A very large number of persons whom we try to lead to Christ, we will find are really anxious to be saved and know how, but are confronted with difficulties which they deem insurmountable.
1. One of the difficulties is, “I am too great a sinner.” 1 Tim 1:15 meets this fully. One Sunday morning a man who had led a wild and wandering life and who had recently lost $35,000 and been separated from his wife, said to me in response to my question, why he was not Christian, “I am too great a sinner to be saved.” I turned at once to 1 Tim 1:15. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” He quickly replied, “well, I am the chief of sinners.” “Well,” I said, “that verse means you then.” He replied, “It is a precious promise.” I said, “Will you accept it now?” and he said, “I will.” Then I said, “Let us kneel down and tell God so,” and we knelt down and he confessed to God his sins, and asked God for Christ’s sake to forgive him his sins. I asked him if he had really accepted Christ and he said he had. I asked him if he really believed that he was saved and he said he did. He took an early opportunity of confessing Christ. He left the city in a short time but I was able to follow him. He became a most active Christian, working at his business day times but engaged in some form of Christian work every night in the week. He was reunited to his wife and adopted a little child out of an orphan asylum and had a happy Christian home. Luke 19:10 is also a very useful passage to use in dealing with this class of men; especially useful when a man says, “I am lost.” You can say, “I have a passage intended expressly for you. If you really mean what you say, you are just the man Jesus is seeking. ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.’” Romans v. 6-8 is a very effective passage. I stopped a man one night as he was hurrying out of a meeting. Laying my hand on his shoulder I said “Did you not hold your hand up to–night for prayers?” He said “yes.” I said, “Why then are you hurrying away? Do you know God loves you?” He replied, “You do not know who you are talking to.” “I do not care who I am talking to but I know God loves you.” He said: “I am the meanest thief in Minneapolis.” I said “If you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, then I know God loves you,” and I opened my Bible to Romans v. 8. “But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” “Now,” I said, “If you are the meanest thief in Minneapolis, you are a sinner, and this verse tells that God loves sinners.” The man broke down and going into another room with me told me his story. He was just out of confinement for crime; had started out that very night to commit what he said would have been one of the most daring burglaries ever committed in the city of Minneapolis; with his two companions in crime he was passing a corner where he happened to hear an open–air meeting going on and stopped a few minutes to hear and in spite of the protests and oaths of his companions stayed through the meeting and went with us to the Mission. After telling me his story we kneeled in prayer. Through tears he cried to God for mercy, having been led by God’s precious promise to believe that God loved a sinner even as vile as he. Matt 9:12-13; Romans 10:13 (Emphasize “whosoever”); John 3:16 (Emphasize the “whosoever”); Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 4:14; John 2:1-2; Isaiah 44:22; Isaiah 43:25 are also useful passages in dealing with this class of men. Isaiah 1:18 and Psalm 51:14 are especially useful in dealing with men who have committed murder. Never tell any one that his sins are not great. It is well sometimes to say to these men, “Yes, your sins are great, greater than you think, but they have all been settled” and show them Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24. A woman once came to me in great agitation. After many ineffectual attempts she was at last able to unburden her heart. Fourteen years before she had killed a man and had borne the memory of the act upon her conscience until it had almost driven her crazy. When she told the story to another Christian and myself, we turned to Isaiah 53:6. After reading the verse very carefully to her, I asked her what the Lord had done with her sin. After a few moments’ deep and anxious thought she said, “He has laid it on Christ,” I took a book in my hand. “Now,” I said “let my right hand represent you, and my left hand Christ, and this book your sin.” I laid the book upon my right hand and I said: “Where is your sin now?” She said “On me.” “Now,” I said, “what has God done with it?” She said “Laid it on Christ,” and I laid the book over on the other hand. “Where is your sin now?” I asked. It was long before she could summon courage to answer, and then with a desperate effort she said, “On Christ.” I said, “then is it on you any longer?” Slowly the light came into her face and she burst out with a cry, “No, it is on Him, it is on Christ.” John 1:29; Acts 10:43; Heb. 7:25, are also helpful texts in dealing with this class of men.
