PERSONAL EVANGELISM
Good at it, or Convided About it?
In my first local work there were a number of converts in the first two years.
All of a sudden I was thought of as being "good at doing personal work." Some
wanted to know my system for the same and the formula to follow. To be right
truthful, I am really not that good at it (few are for that matter; and I know
of some that are far better than me). It is more a matter of being convicted
about it and therefore getting at it.
Drive and Know-How
Good salesmanship of any product is over-balanced with drive and enthusiasm.
That does not mean that most salesmen are not knowledgeable of their product;
only stating that a person with a little knowledge and a lot of drive can sell.
Surely, then, most Christians and certainly all preachers and teachers ought
to be pretty good at doing personal work (unless It is stil true that "the
children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light"-
Lk.16:8). Really, anyone can do some personal work. It is just a matter of
getting at
It and working the percentages and dropping the old excuse "1 don't know
enough." We might convert one out of four (Lk. 8:5-8), or one out of ten
(Lk.-17:12-18) but the Lord has promised a "pay off" of precious
souls (In. 4:35,36). Incidentally, In a sales field I used to be in, a person
could
make a fair living if he sold his product to about one out of five prospects,
and a real good salesman made a sale on the average of one out of three demonstrations.
Even at that, brother, let me tell you It was no "breeze." Most good
salesmen have to work
The Real Problem
Other than the problems that all human beings have to face for any people-meeting
work, such as bashfulness, timidness, nervousness, fear, anxiety, etc. (all
of which have to be worked out and overcome to be successful), the real problem
is this...conviction. Christians and teachers are not as convicted about doing
personal work as they should be, or else they would be doing more of It. The
God-fearlng, honest, and heaven-desirous person will do whatever he Is "taught
of God" (Jn. 6: 45) about and is thus convicted concerning. Is not that
why we all obeyed the gospel? And is not that the reason we "worship God"?
Man with genuine conviction will do “whatsoever He (Jesus) salth unto him" (Jn.
2:5). With true conviction, all that Jesus has to say to a man is "Go,
and he goeth...come, and he cometh...do this, and he doeth it" (Mt. 8:0).
It's a Great Work
Many bashful and backward men have developed Into tremendous pulpit proclalmers;
they have had conviction that they should preach publicly; they wanted to be
preachers and so they are. Likewise, and for the same reasons, you can do personal
work. The result will be a local harvest; fruit will be forthcoming (Jn. 4:35-36;
Mt. 9:36-38). And inasmuch as one soul is worth all the riches In the world
(Mt. 16:26), we can say In the words of Nehemiah, "1 am doing a great
work" (Neh. 6:3). The great apostle to the Gentiles was thrilled that
he was "made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God...to
preach... the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:7,8). But notice
that his preaching did not always place him in the public limelight, for he
taught also "from house to house" (Acts 20:20; 16:13-15). Teaching
a person about sin and salvation via private home studies and baptizing him "into
Christ" (Gal. 3:27) "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38)
at some quiet and late hour may not be as flamboyant as doing the same at a "Gospel
Meeting" and before great numbers but It is just as great before God.
It is still a great work! And it is my opinion that in the local churches (and
that includes any scripturally-operated "school of preaching" church), it is
high time that preachers be trained to do personal work. And further, that
that work be held in as high an estimation by the brethren as pulpit proclaiming.
The man who desires to be a truly great preacher In the sight of God will strive
to follow the New Testament example of teaching, and that's both "Publicly
and from house to house" (Acts 20:20).
A Tremendous Need
Since It has become much more difficult to get people to attend our evangelistIc
meetings over the past few decades, there Is a tremendous need for pre-meeting
personal work to make those meetings successful and climatic. All body-members
need to become soul-winners, personal workers, door to door teachers, home
class conductors, private discussion Priscillas and Aquilas. ..."fishers
of men," iif you please (Mk. 1: 17). "The harvest truly Is plenteous,
but the labourers are few" (Mt. 9:37). Every able-bodied, spiritual-minded
and heaven-determined disciple of Christ needs to get Involved In this person
to person, Christ-charged, conviction-prompted, love-motivated, fruit-rewarding,
salvation-bringing work.
Personal Work Passages
"
Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in" (Lk.
14:21); "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you
to become fishers of men" (Mk. 1: 17); "Let us go into the next towns,
that I may preach there also; for therefore came I forth" (Mk. 1 :38); "Go...to
the lost sheep... And when ye come Into an house..." (Mt. 10:6,12); "Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations. .." (Mt. 28:19); "Go ye Into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk. 16:15); "Andrew...
findeth his own brother Simon, and salth unto him, we have found the Messiah...the
Christ. And he brought him unto Jesus" (Jn. 1 :40-42); "Philip flndeth
Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him...Jesus of Nazareth" (Jn.
1 :44,45); "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere
preaching the word" (Acts 8:4); "And dally In the temple, and In
every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" (Acts 5:42); "!
have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and
have taught you publlckly, and from house to house" (Acts 20:20); "Speak,
Lord; for thy servant heareth" ..."Here am I, send me" (I Sam.3:9;
Isa.6:8).
The following are some notable examples and implied instances of personal work.
Jesus: John 4: 1- 26; Lk. 7:36-50; Lk. 10:38,42; Lk. 15:1-32; Lk.18:18-22;
Lk. 19:1-10; Lk. 23:43; Mt. 15:22-28. Paul: Acts 13:6-7; Acts 16: 13-15; Acts
16:25-34; Acts 18:7; Acts 24:24-25; Acts 28:30-31. Peter: Acts 10: Acts 5:42.
