Evening journal., 1916-01-15
PERSONAL WORK



read the Bible in your own devo-
tions. and you some to a phrase that
you can use in personal work, mark
it; learn il, and learn where it is.
Another requirement for an effec-
tive personal worker is a clean life.
Doubtless the people with whom you
deal know more about your charac-
ter than you think they do. If you
have been a devotee of questionable
social pleasures. crooked in politics.
or dishonest in business. folks will
certainly find II out. and when you
are trying to talk to them about be-
coming Christians. the questionable
things in your life will neutralize and
destroy the influence of every thing
you say.
"A young lady in a mission. while
going out in personal work one even
ing, sat down by the side of an intelli-
gent young man-an eX-convict She
said TO him. Are you a Christian ?'
He said to her, Before you say any
more let me ask you few questions
DO you play cards?" She said, No.
q. DO you dance?
"A. No.
20. DO you drink wine or beer?"
"A. No.
"Then he said. You may talk to me-
/ Those things ruined my life
"She led that young man to Christ.
/ What. on the other hand, would have
/ been her influence over him il she
could not have made the replies she
did?
Very frequently 7 find people try
/ ing to atone up for their wrong doing
by special activity in Christian work.
/ That will not satisfy God. There are
some folks know that for the works
sake it would be a great deal better
| if they would go off in corner and
sit down and keep quiet If you are
not right with God. then admit a.;
confess it; walk down the aisle your
self before all the people and let the
world know that from henceforth you
are going to be out and out on the
Lords side Then you will have an
influence in bringing others TO the
Christian life that you never had be-
fore.
THE next essential for effective
work is earnestness. Earnestness is
not only attractive. but il atones for
a great many faults. If you are TO
accomplish anything for God. You
must impress people that you mean
business. You can Judge very largely
of a persons character by the way he
shakes hands. It is not so much what
You say as the way you say it that
brings conviction and conversion
THE story is told Of that remarka-
BILE man Of God. John Vassar; One day
he was in the waiting room in a Bos-
ton hotel and not far from him sat
two ladies'. well dressed. evidently So
ciety leaders. He went over and spoke
to them about the Christian life and
he pleaded with them so earnestly
that before long they gave him theil
hands and said they would accept
Christ. and he knelt with them in
prayer After he had left the hotel
the husband of one of these ladies
came and she said TO him. "Oh hus
band, there was the strangest mar
here a little while ago that you evei
saw. He asked me il / was a Chris
tian'
"Why didn't you tell him it wa
none OF his business? said the hus
band
"'Oh, if YOU had been here and seei
him. you would have thought il wa
his business
Courage is also essential in tn
personal worker. The facts are tina
a large number of our church mem
bers are great big towards. They tr.
, to excuse themselves for their worth
lessness in Christian work by attribu
CO.
calls il by its true name, cowardice
; But said a lady ! am afraid tina
, people would rebuff me if l talked q
them about religion. That would no
t kill you I answered. They crucifiel
: our Lord Jesus for his aggressiveness
- II would do the average professe
2 Christian world of good. if he ha
to suffer a little for his religion.
2 have spoken to thousands of peopl
4 in the last twenty years about thei
- personal salvation, and I could cOun
= on the fingers of one hand those VIII
e have rebuffed me. The fact is tina
e the unsaved are much more eager I
be spoken to about Christ than Chris
- tian people are about speaking
= them.
r "'If I could do personal work a
f easily as YOU can said one lady {
{ another at the close of a service.
n would do il gladly The other on
y threw uD her hands in astonishmen
:. why. that is Just what I was think
s ing about you. she said Each though
It that it was easy for the other one {
p do personal work. but very diffcu
8. for herself If there is any harde
c work on earth l have never found j
o / have never found it easy for any
n one to talk to others. especial
e strangers. about accepting Christ.
S do not say it is easy; I say il is e'
Il sential. | used to advise people M
= to go out in personal work until the
felt led by the spirit TO do so. 7 b'