I follow the plan of preaching on the Sabbath question in the fourth week of an evangelistic series. In the fifth week,—after I have preached on the law and the keeping of the seventh day, and have perhaps taken up the first-day texts and shown that there is no proof for keeping Sunday, and have also presented the change of the Sabbath,—then on the Friday night at the close of the fifth week, I feel the time has come to get very definitely at the matter of how many are going to begin to keep the Sabbath. We follow the plan of using a set of tracts as part of the technique.
On this night I preach on Isaiah 58:13, with its mighty appeal. I hold up a set of seven tracts that cover every phase of the Sabbath question. I tell the people, "I want to see these tracts placed in the hands of every man and woman here who is really interested in the Sabbath question. Of course, if you do not wish to know any more, you may not be interested; but if you are really interested, you will want these tracts." We have cards prepared, and at the beginning of the service the ushers pass these out to the audience. At this time I say, "Everybody who is interested in the Sabbath question and wants these seven Sabbath tracts, should take a card." I tell them to put their name and address on the card, holding the same until the offering is taken at the close of the meeting.
Then I preach the sermon, making a strong appeal as to how many will, by the help of God, take their feet off the Sabbath, asking all who are willing to do that to stand. Then I say, "Will those of you who have just stood, take your pencil and put an 'X' on your card."
Then we have the offering taken, and the people drop the cards into the offering baskets. By this method we secure the following results: First, we get the very cream of our interest. We have gleaned from the audience the persons who are interested enough to take a card and ask for tracts on the subject. Second, we have on the cards with "X" the names of those who have stood up. We can then visit these people in their homes. Third, we secure the names of some who have started to attend during the third or fourth week when perhaps we did not call for names at all.
These names are then divided according to the districts of the city in charge of the personal workers. We now confine our efforts to the list of names. The personal workers should first visit those who put "X" on their cards, and endeavor to help them in their problems about getting the Sabbath off, etc.
During the eighth week of our meeting I preach on the seal of God and the mark of the beast. I have never seen any reason for preaching on the seven last plagues after presenting the mark of the beast. I prefer the opposite order. Then the people know what is coming. I use the seven last plagues for a Sunday night topic; the seal of God for a week night topic.
When I preach on the mark of the beast, I make an altar call, requesting all to come forward who intend to obey God by keeping the true Sabbath. I have seen audiences where it looked as if everyone was coming. In one service 110 out of 300 came forward. It has usually been about one third. As they come forward, we put into their hands the following card:
It is my purpose, by the help of God, to keep the seventh day, or Saturday, as God's holy day, and to obey all His commandments.
Name .............................................
Address ..........................................
City
We do not leave this work to the ushers. We have the workers leave the platform, and with the Bible workers go through the audience. Some will not come in response to a call like that, even some of our best prospects. Some perhaps do not wish to come to the altar, but want to keep the Sabbath just the same. The workers—ministers and Bible workers—go through the audience, and give cards to such, and get additional names that way.
At that point we have secured our largest possible list of those interested in becoming Sabbathkeepers. We have reached the peak. We then take this list of names and divide it among the workers according to districts. The names are typewritten, and we make as many lists as we have workers, arranging them according to the territory in which the people live. The personal workers then begin the task of getting converts ready for baptism. Then, of course, come the subjects of tithing, health reform, and the laying off of jewelry. The workers are kept busy, working with those who have signed their names to keep the Sabbath.
After the tithing question has been presented, as the workers visit these prospective Sabbath-keepers in their homes, they ascertain if these persons understand about the tithe, and are willing to harmonize with that instruction from the Bible. We follow the same course when the health reform message is presented, in regard to laying aside tobacco, pork, tea, and coffee, and also when we present the matter of dress reform. We endeavor to keep in close touch with these prospective Sabbathkeepers every week, leading them along step by step to accept the additional points as they are unfolded to them.
When we come to the tenth week of our meeting, I speak on the symbolical woman of Revelation 17. That night we reach our climax, "Come out of her, My people." We have come to the binding off, and are ready to gather in the harvest. We tell what Babylon is, and at the close make the call, " 'Come out of her, My people;' take your stand to keep the commandments of God." I ask all those to raise their hands who will come out of Babylon and take their stand with God's remnant church to keep all His commandments. This card reads as follows:
My Decision
It is my purpose to accept God's special message of Revelation 14 :6-12, and to heed His call to come out of Babylon, taking my stand with the remnant church of Revelation 12:17, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which keeps all the commandments of God.
Name .............................................................
Address .........................................................
City
We collect these cards, and thus have the names of those in the audience who have decided to become Seventh-day Adventists. But they are not in the church yet. We merely have their names on the cards, stating that they have made up their minds to join us. Before we take them in, it is our business to see that they are fit to come in.
At the next Sabbath service we usually call forward those who signed these cards, putting into their hands seven special Bible lessons dealing with the subjects of tithe, health reform, dress reform, how to keep the Sabbath, baptism, the true church, and God's call to come out of Babylon. We ask them to make a careful study of these lessons during the following week, as these will give them an intelligent idea of what is involved in becoming a Seventh-day Adventist.
I would here like to make a suggestion as to what to do after having made the first general call. Naturally, when I preach on the mark of the beast and have a hundred people come forward promising to keep the Sabbath, that is my big harvest. I do not want to turn around the next week and make another call for people to keep the Sabbath after having this large number come forward. But when I preach on such subjects as, "Is God Particular?" and other kindred topics, to people who have not yet taken their stand for the Sabbath, I close my sermon with an appeal for individuals to stand. Then I have decision cards handed to them quickly. Thus I get their names.
After making my one big call, I would not want to repeat it the next week and ask for more people to come forward. So I save some strong appeals for a later time. The further I go, the stronger I seek to make the appeal. I do not believe in firing my "biggest guns" at first. I believe in holding the most effective for the last. So after making that one big call for people to come forward out of Babylon and join the remnant church, I do not make another for a while, but just have the people stand and sign "decision" cards.
(To be continued)
