Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 246, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1911 — Personal Wort [ARTICLE]

Personal Wort

By MATTIE E. BENNETT

W OTHING counts like personal Interest In work or ■ f&tl .in play. The teacher who IgOfll can put himself in the place of the pupil and, •a work with him towards the higher Is a teacher indeed. When we can live again the first experiences of public prayer or the utterances of ’a few words that jumbled on our Bps, we are in position to help those who are coming into the work. We all know how much more effective a personal Invitation is than a general one. Personal interest, shown win often win where all else fails. Personal work is something that we can all dp, and it is what is going to reach the people, bring in the revival, and build up the church. Young people, here is our opportunity to do work for Christ No pne can reach the hearts of the people, or win them more effectively, than the young. A pastor cannot reach and win all in his parish, but he might, with your help, win a good many more than he does. You, even though weak and timid, may bo able to win sonye one that he could not reach. - The minister’s work does not lessen your responsibility. But there are conditions for the success of a personal worker. We should be right with God and should constantly Implore his guidance. He can use the humblest efforts to win souls. If they are made in his name and for his sake. Let us search our hearts and see If there be any evil way |n us. "Sin breaks the connection with x our Uv-, ! ing and loving Saviour, and leaves us powerless. Then a personal interest cannot be shown unless felt. We must have the Christ spirit within us, and truly love those we wish to help; and never forget that It is for Christ we are working. If we could always remember that, we would be less often discouraged and disheartened. And let ue not forget that wd are to do our duty, and God himself will see to the results. Let us not worry over the result of our effort. I have even known a seemingly utter failure to bring about much good and the conversion of souls. Must Have Confidence. We can do very little effective personal work unless people have confidence. in our religion. We should therefore be very careful to live lives positive for God qnd the right Then, if we should lead people to Christ we must study the Word of God. We must he able to tell the lost soul what God’s message is; why we are seeking to rescue the lost; and we should know suitable texts to meet difficulties with. And them the spirit of the divine mes- ■ sage, as it comes to us in a careful perusal, will fill us to impart the message of life to others. Personal work in a revival means everything. When the members of a congregation get the burden of souls upon them, so that they will person ally' urge and invite people to accept Christ, then there is every chance for a revival. God reaches people through people, and personal work makes a revival sure. In my own experience I entered a revival a few years ago in whieh my sister and I were the only young people that were Christians. In the first of the meeting we persuaded a cousin of ours to /give himself to God. and then we 1 three formed a little band for prayer. We prayed earnestly for the salvation of other young people tn the place. We entreated them personally, outside the meetings and in them, and soon added three or four more to our band. We met each evening an hour before service for prayer, and urged each, one of the band to pray fervently, and to feel glad and free to tell what God was doing for him. By so doing; they were helping and encouraging each other, and they were soon all doing personal work and bringing* their friends to Christ each evening; 1 and 1 can truly say none of us had* ever spent a happier or more blessed fortnight and it is needless to say that we felt the revival was successful. * . 1