them; but in 1 Corinthians 1:14, he declares that he had not baptized them.

Acts 8:13, 21, 23 shows that a person can be baptized, and yet his heart not be right with God: Then Simon himself believed also; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were being done. . . . Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. . . . For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the prison of iniquity.

It is good to take a step further and show the inquirer what the evidences of the new birth are. First John 2:29; 1 John 3:9, 14-17; and 1 John 5:1-4 give the biblical evidences of the new birth.

If ye know that he is righteous, also know that any one that does righteousness is born of him (1 John 2:29).

Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. . . . We know that we are passed from death unto life, in that we love the brethren. He that does not love his brother abides in death. Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. In this we have known the charity of God because he laid down his life for us; we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whosoever has this world's goods and sees his brother have need and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how does the charity of God abide in him? (1 John 3:9, 14-17).

Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and anyone that loves him that begat also loves him that is born of him. In this we know that we love the sons of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (1 John 5:1-4).

The next question that comes up is how to be born again. This question is answered in John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:23; and James 1:18.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever (1 Peter 1:23).

He, of his own will, has begotten us with the word of truth, that we should be the firstfruits of his creatures (James 1:18).

Acts 3:19 is a good text to use with Roman Catholics, as it shows the necessity of repentance and conversion: Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, for the times of refreshing of the presence of the Lord are come.

Isaiah 55:7 and Jonah 3:10 show what repentance is.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).

And God saw their works, because they turned from their evil way, and he repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did not do it (Jonah 3:10).

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 they hope to be forgiven someday. If you can show them that we can know that we are forgiven and that we have eternal life, it will awaken in many of them a desire for this assurance. First John 5:13 shows that it is the believer's privilege to know: These things I have written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

Acts 13:38-39, Acts 10:43, and John 3:36 are also very useful in leading them into this assurance.

Be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this one is preached unto you the remission of sins; and in him all that believe are justified from all the things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).

Unto him all the prophets give witness, that whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins through his name (Acts 10:43).

He that believes in the Son has eternal life, and he that does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).

Still another way of dealing with them (but it is best not 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 5:39; 1 Peter 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:13-17; James 1:21-22; Psalm 1:1-2; Joshua 1:8; Mark 7:7-8, 13; and Matthew 22:29.

Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are those who testify of me (John 5:39).

Having therefore left all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all murmurings, as newborn babes, desire the rational milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby in health (1 Peter 2:1-2).

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and in that which has been entrusted unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto saving health [salvation KJV] by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:13-17).

So then, leave all uncleanness and remains of malice and receive with meekness the word ingested within you, which is able to cause your souls to be saved. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:21-22).

Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou may keep and do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way to prosper, and then thou shalt understand everything (Joshua 1:8).

Howbeit in vain do they honor me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men as the washing of pots and cups, and many other such like things ye do. . . . invalidating the word of God with your tradition, which ye have given; and many such like things do ye (Mark 7:7-8, 13).

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).

Even though some things have been modified in Roman Catholic versions of the Bible, it is still often good in dealing with a Catholic to use a Catholic version of the Bible. The essential, biblical truths needed to lead souls to Christ are still there.

Still another way of dealing with a Roman Catholic is to use the same method that you would in dealing with an unrepentant sinner – that is, to awaken in him a sense that he is a sinner and needs Christ. For this purpose, you can use Matthew 22:37-38, Galatians 3:10-13, and Isaiah 53:6.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith, but The man that does the commandments shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, (for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree) (Galatians 3:10-13).

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 (Isaiah 53:6 KJV).

Many people think that there is no use of talking with Roman Catholics, or 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 often see the truth very easily, and they make very sincere Christians. Do not attack the Roman Catholic Church. Give them the truth from God's Word, and the errors in time will take care of themselves. Our attacks often only expose our ignorance.

There is one point in which we always have the advantage in dealing with a Roman Catholic. There is peace and power in Christianity as we know it, and there is not peace and power in Christianity as they know it – and they appreciate the difference.

Also in this category are the Jewish people. The best way to deal with the Jewish people is to show them that their own Bible points to Christ. The most helpful passages to use are Isaiah 53, Daniel 9:26, and Zechariah 12:10.

After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be killed and shall have nothing: (and the ruling people that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; whose end shall be as a flood, until at the end of the war it shall be cut off with desolation) (Daniel 9:26).

