In a lovely little city in the heart of the heart of Kansas, a group of Christians rented an abandoned theatre for a series of gospel meetings, and invited me to conduct the services. The meetings were advertised in surrounding towns and a goodly company of interested folk gathered to hear the gospel.

The leader of this work was standing at the front of the theatre, near the platform, talking to me about the arrangements, just before the service was to begin. We observed a man about fifty year of age walking down the aisle carrying a suitcase. Approaching us, he placed his suitcase on the floor, and then asked, “where can I see the evangelist?”

My friend said: “This is the preacher who will conduct the services. You may talk with him now if you wish.”

I immediately shook hands with the visitor and inquired how I might help him. “I came to be saved,” he said. “I have been playing at this business for many years am now fifty years old. It is time I got it settled. I drove thirty miles to come to this meeting to hear you and I hope you will explain it to me fully.”

“Why did you bring the suitcase?” I asked.

“I brought my night-shirt in it, because I expected to stay here until I get saved. I am not going home until I know that I am a real Christian.”

It is not often that we see such interest manifested as this. Such determination andpurpose of heart will always be blessed by the Lord. I felt confident that the Holy Spirit would reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to this man because of his seeking and his coming. The Lord said: “Those that seek me early shall find me.”

We sat down together, occupying seats in the front row, and I said to him: “What part of the Scriptures do you know the best?”

“I only know John 3:16,” he replied.

“That is a splendid verse,” I remarked. “I wonder if you believe what it says?”

“Of course I do,” he said, “every word of it.”

“Will you quote it for me?”

“Yes, gladly,” he answered, and repeated: “For God so loved the world, that we gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

“Since you tell me that you believe this verse, my friend, will you kneel here with me and thank God for several things which I will enumerate to you?

“Yes,” he said, “I am willing to do anything at all that I should do in order to be saved. That is what I came for; that is my only desire.”

“Very well,” said I, “let us kneel together and I will ask you to thank God first for giving His Son to you. Will you do this?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Next I will ask you to tell God that you accept this gift and receive His Son to be your own Lord and Savior. Will you do this, as you tell Him?”

“I certainly will,” he replied.

“The third thing is to thank God for giving you everlasting life, right now, just where you are, because you have taken His own Son for yourself. Will you thank Him for this, too?”

“Yes, I will be glad to do it,” he answered.

“Also, I will ask you to thank the Lord that you will never perish, never be lost, never go to hell, because you believe that Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, blotted out your sins at Calvary.”

“Yes, I will tell Him that right away,” was his answer.

“Now, my friend, will you turn your heart to the One who sits at God’s right hand on the throne, the wounded Savior and say to Him: “Lord Jesus, I thank Thee for dying for me on the cross. I believe that you bore my sins there and that you blotted them out. I thank you for it, I worship you, and I trust you with my soul?”

“Yes,” he replied quickly, “I will do all that you have told me, for I do want to get peace in my heart.” We then knelt together, and he began to pray. In his prayer, he said: “O God, I thank Thee for sending Jesus into the world to save the world. O God, won’t you make me a good Christian. O God, won’t you give me peace and help me to live a good life. O God do-.”

Just there I reached over, shook his shoulder sharply, and said: “Stop! There is no use of your praying like that; you are just wasting your time as well as God’s time.”

He turned about quite frightened, arose from his knees, and trembling with emotion, said, “What’s the matter; what was I doing wrong?”

“You did not do any one of the five things which I asked you to do.” I explained to him.

“You did not thank God for giving His Son to you. You did not tell God that you here and now accepted this gift; neither did you thank the Lord for the gift of eternal life. You said nothing about the joy of knowing that you would never perish. You completely ignored the Lord Jesus, and said nothing to Him whatever about the wonderful work He did for you at Calvary. You must accept God’s Christ if you would be God’s child. You need not ask God to do anything for you; it has already been done. The Gift has already been given; the sacrifice has already been made; the blood has already been shed. God wants you to believe it and accept this Savior just now. Will you do it?” 

“Yes,” he said, “I will pray again.”

We again knelt down together and he prayed again, and said: “O God, since talking with the doctor, I see I told you the wrong thing. O God, I do take your Son right now. I do accept your Gift to me, and I believe that He came to save me; and O God, I believe that you have given me eternal life this afternoon. Thank you, O God, I thank you I will never perish. Oh, I thank you for the wonderful peace you have given me. Lord Jesus, I thank you for taking away all of my sins and blotting them out with your blood. You have saved me; I worship you; I believe you.”

Thus he poured out his heart in gratitude, and arose with such thanksgiving and praise that the friends who were gathering for the service were deeply impressed with the blessing that God had given him.

Each one who reads this story is urged to make Christ Jesus, your own Lord and Savior; trust Him with you soul and lay at His feet your life. He will save you, keep you, and use you.

A TELEPHONE call came to the office one day, and upon answering it, a woman’s voice asked: “Could you spare the time to meet my father at the L—Hotel tomorrow? He lives out of the city and will come in on the bus line if you will give him a little of your time. He is very anxious to see you about an important matter, but being old and rather feeble, he feels that he cannot go out to your office.”

This seemed to be a call from God, and I was happy to answer that it would be a pleasure to meet her father at whatever hour `he might find it convenient to come. “At two o’clock in the afternoon would be the best time,” she said, so this arrangement was agreed upon.

The next day I called at the hotel and found, sitting in the lobby, a very old gentleman, having a long white beard, beautiful white hair and large bushy eyebrows. I approached him and asked whether he was waiting to see someone, to which he replied that he was waiting for the doctor who had promised to meet him there at two o’clock. After introducing myself to him, we followed his advise and found seats on the mezzanine floor where we could be alone for our conversation.

“My name,” he said, “is Judge A–. I have been a judge in the County court at M—(a city not far from Kansas City) for many years. I am an old man as you can see, and have sent many men to the penitentiary. I am now nearing the end of my own life and I know quite well that the great Judge of all the earth will send me to His penitentiary, for I have not been a Christian nor made any provision whatever for the sins that are recorded against me. I have come to you, doctor, to see if there is any remedy for an old man whose life has been spent in worldly pursuit, with no fear of God and no Christian training.”

