Soul winning
To speak to one man about the Saviour calls for higher courage than to speak to a crowd. To direct your remarks to one heart and press your urgent appeal upon one individual conscience, as one man to another, as a friend to a friend, that is a test indeed. But that is the way in this wonderful Gospel of John. It is the Gospel of individual work, and we need more of that sort of work.
For this work a man needs first of all;
A DIRECT MESSAGE;
he must carry a fact to his friend. This Andrew did when he found his brother Simon and said, "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."
The next thing is
A PERSONAL RELATION TO THE FACT. "We have found," said Andrew. He had a personal experience. It was not hearsay with him, or a fact of which he had no personal knowledge that he spoke.
Then he had
A DETERMINED PURPOSE. He brought him to Jesus; nothing less than that would have satisfied Andrew or His Master. It was not an interesting bit of gossip he carried to his brother. He had made a discovery, he carried a message, he had a purpose in view and he achieved his end. He brought him to Jesus.
He had no opposition, but let no one imagine that it is always as easy as Andrew found it.
Philip, for instance, found Nathanael a different proposition. He was opposed and prejudiced, and prejudice is a terrible thing, there is nothing that blinds a man like it. What could Philip do when Nathanael said, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth"? There was one thing he could do and that he did. He did not argue, he did not invite him to a long discussion. He gave a short and effectual answer to an awkward question: "Come and see."
So the one who deals with souls must have
A PRACTICAL ANSWER
for the awkward question. He must be so in the joy of the knowledge of the Saviour, to be able to say, "I have found Him," that he can with the utmost confidence say, You have only to taste and see, to come and see; that will be more effectual than any words of mine, Come and see.