And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of prayer, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn over him as one mourns for his only son, afflicting themselves over him as one afflicts himself over his firstborn (Zechariah 12:10).

There are also useful passages in the New Testament. The entire book of Hebrews, especially chapters 9 and 10 and verses 25-28 of chapter 7. The whole Gospel of Matthew is very useful, too. Many Jews today are inquiring into the claims of Jesus of Nazareth, and many are open to discussing this subject. The great difficulty for a Jew coming out as a Christian is the considerable persecution he must often endure if he does. This difficulty can be met by the passages already given in chapter 5, in the section beginning with "I will be persecuted if I become a Christian."

Another type of person who is often deceived is the Spiritualist. Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; 2 Kings 21:2, 6; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Isaiah 8:19-20; 1 John 4:1-3; and 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 are passages to be used with this group of people.

Do not return unto spiritists or seek after diviners, to be defiled by them. I AM your God (Leviticus 19:31).

And the person that turns after spiritists or after diviners to prostitute themselves after them, I will even set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people (Leviticus 20:6).

There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire or that uses divination or an observer of times or an enchanter or a witch or a charmer or a spiritist or a diviner or a necromancer. For anyone that does these things is an abomination unto the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD thy God drove them out from before thee (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

He [Manasseh] did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the Gentiles, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel. . . . He made his son pass through the fire and observed times and used enchantments and dealt with spiritists and diviners and multiplied much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger (2 Kings 21:2, 6).

So Saul died for his rebellion which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he did not keep, and also for consulting a spiritist, to enquire of her (1 Chronicles 10:13).

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto spiritists and unto wizards that peep and that mutter; shall the people not seek unto their God? Shall we appeal for the living unto the dead? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isaiah 8:19-20).

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world. In this know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in flesh is of God: and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it should come, and that now it is already in the world (1 John 4:1-3).

That wicked one, who shall come by the working of Satan with great power and signs and lying miracles, and with all deception of iniquity working in those that perish because they did not receive the charity of the truth, to be saved. Therefore, for this cause, God shall send the operation of error in them, that they should believe the lie; that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth, but consented to the iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

In dealing with all classes of deceived people, it is good to begin by using John 7:17 and to bring them to a place where they sincerely desire to know the truth: If anyone desires to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is of God or whether I speak of myself. There is no hope of bringing someone out of his delusion unless he desires to know the truth.

* * *

 Spiritualists are those who believe that the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living.
Chapter 12

Some Additional Hints and Suggestions

There are a few general suggestions to be made that will prove helpful to the Christian worker.

As a general rule, choose people to deal with of your own gender and about your own age. There are exceptions to this rule. One should always be looking to the Holy Spirit for His guidance as to whom to approach, and He may lead us to one of the opposite gender; but unless there is clear guidance in the matter, it is quite commonly agreed among those who have had much experience in Christian work, that in general, men do better work with men, and women with women.

This is especially true of the young. Many unfortunate complications may 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 someone much older and more mature and wiser than themselves on this subject.

Whenever it is possible, get alone with the person with whom you are dealing. No one likes to open his heart freely to someone else on this most personal and sacred of all subjects when there are others present. Many who would fully admit their error or sin or need if they were alone with you will, out of pride, not do so if others are present.

You can still remain in public view or in a public place, but out of the way of distractions. In general, 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 progress while talking to several people at once, they have success in leading them one by one to Christ after speaking with them individually.

Let your reliance be wholly upon the Spirit of God and the Word of God. People are not converted by our skill or arguments, but by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Do not be content with merely reading passages from the Bible. Do not simply read or quote Bible verses to the inquirer, but have the person with whom you are dealing read them himself so that the truth may find entrance into the heart through the eye as well as the ear.

It is often good to only use a single passage of Scripture. Take one passage and drive it home, and so emphasize it that the one with whom you have been dealing cannot forget it, but will hear it ringing in his memory long after you have stopped talking.

Dr. Ichabod Spencer was once dealing with a young man who had many difficulties regarding trusting in Jesus. Dr. Spencer kept quoting the passage from 2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV): Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. The young man tried to get Dr. Spencer to move on to something else, but he just kept repeating those words over and over again.

The next day the young man returned, rejoicing in Christ and thanking Dr. Spencer that he had hammered him with that text. The words had kept ringing in his ears during the night, and he could not rest until he had settled the matter by accepting Jesus Christ.