It was interesting to observe, with mingled feelings, that here was a life spent in service of his fellow men, enjoying the blessings of God, but untouched by the grace of God and unmoved by His goodness. I could see that the judge was not trifling. He was in real earnest. Life at eighty is not full of foolishness. Things more serious occupy the mind and heart. The judge was facing death and after death the judgment. (Heb. 9:27.)

The one who had judged others realized that now he must be judged himself. He knew that the record was filled with sins of every kind and character. He remembered that no one had been engaged to defend him at this great bar of justice. He was aware of the fact, too, that no provision had been made for the pleading of his cause; and he realized that there were no extenuating circumstances which could be presented to the Judge for the willful sins of many years. He felt his case was hopeless.

Taking my Bible, I turned to John 5:24. Here we read those wonderful words: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent life.” As those words were read slowly: “Shall not come into judgment,” the judge became very attentive. His curiosity was aroused at once. “I never heard those words before,” he said. “What is the meaning of the passage? Is it possible that a sinful man  may escape the judgment?”

My aged friend was quite familiar with judgments, courts and trials, with all the accompanying evidence and arguments. These subject had been his portion for many years. It was the judgment he feared and which he wanted to escape. No wonder these five great words from the lips of the Lord Jesus stirred his soul with a wonderful hope. His whole desire now was to know how this statement could be true in his case.

In order to explain the passage and answer the question, I chose Colossians 2:14, where these words are recorded: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”

“Judge,” I said, “you will understand of course, that where there is a plain case of guilt and the evidence is undeniable, the only escape for the defendant is that someone will pay the price.”

“Yes, I understand that perfectly; but where can I find one who will pay my price?”

“Oh,” I replied, “that is the story of the last Scripture we just read. Christ at the cross was paying your price. Because He was a sufficient Savior and was acceptable to God for you, God let Him die for you at Calvary, taking your punishment, bearing your sin, becoming guilty of your wicked ways and evil deeds. There He died in your room and stead that you might go free.”

The old gentleman was in a deep study by this time. I could see that his heart was greatly affected by this new revelation of a substitute in the judgment. His eyes were closed under those great bushy eyebrows, and as a I placed my hand on his I felt that his body was trembling with emotion. He looked at me shortly and said, “Did He do that for me, doctor?”

“Yes, judge,” I was happy to reply, “He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). You are the lost man. It was you He came to save. Will you trust Him to do it?”

With a trembling voice filled with emotion, he answered, “Yes, I will gladly trust Him. I never knew before that God had sent Him to die in my place, to take my punishment, to suffer for me. I thank Him for it. I believe His word. He said it and it must be so.”

I knelt beside the chair, holding his hand in mine, and with deep gratitude praised the Savior for His wonderful love, thanked God for His gracious work, and thanked the Holy Spirit for revealing the Savior to this aged sinner who had sought and found the Savior.

Do not wait, my friend, until you are eighty. Trust Christ now! You may never have the opportunity which God gave the old judge at his advanced age. This judge met his JUDGE, and the records were cleared before the judgment day. You do this, too!

It was the custom in our office for the new stenographers to be broken in for the new work in my department. On a certain day, the office manager introduced a young lady who had applied for a position. Some mail had accumulated ready for handling, so I asked her to be seated, while I gave her the first letters in her new position.

Just before dictating, I said to her, “Miss M-, are you a good girl or a bad girl?”

She looked at me with astonishment, her face flushed a bit, as she replied: “Why, I am a good girl. Has someone been telling you otherwise about me?” It was quite evident that the thought of being bad was rather abhorrent to her.

“How good are you?” I asked. “Are you a real good, or just a little bit good?’

“I want you to know that there is nothing wrong about me,” she replied, “and I cannot understand why you should ask such a question.”

“How old are you, Miss M-?” was my next inquiry.

“Really, sir,” she said, “I cannot see what that has to do with taking your dictation.”

She certainly was ruffled and disturbed by these questions which to her mind were quite apart from the job for which she was engaged. I looked at her rather intently, and then, taking a pencil and paper, I said, “I would think that you were about thirty years of age, is that right?”

“You can say anything you please,” she said, “I came to take your letters.”

“Very well,” I continued, “if you are about thirty, then you have had at least twenty years of personal accountability. You may not have been responsible for the first ten years, but you are for the last twenty.”

I wrote down the twenty on my pad, and said: “During each of these twenty years you have lived 365 days. Let us multiply these together. You will notice that you have lived 7,300 days for which you are responsible, and perhaps you have committed one sin on each of these days. Do you think you have done so?” I inquired.

“I am quite sure I have,” she said, looking rather puzzled at the figures on the pad.

“If you have 7.300 sins against you today, Miss M-, would you call that being a good girl or a bad girl?”

“I certainly wouldn’t think that I was very good,” she said, “but I never had figured it up before. It maybe I am not as good as I thought I was. Really, I think that I have committed many more than one sin a day.”

“Perhaps you have,” I answered. “There are sins of omission, sins of commission; sins of ignorance, and sins of presumption. Do you think you might have committed one of each of these each day?”

“Yes, and more than that.” Was her quick response.

By this time my friend as getting quite interested. Her mind was running back over her, life, and no doubt her memory was filled with things which she would like to have forgotten.

“Shall we make it ten a day?” I asked, kindly.

“Yes, that is not too many,” she answered. The pad lay conveniently near, where she could continually see the figures. I multiplied the 7.300 by ten, and wrote in large figures 73,000 and underneath it the words: “Sins committed by a GOOD girl.”

Turning to her again and watching her countenance closely, I said, “In view of these figures, Miss M-, do you still think you are a good girl, or are you a bad girl?” Her face was quite flushed, and the agitation of her mind and heart were quite evident. She was deeply interested now.

Do you think, Miss M-, that there might have been some days when there were more than ten sins?”

“Doctor,” she replied, “if you only knew what a temper I have and how easy it is for me to do some things that are wrong, you would not need to ask me that question. I know I have been unusually sinful on some occasions. Really, I never dreamed how bad I am.”

