Let My Praises Be Heard!
I PRAISE GOD FOR MANY SOUL-WINNING OPPORTUINITIES!
One of the most important ‘cross-road’ events of my life occurred when I was a very young pastor. I met a pastor/evangelist, who successfully pastored a sizeable Church in the state of Washington. Arrangements were made by my conference superintendent, Glenn Williamson, for this well-known, seasoned pastor, Rev. George Delamarter, to spend a couple of days with me in Fort Collins, Colorado, where I was the new pastor of a struggling, small Free Methodist Church.
Spending those two days with this ‘towering soul-winner’ (well-known throughout our entire denomination), literally changed the direction of my entire pastoral life, activities, and priorities. This aggressive, ‘in your face’ man, a man with multiple talents, including music, but whose primary focus was personal evangelism – rather intimidated me, but he also attracted me! Even though his personality and my personality were considerably different, I found myself wishing that I, too, could become an outgoing soul-winner! Because he had (along with his other remarkable talents) the talent of art. George Delamarter prepared a most impressive, colorful ‘flip chart’, which greatly enhanced his presentation of the plan of salvation, which he often gave in the homes of unbelievers, homes of receptive persons, and many of whom had visited his church service.
To make a ‘long story shorter’, after George Delamarter, this fruitful and creative soul-winner, left my home, I (as a young pastor) decided that – by God’s grace and enabling strength – I would make myself available to the ‘Lord of the harvest’ to be a ‘harvester’ for souls! I wanted to ‘reach out in love’ to lost and dying souls. I wanted to find courage and zeal from God to take initiative to make ‘appointments’ in the homes of sinners, to go to those homes and present the ‘plan of salvation’ and to invite couples to accept Christ as Savior. A simple, direct, deliberate and intentional plan to win a few, (or maybe even many) souls, to Christ.
With no experience (of course), I decided to follow the ‘example’ of the very mature soul-winner, namely, the famous George Delamarter! I knew I could never be him or do everything in the exact way he did ‘things’. But, I believed that God could use even me, with my limited gifts, talents, my more quiet personality. I ordered the ‘flip chart’, which I would find to be a helpful ‘aid’ in my presentation of the ‘plan of salvation’.
Admittedly, it took a lot of courage and determination (on my part) to contact unbelievers by phone or in person, and to explain to them that I would count it a privilege to come to their homes and to present a simple Bible study, a study that helps to explain the meaning of life, and a study which helps people to ‘deepen’ their assurance of eternal life. Of course, my wording was slightly different each time I gave an ‘explanation’ for my coming to their home, according to the specific needs and personality of each person. Even though I sought to be ‘honest’ in my appeal to each person, wisdom and discernment dictated that I not forthrightly tell the ‘sinner contact’ that I wanted to come to their house to share with them that they were ‘terrible sinners’, lost and undone.
Sometimes it was rather ‘easy’ for me to make appointments with homes (unsaved homes), but usually I found that it took me considerable determination, and prayer, to get on the phone and to seek another ‘appointment’. But during the approximately 20 years, that I carried on this outreach of personal evangelism ministry, there were hundreds of adults, teens, and children, (about 300 to 350 persons) who accepted Christ as Savior, and who prayed the ‘sinner’s prayer’.
During those 20 years of outreach to lost persons (during which time I spent many nights around the living room tables of seeing souls), I seldom was able to enjoy the warm comforts of my home, with my dear wife and our two growing daughters. My wife tried to explain to our young daughters why I was not at home with them, night after night. Just as fathers who sell insurance policies, and have to be gone at night, so their father was out in homes sharing Jesus to those who don’t know Jesus. They understood, I believe! Venita was most understanding. She waited for me to return home with abounding joy, to report that the angels were rejoicing because another soul is now in the ‘Kingdom’!
These ‘Salvation By Appointments’, the name given by Delamarter, preoccupied much of my thinking, although obviously, I had to be involved in a large number of other programs, within the overall dimension of my pastoral work. I however, kept evangelism outreach, and specifically soul-winning, as a priority ‘high on my list’. Slowly, but persistently, I continued to ‘make appointments’ in the homes of the unsaved persons, and I found abounding joy when I witnessed sinner after sinner, couple after couple, hold hands with me, and pray the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’.
Immediately after the couples, or persons, prayed to receive Christ, we all rejoiced, of course. Then I shared with the new converts, usually couples, the need and opportunity for a three months ‘follow-up’, learning the ‘basics’ of living the Christian life. They, of course, were excited to have another couple, a ‘Timothy Couple’, come to their home once a week for 13 weeks, to share the ‘basic how tos’ of the Christian life.
The follow-up program was vitally important, as a means of encouraging new believers in the ‘new-found walk’ with Christ. Understandably, the ‘bonding’ between the new Christian couple and the ‘Timothy couple’ became rather strong, after sharing was experienced over the 3 month period. It is easy to understand that long-time friendship was enjoyed with new believers and the Timothy couple, long after the 3 month period of ‘follow-up’ was completed. There were several lay couples in my church who gladly accepted the ‘Timothy’ ministry as their primary ‘calling’.
For obvious reasons, it would not have been ‘wise’ for me, as their pastor, to serve as a ‘Timothy’ teacher. The Lay couples did that Job’ very well, very effectively. It was very important for new believers to become ‘bonded’ with ‘fellow lay persons’. There was much about the pastoral ministry that I greatly enjoyed, but the joy I experienced, time and time again over about 20 years, when I witnessed sinners finding Jesus as their Savior, was an unsurpassed joy. The greatest privilege in the entire world is the privilege of being a soul-winner!
Table of contents: Let my praises be heard!
Christian Devotionals 