Aquila and Priscilla: Acts 18:24-26. The above cases should be read and studied
craefully, The Individual's spiritual state was considered; the teacher impressed
Christ and the truth and not self; the contact's habits and background were
used often as a beginning place and a spiritual lesson drawn. Jesus was the
Master at this (Jn. 4), and we are to follow His example (1 Pet. 2:21) .
Start Now
If your congregation is having or has had a personal-work training class, well
and good. But If It has not, do not wait. A lot of conviction and a little
effort and action will accomplish more than a dozen personal work programs
that never get out of the classroom. What good is all the training In the classroom
without the experience of meeting and confronting real live people?
Needed Equipment
The purpose of this article Is to motivate Christians to the job of soul winning
and to avoid the stress of professionalism and perfectionism. So, we will not
bog you down now with a lot of paraphernalia nor present some expertise method.
However, the personal worker who Is clothed In the "armour of God" (Eph.
6:10-17) probably should make use of some "aids." The Jule Miller
film strip studies are still good to use under certain circumstances; they
are generally sound and they can be used by a babe in Christ. There are many
good Bible Correspondence Courses available (one could use these in a home
study as well; just get together and go over the lesson together).Or, you could
use an appropriate Bible study lesson book and/or charts on varied themes as
well as just taking the Bible and doing a chapter study. The later is a good
way for your follow-up material after they are converted. You should study
with all apparently honest and earnest people endlessly. I am persuaded that
we give up far too soon on many of our contacts. Let's get started now, "Say
not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh Harvest? behold, I say unto
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already
to harvest" (Jn. 4:35).
Making Contacts
Such is so very difficult to do these days is a fact well-known to those of
us who are trying desperatly to do. However, we must never give up. Jesus told
us to "preach to every creature" (Mk. 16: 15) and since we humans
cannot know "what is in man," we must look upon every individual
as a potential Christian. We have to work cold-calls, hot-leads, relatives,
friends, friends offriends, etc., etc. Different people will be more successful
with different types of people and with different approaches. It is impossible
to eliminate the personality factor and therefore you might be able to reach
a person with the truth that your preacher or another one has been unsuccessful
in reaching.
It Is still true that the "wise and prudent," the sophisticated and
the intellectuals - Mt. 11:25; 1 Cor. 1:19-21 (and do we have a lot of them
these daysl) "reject the counsel of God against themselves" (Lk.
7:30). And It is still basically quite true that "the common people hear
Him gladly" (Mk. 12:37); that "babes" (humble-minded ones. ..Mt.
11:25; 18:1-6, 5:1-10) are the more receptive and that "God hath chosen
the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom" (Jas.
2:5). This does not mean that we are constantly to work among the "poor
and homeless" as history and experience teach that though they may be
easier to convert, they also often are the ones that fit the cliche' "easy
come, easy go." In the discussion of the Bible with aliens, all premature
discussions and questions should be avoided until a later time. Rather, set-up
some extended classes (say, one hour a week) that will cover these points orderly.
Tell them, "that is a good question and I would like to deal with that just
a bit later, okay?". First the contact must have a good indoctrination in authority.
Heated arguments also must be avoided as they amount to "vain jangling" and "the
servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach,
patient. In meekness Instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:24,25).
Brother, sister, open your Bible with a neighbour right soon, won't you?
The Joys and Rewards
What greater joy and reward could anything bring than winning a lost soul to "The
Way, The Truth, and The Life"? In. 14:6). "The fruit of the righteous
Is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls Is wise" (Prov. 11:30). "And
they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they
that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan.
12:3). "And he that repeats receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto
life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that repeath may rejoice together" (In.
4:36).
How exciting It Is to see, after the toll of weed removing, slow cultivation,
prayerful planting, proper watering...fruit blooming and bearing, to see God
giving the Increase (1 Cor. 3:7; In. 15:5; Rom. 7:4). And, "If any man's work
abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward" (1 Cor. 3:14).
What Joy It should bring to us to know that because of our untiring efforts
In the slow and tedious area of personal work "many shall come from the
east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, In the kingdom
of heaven" (Mt. 8:11). What thrills flood the soul when we realize that
spirits will be able to romp and roam In their Heavenly home...that they will
sail and soar upon the Celestial shore, because you cared enough to point them
to "The lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (In.
1 :29).
The Five C's
When a man Is convicted about doing personal work, he will take courage, and
courage will lead him to set up cottage meetings and cottage meetings results
In conversions and conversions make church members. Faithful followers of the
Master, both the teacher and the taught, will one day be "caught up Into
paradise," will have mansions In glory, and will make their abode with
God In His "holy habitation" In heaven.
The Bible says that Christians "are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10). Without controversy, teaching the
truth of the gospel Is a "good work" of God. Then if you care to
hear the kind words from the sweet lips of Jesus, "Well done, thou good
and faithful servant," and to have Jehovah place upon your redeemed brow
a "crown of righteousness," you had best get to the work.
"If the souls all around you are living in sin,
If the Master has told you to bid them come in,
If the sweet Invitation they never have heard,
0 will you not tell them the cheer bringing word?
0 will you not tell it today? Will you not tell it today?
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