This was the confession which I knew preceded salvation. It was easy now to turn to the gospel story and tell of the Savior and His power to save.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” I quoted, (I Tim. 1:15). “He knew that you would be a sinner, and would need Him. He knew that you could not change yourself, nor save your own soul. He knew that you could not blot out the black record of these many sins by any efforts of your won. That is the reason He came to save you. Would you like to have that Savior blot out all of these sins today?”

“I am not sure,” she answered. “This is all so new to me.”

Seeing her perplexity and astonishment, I said, “We will talk about this again when you wish it,” and took up the letters to give the dictation.

The next morning, when I came to the office, Miss M- had preceded me and was sitting at my desk, waiting for a continuation of the conference.

“I could not sleep last night,” she said. “My sins kept coming before me like a great mountain. I realized, as I had never done before, how very wicked I am. Is there no remedy for me? No way of blotting out these sins?”

We turned at once to the precious Word of God which is so full of the remedy, and which gives such a clear answer to this question. Our first passage was Isaiah 44:22-“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: returned unto to me; for I have redeemed thee.”

“The one against whom you have sinned, Miss M- is the one who has found a way to blot out those sins. That way is by Calvary. It is the blood of Christ that blots out sins, and God has ordained it so Himself. (I John 1:7-9). It was God’s way to send the Lord Jesus to die for you. ‘The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all’ (Isaiah 53:6). Peter also records that He bore our sins in his own body on the tree (I Peter 2:24). Christ will take those sins away from you, if you but trust Him today with your soul. Listen now to these words by Paul: ‘in whom we have redemption though his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace’ (Eph. 1:7).

“You have the privilege, Miss M-, of coming to Christ Jesus just as you are in your sins, accepting Him as your Savior, and letting Him accept you. He cleanses those who bring their defilement to Him. That is His work. “As many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his name’ (John 1:12). Will you receive Him just now?”

The tears and the trembling hands indicated the deep work that God was doing in that heart. The Holy Spirit had convicted her of sin, and now He would reveal to her the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of sinners.

“I will accept Him,” she answered, slowly and deliberately. “I want to be saved, and I want to be saved right now. I cannot go on in my sins any longer.”

“Then tell Him,” I urged; “tell Him now that you accept Him, that you trust in His precious blood, and thank Him for bearing away your sins on Calvary.”

With bowed head, she did so, and rested her all on the Lord Jesus Christ. Her subsequent life in the office, and later in the neighboring city, has testified to the good work of God by which she was born again. You, too, my friend, should examine yourself to see just how bad you are. Then when the terrible facts are revealed to your heart, you will quickly flee to Jesus Christ, who is the Refuge from the storm of wrath.

Occasionally, the call of the pulpit reaches the mind and heart of an unsaved man, who sees in that work a great opportunity for helpful service. He enters a seminary, studies the Bible and allied subjects for four years, is graduated and receives a “charge” in some city or village where he begins his public ministry. Such was the case of a minister about forty years of age, who visited me in my office one Monday morning about ten o’clock.

A Christian friend had driven many miles from a neighboring city to bring his pastor to see me. All night long, the pastor had walked the floor, read the Word, prayed, and conversed with my farmer friend concerning his own need of meeting Christ. He was introduced to me as the Rev..Mr. C—from G—City. After the introduction, my friend left and we two were together in my office with the Bible and the Lord.

“Tell me about yourself,” I said, “so that I may know what line of thought to pursue, in seeking to help you.”

“I am pastor of the C—church in G—City, where I have been now for four years. Altogether, I have been in the ministry for fourteen years. I graduated from the seminary and have never been without a pulpit since that time.”

“About six months ago,” he continued, “I began to search my heart to see why there were so few conversions under my ministry, and why it seemed so difficult for me to pray. The more I looked into the experiences of my heart during the past twenty years, the darker I seemed to get in my soul. I wrote to my superintendent about my distress, and he replied that I was simply restless in my spirit, because I did not have enough to do. He suggested that I should begin a building program and get rid of the old structure which was very old, dusty and dirty, and build an attractive new place.”

“Was this the case?” I asked. “Do you think that a new building would give you peace?”

“No, certainly not,” he answered, “and I wrote at once to my superintendent, telling him that what I needed was not activity, nor a new building, but a new experience in my heart. I received no reply to that letter.”

“The reason I have now come to you is this: Last night, at the close of the service in my church, one of my church officers came to me, and said, ‘Pastor, why is it that when you preach nothing happens? You have been with us now for several years, but we see no tears in the audience, no broken hearts over sin, and really you do not teach very much Scriptures. What is wrong?’”

“I felt that I had kept up my hypocrisy too long and should not continue it another day. ‘My brother, it is because it has never happened to me,’ I answered him. ‘I have never been really converted myself. This has been a burden in my heart for some months, and I give you my word that I will never again peach in this pulpit nor any other, until I have found Christ for myself and experienced in my own soul that change of heart which I have been preaching about to others, with so little success.’ That, doctor, is why I am here to see you this morning.”

This confession from my friend at once presented to me a difficult problem. Here was a man who knew the Bible fairly well, had received four years of training in the study of it, had preached on its texts for fourteen years, and still was in profound darkness and ignorant of the way of salvation?

“How shall I begin with you?” I asked. “You are well acquainted with the Bible.”

“Just begin with me,” he said,” as you would with the heathen. Just forget that I know anything at all about the Bible and start right at the beginning of the gospel story. As you tell it to me, I will find where I have missed the way; so just start in.”

“We will begin our conversation,” I said, “by seeing your need of this Savior. Let us read God’s indictment in Romans 3: 9-19.”

We read the passage through carefully. After each verse I asked him, “Is this true of you? Is this what the Lord thinks of you?” We spent quite a little time on those verses because his heart until then was really not ready to admit that he was that bad.

“This is not what I think of you, my friend, it is what God thinks of you. If God in His love, tells us what He sees in our hearts, we should bow to it. We should not set our judgment of ourselves in opposition to God’s revealed judgment of us.”

“No,” he said, “that is right, and though I had not thought until now that I was that bad, I accept His accusation and confess my guilt.”

We next turned to Romans 5:6, which reads, “When were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

“Are you helpless?” I asked him, “and are you the ungodly one—quite unable to help yourself?”

“Yes, that describes me,” he answered. “I know that only the Savior can save, and I want Him to save me this morning.”