2. Another difficulty we frequently meet with, is “I can’t hold out,” or “I am afraid of failure.” 1 Peter 1:5 is useful in showing that we are not to keep ourselves but are “kept by the power of God.” John 10:28-29 shows that the safety of the one who accepts Christ does not depend upon his “holding out” but upon the keeping power of the Father and the Son. 2 Tim 1:12 shows that it is Christ’s business and not ours to keep that which is entrusted to him and that he is able to do it. Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 41:13 are also helpful. Jude 24 shows that whether we can keep from falling or not, Christ is able to keep us from falling. 2 Chron. 32:7-8; Romans 14:4; 2 Thess. 3:3, are also good texts to use. 1 Cor 10:13 is especially useful when one is afraid that some great temptation will overtake him and he will fall.
3. Another difficulty very similar to the preceding one, is “I am too weak.” With such a person, use 2 Cor 12:9-10. Ask him “where is it that Christ’s strength is made perfect?” When he answers “in weakness,” tell him “then the weaker you are in your own strength the better.” Philippians 4:13 shows that however weak we may be, we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. 1 Cor 10:13 will show that God knows all about our weakness and will not permit us to be tempted above our strength.
4. “I cannot give up my evil ways or bad habits.” Gal 6:7-8, will show them that they must give them up or perish. Philippians 4:13 will show them that they can give them up in Christ’s strength. It is an excellent plan to point the one who fears that he cannot give up his bad habits, to Christ, as a risen Saviour, 1 Cor 15:3-4. A man once came to me and said: “I come to you to know if there is any way I can get power to overcome my evil habits.” He told me his story; he had been converted in childhood but had come to Chicago, fallen in with evil companions and gone down, and now could not break away from his sins. I said to him: “You know only half the gospel, the gospel of a crucified Saviour. Through trusting in the crucified Saviour you found pardon. But Jesus Christ is also a risen Saviour, 1 Cor. 15:4, ‘All power is given unto Him,’ Matt. 28:18. He has power to give you victory over your evil habits. Do you believe that?” He said, “yes.” “You trusted,” I continued, “in the crucified Christ and found pardon, did you not?” “Yes,” he replied. “Now,” I said, “will you trust the risen Christ to save you from the power of your sins?” “Yes, I will.” “Let us kneel down then, and tell him so.” We knelt and talked it all over with the Saviour. When he arose his very countenance was changed. “I am so glad I came,” he said. Some time after I received a letter from him telling me how he found constant victory through trusting in the risen Christ.
5. “I will be persecuted if I become a Christian.” Never tell any one that he will not be persecuted, but show him from such passages as 2 Tim. 2:12; 2 Tim 3:12; Matt 5:10-12; Mark 8:35; Acts 14:22, that persecution is the only path to Glory. Show them from Romans 8:18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us. Show them from Acts 5:41; 1 Peter 2:20-21, that it is a privilege to be persecuted for Christ’s sake. Heb 12:2-3 is useful in showing them where to look for victory in persecution.
6. “It will hurt my business,” or “I can’t be a Christian in my present business.” Point such a one to Mark 8:36. This will show him that it is better to lose his business than to lose his soul. After this thought has been sufficiently impressed upon his mind, show him Matt 6:32-33 which contains God’s promise that if we put God and His kingdom first, that He will provide for all our real temporal needs. Matt 16:24-27; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 12:24-26 are also very effective passages to use with this class.
7. “Too much to give up.” Mark 8:36 will show them that they had better give up everything than to lose their soul. Philippians 37-8; Psalms 16:11 will show them that what they give up is nothing compared with what they get. Psalms 84:11; Romans 8:32 will show them that God will not ask them to give up any good thing; in other words, that the only things God asks them to give up are the things that are hurting them. A young woman once refused to come to the Saviour saying, “There is too much to give up.” “Do you think God loves you?” I answered. “Certainly.” “How much do you think he loves you?” She thought a moment and answered, “Enough to give his son to die for me.” “Do you think, if God loved you enough to give his son to die for you, he will ask you to give up anything it is for your good to keep?” “No.” “Do you wish to keep anything that it is not for your good to keep?” “No.” “Then you had better come to Christ at once.” And she did. 1 John 2:17; Luke 12:16-21 will show them how worthless are the things which they are trying to keep.
8. “The Christian life is too hard.” Say to the inquirer, “Let me show you from God’s word that you are mistaken about the Christian life being hard.” Then turn him to Matt 11:30; Proverbs 3:17; Psalms 16:11; 1 John 5:3, and show him that a Christian life is not hard but exceedingly pleasant. Then turn him to Proverbs 13:15, and show him that it is the sinner’s life that is hard.
