I. PERSONAL WORK AFTER A GOSPEL MEETING.
Perhaps the easiest and most natural place to do
personal work is after a Gospel meeting. Whenever
you attend a meeting, watch for some one to deal
with after the meeting is over. Do not trust to
chance in the matter, but as the minister preaches
the sermon keep your eyes on the audience and
watch who it is that is hit and what hits them,
then you can follow up the work that the minister
has already done by his sermon. You will soon
acquire good judgment in deciding with whom it is
wisest to speak. Of course one must be on his
guard against being obtrusive in watching others.
Before you go to the meeting pray definitely to
God to give you some one at the meeting, and then
watch for an answer to your prayer. When you have
found your man, go for him, and do not let him
slip away under any consideration. It is often
well to go as quickly as possible to one of the
doors of the meeting-house, and without making
oneself too prominent, watch people as they come
out, and then gently and courteously approach some
one, and deal with him about his soul.
There is a great difference in Christian workers.
Some seem never to get any one at the close of a
meeting unless some one else takes them to them.
They wait around with their Bible under their arm
for some one to come to them and take them to an
inquirer; others keep their eyes open for
themselves, and almost always manage to get hold
of some one.
In many of the more active churches, the church is
divided into sections with an overseer over each
division of the church, and individual workers
under the overseer. This is an excellent {23}
plan. When it is well carried out it prevents any
hopeful cases from getting out without being dealt
with personally.
II. IN HOMES.
The Apostle Paul tells us that he preached the
Gospel not only publicly, but "from house to
house" (Acts 20:20). There is far too little
Christian work done in the home. The best home to
begin with is your own. Jesus bade the demoniac of
Gadara when he was healed to return to his own
house and show how great things God had done unto
him (Luke 8:39). Every man who is converted should
begin to tell the saving power of Christ first in
his own home, to his own relatives and friends.
Many a mother with her family of children regrets
that she has not a wider field of labor for
Christ, but she will find one of the grandest of
all fields in her own home.
But we should not limit our personal work to our
own homes; we should do it in the homes where we
visit. In this way those who make us partakers of
their hospitality will entertain angels unawares
(Hebrews 13:2). A godly man who once visited in
the home of Spurgeon's parents, by a few words to
the little boy, made an impression upon that boy
that went far toward making him the mighty
minister of the Gospel that he became in after
years.
Then we should do personal work in the houses that
we enter in our house-to-house visitation. That
man or woman is a poor church visitor who simply
makes a pleasant call or talks upon religious
generalities. The true visitor will find frequent
opportunities for doing effective personal work
with some of the inhabitants of the home, or with
strangers they may find calling upon them.
III. ON THE STREETS.
Here again we have the Apostle Paul for an
example. Not only did he reason "in the synagogue
with the Jews and the devout persons," but also
"in the market place every day with them that met
with him." (Acts 17:17 RV) As you walk the
streets, be listening for the voice of God to say
"Go and speak to that man." Very often as one
walks the street of a crowded city or the lonely
roads of the country, if he is walking with God,
the leading will come to speak to some one that he
meets by the way, and countless are the souls that
have been led out of darkness into light in {24}
this way. As you look upon the surging crowd, ask
God if there is some one in this crowd with whom
He desires you to speak. Sometimes it is well to
stand to one side and watch the people as they
pass. Soon there will come a face that interests
you, a face it may be that tells a story of sin,
or sorrow and need. You can quietly follow this
person and watch for an opportunity to engage him
in conversation, and then point him to the one who
says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
IV. IN THE PARKS AND OTHER RESORTS.
The parks are often full of people who have plenty
of leisure and are willing to talk upon almost any
subject. Go through the park and find your man,
engage him in a conversation, and as quickly as
you can, lead him up to the great subject that is
burning in your own heart. Oftentimes it is well
to begin to talk about matters of passing
interest, the burning questions of the day, then
lead by the shortest possible route to the great
question. Sometimes show the one with whom you are
talking a tract, and ask his opinion of it, and
this will lead easily to the matter uppermost in
your mind. Not infrequently if you sit down in a
park some one will come and sit down beside you
and begin to talk to you, then of course it is
very easy to lead him into a conversation about
his own soul's need.
