How to bring men to ChristTorrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Religion
How to bring men to Christ
Torrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer)
Evangelistic work; Witness bearing (Christianity)
The man came more than four
thousand miles to this country, but the work did not open to him. He was
in much perplexity and doubt until he was led to see that it was not for
him to select the work of an evangelist, as good as that work was, and
then expect the Holy Spirit to qualify him for this self–chosen work. He
gave himself up to be sent into whatever work the Spirit might will.
Into the work in which he was sent the power of the Spirit came upon him
and he received this very gift of an evangelist which he had coveted.
(d.) Acts i. 5, 8. _The Baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts power
for service, the services to which God calls us._ In a certain city was
an uneducated boy who was led to Christ. In his very lowly occupation he
began witnessing for Jesus. He went on from step to step in Christ’s
work. My attention was called to him by a gentleman who was interested
in him, and who said he would like to have me meet him. The gentleman
brought him to Chicago, and I invited him one night to speak in one of
our tents. It was in an exceedingly hard neighborhood. Into the same
tent an organized mob once came to break up the meeting. It was a
difficult audience to hold. The young man began in what appeared to me
to be a very commonplace way, and I was afraid I had made a mistake in
asking him to speak, but I prayed and watched the audience. There was
nothing remarkable in his address as he went on—excepting the bad
grammar. But I noticed that all the people were listening. They
continued to listen to the end. When I asked if there was any one who
wished to accept Christ, people rose in different parts of the tent to
signify that they did. Thinking it all over, I told the facts to a man
who had known the speaker before. “It is just so wherever he goes” was
the reply. What was the explanation? This uneducated boy had received
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and had received power. One night at the
close of an address on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, a minister came
to me on the platform and said: “I need this power, won’t you pray for
me?” “Let us kneel right down here now,” I replied, and we did. A few
weeks after I met a gentleman who had been standing by. “Do you
remember,” he said “the minister with whom you prayed at New Britain. He
went back to his church; his church is packed Sunday evenings, a large
part of the audience are young men and he is having conversions right
along.” He had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and “power.” (e.)
Acts iv. 29‒31. _The Baptism of the Holy Spirit always imparts boldness
in testimony and service._ Peter is a notable example of this. Contrast
Peter in Acts iv. 8‒12 with Peter in Mark xiv. 66‒72. Perhaps some one
who reads this book has a great desire to speak to others and win them
to Christ, but an insuperable timidity stands in the way. If you will
only get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, all that will be overcome.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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