It is a good thing when a person can point to some definite verse in the Word of God and say, "I know on the authority of that verse that my sins are forgiven and I am a child of God." There are times, however, when a powerful effect is produced by going over many different passages along the same idea until the mind is convinced and the heart conquered.

Always hold the person with whom you are dealing to the main point of accepting Christ. If he wishes to discuss the claims of various denominations, or the question of baptism, or theories of future punishment, or any question other than the central one of his need of a Savior and of Jesus Christ being the Savior he needs, tell him that those questions are fine to discuss in their right place and time, but the time to discuss them is after he has settled the first and fundamental question of accepting or rejecting Christ. Many cases have been lost by an inexperienced Christian worker who allowed himself to get involved in a discussion of some side issue that was utterly foolish to discuss with an unsaved person.

Be courteous. Many well-meaning but unwise Christians repel those whom they seek to win to Christ by their rudeness and lack of respect. It is quite possible to be both perfectly direct and perfectly courteous. You can point out to people their terrible sin and their great need of Christ without insulting them. Your words can be very penetrating while your demeanor is very pleasant and gentle. Indeed, the more pleasant and gentle our manner is, the deeper our words will go, for they will not stir up the opposition of those with whom we deal.

Some zealous workers approach those with whom they wish to deal in such a manner that the other person at once becomes defensive and puts up a barrier that is impossible to penetrate.

Be intensely sincere and serious. Only the serious person can make the unsaved person feel the truth of God's Word. It is good to let the passages that we would use with others first sink into our own souls.

I know of a very successful Christian worker who for a long time used one passage, Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12), with everyone with whom she dealt; but that passage had taken such complete possession of her heart and mind that she used it with tremendous effect. A few passages that have mastered us are better than many passages that we have mastered from some textbook.

I advise you to contemplate, upon your knees, the passages suggested in this book that you decide to use – until you feel their power. We read of Paul that he ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears (Acts 20:31). Genuine sincerity and love will go further than any skill learned in a training class or from the study of such a book as this.

Never lose your temper when trying to lead a soul to Christ. Some people are purposely irritating, but even these people can be won for Christ by patience, calmness, and gentleness. They certainly cannot be won if you lose your temper. Nothing delights them more or gives them more comfort in their sins. The more extremely irritating they are in their words and actions, the more impressed they will be if you return insults with kindness. Often the one who has been most unbearable will return in remorse and be ashamed of his previous actions. One of the most insulting men I ever met later became one of the most patient, persistent, and effective workers for Jesus Christ.

Never have a heated argument with someone you hope to lead to Christ. This always comes from the flesh and not from the Spirit (see Galatians 5:19-23). It arises from pride and unwillingness to let the other person get the best of you in argument. Refuse to argue. If the person with whom you are talking has incorrect beliefs and ideas that must be removed before the person can be led to Christ, quietly and gently show him his error. If the error is not essential, refuse to discuss it, holding the person to the main question.

Never interrupt anyone else who is dealing with a soul. You may think he is not doing it in the best way, but if you can do any better, be patient, and you will have the opportunity. Many unskilled Christian workers have had someone at the very point of decision, when someone interfered, interrupted, and upset the whole work.

On the other hand, don't let others, if you can help it, interrupt you. Just a little word plainly but courteously spoken will usually prevent it.

Don't be in a hurry. One of the great faults of Christian work today is haste. We are too anxious for immediate results, and so we do superficial work. It is very noticeable how many of those with whom Christ dealt came to believe slowly. Nicodemus, Joseph, Peter, and even Paul – although the first step in his case seems very sudden – are good examples of this.

It was three days even after the personal appearance of Jesus to Paul on the way to Damascus before Paul came into the light and openly confessed Christ. One person converted patiently yet thoroughly is better than a dozen who are dealt with quickly, who have prayed a prayer and think they have accepted Christ, when in reality they have not. It is often a wise policy to plant a truth in a person's heart and leave it to do its work. The seed on rocky ground springs up quickly, but withers just as quickly (see Matthew 13:5-6).

Whenever it is possible and wise, get the person with whom you are dealing on his knees before God. It is wonderful how many difficulties disappear in prayer, and how willingly stubborn people surrender to Christ Jesus when they are brought into the very presence of God Himself.

I remember talking with a young woman in an inquiry room for about two hours and making no apparent progress; but when we then knelt in prayer, she was rejoicing in her Savior in less than five minutes.