We next read John 3: 16 and John 5:24, both of which I explained in some detail to him. The explanation did not bring light to his heart, nor peace. His countenance remained sad.

The Holy Spirit was working in his heart, and we realized His holy presence. I quickly prayed to Him for wisdom and guidance, and then turned to John 1:12, where we read together this passage: “But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” With this verse we joined 1 John 5:12, where it is recorded: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

These two Scriptures were used of the Lord to bring the light to his darkened heart. “That,” said he, “is the very place where I have missed being a Christian. I have read about Christ and believed what I read. I have preached about Christ and believed what I preached, but I have never made Him my own. There never was a time when I went to Christ Jesus personally and told Him that I would take Him as my Lord and Savior. But I will accept Him just now. He knows that my heart is hungry and I believe His Word which says: ‘Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out’” (John 6: 37).

Two years later, when I met this pastor again in a different city at a Christian Endeavor Conference, he greeted me with unusual affection and said: “Not only do I have peace with God myself, but the Lord is now saving souls through my ministry constantly. “Are you, my friend, seeking to preach or teach without first having been saved yourself? Do take Jesus Christ NOW. He will save you and you will be His own child.

The Lord Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” The lost one might be in a submarine at the bottom of the sea, or it might be a nurse in a busy ward, or a railroad engineer beside his engine, or a policeman on the beat. The case I shall relate to you here is that of a hostess serving on a plane eastbound from Kansas City. She was a young lady of about twenty-five years, very pleasant in her attitude toward the passengers, and quite accommodating to the mothers with babies. As soon as we were at the altitude where we were to fly, she checked in the passengers. As she passed through the plane, writing down the names of the passengers, she came to me and saw that I had my Bible open and was preparing to read. She did not remark about it but continued through the plane until her records were finished.

I had a window seat, and the aisle seat was vacant. After a while Miss W—— came and sat down beside me and made the remark, “What strange book is that you are reading?” I was quite surprised at the statement and the question, for I did not suppose there was anyone in our great country who did not recognize a Bible at once on seeing it. I replied that this was the Bible, sometimes called the Scriptures and usually called the Word of God. I said to her, “Do you not have a Bible, Miss W——?” She answered, “No, I have never had one. I have been raised like a heathen. My mother belonged to one church, and my father to another church, and neither one wanted me to go to the church of the other. Neither one of them had a Bible, and so I have just been in the dark all the time about that Book. I had heard about it and thought that perhaps some day my curiosity would be satisfied, and I would learn something about it. When I saw you with that strange Book, I thought perhaps you could help me.”

I replied that I was very happy indeed to tell her about the contents of the Book. I said, “This Book is mostly about you and the Lord Jesus.” This was quite a surprise to her, and her interest deepened. She answered me by saying, “Tell me what the Book says about me.” I did so by reading to her Romans 3:10-18. I told her that this passage was God’s description of her. It is not what your friends think about you, nor even your enemies. It is not what you think about yourself or your neighbors. God is revealing in this passage what He thinks about you, as He looks down from heaven and sees your life, your words, your character, and your deeds. She listened most intently as I explained these verses to her and called her attention to the universal character of the passage. It says we are all under sin, none righteous, none that understands, none that seeks after God, all gone out of the way, none that doeth good, and the way of peace have they not known.

She turned to me and with deep earnestness said, “How could they know all about me and describe me so fully? For those verses certainly tell what I am.” It was my turn to be surprised, for I cannot remember when any moral, upright, lovely person, as she seemed to be, immediately accepted God’s diagnosis of the case. My answer was, “The Holy Spirit told Paul what to write about you because He knows all about you, for He is on earth listening to every word and understanding all the thoughts.” For a few moments she was a bit stunned. The thought of her condition being written down so clearly in the Scriptures amazed her. Then she said to me, “What does the Bible say about Jesus?” This invitation indicated to me that the Holy Spirit was dealing with this young lady in a very definite way. I read to her Matthew 1:21: “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” I also read to her that beautiful, well-known verse, John 3:16, and explained to her that God had sent the Lord Jesus, His own Son, to put away her sins by His precious blood so that she would never perish and so give her eternal life so she could live with God.

She seemed to understand readily that she needed to take the gift of Jesus Christ, whom God had given to her. In order to help her to see this more fully, I read John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.” I added to that 1 John 5:12: “He that hath the Son hath life.” She meditated a few minutes on this wonderful truth, then bowed her head and said, “Lord Jesus, I see from the Bible that God sent You to me to save me. I want You to do it right now. I have wanted to be a Christian, but never knew how and never knew about Your Book. Now I am trusting You, and I thank You that You have blotted out my sins.”

She was called away at this point to take care of a passenger that was in need, and very shortly we arrived at the airport in Chicago and landed. I waited behind and let the other passengers get off the plane so that I could be the last one to speak to Miss W——. I shook hands with her at the door and said, “Miss W——, what is the Lord Jesus to you?” She replied with happy animation, “Dr. Wilson, He is my Saviour. He put away my sins. God gave Him to me, and I belong to Him. I surely am going to tell my friends all about it.”

And so we parted, having had a meeting with the Saviour through the sweet influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit up above the clouds. It can happen anywhere. Let each one of us be sure we have a tryst with Christ wherever we may be.

Two hundred boys and girls, most of them teenagers, were gathered in the log house at the Bible camp out in the woods. They had gathered together on that beautiful summer morning to enjoy and be blessed by the morning Bible lesson before going out to play. I had chosen for my subject on that morning “How to Find the Gospel in the Old Testament.” Most of these young folks had never been interested in the Old Testament. Somehow they felt that it was filled with difficult words, dry genealogies, and wars among people that they did not know. The subject was very interesting to them, and so they were waiting eagerly for the message.

This was a convention of young people from various young people’s groups out of different denominations and from different parts of the state. The sponsor of each group had come with them to spend the week at this lovely lake resort. Among these sponsors was a lady about fifty-five years of age, who had brought with her seventeen teenagers; they came with their Bibles and with buoyant spirits to enjoy physical and spiritual blessings. When I was introduced to this teacher, I noticed that her Bible was well worn, which revealed that she had used it a great deal. It was “dog-eared,” and many passages of Scripture had been underlined for emphasis. She sat on the front bench in this log house with her young people arranged around her.

