The Art of Soul-Winning Part 2

Memory Verse: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of G.o.d."--(John iii, 3.)

Scripture for Meditation: John iii, 1-15.

In a prayer-meeting a young lady was asked, "What is the first thing we must do if we would win others to Christ?" She replied, "_We must live holy ourselves._" She was right. Just as the telegraph wire must be insulated, so must the life of him who expects to be the messenger of G.o.d be insulated from the old life of sin before he can hope to carry the loving messages of the gospel to other souls.

This implies a definite experience of conversion. He who would engage in this most fascinating of all work must have nothing short of an inner consciousness of sins forgiven and of the presence of Christ in his life. He must be able to say, like Andrew and like Philip of old, "I have found him." He must know what it is to have "a new heart" and to have peace with G.o.d.

William Butler, the veteran missionary and soul-winner, now translated, wrote the author of these studies a letter, in which he said:

"First and foremost, I thank G.o.d for a true conversion. When I got religion, I got it good and thorough. Christ became everything to me.

The law of sin, or temptation to worldly conformity of any kind, was completely eradicated from my heart; and from that hour to this the law of Christ has fully satisfied my soul, and made me gloriously free and independent of the world and its maxims and pleasures. And now, after fifty-five years' enjoyment of peace with G.o.d and humble devotion to his service, I bless him that I ever gave him my heart and devoted myself to his work. I am happy. The consoling comforts of the grace of G.o.d are with me by day and by night, and the blessed future is radiant with the hope of being 'numbered with the saints in glory everlasting.'"

In these days of compromise and doubt we need to have as definite an experience of salvation as had William Butler. He who would win others to a new life must himself possess that life, and know it, being able to say with Paul, "I know whom I have believed."

STUDY IX.

A COMPLETE SURRENDER.

Memory Verse: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of G.o.d, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto G.o.d, which is your reasonable service."--(Rom. xii, 1.)

Scripture for Meditation: Rom. vi, 1-13.

John Wesley said, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but G.o.d, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of h.e.l.l and set up the kingdom of heaven upon the earth."

A life surrendered to G.o.d will be an invincible life, while the life only partly surrendered will know nothing but defeat. Someone says that, in the transfer of property, any reservation implies, also, reserved rights. If a man sells a ten-acre lot, and keeps a yard square in the center for himself, he has a right of way across what he has sold to get to his reservation. And if, in our surrender, we keep back anything, "that const.i.tutes the devil's territory, and he will trample over all we call consecrated to get to his own." Therefore a complete surrender of the life to G.o.d is absolutely necessary.

To the rich young man who came to him, Jesus said, "One thing thou lackest." He demanded an unconditional surrender of every interest of his life. But the young man was not willing to make the surrender, and went away sorrowful. Of every man and woman Jesus asks the same surrender. But many now wander off in the darkness of formality and doubt because they are not willing. Three things are implied in such a surrender: (1) An acknowledgment of the Divine ownership and human stewardship in all temporal affairs; (2) A complete submission of the will to G.o.d; (3) The supremacy of Jesus Christ in the heart and life, so that the interests of his kingdom are first, always, and everywhere.

There is an old story of a monk who, having been disobedient to the rules of the monastery, was told he must die. They took him out into the graveyard, stood him upright in a grave, filled in the earth about his feet. Then they asked, "Are you dead yet?" He said, "No." The earth was then filled in about him to his waist, and the question again asked. He replied, "No." Then they filled in the earth until he was covered, all but his head, and could scarcely breathe. When asked if he would die, he replied, "Yes, I will give up; I will die." So may we die to the old life of self and sin, and live the new life of entire surrender to our risen Lord!

"If Christ would live and reign in me, I must die, I must die.

Like him I crucified must be, I must die, I must die.

So dead that no desire may rise, To pa.s.s for good, or great, or wise, To any but my Savior's eyes,-- Let me die, let me die."

STUDY X.

THE SPIRIT'S WITNESS.

Memory Verse: "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of G.o.d."--(Rom. viii, 16, R.V.)