Whenever you seem to fail in any given case, go home and pray over it and study it to see why you failed. If you have been at a loss as to what Scripture passage to use, study that portion of this book that describes the different types of people we meet and how to deal with them. See where this case belongs and how you ought to have treated it; then go back, if you can, and try again. In any case, you will be better prepared next time. The greatest success in this work comes through many apparent defeats. It will be good to frequently study these hints and suggestions to see if your failures come through neglect of them.

Before departing from the one who has accepted Christ, be sure to give him definite instructions as to how to succeed in the Christian life. There are some points (listed below) that should always be insisted upon.

Confess Christ with your mouth before others every opportunity you get.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10 KJV).

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in the heavens. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in the heavens (Matthew 10:32-33).

Be baptized and partake regularly of the Lord's Supper.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized each one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, Be saved from this perverse generation. So that those who gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers (Acts 2:38-42).

And taking bread, having given thanks, he broke it and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19).

When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, after he had eaten supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood; do this each time that ye drink, in remembrance of me. For each time that ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye declare the Lord's death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:24-26).

Study the Word of God daily.

As newborn babes, desire the rational milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:2).

And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is powerful to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32).

Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and in that which has been entrusted unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto saving health [salvation KJV] by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all diligence and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11).

Pray daily, often, and in every time of temptation.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him? (Luke 11:9-13).

He said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation (Luke 22:40).

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Put out of your life every sin – even the smallest – and everything you have doubts about, and obey every word of Christ.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have communion with him in the midst of us, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:6-7).

Jesus answered and said unto him, He who loves me will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and dwell with him (John 14:23).

Seek the company of Christians.

They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. . . . And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food together with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added to the congregation daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

And let us consider one another to provoke unto charity and unto good works, not forsaking our gathering together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more, when ye see that day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Go to work for Christ (see Matthew 25:14-29).

When you fall into sin, don't be discouraged, but confess it at once, believe it is forgiven because God says so, and get up and move on.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Brethren, I do not reckon to have laid hold of it yet, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and extending myself unto those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

It would be good to give these instructions in some written form to the one whom you have led to Christ.

When you have led anyone to Christ, follow up with him and help him in the development of his Christian life. Many are led to Christ and then are neglected, and they do not make much progress in the Christian life. This is a big mistake. The work of following up with those who are converted is as important as the work of leading them to Christ, and generally no one can do it as well as the person whom God used in their conversion.
Chapter 13

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

There is one condition required for success in bringing people to Christ that is of such primary importance and is so little understood that it demands a separate chapter. I refer to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:5, Luke 24:49 (see also Acts 1:8), and Acts 2:4, we have three expressions: baptized in the Holy Spirit, endued with power from on high, and filled with the Holy Spirit. By a careful comparison of these and related passages, we will find that these various expressions refer to one and the same experience. As we proceed in the study of this subject, we will see that this is absolutely necessary for acceptable and effective service for Christ.

What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

It is a definite and distinct operation of the Holy Spirit, and is that which we may know whether it has been worked in us or not. This is evident from the fact that Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had been provided with this.

Behold, I shall send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

But ye shall receive the virtue of the Holy Spirit which shall come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

If this was not a definite and clear operation that they might know whether or not they had received, of course they would not know when this command of Christ had been fulfilled and when they were to begin witnessing.

It is an operation of the Holy Spirit separate from His regenerating work. This appears evident from Acts 1:5, where the disciples are told ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now. From John 15:3 and John 13:10 we learn that the disciples were already born again.

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you (John 15:3).

Jesus said to him, He that is washed needs only to wash his feet because he is completely clean, and ye are clean, but not all (John 13:10).

This is also seen in Acts 8:15-16, where we are told of certain people who had already believed and were baptized with water, but upon whom the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen. The same thing is shown in Acts 19:1-6, where we are told of certain people who were disciples, but who had not received the Holy Spirit since they believed.

One may be regenerated by the Holy Spirit without being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Such a person is saved, but he is not yet ready for service. Every believer has the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), but not every believer has the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-16; Acts 19:1-2).

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, because the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person is not of him (Romans 8:9).

But when they believed Philip preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also; and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were being done. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John unto them, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them; they were baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (Acts 8:12-16).

It came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus, and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there is any Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-2).