The subject of the message on that particular morning was proving to be of great interest to the young people and to the teachers. It was a new line of thought to them, for the pictures of Christ in the Old Testament had not been pointed out to most of them. I told them the story of Cain and Abel and showed how the offering of the lamb as a substitute for the man was acceptable to God, whereas the offering of good works by Cain was not acceptable. The offering that is made for sin and for sinners must be a blood offering, and the sacrifice must die. Then I told them the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah—how the ram caught in the bush was taken as a substitute and a sacrifice for Isaac—for again there must be the death of the sacrifice for the offerer.

As I finished telling these two stories, I noticed that my friend, the lady teacher on the front seat, was weeping. She turned her back toward me and leaned over the back of the bench on which she was sitting. I continued my explanation by using the story of the Passover Lamb, as told in Exodus 12. It is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus and is referred to as such in 1 Corinthians 5. I explained an imaginary case. God had instructed Moses to tell the people of Israel that every man must take a lamb, kill it, catch the blood in a basin, and sprinkle the blood on the two sides and the upper lintel of the door on the front of the house. The blood was sprinkled on the outside of the door, and God said to Moses, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” I imagined there would be a prominent Jewish family in which the oldest daughter was named Sarah. She was a lovely girl; she was obedient to her parents; she attended to the teaching of the rabbis and lived an exemplary life. On the evening that the Lord had designated, she was studying at her books when she called out to her father, “Daddy, did you put blood on the outside of the door? Did not God tell Moses that every man must do it, and that the blood must be on every door?” She was quite interested because she was the firstborn in the family. The father replied, “No, dear, I have not put out blood because God did not mean this to apply to nice people like us and to lovely children like you. You must always take God’s Word for what it means and not for what it says. Go back to your lessons, my daughter; your father knows best.”

She did return to her lessons, but about 11:00 she was so disturbed that again she called her father and said, “Daddy, did God say that all the bad people must do it or that everybody must do it? You know, Daddy, I am the oldest one of the children, and I do not want to die.” Her father was irritated by this persistence of his daughter and said rather sharply, “Sarah, I told you that you must not take God too literally. You know very well He was not talking about you because our home is a good home. He was talking about that family down the street that live such wicked lives. Go to bed, dear, and quit worrying; your father knows best.”

The dear girl was too distressed to go to bed and could not sleep. She had heard that God had said to Moses that every house must be sheltered under the blood. She knew there was no blood on the door of the home where she lived. Just before 12:00 midnight, she called her father again and said, “Daddy, I am awfully afraid, for there is no blood on our door, and God told Moses that the blood must be on every house.”

As the clock struck 12:00, the father heard a strange noise and, hurrying to the bedroom of his daughter, found that she was lying dead on the floor. God had kept His word. The father had interpreted it to suit his own feelings and fancy. If he had put the blood on the doorpost, as he had been instructed, it would have shown to the angel that he believed God. The absence of the blood proved he did not believe God. I then continued addressing the audience with the plea that each one of them believe God, trust the living Saviour, and get under the blood of Calvary.

The lady on the front seat continued to weep as I told the story and as I concluded the service. An appeal was made for those who would trust Christ to rise and say so. Many of the young people did rise and in a very intelligent manner told that for the first time they had seen the value of Jesus.

Christ and His death for them at Calvary. After the confessions were made, I left the platform and went to the weeping teacher to ask her the reason for her grief. She told me quickly that she was quite sure she had never come under the blood. She decided she was a hypocrite, a professing Christian who had never believed God about the Lord Jesus. This stirred my heart, and so I knelt beside her and said, “I certainly shall tell the Lord Jesus how He has neglected you. It isn’t fair that He should shed His blood for others and omit you.” Having said this to her, I began to pray and said, “Lord Jesus, I cannot understand why You neglected this woman and did nothing for her while You were dying for others.” She took hold of my shoulder and exclaimed, “Don’t tell Jesus that; that isn’t right, and it isn’t so!” Of course, I wanted her to see that fact, and so I said again to the Saviour, “Do tell this friend why You did nothing for her at Calvary. You shed Your blood for others; You died for sinners; why did You not do something for this person?” My friend exclaimed quickly, “How foolish it is to talk that way! Of course, the Saviour did not neglect me. He was dying for me, and He blotted my sins out—His Bible says so. However could I doubt it?” The peace of God filled her heart, and the joy of the Lord changed her countenance from sadness to smiles. Christ Jesus had become real and precious to her.

Upon one occasion, it so happened that in the mail placed upon my desk there was a letter from a radio friend in southern Kansas which told a story of unusual interest. She said that her sister held a prominent position in one of the large circuses touring the country. Her habit was to mail copies to this sister of my morning radio messages, and these had stirred her heart quite deeply. Several letters had passed back and forth between them about the subject of salvation and Christian living.

A recent letter which had been received by my radio friend from her sister contained a request. This particular circus was soon to play in Kansas City, and the request was that she might have an opportunity to see me for a personal conference concerning the need of her own soul. Of course my radio friend sent the request on to me at Kansas City, and I looked forward with pleasure and anticipation to this conference.

In due time, the circus came to the city to play for two days. On the second day, I went out about half-past one in the afternoon in search of this sister. Her husband was at the front door of the show and directed me to the place in the “big top” where I would find his wife.

“I am sure,” he said, “you will receive a cordial welcome from her, for she has been looking forward to seeing you and told me to send you in as soon as you came.”

Thanking him, I soon found my way to where the woman was working. As soon as she saw me, her whole countenance changed. A deep sadness and sorrow were evident.

“I am so glad you have come,” she said, extending her hand for a greeting. “My sister has been writing me of your messages, and I would like so much to be talking with you about my own need.”

“When may I have that privilege?” I asked.
“As soon as the grand entry begins, I will be free,” she replied, “and I will meet you out at the front door. Will you wait for me there?”

Assenting to this, I went out to the front of the show, and there waited for perhaps thirty minutes or more until she came.

