A One-Soul Audience

I thought that evangelistic stories about an audience of only one were more apocryphal than factual. That is, until I had such an experience.

I was conducting a series of meetings in the Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Seventh-day Adventist church during May, 1964. On the third night of our Hour of Destiny series I had only one person in the audience. And I had picked him up on the way to the meeting!

I had been giving Bible studies to Harry Snyder regularly for several months, and he was happy to go with me to the evange­listic services in the neighboring town. I first met him when he was an amputee patient in the hospital. I had made this first contact upon the request of his friend and neighbor, who was a member of the Scran­ton church.

Expected More Than One

The sermon that night was a study of the rich young ruler, with the appeal to full surrender to Jesus Christ. As one of the features of the meetings I was showing each night one of the filmstrips prepared by Evangelist Fordyce Detamore for the In His Steps series. That night the subject was "How long does it take to be saved?"

While we were traveling the rain-swept highway to our appointment, Harry had asked, "How many do you think you will have in the audience tonight?" I replied, "It probably will not be a big crowd, but I expect to see several of the members there."

For prelude music before each meeting I played Chapel records featuring The King's Heralds. The time for the song serv­ice came, but there was no pianist in sight. Nevertheless, we sang "Lead Me to Cal­vary."

Then Harry said, "It doesn't look as if anyone else is going to come. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going ahead with the program we have planned, and those who come will miss that part because they will be late." At that time I fully expected to see at least some of the local members.

Benediction for One

The sermon was given, and it was concluded by our quoting the first two stanzas of "All to Jesus I Surrender (Church Hymnal, No. 573). I then be came my own projectionist for the filmstrip and narrator of the script at the same time. No one else had come to the meeting; even my youthful projectionist was absent.

After the concluding prayer Harry com­mented, "That was the best I have ever heard you preach. It's too bad some others weren't here to hear you!" "I wish there were others too," I replied as I started to disassemble the equipment.

Responds Without Altar Call

Then Harry asked, "When are you going to have your next baptism?" I was taken by surprise. "Pretty soon, Harry. But why do you ask? Would you like to be in it?"

"Yes, I would. You answered a lot of the questions that have bothered me. I've waited, thinking that I wasn't good enough to be baptized, but now I know better."

It was then that I knew that there were others in that audience. I had not seen them, but I was confident that heavenly an­gels and the Holy Spirit had been present. That's why I believe my greatest success was with my smallest audience.

Twenty-eight Times Before the Sabbath Mentioned

Harry Snyder was baptized on May 23. Yet there is an epilogue to this experience that is significant to me. While visiting with him the following week this conversation took place:

"Pastor, do you know how many times you called on me before you mentioned the Sabbath?"

"Why, no, Harry, I haven't the slightest idea."

"You came to see me twenty-eight times before you said anything about the Sab­bath. Why did you wait so long?"

"I don't really know, unless it was be­cause I thought the appropriate time had not arrived. Did you expect me to talk about the Sabbath earlier?"

"Yes, I did. When you told me that you were an Adventist pastor back there when I was in the hospital, I thought that would be the first thing you would talk about."

"Why?"

"Because every other Adventist I have ever known would always bring that sub­ject up and tell me I was keeping the wrong day."

"Suppose I hadn't waited so long. What would have happened then?"

"I know we would have gotten into an argument and I might not have wanted you to come back."

"Aren't you glad I waited?" His affirma­tive reply underscores this Spirit of Proph­ecy counsel:

You should not feel it your duty to introduce arguments upon the Sabbath question as you meet the people. If persons mention the subject, tell them that this is not your burden now. But when they surrender heart and mind and will to God, they are then prepared candidly to weigh evidence in regard to these solemn, testing truths.—Evan­gelism, p. 485.