Scripture for Meditation: 1 John v, 1-15.

When the life has been wholly surrendered to G.o.d, and Christ, the crucified and risen Savior, is enthroned in the heart and confessed before men, then the blessed a.s.surance of our sonship with G.o.d will be clear and joyous. No longer shall we say, "I hope I am a Christian," or, "I am trying to be a Christian;" but, like Paul, we shall exclaim, "I know whom I have believed."

The witness of the Spirit will give a holy confidence to the soul-winner.

"What we have seen and felt, With confidence we tell."

Much of the timidity and reluctance shown by Christians toward personal work may be traced to a refusal or neglect to live the surrendered life and have the clear a.s.surance of acceptance with G.o.d.

This direct testimony to our adoption is given only by the Holy Spirit, and given only to believers because they are the sons of G.o.d. It is G.o.d's seal which he places upon his own, and we then no longer receive the spirit of bondage unto fear; but we receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The voice of G.o.d is heard in the soul bearing witness to our acceptance, and then the fruit of the Spirit speedily follows in the life to corroborate the inner voice and "give unmistakable confirmation to the testimony which was primary and direct."

To some, this a.s.surance comes like a sudden flash from the sky; to others, like the gentle breathing of the evening zephyr. But it comes, _it surely comes_; and no soul should be satisfied until it comes; for it is essential to a useful, joyous life. Look up now, and with eager expectancy await the "blessed a.s.surance."

"Why should the children of a King Go mourning all their days?

Great Comforter, descend and bring The tokens of thy grace.

a.s.sure my conscience of her part In the Redeemer's blood; And bear thy witness with my heart, That I am born of G.o.d.

Thou art the earnest of His love, The pledge of joys to come; May thy blest wings, celestial Dove, Safely convey me home!"

STUDY XI.

EVERY WEIGHT.

Memory Verse: "Wherefore seeing we also are compa.s.sed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."--(Heb. xii, 1, 2.)

Scripture for Meditation: 1 Cor. viii, 9-13; ix, 24-27.

We hear much about "personal liberty" in these days, and, to hear some talk, one would think that personal liberty was a gift to be selfishly guarded rather than to be sacrificed for the good of others. But Paul, the apostle, sacrificed his liberty for the sake of others; so did Onesimus, the Christian slave. Surely those professing Christians who make "personal liberty" their plea for engaging in some form of worldly amus.e.m.e.nt (such as dancing, card-playing, or theater-going), and those who are given to some filthy habit (such as the use of tobacco), have not studied the life of Jesus, or of Paul, or of Onesimus.

If there were no other reasons why these things should be renounced, that they injure our influence as soul-winners would be sufficient; for who ever heard of a man or woman who engaged in these forms of questionable amus.e.m.e.nt becoming ill.u.s.trious as a soul-winner? To say the least, they are "weights," and must be laid aside.

In a revival service, a lady rose, and, with tears raining down her face, said: "I have taught a Sunday-school cla.s.s of sixteen young men for three years, and have not seen one of them converted. I believe I know why, and now confess my sin. Being a teacher in the city schools, I thought I must see a Shakespearean play, and went to the theater one night. I saw several of my cla.s.s there, and they all seemed to be looking at me as if surprised. Next day I met some of them, and they confessed surprise that I was at the theater. I have been conscious from that time that I had lost my influence to win these young men to Christ." Within one week after this confession was made this lady had won seven of her cla.s.s for the Savior.

A young lady, once a society belle and fond of worldly amus.e.m.e.nts, consecrated her life to the Lord's work. In a rescue mission she was asked to speak to a poor wreck of a man who had been a gambler. He looked at her suspiciously as he asked, "Do you play cards, or dance, or go to the theater?" "No, not now," she replied. "Well, then you may talk to me; but I won't listen to one word from you fine folks who are doing on a small scale the very things that brought us poor wretches to where we are." And the young lady afterwards said she had found more real joy in leading that lost soul to Christ than she had ever found in the pleasures of the world.

_Lay aside every weight; lay aside every weight, just now._

STUDY XII.

PRAYER.