We went over to one side of the marquee, where we could be more or less quiet and where she could tell me of her soul’s interest. It seemed that several of the radio messages about the meeting with God, the final judgment, God’s wrath against sin, and the marks of a true Christian life had all been used by the Holy Spirit to reveal to her the need of a Saviour.

“Do you believe that the Lord Jesus came to save sinners, Mrs. O——?” I asked. “You know about Him of course. Did God really send Him to save you? What is your attitude toward Him?”

She immediately replied, “I do not know; I wish I did. I know there is a Saviour, but I do not know how He saves sinners. I want to know; I want Him to save me.”

Taking my Bible out of my pocket, I read to her John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life.”

On one side of us, the sideshow banners, partly lowered, were flapping in the wind. Just behind them the band in the sideshow was beating out a medley of noises and a din that lacked much of making real harmony. Behind us was the menagerie, and over to the left was the “big-top” with the band playing for the various acts. What a place for a soul to be saved! The people were coming and going. A group of about thirty men were pulling and tightening the ropes of the tent. The candy-butchers were offering their products here and there, and those on the concession stands directly in front of us were crying out their wares. And yet God came into that scene in a wonderful way. In the midst of all the noises, the Prince of Peace was bringing peace.

The Scripture which we read together seemed to interest my friend greatly. She looked on the page in order to read it for herself. We re-read it together, slowly and carefully. I called her attention to each word, showing her that the Lord Jesus Himself was speaking; that He was inviting her to believe His Word and asking her to believe that God sent Him to save her; that He was promising her that the moment she would accept Him and give herself to Him, that He would immediately give her everlasting life, blot out every sin-stain, and make her a child of God.

As she listened intently to the message and followed the verse through again and again, she suddenly turned and asked, “If I trust in Jesus Christ today, will that save me from going to the judgment, as this verse seems to indicate? If so, why will I not go to the judgment? I do not understand.”

What a pleasure it was to explain to her that the moment she trusted the Lord Jesus, He would immediately blot out the adverse record in heaven, would write her name in the book of life, and would cleanse her from every sin-stain. Since no sins would be left, there would be nothing to go to the judgment for. I explained that Christ took the punishment for her at Calvary. We read together Isaiah 53:5, in which it is written: “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Again we read in 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”

“That is quite clear to me now,” she said. “I understand it and see how it is that He can save the one who trusts Him.”

She then bowed her head quietly and said, “Lord Jesus Christ, I receive You just now, and I know that You take me. I thank You for doing so much for me on the Cross, and I will seek to live for You now that I have trusted You. Thank You, Lord Jesus.”

As she looked up, I noticed that her cheeks were wet, but the peace of God could be seen in her countenance. She had found rest in trusting Jesus Christ. Have you found rest in Him? If not, trust Him today as she did.

A few days after this happy occasion, Mrs. O—— resigned from the circus, and with her husband she entered a small business enterprise in an eastern city, where she became affiliated with a local group of Christians.

Dr. Richards served as a dentist in a midwestern city and built up a good practice. He was honest and thorough in his work. He had a pleasing personality, made many friends, and became a deacon in the large church near his home. One day, as he journeyed on his summer’s vacation, he passed through Winona Lake, Indiana, because he had heard about that great Bible conference and wanted to see what it was like. He had never been to a Bible conference, though he had read about them in the monthly magazine of his denomination. While at Winona Lake, he visited the bookstore and purchased a copy of my book The Romance of a Doctor’s Visits. As he read the book, he found the story of a man whose condition of heart was quite like his own. The man was religious, had good standing in the community, was respected and honored as a man of the church. This man discovered that he obtained no peace in his heart from all his religious activities.

This story convinced the doctor that he too needed something else besides religion. He was a successful dentist, he was well received in society, but somehow he had no peace in his heart and no rest in his spirit. He felt the need of something more than just religious activity and good character.

He decided to lock up his office and fly to Kansas City to see the one who wrote the book and had this interesting experience about which he had read. He did so without first learning whether I would be at home and could be seen by him. Of course, the Holy Spirit is always guiding in the affairs of troubled hearts, and He knew that this seeker should not be disappointed. I was at home and received a telephone call from one of the downtown hotels to see if he could make an appointment with me that evening. We were just at supper at the time, and so I asked him to come at 7:30. He did so. He was a splendid young man about thirty-five years of age and impressed me as one who was deeply in earnest, and not just a curiosity seeker.

We sat in the parlor, and he began the conversation by saying, “I read in your book, The Romance of a Doctor’s Visits, about a man whose case is quite like my own. I am in good standing in the city where I live. I have a splendid dental practice, and I am a deacon in the church. I have a wife and two little children whose hearts are with me in my Christian activity. In spite of all of this, I know there is something wrong with me. I get nowhere in my Christian activity and do not know for sure that I belong to the Lord. I flew over here hoping to find you, and I want you to tell me what you told that friend about whom I read in your book.” I answered him by saying, “Are you a lost dentist?” He did not answer at once but was thinking the thing through. Then he said, “I do not know whether I am or not. Certainly I do not have the thing that would make me satisfied with God and give me the feeling of security.”

I asked him then if he knew any verse of Scripture that he could quote. He drew a little Testament out of his pocket and without opening it said, “I learned a verse in Sunday school, and really I am ashamed to say it is the only verse I know.” He then quoted correctly John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I then reminded him that God sent the Lord Jesus to be the Saviour. He came to save from sin and to give the gift of righteousness and then eventually bring us to God after being made fit for God’s presence.

The subject of the radio message on a certain morning was “The Five Judgments of God.” I took up briefly the Judgment of the Great White Throne, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Judgment of Calvary, the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats, and the Judgment of One’s Own Self. A very prominent lawyer of the city was listening in his home as the message was given, and because it pertained to those things with which he was familiar in his daily occupation, he gave very close attention to the message of the speaker.

Before leaving the radio room I received a telephone call from this attorney requesting me to take lunch at the noon hour with him as his guest. This invitation was gladly accepted, and arrangements were made to meet in the Savoy Lunch Room at 12:15.

I was not personally acquainted with this attorney, but I knew that he was quite active in one of the larger churches of the city and was known as an active and successful builder of a large Bible class of men. This class bore the name of this man, so it was known as the “Harris Men’s Bible Class.” There were about five hundred men enrolled, and they met each Sunday morning to be enthused and stirred by the leadership of this lawyer. Mr. Harris did not teach the class but engaged other men whom he thought were better qualified.

