We must also visit our friends, colleagues, and schoolmates. Everyone has a friend, a colleague, or a schoolmate. If you are teaching school, all the teachers and staff are your colleagues. If you are a student, you have many classmates. First, we should try to build up a good feeling between ourselves and our colleagues or schoolmates. Then we can talk to them about Christ and make an appointment to visit them. We can ask them to give us a time to speak with them. They may try to avoid this, but if we are persistent, eventually they will give us a time to visit. Then when you visit, it is always good to bring a saint with you.
We all must learn to use the telephone wisely. The telephone can be very useful. Today there are some telephone salesmen who make over a million dollars a year. They are constantly calling people, one after another. We can use the telephone to make appointments with people to talk to them about Christ. We may even use the telephone book to call people. Simply pick a name and call: “Sir, I got your name from the phone book. I am a Christian who loves the Lord Jesus and would like to talk to you for a short time.” Most would reject you, but maybe three out of a hundred would receive you. Then you can visit these three.
Nearly every day my mailbox is full of business advertisements. This is a bother to me, and I throw all of these advertisements away. One day I asked, “Why do these businesses waste their money by printing and mailing all these things?” Then I found out that if they receive only a one percent response, they will not lose any money. Usually they will get a three percent response, and they make money. We should not expect that every house will have a son of peace. Actually, most doors will have wolves (Luke 10:3). In one night we may knock on twenty-five doors and meet nothing but wolves who reject us. This happened to many saints, but when they came to the last door, they got inside and found a son of peace. We do not know when we will find a son of peace. For a hundred and four weeks we may not get one. Yet the next day we may find a son of peace. We simply have to exercise our persistence, patience, and faith. I do not believe someone can go out continuously, regularly, once every week for fifty-two weeks, and still not catch one fish. If you are persistent, surely you will catch one. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons do not have the way to make many appointments because they have a bad name. Not many would give them an appointment. But we are different; we are Christians. We can call people on the phone and tell them: “I am not a Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness. I am a Christian loving the Lord.” Surely some will answer in a positive way, and this will open some doors.
If a brother goes into a stationery store to buy some stationery, and there are no other customers in the store, he can buy something, and, of course, the salesman will be happy. You should not miss such an opportunity to speak to people. It may be good to have a card printed with your name, address, phone number, and something to indicate that you are a real Christian. Then at such an opportunity, you can hand the salesman your card and say, “I would like to talk with you about Christ for only a few minutes.” Do not talk too much because that is his business time. Two minutes would be enough. Then say, “May I come to see you?” This is the way to make an appointment by purchasing something. If you are going to buy three things, do not buy all three things in one store. Buy one thing at this store, and then go into the next store and try to make another appointment. Your purchase is the bait. The sisters have to consider how many things they buy in a month. There are many opportunities to speak Christ to people.
All of these people are here for us. You may not have any intention to buy anything, but when you see a salesman standing there with nothing to do, you may buy a pair of socks for a few dollars. You can buy this in order to open his heart. Surely this is worthwhile; we are here for Christ. Also, you may buy the socks in a size that would fit this salesman. Then after you purchase these socks, you may say: “Sir, my intention is not to buy the socks; it is to preach Christ to you. I would like to give this pair of socks to you as a gift.” This may seem like an odd thing, but it can stir up people’s interest so that we can reach them with the gospel.
We need to save some of our time for going out to reach people. In whatever way we go, we must pray, “Lord, send me the best son of peace.” We must believe that the Lord will answer this prayer. Also, if we pray, the Lord will give us many different ways to reach people. We should not be so legal. We must exercise our wisdom. When the sisters go to the beauty shop, they must go purposefully. They should even go more often with the intention of talking to someone. Then all those who are working in the beauty salon would open their doors to these sisters. In this way, we can get some doors opened to us warmly. Human beings are made by God for His purpose. As long as we can touch them, they will be saved, but do not expect to do a quick job. We must reach people with patience, gradually. If we are faithful to the Lord every week, we have to believe that we will bring at least two to the Lord every year. Each one of us can do it. It all depends upon our labor, persistence, endurance, and patience.
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