It is doubtful whether many souls can be won without employing the method of Jesus— that of personal work for individuals. An investigation of the cases of those won in various ways—by the reading of gospel publications, by taking a course in a Bible correspondence school, or even by attending a course of Bible lectures—will reveal that the personal contact, the smiling salutation, the warm hand clasp, and the solicitude regarding the solution of some problem exercised an unbelievably large influence on the final decision to accept the message we are carrying to the world.
The Bible places large emphasis on this method. Isaiah, the prophet, says, "It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel." Isa. 27:12. And in Testimonies, volume 6, we are informed: "The work of Christ was made up largely of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience. From that one soul the intelligence received was carried to thousands."—Page 115.
An illustration of His employment of this method is that of His interview with the Samaritan woman. In The Desire of Ages we are told:
"The Saviour did not wait for congregations to assemble. Often He began His lessons with only a few gathered about Him, but one by one the passers-by paused to listen, until a multitude heard with wonder and awe the words of God through the heaven-sent Teacher. The worker for Christ should not feel that he cannot speak with the same earnestness to a few hearers as to a larger company. There may be only one to hear the message; but who can tell how far- reaching will be its influence? It seemed a small matter, even to His disciples, for the Saviour to spend His time upon a woman of Samaria. But He reasoned more earnestly and eloquently with her than with kings, counselors, or high priests. The lessons He gave to that woman have been repeated to the earth's remotest bounds.
"As soon as she had found the Saviour, the Samaritan woman brought others to Him. She proved herself a more effective missionary than His own disciples. . . . Through the woman whom they despised, a whole cityful were brought to hear the Saviour."—Pages 194, 195-
This method of personal work with individuals may be employed in connection with all other methods of evangelization. The story of how Brazil received the Advent message is an interesting illustration of how personal contact proved to be the match that lighted the fuse. Away back in the ninth decade of the past century a harbor worker of New York had a bur den to send some Portuguese literature into the Neglected Continent of South America. He placed his bundle of periodicals in the hands of a sea captain, having previously extracted from him the promise to place them in the hands of someone in Brazil.
When the captain was just ready to cast off for his return journey to New York he happened to remember his promise and, fetching the bundle, tossed it unceremoniously onto the dock from which his ship was already moving. That bundle was carried home by an economically-minded storekeeper of the state of Santa Catarina and used as wrapping paper. One of his customers, a drunkard, used the wrapper to paper the cracks of his kitchen wall, and one day while leaning against the wall, he began to read. He certainly was not too promising a subject for God's eternal kingdom, but the more he read, the more he felt impressed that he had found what he had been searching for. He became our first convert in Brazil. Today that little seed lovingly sent on its mission has produced a bountiful harvest of rejoicing Christians, and our own publishing house in Brazil is now yearly producing upwards of half a million dollars' worth of that same literature.
Some years ago a neighbor of ours, having failed to secure our conversion to the message, sent us Signs of the Times after we moved to a faraway State. I do not remember that we ever read a single sentence from that little si lent messenger, but the fact that it came impressed us that the sender cared for us. Upon the death of my father our family moved back again to the home State. Not long afterward we all joined the Baptist Church.
Upon learning that we had become Baptists, this same neighbor made us a visit and secured our interest by means of a Bible study on the mark of the beast. Other Bible studies followed, and this personal work eventually resulted in our accepting the whole message. The interest of my mother and older sister was stronger than mine. Then this tactful missionary worker made a psychological appeal to my pride by asking me to do her a favor. I agreed, and she then asked me to read three books. They were Patriarchs and Prophets, The Desire of Ages, and The Great Controversy. When I had finished reading those books I was a Seventh-day Adventist. Without question it was the work of loving, persistent, personal endeavor that se cured the desired result.
Perhaps the method most easily coordinated with personal work is that of giving Bible studies in the home. In the quiet of the home, with the Bible open before us, thus affording an unobstructed contact with the members of the entire household, the investigator can hardly escape the personal application which the experienced Bible instructor makes to his readers. Surely this method is Heaven born.
The casual conversation affords a good opportunity to apply this personal-work method. It is casual only to the other party. It should be planned for and prayed over. Perhaps the classic Adventist example of this method is that of the conversion of Eugene Farnsworth. When this pioneer was a lad he was one of twenty-two children. He had great plans for himself, and whenever the preacher visited his home he would slip away, for he feared the preacher might try to dissuade him from reaching his goal of glittering greatness. One day the preacher noticed that Eugene, as usual, was not at home. Now, this preacher was one who realized the truthfulness of the statement that the sermon delivered from the pulpit is only a tenth of the duties that go with the sacred office. He inquired where the lad was, and upon being told that he was out hoeing corn, asked for a hoe, and went out to join him. Upon arriving at the field he hoed corn for a long time without saying much. Then, when the young man had thawed a little, the preacher started a casual conversation. It ran more or less as follows:
PREACHER : "What are you going to make of yourself, Eugene ?"
EUGENE: "I am going to study law, and be a lawyer."
PREACHER: "That is fine! And then what?"
EUGENE : "Then I am going to make a lot of money in my profession."
PREACHER: "That is good too, Eugene. And then what?"
EUGENE : "Then I am going to build myself a fine house, and enjoy myself."
PREACHER: "Magnificent! And then what?"
EUGENE : "Then I am going to retire, and make a trip around the world."
PREACHER : "That is grand! And then what, Eugene ?"
EUGENE : "Well, I guess, like everybody else, I shall die."
PREACHER: "Yes, son, that is right. And then what?"
EUGENE : "Well, I had not planned any further than that."
Thus this casual conversation opened the way for the preacher to reach down, and take hold of Eugene's heartstrings. One earnest conversation may be worth more than many sermons. It proved true in this case.
Of course, other methods with which personal work for individuals may be coordinated might be mentioned, such as home-to-home visitation and actual missionary work in the home. But inasmuch as these methods are so closely identified with the method under discussion, it is hardly necessary to comment on them. Certainly, preaching to a hungry or sick person would accomplish little unless accompanied by the practical preaching and doing.
We may be assured of one thing, and that is that the interest of any given individual in our message will be in direct proportion to our own earnestness and consecration in presenting it. The more closely we identify ourselves in helping people, and again, the more intimately we make the application of truth to the individual, the more successful we will be in garnering in souls for the kingdom.