All during the morning I pondered over this engagement and wondered why a man of such prominence and ability should wish to have a conference with me. He was a very prominent person in legal circles and held a political position of much power. I had often wondered about this class, as to whether Christ was known there and whether the members heard the gospel. The daily newspapers often carried stories concerning the class and their activities among the poor and the crippled and in civic improvement enterprises. The class gave liberally to needy families at Christmas time and in the summer season sponsored a camp for boys and another for girls.

I wondered whether my new friend would like counsel and advice concerning this social service work, or whether he might wish to talk with me about the interests of some friend who perhaps was in difficulty with the law. Never having had personal contact with Mr. Harris, I was quite in the dark concerning the desire for this meeting.

At 12:15 I met Mr. Harris at the Savoy Lunch Room as appointed. He knew me at once and made himself known to me, for he had been in some of my services without identifying himself. We were soon seated together at a table for two in this beautiful, colonial restaurant and proceeded to order the meal. We conversed together about various local and national matters of public interest while waiting for the meal to be served. After the waitress had placed the food before us and we had begun to partake of it, I said to my friend, “Mr. Harris, what was on your mind when you invited me to have this lunch with you? Do you have some problem that I may confer with you about? Do you have any burden on your heart that I might share with you? Do feel quite free to tell me anything you wish, for I shall regard our conversation as confidential.”

This invitation seemed to relieve the heart of Mr. Harris so that he felt free to tell me the real cause for our conference. He did not reply immediately but seemed a bit confused as to just how and where to begin his conversation. I waited quietly for him to answer.

“Do you know the work in which I am engaged?” he asked.

I replied, “Not exactly, Mr. Harris. I do know your official position in the city, and I have read in the paper of your activities at the Barnard Church where you have built up such a large Bible class. I have no direct information about you or your faith, and I only know what I have read. I should like very much to have you tell me something about yourself, if it fits in with your desire at the present time.”

Mr. Harris was not eating his meal as though he enjoyed it. He seemed to be only tasting the various foods without much interest or appetite. His mind was evidently on things that were more important, and his interests were deeper than the satisfying of his physical hunger. He began his story quietly and earnestly. “For many years I have been practicing law in this city, as you perhaps know. My ability has been recognized, and for that reason I have received a vote of confidence from the public which placed me in my present excellent position. During this time I have felt the desire for religion in my life. Being naturally a leader of men, I started this Bible class at the Barnard Church with the thought of increasing my own religious conceptions and also of bringing into Christianity a lot of men who would be more attracted by businessmen than they would by a preacher. I found some good singers among the men that came and some good, enthusiastic workers. We have put on ‘PEP’ meetings and ‘PEP’ songs to work up the enthusiasm. We appointed team captains to increase the attendance. We offered prizes for the largest attendance by sections, and also individual rewards for those who would bring the largest number of men at one meeting or during the course of the month.

“The scheme has worked splendidly as you know. We have one of the largest classes in the Valley, and the fellows certainly do take an interest in every opportunity for doing good that is presented to them.”

Mr. Harris had told the truth about this group of men. They were enthusiastic about the class and about their various administrations of help where opportunity offered. They had a name in the city of being very liberal and very thorough in their work.

Of course, Mr. Harris received the credit for managing such a large and efficient group and was accorded quite a little recognition by the churches of the community as well as by the city officials.

While Mr. Harris was giving me this information, I was asking the Holy Spirit to cause him to open his heart to me fully. I was also asking for wisdom in making a reply. I could see that something was wrong with Jack (for that was his name). I knew that he had not told me all the story. His conversation had thus far sounded as sort of a preamble to the real story of his heart. As he paused a little in recounting this much of his life, I said to him, “Tell me, Mr. Harris, whether all of this activity has satisfied the hunger of your heart. Do you feel that what you have done and what you are doing is enough to meet your need and to satisfy the demand of your God? How do you feel about it, Mr. Harris?”

Evidently this inquiry was exactly what he had wanted to hear. It seemed to relieve the restraint that was in his mind and to remove any doubt as to my interest in his welfare. We should always seek to make it easy for people to unburden their hearts to us; otherwise, they will hold back the real secret and will hide from us the matter that should be exposed.

The meal was becoming cold while we conversed and studied each other. I was seeking to diagnose the case of my patient, and he was examining me to see whether he could confide in me and unburden his soul to me. Neither of us cared much for the food. The Spirit of God was hovering over us. The solemnity of eternity had made itself felt. We drew near to the vital point of the conversation with a sense of the presence of God.

He answered me shortly by saying, “Doctor, I listened to your message on the radio this morning concerning the Judgments, and it stirred me deeply. I have been practicing law long enough to know that a guilty man cannot be acquitted before the judge and the jury have all the facts plainly placed before them. Sometimes the lawyer for the defense is clever and is able to turn the attention of the jury from the facts to his own deductions and conclusions, but this scheme will never work in God’s court, and I know it. I have seen defense lawyers, by clever manipulation, prevent the introduction into the trial of evidence that is of very great importance. I know that this can never be done in the court of heaven, where Christ has charge of the proceedings. He is a righteous Judge.”

The logic of this honest heart and splendid legal mind appealed to me very much. I saw at once that I was not dealing with one who thought carelessly or decided foolishly. There was an earnestness here that appealed to my heart. I looked to the Spirit of God again with joy because of this wonderful opportunity to help a darkened heart. Mr. Harris was a younger man by some years than I, so I felt free to ask his permission to call him by his given name. He gladly assented.

“Jack,” I said, “there will never be any such perversion of justice in God’s court. You are right in what you said. I am glad that you recognize that God will deal with us in righteousness. Tell me more about your thoughts in this matter.”

He was eager to continue and replied, “As you gave the message this morning on the Judgment of the Great White Throne, it made me very uneasy. I asked myself the question ‘How will I ever get through that Judgment?’ My life has had lots of sin in it, and He has the evidence against me. There is no use my pleading extenuating circumstances. There is no use my pleading an alibi. God has the evidence against me, and I cannot deny it. I tell you, Dr. Wilson, it has troubled me tremendously all morning. I have been able to save some guilty men from punishment in my legal practice, but it will never work in heaven.”