We will see very soon that every believer can have the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is always connected with testimony or service (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; Acts 1:5-8; Luke 24:49; Acts 2:4; Acts 4:8, 31; Acts 7:55; Acts 9:17, 20; Acts 10:45-46; Acts 19:6).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit has no direct reference to cleansing from sin. This is an important point to keep in mind for many reasons. There is a line of teaching on this subject that leads people to expect that if they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the old carnal nature will be completely destroyed. There is not a line of Scripture to support this position.

As said above, and as anyone can learn for himself if he will examine all the passages in which the baptism of the Holy Spirit is mentioned, it is always connected with testimony and service. It is indeed accompanied with a great moral and spiritual uplifting, and it involves, as we will see, an entire surrender of the will to Christ; but its primary and immediate purpose is making us ready for service.

We will get a more precise idea of what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is if we consider its manifestations and results as stated in the Bible.

Let us look first at 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 – the passage that goes most into detail on this subject: Now there is dispersal of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there is dispersal of ministries, but the same Lord. And there is dispersal of operations, but it is the same God who works all in each one. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one to profit with. For to one is given by the Spirit a word of wisdom; to another, a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, the operation of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, different kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues: one and the same Spirit operates all these things, dispersing to each one his own gift as he wills.

We see at once that the manifestations or results of the baptism of the Holy Spirit are not always the same for all people. For example, the baptism of the Holy Spirit will not make everyone who receives it a successful evangelist or teacher. Some completely different spiritual gift may be given. This fact is often overlooked, resulting in much disappointment and doubt.

The manifestations or results vary with the type of service to which God has called different individuals. One receives the gift of an evangelist, another of a teacher, another of government, another of a helper, another of a mother, etc.

And God did set certain ones in the congregation[a]: first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that faculties, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? do all have faculties? Do all have gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:28-30).

Therefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. . . . And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:8, 11).

There will be some gift in every case. It might not be the same gift as someone else received, but it will be some gift – that of an evangelist, or a pastor, or a teacher, or some other gift.

The Holy Spirit is Himself the one who decides what the gift or gifts shall be which he will impart to each individual. This is seen in 1 Corinthians 12:11. It is not for us to select some place of service and then ask the Holy Spirit to qualify us for that service, nor for us to select some gift and then ask the Spirit to give us that gift. It is for us to put ourselves entirely at the disposal of the Holy Spirit to send us where He wants us to go, to place us into what line of service He wants for us, and to give to us the spiritual gift or gifts He desires us to have. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work unto which I have called them (Acts 13:2).

The Holy Spirit is absolutely sovereign, and our rightful position is that of absolute and unconditional surrender to Him. This is where many fail to be blessed and where they meet with disappointment. I know a most sincere and self-sacrificing man who gave up a lucrative business and took up the work of an evangelist. He had heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and he had been led to think that if he received it, it would qualify him for the work of an evangelist. The man traveled more than four thousand miles to this country, but the work did not open to him.

He was quite confused and unsure what to do, until he was led to see that it was not his role to select the work of an evangelist for himself, as good as that work is, and then expect the Holy Spirit to qualify him for this self-chosen work. He surrendered himself to be sent into whatever work the Spirit might have for him. The power of the Spirit came upon him for the work into which he was sent, and he received this very gift of an evangelist that he had desired.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts power for service – the service to which God calls us. One example of this is found at the beginning of the book of Acts: For John truly baptized in water, but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now. . . . But ye shall receive the virtue of the Holy Spirit which shall come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:5, 8).

In a certain city, an uneducated boy was led to Christ. In his very lowly occupation, he began witnessing for Jesus. He went on from step to step in Christ's work. My attention was called to him by a gentleman who was interested in him and who said he would like to have me meet him. The gentleman brought him to Chicago, and I invited him to speak one night in one of our tents. It was in an exceedingly difficult neighborhood. An organized mob once came into that same tent to break up the meeting. It was a difficult audience to hold their attention.

The young man began in what appeared to me to be a very uninteresting way, and I was afraid I had made a mistake in asking him to speak; but I prayed and watched the audience. There was nothing that stood out in his sermon as he went on – except for the bad grammar; but I noticed that all the people were listening. They continued to listen to the end. When I asked if there was anyone who wished to accept Christ, people rose in different parts of the tent to signify that they did.

Thinking about it, I told the story to a man who had known the speaker in the past. "It is the same wherever he goes," was the reply. What was the explanation? This uneducated boy had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and had received power.

One night at the close of a sermon on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a minister came to me on the platform and said, "I need this power. Won't you pray for me?"

"Let us kneel down now right here," I replied, and we did.

