Author: R. A. Torrey

Publisher:

Published: 2018-01-25

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 9781976995545

There are certain general conditions, the fulfilment of which isabsolutely essential to real success in bringing men to Christ. Theseconditions, fortunately, are few and simple and such as any one canmeet.1. _The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christmust himself be_ A THOROUGHLY CONVERTED PERSON. Jesus said to Peter,"When thou art _converted_ strengthen thy brethren." He was in noposition to help his brethren until he himself, after his cowardlydenial, had turned again to his Lord with his whole heart. If we wouldbring others to Christ we must turn away from all sin, and worldlinessand selfishness with our whole heart, yielding to Jesus the absolutelordship over our thoughts, purposes and actions. If there is anydirection in which we are seeking to have our own way and not lettingHim have His own way in our lives, our power will be crippled and menlost that we might have saved. The application of this principle to thenumerous questions that come up in the life of every young Christian asto whether he should do this or that, each individual can settle forhimself if Christ's honor and not his own pleasure is upper-most in hismind and if he looks honestly to God to guide him.2. _The one who would have real success in bringing others to Christmust have a_ LOVE FOR SOULS, _i. e._ _a longing for the salvation of thelost_. If we have no love for souls, our efforts will be mechanical andpowerless. We may know how to approach men and what to say to them, butthere will be no power in what we say and it will not touch the heart.But if like Paul we have "great heaviness and unceasing pain in ourhearts" for the unsaved, there will be an earnestness in our tone andmanner that will impress the most careless. Furthermore if we have alove for souls we will be on the constant watch for opportunities tospeak with the unsaved and will find opportunities on the street, in thestore, in the home, on the cars and everywhere that would otherwise haveentirely escaped our notice.But how is one to get a love for souls? This question is easilyanswered. First of all, a love for souls like every other grace ofChristian character, is the work of the Holy Spirit. If then we areconscious 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 inour lives and ask Him by His Holy Spirit to supply that which we sosorely need, and expect Him to do it (1 Jno. v. 14, 15; Phil. iv. 19).In the second place Jesus Christ had an intense love for souls (Matt.xxiii. 37; Luke xix. 10), and intimate and constant companionship withHim will impart to our lives this grace which was so prominent in His.In the third place feelings are the outcome of thoughts. If we desireany given feeling in our lives we should dwell upon the thoughts whichare adapted to produce that feeling. If any saved person will dwell longenough upon the peril and wretchedness of any man out of Christ and theworth of his soul in God's sight as seen in the death of God's Son tosave him, a feeling of intense desire for that man's salvation is almostcertain to follow. In the fourth place, reflection upon our own ruinedand unhappy condition without Christ and the great sacrifice that Christmade to save us, is sure to fill our hearts with a desire to bringothers to the Saviour we have found.3. _The one who would have real success in bringing men to Christ musthave a_ WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE. The Word of God is the sword ofthe Spirit (Eph. vi. 17). It is the instrument God uses to convict ofsin, to reveal Christ and to regenerate men. If we would work togetherwith God, the Bible is the instrument upon which we must rely and whichwe must use in bringing men to Christ.