January 1943
5
Torrey's Challenge for Decision And What It Meant to Me
Letter from Mrs. Torrey Wheaton, IIIinois
November 23, 1942
Dear Friends: In looking through Dr. Torrey’s sermons, I found the enclosed in nis handwriting. As most of'his sermons were typed, I was surprised to find this, and glad to find it. My son Reuben, who came home from China on the GRIPSHOLM, had the opportunity of preaching in the Moody Memorial Church last night, and met some who were in his father’s congregation years ago. It is most gratifying to me to know that my husband’s messages still live in the hearts of his students and others. Sincerely yours, Clara B. Torrey.
By KARL D. HUMMEL Dallas, Texas
messages of Dr. Torrey, notes that I prize highly and from which I still glean much blessing as I peruse them
^ HERE MAY be a legitimate dis cussion as to how far the JL preacher should go in pressing for public demonstration of decision. But there is no argument against the tremendous and vital necessity for the making of decisions. In everyday life, ohe must constantly make choices: in business deals, in companionships, and in other matters too many to mention. Of even greater importance are the things of the spirit, the de cisions that relate to eternity. Dr. R. A. Torrey was not only a great expounder of the Scriptures and of Bible doctrine, but he also possessed the rather rare gift of challenging his hearers to decision during the very deliverance of his message. He did not often indulge in an extended in vitation at the close of a serrhon, but in few and direct words, he urged his hearers to act upon that which had just been presented to them from the Word. During the years that it was my privilege^to sit under the ministry of this man *of God at the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, few indeed were the Sunday nights when there were no public professions of faith in Christ—decisions made, not in response to emotional pleading, but as the result of a clear and powerful presentation of the gospel couched in language that d e m a n d e d -action. Hearts were either opened to the Saviour, or else they were deliberately closed to His offer of mercy and life. At the Sunday morning services, Dr. Torrey seldom would ask for any kind of public demonstration or response. But that does not imply that there was any lack of decisions being made. These morning messages naturally were directed to believers; they con cerned d o c t r i n a l themes, or were treatises on Christian conduct and experience. I still have on file quite a collection of outline notes on those morning
now and a g a i n . Scriptural, logical, simple and yet pro found, t h e y were directed to the very heart and s o u l of the believer. To such messages one could not be indif ferent. The heart would have to say, “No, I am n o t ready or not willing to take this step” ; or (the far bettqr answer), “Lord, I take this word to my own soul; I say ‘yes’ to T h e e in t h i s m a t t e r . ” I never can express an o u gh gratitude to God for the per sonal blessing I re ceived from these morning messages of Dr. Torrey. Two of them stand out as high lights. Action—And Assurance The first of these* tw o outstanding messages was on the subject of as surance of salva tion. With his cus tomary thorough ness, Dr. T o r r e y dealt with the var ied experiences of people; why they lacked assurance, how to obtain it, and so on. He re- f e r r e d a l s o t o [See P a ge 12 ]
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