A few weeks later, I met a gentleman who had been standing close by. "Do you remember," he asked, "the minister with whom you prayed at New Britain? He went back to his church; his church is now packed on Sunday evenings, a large part of the audience consists of young men, and he is having conversions all the time." He had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and power.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts boldness in testimony and service. The early church has many examples of this.

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto thy slaves that with all boldness they may speak thy word, that thou might stretch forth thine hand so that healings and signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy slave Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:29-31).

Peter is a notable example of this. Contrast Peter in Acts 4:8-12 with Peter in Mark 14:66-72.

As Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest; and when she saw Peter warming himself, looking upon him, said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know him not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And the maid seeing him again began to say to those that stood by, This is one of them. But he denied it again. And a little after, those that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them, for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agrees unto it. And he began to curse and to swear, saying, I do not know this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the words that Jesus had said unto him, Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt deny me three times. And thinking on this, he wept. (Mark 14:66-72)

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye princes of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him does this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men in which we can be saved. (Acts 4:8-12)

Perhaps someone who reads this book has a great desire to speak to others and win them to Christ, but an unsurmountable fear stands in the way. If you will only get the baptism of the Holy Spirit, all that will be overcome.

We are now in a position to define the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God falling upon the believer, taking possession of his powers and abilities, and imparting to him gifts not naturally his own, but which qualify him for the service to which God has called him.

The necessity of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a preparation for Christian work

Jesus instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until they were "endued with power from on high." These men had been appointed to be witnesses of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ (see Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:22; Acts 10:39-41). They had received what would seem to be superb and sufficient training for this work. For more than three years they had been to school under the best of teachers – Jesus Himself. They had been eyewitnesses of his miracles, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

But there was still one thing needed. This need was of such vital importance that Jesus would not allow them to enter upon their appointed work until that need had been met. That need was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the apostles, with their unparalleled preparation for service, were not permitted to enter that service until all their other training had been supplemented by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, what daring presumption it is for any of us with our inferior training to dare to do it!

But this is not all, for even Jesus Himself did not enter upon His ministry until He was specially anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him (Acts 10:38).

The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee is my delight (Luke 3:22).

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and his fame went out through all the region round about (Luke 4:14).

This baptism is absolutely essential in preparation for Christian work. It is either ignorance of the plain requirements of God's Word or the most daring presumption on our part when we try to do work for Christ until we know we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

It is the privilege of every believer to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. This appears clear from Acts 2:39: The promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. The context, the use of the word "promise" in this and the preceding chapter (Acts 1:4; Acts 2:16, 33), and the use of the expression "gift of the Holy Spirit" throughout the book, all prove conclusively that "the promise" of this verse means the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This verse tells us that this promise is for everyone in all ages of the church's history whom God will call to Himself.

This is for every believer. If we do not have this baptism, it is our own fault. It is intended for us, and we are responsible before God for all the work we might have done and all the souls we might have won if we were so baptized, and we are guilty to the extent that the work is not done and the souls are not won.

How can we obtain the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

We now come to the practical question: how can we obtain this baptism of the Holy Spirit that is such an absolute necessity in our work for Christ? Fortunately, the answer to this question is stated very plainly in the Bible: Repent and be baptized each one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

The first step toward obtaining this baptism is repentance. Repentance means a change of mind. It is a change of mind about sin, about God, and in this case especially (as the context shows), a change of mind about Christ. A real change of mind leads to action – to our turning away from all sin, our turning to God, and our turning away from rejecting Jesus Christ to accepting Him.

The second step is the confession of our rejection of sin and acceptance of Jesus Christ in God's appointed way – by baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. The baptism with the Holy Spirit in at least one instance (Acts 10:44-48) preceded the baptism with water, but this was clearly an exception, for God says, Repent and be baptized each one of you into the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter spoke about the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that persuade him (Acts 5:32). The condition of the gift of the Holy Spirit stated here is that we obey Him. Obedience means more than the mere performance of some of the things that God instructs us to do. It means the entire surrender of our wills, ourselves, and all that we have to Him. It means that we come to Him and say from the heart, "Here I am. I am Yours. You have bought me with a price, and I acknowledge Your ownership. Take me and do with me what You want, send me where You want me to go, and use me as You desire me to be used for You." This complete surrender of ourselves to God is the condition of our receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it is at this point that many fail regarding this blessing.