V. ON A WALK OR RIDE.
In this we have our Savior's own example. He made
the hearts of the two disciples burn within them
while He spoke to them in the way, and opened to
them the Scriptures (Luke 24:32). We also have the
example of Philip the evangelist. The Spirit bade
him go and join himself to the chariot of Queen
Candace's treasurer. The treasurer invited him up
into the chariot to ride with him, and the
memorable conversation and personal dealing that
followed led to the conversion and baptism of the
treasurer, and the carrying of the Gospel into
Ethiopia (Acts 8:29-38). There are few more
favorable places to do personal work than on a
walk or ride with a friend or even with a
stranger. {25}
VI. AT THE PLACE OF BUSINESS.
Here again we have the Savior's example. "As he
passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting
at the receipt of custom, and said unto him,
Follow me. And he arose and followed him." (Mark
2:14) Of course we ought not to interrupt men and
hinder their proper performance of their business
duties. Many a workman has rare opportunities to
speak with his fellow workmen, sometimes during
work hours, sometimes during the noon rest. One of
the most earnest Christian ministers I ever know
had been a godless employee in a factory, but the
man who worked next to him was a Christian, took
an interest in his fellow employee's soul, and was
instrumental under God in leading him to Christ. I
have met a good many from one of the largest
business institutions in our city who have been
led to Christ by one consecrated young man in the
establishment. This young man has since gone as a
foreign missionary, but he was used of God to lead
many of his fellow employees to Christ before he
went. It is well, wherever possible, to go into
stores and factories and other places of business
for the deliberate purpose of leading those who
work there to Christ. Of course, as already said,
it will not do to interrupt a man at his business,
neither will it do generally to deal with him when
others are around and listening, nor should he be
taken at an hour when he is in a bad temper; but
one who has that discretion that God is so ready
to give (James 1:5) will find many opportunities
for doing the Master's work. It is quite possible
oftentimes to drop a word, or even to have a
little talk, when there is not a great pressure of
business, with the clerk who sells us goods, or
with the barker who shaves us, or with the boy who
blacks our shoes. There are five marks of a good
opportunity; when one is alone, unoccupied, in
good humor, communicative and in a serious mood.
VII. ON CARS AND BOATS.
Traveling on a train affords a very rare
opportunity for personal work. Travelers usually
have much time that hangs heavily upon their
hands, and are glad to get into conversation with
any one, but if one is a real Christian, there is
one subject always uppermost in his mind, one
subject that he would rather talk about than any
other, and that is Jesus Christ. When you get
{26} into a train, get as good a seat for yourself
as you can, put your coat and grip out of the way,
move away over to the farther side of the seat,
and make the vacant space beside you look as
inviting as possible. If the car is at all
crowded, you will soon have a fellow passenger,
and the desired opportunity for personal work.
Sometimes it is well to keep your coat and grip in
the seat beside you until you see the man or woman
that you want coming, and then remove them and
move along in a way of silent invitation.
It is well to talk with the trainmen and porters.
They are usually willing to talk, and many of them
have been led to Christ by Spirit-filled workers
who were traveling with them.
Many Christian workers go through trains and give
tracts to every one on the train. I am not sure
that this is the wisest thing to do, but I know
that great blessing has come from it in many
cases. Certainly it is well to carry a good supply
of religious literature with you when you travel.
Some of the books of the Bible Institute
Colportage Association are excellent for this
purpose, such, e.g., as "Probably Sons." People
are willing to read almost anything on a train,
and these books without any comment oftentimes
will lead the reader to Christ, and when they do
not do this, they pave the way for a conversation.
Street cars are not as favorable a place for
personal work as trains. One does not have the
time or opportunity that he has on a train, and
yet good work can be done on a street car, both
with the passengers and with the motorman and
conductor. A minister once said to me, "I was
greatly ashamed last night going down on the
street car. I was sitting inside the car talking
on unimportant matters with friends, and as I
looked to the front end of the car, I saw one
member of my church talking with the driver about
his soul, and when I looked to the other end of
the car I saw another member of my church talking
to the conductor, and there I, the pastor of the
church, was doing nothing but wasting my time."
VIII. PRISONS, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS.
A fine place to do personal work is in public
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WHERE TO DO PERSONAL WORK
By R.A. Torrey