How to bring men to Christ

by R. A. Torrey

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

1. As a rule choose persons to deal with of your own sex and about your own age. There are exceptions to this rule. One should be always looking to the Holy Spirit for his guidance as to whom to approach, and He may lead us to one of the opposite sex, but unless there is clear guidance in the matter, it is quite commonly agreed among those who have had large experience in Christian work that men do, on the whole, most satisfactory work with men, and women with women. Especially is this true of the young. Many unfortunate complications oftentimes arise when young men try to lead young women to Christ or vice versa. Of course, an elderly motherly woman may do excellent work with a young man or boy, and an elderly, fatherly man may do good work with a young woman or girl. It is not wise ordinarily for a young and inexperienced person to approach one very much older and maturer and wiser than themselves on this subject.

2. Whenever it is possible, get the person with whom you are dealing alone. No one likes to open his heart freely to another on this most personal and sacred of all subjects when there are others present. Many will from pride defend themselves in a false position when several are present, who would fully admit their error or sin or need, if they were alone with you. As a rule it is far better for a single worker to deal with a single unconverted person, than for several workers to deal with a single inquirer or for a single worker to deal with several inquirers at once. If you have several to deal with take them one by one. Workers often find that when they have made no headway while talking to several at once, by taking individuals off by themselves they soon succeed in leading them one by one to Christ.

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

4. Do not content yourself with merely reading passages from the Bible—much less in merely quoting them, but have the one with whom you are dealing read them himself that the truth may find entrance into the heart through the eye as well as the ear.

5. It is ofttimes well to use but a single passage of scripture, drive that home and clinch it so that the one with whom you have been dealing cannot forget it, but will hear it ringing in his memory long after you have ceased talking. Dr. Ichabod Spencer once in dealing with a young man who had many difficulties kept continually quoting the passage “now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation.” The young man tried to get Dr. Spencer on to something else, but over and over again he rang out the words. The next day the young man returned rejoicing in Christ and thanking the doctor that he had “hammered” him with that text. The words kept ringing in his ears during the night and he could not rest until he had settled the matter by accepting 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 a piling up of passages along some line until the mind is convinced and the heart conquered.

6. 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 other question other than the central one of his need of a Saviour and Christ the Saviour he needs; tell him that those questions are proper to take up in their right place and time, but the time to settle them is after he has settled the first and fundamental question of accepting or rejecting Christ. Many a case has been lost by an inexperienced worker allowing himself to be involved in a discussion of some side issue which it is utter folly to discuss with an unregenerated person.

7. Be courteous. Many well–meaning but indiscreet Christians by their rudeness and impertinence repel those whom they would win to Christ. It is quite possible to be at once perfectly frank and perfectly courteous. You can point out to men their awful sin and need without insulting them. Your words may be very searching, while your manner is very gentle and winning. Indeed, the more gentle and winning 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 latter at once assume the defensive and clothe themselves with an armor that it is impossible to penetrate.

8. Be dead in earnest. Only the earnest man can make the unsaved man feel the truth of God’s word. It is well to let the passages that we would use with others first sink into our own souls. I know of a very successful worker who for a long time used the one passage, “prepare to meet thy God,” with every one 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 text book.

The reader of this book is advised to ponder, upon his knees, such of the passages suggested in it as he decides to use until he himself feels their power. We read of Paul that he “ceased not to warn every one night and day, with tears.” (Acts xx. 31.) Genuine earnestness will go farther than any skill learned in a training class or from the study of such a book as this.