At the close of a convention, a gentleman hurried to the platform and said there was a lady in great distress who wanted to speak with me. It was an hour before I could get to her, but I found her still in great agony of mind in the intensity of her desire for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Others had talked to her, but it had seemed to do no good. I sat down behind her and asked, "Is your will wholly surrendered?"

She did not know.

"You want to be a Christian worker, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Are you willing to go back to Baltimore and be a servant girl if it is God's will?"

"No!"

"You will never receive this blessing until your own will is completely surrendered."

"I can't lay it down."

"Would you like to have God lay it down for you?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's ask Him to do it."

We prayed. God heard the prayer, her will was laid down, the baptism of the Holy Spirit was received, and she went home from the church rejoicing.

Obedience also means doing the will of God as revealed in His Word or by His Spirit in all matters great and small. Any refusal to do what God wants us to do, any conscious doing of what He does not want us to do, even in very little matters, is sufficient to shut us out of this blessing. If there is anything – no matter how little – that comes up before us to trouble us as we pray over this matter, we should set it right with God at once.

Charles Finney tells of someone who prayed for days for the baptism of the Holy Spirit in great agony, but received no answer. At last, as she was praying one night, she put her hand to her head and took off some little piece of jewelry that always came to her mind when she prayed, and she cast it away from her. Immediately she received the long-desired blessing. It seemed a very little thing, but it was a matter of controversy with God. She had not surrendered it to Him, and it had hindered the blessing.

How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him? (Luke 11:13). There must be specific prayer for this baptism. It is often said that the Holy Spirit is already here and that every believer has the Spirit, and so we should not pray for the Holy Spirit. This argument overlooks the distinction between having the Holy Spirit and having this specific preparation of the Holy Spirit. It also contradicts the plain teaching of God's Word that He gives the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him. That argument is further shown to be false by the fact that the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts was constantly given in connection with and in answer to prayer.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren (Acts 1:14).

When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

Who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them; they were baptized only in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15-17).

Also see Acts 2:1-4.

Prayer implies desire. There is no real prayer for the baptism of the Spirit unless there is a deep desire for it. As long as a person thinks he can get along somehow without this blessing, he is not likely to get it; but when a person reaches the place where he feels he must have this no matter what it costs, he is far on the way toward receiving it. Many preachers of the gospel and other Christian workers have been brought to a place where they have felt they could not go on with their ministry without this gift; then the gift soon followed, and the character of their work was entirely transformed.

In order for the prayer to be effective, it must be in faith: Therefore I say unto you that everything that ye ask for, praying, believe that ye receive it, and it shall come upon you (Mark 11:24). James says in regard to the prayer for wisdom: Ask in faith, not doubting anything. For he that doubts is like the wave of the sea which is driven of the wind and is tossed from one side to another. For let not such a man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord (James 1:6-7).

The same principle, of course, is true in regard to the prayer for the Holy Spirit. It is at this very point that many miss the blessing. How to approach God in faith is clearly taught in 1 John 5:14-15: This is the confidence that we have in God, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: and if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him.

When we ask Him for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we know that we have asked something according to His will, for it is definitely promised in His Word. Therefore, we know that he hears us: and if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him. As soon, then, as I am sure I have met the conditions stated above of the gift of the Holy Spirit and have asked it of God, I have a right to consider this blessing mine; the prayer is heard, and I have the petition I asked of Him. I can get up and enter into my work, assured that the Spirit's power will be seen in my work.

"But," someone might ask, "should we expect no signs?"

Yes, but where? As we serve Him. When I know on the authority of God's Word that my prayer is heard, I have the right to enter upon any service to which He calls me, and I can confidently expect the demonstration of the Spirit's power in my service to Him.

It is a mistake to wait or look for, as so many do, the evidence in specific physical or emotional experiences. These may accompany the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but the Bible clearly teaches us (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) that the place to look for this demonstration of power is in our service to Him, and the most important, reliable, and scriptural evidences are found in our work.

"Must we not wait," it might be asked, "until we know that we have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?"

Most certainly, but how are we to know? We know by the same way that we know we are saved – by the testimony of God's Word. When I know I have met the conditions and have asked for this gift that is according to His will, I know by God's Word (1 John 5:14-15) that my prayer is heard and that I have the petition I desired of Him. I have a right to get up with no other evidence than the all-sufficient evidence of God's Word, and to enter into the service to which God calls me.

"Did not the early disciples wait ten days?" it may be asked.

