September, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
305
PERSONALITY and PERSONAL WORK B y W ADE C. SM ITH Greensboro, NortfiXarolina And illustrated with his Little Jetts O ne thing clearly demonstrated in the divine plan for saving souls is the prime use o f personality. God’s
is here that the conceptions, the plans, the decisions are formed, under the guidance o f the Holy Spirit. W e find that here is exercised tact— judgment. The intellect is very capable, and God gave it to us to use— always yielded, however, to His direction. A personality with a used intel lect is very attractive to a great many people, and i therefore more effective in winning favor. Be grateful for an alert, quick-acting mind; but be careful also that it is under control.' A brilliant mind is fertile soil for the devil’s sowing o f the seeds o f conceit and pride, and these weeds choke fits at the channel and prevent the free course o f the Holy , Spirit. Humility tremendously enhances the e f fectiveness o f good headwork and adds power to personal ity. The Mind is also a repository for the language o f God’s Word, storing it up in memory for use as occasion calls for it. F ive S ervants Now come five subordinate servants, very, very Useful and necessary. They also are factors in the process o f soul-winning, and the manner in which they are used fur nishes to the observer the outward symptoms o f the in ward character o f the personality.
grace and His love for lost men could not be expressed in any language that men ever spoke. N o language, ancient or modern, oral or written, has the eloquence, the strength, the tenderness, the beauty, or the power o f expression in any wise to convey the wonder o f it, the surprise o f it, the infinite magnitude o f it. Therefore, God used a Personality-—His only begotten Son— willingly offered— to tell that marvelous love and to provide the way o f salvation. And our Lord Jesus “ took upon him the form o f a servant, and was made in the likeness o f men : And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death o f the cross” (Phil. 2 :7, 8 ). In His earthly ministry, in the flesh, healing the sick, telling the good tidings, binding up the broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and the opening o f the prison to them that are bound (Isa. 6 1 :1 ), bringing new hope to lost men, the Lord Jesus showed the love o f God plainly. That love was made personal, through a Person ality. A Person in the flesh lived and moved among men; a Person voiced words o f cheer and comfort and salvation; a Person died upon the cross. This is God’s plan: through personality to bring sal vation. A fter the resurrection, our Lord appeared to His dis ciples and, among other things, said to them: “ As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20 :21 ). And before He ascended to the Father, He commanded them to “ Go,” and promised to accompany them to the end, in the Person o f the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19, 20: cf. John 14:16, 17). Thus every disciple o f the Lord Jesus Christ may truly regard himself as sent in person on a mission o f soul saving— sent by his Lord, even as the Father sent His Son — a personality making personal contact. It is the divine plan. W hat C omprises a P ersonality ? It is just as well to take stock here and see what we have in the personality” which is to be brought to this unique task. ^What are the service factors in a personality ? Let us go into the commonplace details. First, there is the traditional seat o f the emotions: the Heart. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 2 3 :7 ), and “ out o f it [the heart] are the issues o f life” (Prov. 4 :23 ). For convenience here we will include one’s spirit. This is the place where the impulse must start. It is the place o f one’s reaction to the love o f Christ and to the challenge o f the Great Commission. You have a heart. ^God designed it o f such pattern and capacity that it might contain a great, warm, surg- ing impulse for service— service to Him and to humanity in His name. This factor animates the personality and gives it its true character. Next, there is the Mind, the Intellect. Here is the executive department o f the personality. It I |L_ nvjj.
The Eye. It is the Eye that brings instanta neous photographs to the Mind, pictures by which the “ executive department” may quickly form its plans. A situation is comprehended at a glance. The Eye says, “ There is a man in trouble; his downcast look, his expression, his whole attitude betray his depressed spirit.” Mind has information from the Eye as a basis on which to form a plan o f approach.
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Then,
there is a subtle power in the Eye. It adds eloquence and tenderness and per suasiveness to spoken words. Often the Eye speaks a language o f its own, very inviting, very compelling. You will never know a person fully until you look that person in the Eye.
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The Foot. “ How beautiful upon the moun tains are the feet o f him that bringeth good tidings” (Isa. 5 2 :7) ! The Foot greatly expands the range o f a personal worker’s activities and enables him to move to the point o f contact. True, there have been startling examples o f per sonal work done by bed-ridden servants o f G od ; but who would not be grateful for a good pair o f feet to facilitate getting about? The Hand. “ These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me,” said Paul (Acts 20 :34 ). Very, expressive is the Hand. There is something in a kindly handshake that is convincing. The Hand can give altogether a new meaning to a statement, a warning, and can even take the offense out o f a rebuke. Well do I recall, as a lad, the day When one o f the officers o f the church laid his hand upon my Ft 6. 5. FIG 6 .
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