WINNING SOULS By W. G. A. MILLAR INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA 45 WEST 18th STREET N-EW YORK CITY PRICE, 2 cent! each; 10 cenu per dozen: tl. SO per hundred. Copyright 1920 INTERCHURCH WORLD MOVEMENT OF NORTH AMERICA WINNING SOULS B, W. G. A. MILLAR Purchasing Agent AMERICAN BRIDGE CO., PITTSBURGH, PA. G O THOU, and preach the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:60). This was said to a layman, a man in the crowd. When we obey this command, things be- gin to happen. We get plenty of excitement in our lives. Any man who will live abso- lutely in the will of God for say thirty days, will find such a change in his soul’s condi- tion that he will sign up a “contract” with the Almighty for all eternity ; in other words, he will make a complete surrender of his will to God. As we obey this command to “go” and tell others, we discover that men and women in the business world, in the social, political, yes, even in the sporting world, want to be saved. Not collectively and not every one, but individually hundreds want to know God and long to find his peace. Soul-winning is a real “man’s” job. It is a matter of life and death — yes, of spir- itual life to the man that is saved and of spiritual death to the one who is lost. What are Christians going to do about it? This is the world’s greatest problem. Many men on the outside, as well as on the inside of the church, are missing the real joy of an “abounding” faith in the ever-living Christ. 4 WINNING SOULS They will not give their faith a chance to grow by witnessing to others. Can any Christian man engage in this wonderful work? We answer, Yes! God needs us in this work, as there are thousands to be saved for whom nothing is being done. Every unsaved man needs salvation, and in many instances he is only waiting for the invitation. Here are four essentials that will insure success providing you have found Christ, and really want others to know him. First: Have at least fifteen minutes alone with God every morning. Second: At that time make a definite of- fering of self for service just for that day. Third: Obey every impulse of the Spirit and each prompting that comes to the mind to speak to a stranger. Not to every one we may meet, but every time we have an im- pulse or thought in that direction. Fourth: Keep very humble and give to God all the glory for results obtained. “Hu- mility is the price of spiritual power.” The following quotation from the Sunday School Times is a great challenge to every Christian : “The great need of our age, and its great lack, is passion for souls, that swelling tide of intense emotion, that outflow of life and desire to serve, which lifts a man up over his selfishness, his sordidness, his timidity, his indolence, and sweeps him on to the high and heroic endeavor not for one splendid WINNING SOULS S spasmodic effort alone, but steadily driving him through the months and years and de- cades.” KEEPING GOD’S APPOINTMENTS The other day I arose before dawn in one of New York’s suburban towns in order to have an early start for the business appoint- ments of the day. First taking the subur- ban train, then the “tube” under the North River to downtown New York, then after business hours crossing to Newark, N. J., via the subway to speak at two meetings, and later taking a train to Philadelphia, I finally retired to rest in my hotel at one A. M. During these nineteen active hours that had passed since my early rising, many persons have crossed my pathway to whom at every “impulse of the Spirit” I gave a tract, told them about Jesus Christ, or had tried to help them to a better life. All were interested, some were profuse in their thanks for my interest in their souls, and I know that some made a new start with God. So the thought came to me of the appointments that God had made for me that day, as he knew beforehand just where I would be at every moment of the day. He knew that these very persons to whom I had spoken were in need of him and were without the “joy of the Lord” which only faith in Christ can bring. Unknown to me, and unknown to them, the Lord arranged these many ap- pointments, so that at just the right moment, in the train, the .subway, in the office, the ho- tel or on the street, this person crossed my pathway. 6 WINNING SOULS Then the great wonder of it all came over me, and I just thanked the dear Lord and told him, that with his help, he could de- pend upon me to do my part in trying to win souls for the Kingdom. And thus for every personal worker, or winner of souls, the Lord will make these daily appointments if he is faithful and willing to be used, for he needs you in this service. The great ma- jority of people whom we meet each day won’t really know him, and are only wait- ing for some one to tell them how to come to God. SOME EXAMPLES OF BRINGING MEN TO CHRIST Dining with a friend at a business club in a western city, I noticed that he was in trouble, and asked him if he had taken the matter to God in prayer. He replied in the negative, and then I told him what Christ was to me. He thanked me for the message with tears in his eyes, and told me that I was the only man in twenty years who had spoken to him about God. A few months ago I spoke to a business salesman about the joy of being a Chris- tian. Three months later he came to me and said he had some great news. Traveling in a western train one day he said he suddenly realized that I had something which he didn’t have. So there in the railway car he yielded his will to God, and became a Chris- tian. He said, “You are the only business man who has ever spoken to me about reli- gion.” The first time he was told he came to God. WINNING SOULS 1 Just the other day, sitting beside a stran- ger in a street car, a trifling incident started a conversation, the result being that I gave this person a printed tract to read, entitled “The Purchasing Agent’s Story.” Later in the day this was handed to a friend. The following week the second person called on me, saying, “1 have read everything about God, but have never yet found light nor peace for my soul. You have found him. Can you show me how I can find God?” This man was sixty-five years old. Recently a corporation official asked me, “What are you doing it for?” I answered, “So many years of my life have been wasted that for the balance I want to show as many men as possible how to get right with God.” “I am not right myself,” he replied. Following a recent convention meeting in a western city, a stranger approached me in the hotel lobby and said, “I heard you speak this afternoon. Can you give me some cop- ies of the tract on ‘Cussing as a Fine Art ?’ ” I said, “Yes, come up to my room,” and dur- ing the next hour I heard the story of his life’s failure in wandering away from God, and of his great desire to get right again. At another convention a young business man, who is a college graduate, came to the platform and asked how he could find Gk)d and get back his faith in Christ, which he had lost during his college career. Too much philosophy had stolen away his soul’s peace. Some weeks ago a business man, an offi- cial of a great corporation, thanked me with a voice of deep emotion and with moist eyes 8 WINNING SOULS for telling him what Christ had become in my life, remarking, “I never saw my own life until this moment, and what I have missed.” Many colored men on the railroad trains, both porters and waiters, are without God and without hope. I frequently hand them a printed tract and find they are eager for the gospel message. On an average, two out of every three of these colored men are unsaved and want salvation. Dining with a business friend one day, he said, “There is something wrong with my life, but I don’t know what it is. I am su- perintendent of a Sabbath school, but noth- ing seems to happen in our school.” I said, “Perhaps there is something that you ought to do.” “Do you think so? What is it?” he replied. I said, “Ask God and he will show you.” I had a good guess as to where the trouble was, so gave him something to read on the Surrendered Life. Soon after he wrote me a letter saying he had called on his next door neighbor, and was greatly surprised and delighted to have him accept Christ and come to church. My friend had made a new start with God. On a recent trip to New York I visited the home of a Christian business man who is a great soul winner. Almost his first excla- mation was, “I have great news ! Since you were here last, the ice-man, the plumber and the janitor have all accepted Christ.” “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15 : 10 ). No. 547. LW. 1. 25. Mar. 1920.