Yes, and the reason why is clearly given in Acts 2:1: When the day of Pentecost was fully come. In the Old Testament types, the day of Pentecost had been appointed as the day in God's design for the first giving of the Holy Spirit and the offering of the firstfruits (the church), and so the Holy Spirit could not be given until that day (see Leviticus 23:9-17). But after the Spirit was once given, we find no prolonged period of waiting on the part of those who sought this blessing (see Acts 4:31; Acts 8:15, 17; Acts 9:17, 20; Acts 19:6).

People are often required to wait, but it is only because they have not met the conditions, or they do not believe and claim the blessing simply on the Word of God. The moment we meet the conditions and claim the blessing, it is ours (Mark 11:24). Any child of God may lay down this book, meet the conditions, ask the blessing, claim it, and have it.

In a class I was teaching one summer at Lake Geneva following a talk by F. B. Meyer on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a student remained to talk with me. He said he had heard of this before and had been seeking it for months, but could not get it. I discovered that his will was not surrendered, but that was soon settled. Then I said, "Let us kneel down and ask God for the baptism of the Holy Spirit."

He did so. "Was that petition according to God's will?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Was the prayer heard?"

After some hesitation, he answered, "It must have been."

"Do you have what you asked of Him?"

"I don't feel it."

I read 1 John 5:15 from the open Bible that lay before us: If we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him.

"Was the prayer heard?"

"Yes."

"Do you have what you asked?"

"I must have; for God says so."

We arose and soon separated. Going back to the school a few days later, I met the young man again. His face was now glowing, and he knew he had received what he had believed based upon the plain Word of God.

The repetition of the baptism of the Holy Spirit

One more thing needs to be said before we leave this subject. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience that needs to be repeated frequently. This appears plain when we compare Acts 2:4, where Peter and others were filled with the Holy Spirit, with Acts 4:8, where Peter was filled again, and with Acts 4:31, where Peter and others were filled yet again.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye princes of the people and elders of Israel (Acts 4:8).

When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31).

A new filling is needed and should be sought before each new situation of Christian service. There are many people who once knew from experience what the baptism of the Holy Spirit meant, who are trying to work today in the power of that old experience and are working without God. They need and must have a new baptism before God can use them.
Reuben A. Torrey – A Short Biography

Reuben. A. Torrey was an author, conference speaker, pastor, evangelist, Bible college dean, and more. Reuben Archer Torrey was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on January 28, 1856. He graduated from Yale University in 1875 and from Yale Divinity School in 1878, when he became the pastor of a Congregational church in Garrettsville, Ohio. Torrey married Clara Smith in 1879, with whom he had five children.

In 1882, he went to Germany, where he studied at the universities at Leipzig and Erlangen. Upon returning to the United States, R. A. Torrey pastored in Minneapolis, and was also in charge of the Congregational City Mission Society. In 1889, D. L. Moody called upon Torrey to lead his Chicago Evangelization Society, which later became the Moody Bible Institute. Beginning in 1894, Torrey was also the pastor of the Chicago Avenue Church, which was later called the Moody Memorial Church. He was a chaplain with the YMCA during the Spanish-American War, and was also a chaplain during World War I.

Torrey traveled all over the world leading evangelistic tours, preaching to the unsaved. It is believed that more than one hundred thousand were saved under his preaching. In 1908, he helped start the Montrose Bible Conference in Pennsylvania, which continues today. He became dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University) in 1912, and was the pastor of the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles from 1915 to 1924.

Torrey continued speaking all over the world and holding Bible conferences. He died in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 26, 1928.

R. A. Torrey was a very active evangelist and soul winner, speaking to people everywhere he went, in public and in private, about their souls, seeking to lead the lost to Jesus. He authored more than forty books, including How to Bring Men to Christ, How to Pray, How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit, How to Obtain Fullness of Power in Christian Life and Service, and Why God Used D. L. Moody, and also helped edit the twelve-volume book about the fundamentals of the faith, titled The Fundamentals. He was also known as a man of prayer, and his teaching, preaching, writing, and his entire life proved that he walked closely with God.
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How to Bring Men to Christ – Reuben A. Torrey

Revised Edition Copyright © 2018

First edition published 1893

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the Jubilee Bible, copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010, 2013 by Russell M. Stendal. Used by permission of Used by permission of Russell M. Stendal, Bogota, Colombia. All rights reserved.

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