Category Archives: Patience

Evangelism: ‘Reaching ONE person at a time is the best way of reaching ALL the world’

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And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15

“To every creature – That is, to every human being. God commands His servants to offer the salvation to all–If they reject, it is at their peril. God is not to blame if they do not choose to be saved. His mercy is manifest; His grace is boundless in offering life to a creature so guilty as man.”–a ‘Benson Commentary’..

Personal Evangelism: Consider the following!

1920: “In the supremely important program of evangelism we should recognize the place of individual work for individuals during revival seasons and in the usual life of the Church. We should also have eyes to see the opportunities for personal evangelism in the Sunday school class and in the home.

A face to face and heart to heart interview with an individual is the most successful method of evangelism. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) says… if the kingdom is ever to come to our Lord and come it will it never will come through a few ministers, missionaries and evangelists preaching the gospel. It must come through every one of you preaching it in the shop, when walking abroad and by the fireside. 1

“Reaching one person at a time is the best way of reaching all the world in time.”

Every Christian should become an evangelist! The Gospels record nineteen private interviews of Jesus with individuals. The first chapter of John is a chapter of eurekas. The herald pointing to Jesus said Behold the Lamb of God. John and Andrew followed Jesus. Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus. Jesus found Philip. Philip found his neighbor Nathanael. This method of winning one at a time has been successful from the beginning of Christendom–to our own day.

The conversion of D.L. Moody:

One day Edmund Kimball went into a shoe store in Boston and laying his hand on the shoulder of a member of his Sunday school class, urged him to become a Christian. Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) accepted the Lord Jesus then and there and during his life time, he preached to seven million people and touched with his power, one hundred million souls! 1

The conversion of J. Wilbur Chapman:

On a Sunday afternoon at the close of an address in a Methodist Sunday school in Richmond Indiana, (likely the Grace Methodist Church) a man appealed to the pupils to stand and confess Christ. Every boy in one class, with a single exception arose. Mrs. Binckley, (likely Georgiana (Holland) Binkley, wife of Sen. C.C. Binkley) the faithful teacher, leaned around back of the other boys and said would it not be best for you to rise. She put her hand under his arm and lifted just a bit and the boy stood.

That was the day, said J. Wilbur Chapman, (age 17) the great evangelist, when one of the most profound impressions of my life was made upon me. It was my Sunday school teacher who influenced me to take the stand. It was her personal touch that gave me courage to rise and confess my Saviour! Look into the circumstances of the conversion of any soul and you will discover human agency, parents, pastor, teacher or friend.”–By Charles D. Bulla; a story featured in the Christian Advocate, March 12, 1920.

“Anything that dims my vision for Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me; and I must, as a Christian turn away from it.”–J. Wilbur Chapman, 1859-1918.+ Who was John H. Converse?

The conversion of Billy Sunday: William A. Sunday (1862-1935) was saved after attending several meetings at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, assisted by the efforts of Mrs. Clark, the wife of the Mission’s founder, Col. Clark. Source: The Real Billy Sunday: by Elijah P. Brown, 1914.

Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman‘s influence in the ministry of Rev. Billy Sunday:

*”Billy Sunday‘s first experience in direct evangelistic work was in association with Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, who next to Moody was the most widely known American evangelist. While Sunday was with the Chicago Association, Chapman’s singer was Peter Bilhorn and he and Sunday were warm friends. It was through Bilhorn that Chapman and Sunday became acquainted. Dr. C. was greatly impressed by Sunday’s earnestness and unusual power in reaching and winning men.

He needed an assistant and believed that Sunday’s help would be just what he ought to have so he made the ball player (Billy Sunday played professional baseball for five years) a proposition, which he at length accepted. Sunday at first acted as an advance man. He would go into the new field and make the preliminary arrangements. He would superintend the erection of the tent when one was used, get a band of singers organized and look after necessary details. He would begin the meeting and do the preaching for a few days until Dr. Chapman arrived and then afterward, would hold auxiliary meetings in outlying churches. At noontime he would speak to the men in shops, factories and other places.

Through his cooperating assistance in this way, interest in the central meeting would be awakened much sooner. Many of the meetings were held in large tents, but not all of them. Sometimes the place visited would have a large hall or other suitable building that could be utilized. A systematic organization was always effected and the hearty cooperation of churches enlisted special services were held for young people, for children, for men and for women, and every legitimate means used to arouse the religious interest of the entire community.

The unmistakable power of printer’s ink was acknowledged and almost invariably the press gave positive help by publishing intelligent reports of the meetings. As no two meetings were alike, something was learned in each one that would add to the efficiency and effectiveness of the next. By this it will be seen in what a splendid school young Sunday found himself and how the hand of God was leading and preparing him for the great work he was being divinely chosen to accomplish. Hour by hour and day by day he was being taught the great lessons he must learn before he could reach the place where (he was going)..

The beginning of Billy Sunday’s evangelism:

Sunday continued with Dr. Chapman for three years and then during the holidays of 1895/6 Dr. C. wired that he had agreed to return to the pastorate of his old church in Philadelphia. Almost the same day that he received this message, he also received a telegram from a little town in Iowa named Garner asking him to conduct a ten days meeting there.”–The Real Billy Sunday: Elijah P. Brown, 1914.

How to be Saved + Soul Profiting Work

You do not know how to persuade sinners to be reconciled to God?!! —Then you should learn.”—Rev. John Howard Hinton; MA., 1865.