9. “I am afraid of my ungodly companions;” or “I will lose my friends if I take Christ.” Proverbs 29:25 will show them the consequence of yielding to the fear of man and the security of the one who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 13:20 will show them the result of holding on to their companions, and Psalms 1:1 will show the blessedness of giving up evil companions. 1 John 1:3 shows how much better companionship one gets than he loses by coming to Christ.
10. “My heart is too hard.” Ezekiel 36:26-27, will show them that though their hearts are hard as stone, that will make no difference because God will give them a new heart.
11. “I have no feeling.” Ask the inquirer what kind of feeling he thinks he must have before he comes to Christ. If it is the peace of which Christians speak, show him from Gal 5:22; Eph 1:13; Acts 5:32; 1 Peter 1:8; Matt 10:32, that this feeling is the result of accepting Christ and confessing Him, and that he cannot expect it until he accepts and confesses Christ. If the feeling which he thinks he must have is the feeling that he is a sinner, then show him by Isaiah 55:7 that it is not the feeling that we are sinners that God demands, but a turning away from sin. Or, from Acts 16:31; John 1:12; that God does not ask us to feel that we are sinners but to confess that we are sinners and trust in Christ as a Saviour. Isaiah 55:1; Rev 22:17, will show the inquirer that all the feeling he needs is a desire for salvation.
It is often times well, however, with this class of inquirers to show them the passages for “The Indifferent” until they do feel that they are sinners.
12. “I am seeking Christ, but cannot find Him.”
Jer 29:13, shows that when we seek him with the whole heart we shall find him. Speaking with a woman one evening in an after–meeting she said to me, “I have been seeking Christ two years and cannot find Him.” I replied, “I can tell you when you will find him.” She looked at me in surprise and I turned to Jer 29:13, and read “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” “There,” I said, “that shows you when you will find Christ. You will find him when you search for him with all your heart. Have you done that?” After a little thought she answered “No.” “Well, then,” I said, “let us kneel right down here now.” She did this and in a few moments she was rejoicing in Christ. You can point one who has this difficulty to Luke 15:1-10; Luke 19:10. These passages show that Jesus is seeking the sinner and you can say, “if you are really seeking Christ it will not take a seeking Saviour and a seeking sinner very long to find each other.”
13. “I cannot believe.”
In most cases where one says this the real difficulty which lies back of their inability to believe is unwillingness to forsake sin. John 5:44, is a good passage to use with such a one, or Isaiah 55:7. In the use of the latter passage, hold the man’s attention to the fact that all God asks of him is that he turn away from sin and turn to Him.
14. “God won’t receive me,” or “I have sinned away the day of grace,” or “I am afraid I have committed the unpardonable sin.”
The people who honestly say this, are as a rule about the most difficult class to deal with of any that you will meet. John 6:37, is the great text to use with them for it shows that Jesus will receive any one who will come to him. Hold him continually to that point, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” and if they keep saying “He won’t receive me” repeat the text, looking to the Spirit of God to carry the truth home. Many an utterly despondent soul has found light and peace through this verse in God’s word. Rev 22:17, is also useful as it shows that any one who will can have the water of life freely. Isaiah 55:1, shows that any one who desires salvation can have it. Isaiah 1:18, shows that no matter how great a man’s sins may be still here is pardon. Acts 10:43, and John 3:16, that “whosoever” will believe upon Christ will find pardon and eternal life. Romans 10:13, shows that any one, no matter who or what he is, who will “call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It is well sometimes to turn to Heb 6:4-6, and Matt 12:31-32, and show the inquirer just what the unpardonable sin is and what its results are. Matt 12:31-32, shows that it is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and put it squarely to him, “have you ever blasphemed against the Holy Ghost?” Heb. 6:4-6, shows that the difficulty is not in God’s unwillingness to forgive, but in the man’s unwillingness to repent and that any one who is concerned about his salvation evidently has not committed the unpardonable sin nor sinned away his day of grace. A little instruction along this line is often times all that is needed.
15. “It is too late.”
When an inquirer says this, it is often times well to use 2 Cor 6:2, and tell him that God says, it is just the time. Luke 23:39-43, is useful as showing that even at the last hour Jesus will hearken to the sinner’s cry. 2 Peter 3:9, will show that His will is that none should perish, but that He is delaying the judgment that He may save as many as will come. Deut 4:30-31, is an especially helpful passage as it says “Even in the latter days” if thou turn to the Lord he will be merciful. Isaiah 1:18, and Rev 22:17, can alone be used here.