J. W. Mahood - The Art of Soul-Winning

Never was there such great need for a mighty, Pentecostal revival in allour Churches; and the key to such a revival is earnest personal work.But the membership of the Churches are not prepared to enter upon thiswork. Multitudes know nothing of a personal Pentecost. Many are utterlyindifferent. They do not realize their opportunity and responsibilitybefore God. If they did, the revival would come at once.

With the hope that many professing Christians may be awakened to duty,and hear God's call to personal work in soul-winning, this little volumeis written.

Let the pastor see that a copy is put into every home one month previousto the time set for special revival-meetings. Let him secure a pledgefrom the people to read the study for each day, commit the memoryverses, and meditate upon the Scripture suggested.

Once each week, either at a special meeting appointed for this purpose,at the week-night prayer-meeting, or at the young people's devotionalmeeting Sunday evening, let the studies for the week be reviewed and thememory verses recited. Short talks may also be given on each topic bypersons previously selected.

When the entire Church membership shall begin to think and speak uponthese vital themes; when the spirit of grace and supplication shall takethe place of formality and worldly desire; when the Holy Ghost ofPentecost shall come upon the waiting, praying Church, then the times ofrefreshing will be sure to come from the presence of the Lord, and theperishing multitudes will be saved.

Sioux City, Iowa.

Memory Verse: "And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."(Dan. xii, 3.)

Scripture for Meditation: Matt. vi, 19-23; Rev. iii, 14-22.

Fred B- was a medical student. He was stricken, with that dreadedscourge, consumption. The physicians advised a trip to the mountains.During the first few months among the Rockies he improved rapidly, andhope and ambition flamed anew; but it was only a brief respite fromsuffering before the final collapse. Lying in a Denver hospital, he wasvisited by some consecrated young people, who sang and prayed with him.He yielded himself to Christ, and the peace of God filled his heart.

They brought him home to a little Iowa city to die. The day after hisarrival the pastor was summoned to his bedside, when the young manrelated the circumstances of his conversion. The pastor said, "Then youare not afraid to die?" "No," said he, "not afraid, but not ready."

When asked why he was not ready, he replied: "I have done nothing for myMaster. I have won no souls for him. Could I have six months more tolive that I might bring some souls to Jesus, and thus not go into hispresence empty-handed, I would be satisfied to die. I am not afraid todie, but not ready." Just then the door of the room opened, and thedying boy's father, an old, white-haired man who had been absent fromhome and had not seen his son since his return, came in. The old man wasnot a Christian. Then occurred a pathetic scene. The young man threw hisarms about his father's neck, and drew him down upon his knees at thebedside, urged him to give himself to God, and then, with shorteningbreath, uttered such a prayer of intercession as is seldom heard. Theold man sobbed aloud, yielded to Christ, declared his faith, and thedying boy had won one soul for his Master. In a few hours he had goneinto the presence of the King; but not empty-handed.

O ye to whom God has given the strength and vigor of manhood andwomanhood, and who have pledged your allegiance to the Christ ofCalvary, are you winning any souls for your Master? Or are you goinginto his presence empty-handed? What if in the judgment-day it shallbe seen that some souls who might have been saved have been lost throughyour neglect? What if it shall then be seen that the crown of many starswhich you might have won is given to another? And what, if in the greatday of his appearing you shall be found, having gathered no sheaves andempty-handed?

Memory Verse: "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."(Mark xvi, 15.)

Scripture for Meditation: Ezek. xxxiii, 1-11.

By the Master's final words to his disciples the obligation is laid uponevery Christian to be a soul-winner. "Ye shall be my witnesses," is therisen Lord's message to all his followers. No one is excused. "Followme," said Christ, "and I will make you fishers of men." And when hisface was set toward Calvary, he said to the Father, "As thou hast sentme into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." By themouth of the prophet Ezekiel, God distinctly says that, if we neglect"to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in hisiniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." We are allsent, and if we shrink or excuse ourselves from our great mission weshall come into condemnation.

The unsaved multitudes know that every Christian should be an ambassadorfor Christ, and when we fail to do our duty we are condemned in theireyes as well as before God. A writer in the Epworth Era says:

"A college professor who was noted among his fellow-teachers for hishabit of addressing young men upon their personal relations to Christ,was asked by one of his fellow-professors, 'Do they not resent yourappeals as an impertinence?' He replied: 'No! Nothing is of suchinterest to any man as his own soul and its condition. He will neverresent words of warning or comfort if they are prompted by genuinefeeling. When I was a young man, I felt as you do. My wife's cousin, ayoung fellow not yet of age, lived in our house for six months. My dreadof meddling was such that I never asked him to be present at familyworship, or spoke to him on the subject of religion. He fell into thecompany of a wild set, and was rapidly going to the bad. When I reasonedwith him I spoke of Christ. "Do you call yourself a Christian?" heasked, assuming an astonished look. "I hope so," I replied. "But you arenot. If you were, he must be your Best Friend. Yet I have lived in yourhouse for six months, and you have never once named his name to me; no,he is nothing to you!" I have never forgotten the rebuke.'"

Memory Verse: "And he brought him to Jesus."(John i, 42.)

Scripture for Meditation: John i, 35-45.

Have you ever noticed that much of the work which the Master and hisdisciples did was "personal work?" Some of our Lord's greatest sermonswere preached to one person. The apostles were all won individually.Turn to your Bible now, and read the account of the visit of Nicodemusto Christ, and of the meeting with the woman of Samaria at the well. Ifyou take the time to follow this theme through the Gospels and throughthe Acts of the Apostles, you will be sure to see that the work ofwinning souls for Christ by personal effort is the work of everyChristian.