Biola Broadcaster - 1966-02

PERSONAL EVANGELISM SERIES

by D. Stuart Briscoe

THE PLACE o

O NE OF t h e most tremendous ad­ vantages of personal evangelism is that it can and should be done by every believer. God does not provide a specialized evangelist for this task, it should beleveryone’s privilege. Soul winning can be engaged in ■enywhere. If such were possible only in church, some people would never find the Lord. God ordained that His message should go forth on the high­ ways and the byways, wherever hu­ man beings are to be found. The Lord is not limited in the times and places His Word goes forth. As soon as Matthew, the publican was converted, he sought out his business associates to tell them the good news. He was on the job. Those with whom we work is a fertile field for evangelism. Let ns remember, however, we are paid to work not to preach. A lack of care on this point could bring disrepute on the Gospel message. Don’t ruin your witness by being unfaithful to your work. Always remember that witness is two-sided.Vrhere is the witness of the lips and the witness of the life. Let us consider this latter for a mo­ ment. So many will say, “I have a testimony with my life.” This is well and good, however, what good is your faith to others if you don’t explain it to them by your lips? On the other hand, if you are expert at witnessing with your lips but your life is no good, you do great harm to the. truth. The two aspects must be in perfect bal­ ance. Another excellent place for personal evangelism is the hom&f^Do you have a real burden for those who are near­ est and dearest to you? What about the neighbors next door or those homes which you frequently visit. Take every advantage available in such a place of sowing the seed. VTraveling is another oppo rtune place for testimony. Many people have found Christ as Saviour while jour­

neying to various areas. Christians need to be alert and “buy up” every available moment for the Lord./Wher­ ever there are two people you have an ideal place for personal evangelism. f God wants us to be at work all the '■time for His glory. JSome of the most thrilling opportunities I have had in personal evangelism have been in the middle of the night. One occasion I was driving home after taking a series of meetings up in the northeast corner of England. It was late at night when I started home. I heard over the radio that the police were looking for a murderer in the area. Not too long after I started on my way, I saw a shadowy figure picked un by my headlights. He was looking for a “lift.” Something inside me said, “Keep going Stuart, he might be the one the police are hunting.” Some­ thing else told me, “Stop and pick him up!” This is what I did. As we drove through the night, I found he wasn’t a murderer at all but rather a fellow desperately seeking the truth. We talked for about two hours along the way. When I came to the road he needed to take, I pulled off the high­ way. We kept talking about the things of the Lord and as a result I spent the whole night talking to him. It was well worth it to see a soul born again. While preaching in Berlin a young student came up to ask a question. We talked about the Lord for several hours. A friend of mine volunteered to take him home. The next morning when I saw him he looked decidedly tired. He explained, “I didn’t go to bed last night.. We stayed up until six talking about the way of eternal life. You see, God is not limited to a serv­ ice on Sunday morning to reach peo­ ple. jWe must be ready to buy up opportunities anywhere and any time. * * * Those who think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow colorblind. 16

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