332
October, 1938
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
You Be the Doctor
By WALTER LEW IS W ILSON , M.D. Kansas City, Missouri
same general way. Find something that they like, and talk on that subject ■for a while. See whether there are
He inspected me rather closely to see whether he was with a crazy man or not, and he said, "There must be something wrong with you, brother. Can’t you tell a policeman from a preacher?" "Y es," I assured him, "I am quite confi dent that you are one of God’s ministers.” He decided it was time to leave the auto mobile. Apparently he was just a little afraid that he had accepted a ride with some one that was a wee bit “off" in his head! I drove the car over to the curb and stopped. “W ait a minute, Officer,” I said. "Let me show you that you are one of God’s ministers.” And opening to Romans 13:3, 4, I read to him: “He is the minister ìmia T of God to thee for good.” This was a new revelation to the officer. He could not deny the fact, and he at once perceived the logic of it. This conversation led to his con- The True Meaning of the Crucifix I have found that our Roman Catholic friends respond rather readily to a refer ence to the crucifix. I like to refer to the crucifix because it is a part of their life that is brought before them daily. The method of approach is this: Question: Is there not a crucifix in your church? Answer: Yes, we have one out in the lobby and another over the altar. Q : W hat is the crucifix for? A : It is to remind us that Jesus died for sinners. Q : W hat sinners did He die for? A : Oh, for everybody, for sinners every where. Q : Do you think He died for me? I am a Protestant. A : Yes, He died for every kind of per son because there is no other Saviour for anybody. Q : Can you tell me the name of any par ticular person for whom Jesus died? A : No. He just died for everybody. For you and for me and for all sinners. Q : Surely you can think of some one person or individual for whom Jesus died. He had to die for different individual peo ple. Do you know of any one that you could name for whom He died? ì S è t l t V ftttd
PART III W hat T o D o I f the R emedy I s N ot W anted [Comparing the m ethods o f the soul- winner to the manner in which a physician approaches the problem s o f his patients. Dr. W ilson brings to K ing ’ s B usiness readers practical aid from his own wide experience as a physician and soul-winner. In the two previous articles o f this series, he has shown how to diagnose the need o f a heart and the condition o f the soul and has re vealed the importance o f presenting the spe cific rem edy required.- — E ditor .] I N TH IS the third in our series of mes sages on soul-winning, we shall consider various expedients and methods by which the “patient" may be handled and brought to the faith of Christ for salva tion. No two persons will be dealt with alike. Every case presents its own prob lem and will call for new consecrated in genuity on the part of the soul-winner. You can no more deal with all persons alike than the doctor can prescribe for all his patients in the same way, W e shall need to consider the ways and means of giving the "medicine" for heart needs so that the patient will accept it. Some cases will prove to be very hard, stem, and rebellious. Many people will be like the turtle that when approached with draws into his shell. W hat shall we do in such instances? I once found a small turtle and wished to examine it closely, but it withdrew into its bony home and made no response to my efforts to get it to come
ways in which you can agree with the per son in regard to his thoughts about his hobbies. Ask questions concerning matters in which you think he may be expert. His pride will be "tickled,” and he will open up freely and talk with you about matters that are dear to his own heart. Remember that it is your sincere interest in him that must be your motive in using this line of ap proach. Having obtained his confidence, you can then wisely turn the conversation to spiritual things. A certain very prominent businessman was quite interested in shorthorn cattle. He seemed to be unreachable by various preachers who attempted to approach him concerning spiritual matters. He had a godly mother, but he himself had no inter est in God. I learned of his interest in cat tle and got a book and read up on the par ticular kind of cattle that interested him. I then went to see him and talked with him for some time about this cattle hobby that was so dear to his heart. He was quite surprised to see that I knew so much about his particular kind of cattle. After talking over various aspects of this hobby, I turned to the use of cattle in sacrifices in Old Tes tament times and soon had both his interest and his attention in that new phase of cattle value. By this roundabout approach, I was able to tell him that the burnt offerings of the animal sacrifices in Old Testament times were prophetic foreshadowings of the sal vation that has been wrought for us through the shedding of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finding an Approach There always will be some channel through which you can reach the coldest and the most rebellious heart. Then you will need wisdom in presenting that aspect of the gospel which is most fitting under those circumstances. This ability will call for diligence in observation, a retentive memory, and ingenuity in applying the gospel through physical observation. Once when I was driving in my car, I picked up a police officer to take him to the far end of his beat. I addressed him as a minister of God. He seemed greatly as tonished at this and denied what he regard ed as almost an accusation. “I am an officer and not a minister,” he said. “I know you are an officer,” I asserted, "but I am quite convinced you are also a minister of God.”
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out. I laid the turtle down on its back so that it could not get away, and used a feather to tickle on one of the hind legs of the turtle very softly. This sensation felt quite good to the little reptile, and soon it stuck the leg out for more. I then tickled each of the other legs and then the neck, and it wasn't a great while before the tur tle’s head had emerged from its retreat and the little creature had forgotten its dislike. W e must deal with many persons in this
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