My heart was rejoicing in the conclusions which Jack had reached. I could see plainly that the Lord had been dealing with his heart and was leading him straight to the Saviour. I saw that the Holy Spirit had already convicted him and that his desire now was to find a way out.

“What are you going to do about it, Jack?” I inquired.

“I do not know, Dr. Wilson,” he answered. “That is the reason I sent for you. I want you to tell me. I cannot and must not go on without knowing the remedy.”

This answer filled my heart with a greater joy, and taking my Bible I opened it to John 5:24 and gave it to him to read. He did read it slowly and carefully. I asked him to read the verse several times, and he did so. “I do not understand it,” he said. “What does it mean to believe? I have always believed that the Bible was true. I have never questioned it or doubted it.”

The problem he presented was one that is common among men. Everywhere we find those who are unsaved affirming that they agree with all that is in the Bible and have no doubts concerning its veracity.

“Jack,” I said, “to believe the facts is good, but the blessing comes when you appropriate them. You believe that this food is wholesome, but it will not help you until you partake of it. You believe that medicine is potent and pure, but it will not relieve you until you take it. You believe that the streetcar will take you downtown, but you must get on it in order to receive the benefit. So it is in this case. The Lord Jesus came to save you. God sent Him to do it, but you must receive Him and turn your case over to Him individually. You handle the cases of only those clients who commit themselves to your care; so Christ saves only those who turn themselves, with all their sins, over to Him.”

This explanation brought a new light and a new hope to Jack’s heart. He could see at once the analogy between himself with his client and the Lord Jesus with the sinner.

“Do you not see, Jack, that the Lord Jesus can blot out your sins, put away your guilt, and win your case at the Judgment only when you have trusted Him to do it? He is there at God’s right hand, a living Man on the throne, in His own body of flesh and bones, ready and willing and able to take every case that is committed to His trust and handle that case successfully before the Supreme Bench. If you will trust Him just now, He will blot out the sin-stains; He will remove your guilt; He will make you His child.”

I turned to John 3:16 and let him read the story of God’s gift to him. Then we read in Isaiah 44:22: “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.” These passages were used of the Lord to reveal to Jack the ability and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ to blot out the records that were against his soul.

He looked at me most earnestly, his face flushed and as he trembled with emotion, said, “I see those facts as I have never seen them before. I accept Jesus Christ, and I believe that He accepts me.”

We bowed our heads in thanksgiving, and while he told the Saviour that he trusted Him, I praised the Holy Spirit for revealing the Lord Jesus to this needy lawyer.

As we separated at the close of the meal, Jack went back to his office with a load off his heart, and I went back to my work happy to have been with Christ when He saved a human soul.

How blessed it is to watch the Lord deal with men, revealing their need and then supplying a sufficient remedy. The remedy is always found in the Person of the living Lord. Let us remember that it is not the work of Christ that saves, but the Person of Christ. We trust the Lord Jesus Himself personally, and He applies His blessed and sufficient work to our souls. He makes the precious blood avail to the cleansing of our sins as we trust ourselves to Him. “He that hath the Son hath life” (1 John 5:12).

On the particular morning when the events of this story transpired, my heart was unusually happy because of a new revelation which the Holy Spirit had given me of Himself on the previous evening. Upon leaving home for the office, I asked the Holy Spirit for the privilege of being His channel that day, so that some heart might be reached by His message and brought to the Lord Jesus Christ.

About ten o’clock, two young ladies entered the office, soliciting advertising for a national magazine. I had often given these friends some business and was now ready for another contract, as they knew. At my invitation, they seated themselves at my desk, one just across the table from me and the other at my left. Having transacted our business with regard to the advertising contract and having closed the arrangement, I said to them, “Girls, are you both saved, or are you lost girls on the way to a lost eternity?”

This unusual question greatly surprised both of them. The one sitting opposite me, Miss D——, became quite serious at once. Her sister, at my left, thought it was a great joke and expressed her feelings by a rather loud outburst of laughter, which was heard throughout the office.

Miss S——, who was seated at my left, was quite sure that someone had been telling me wrong things about herself and her sister. She hastened to assure me that they were both very lovely girls. They taught Sunday school classes in the same church, were raised by a good Christian mother, and never did anything wrong. The older girl, Miss D——, was not quite so sure. She said, “Doctor, I was up last evening until quite late, reading my Bible and wondering if I had everything for salvation that I should have. I do not feel at all happy about my condition and would be so glad if you could give me any help.”

Opening my Bible to John 3:16, I handed it to Miss D—— and said, “Will you please read this verse slowly and aloud?”

She did so and added, “I know that verse well and have always believed it.”

“But you still feel, do you not, Miss D——, that you are perishing and are still lost?”

“Yes, I do,” she answered, “and yet I do not understand why, when I believe all of the Bible.”

“It is because you have believed the facts, but this belief has not led you to accept God’s gift of His Son. Why do you not take Christ just now? He is the One who will save you from perishing. He will save you this moment, if you will take Him and make Him, just now, your own Lord and Saviour. Will you trust Him with your soul?”

The heart of the young lady responded immediately to the call, and with a glad heart she accepted the Saviour, offering her hand to me across the desk in evidence of her sincerity.

Turning to her sister, I said, “Miss S——, it is quite evident that you do not believe the Bible.”

“I certainly do,” she replied, “every word of it.”

“I want you to read this passage in Romans 3:9–19 and tell me whether this description is true of you.”

She read it clear through from my Bible which I had handed her and said emphatically, “No, sir, indeed it is not true of me; I am not that kind of a woman.”

“Very well,” said I, “take these scissors”—and I handed her mine—“and cut this passage out of the Bible, for I do not want anything in my Bible that is not true.”

Miss D——, who had trusted the Saviour, spoke to her sister and said, “Sister, you know that you are as bad as that. God always speaks the truth, and you should acknowledge it.”

“I know better,” she replied, “I have not lived that kind of a life at all.”

Interposing in the conversation, I said to Miss S——, “This is not a description of your deeds; it is a record of what God sees in your heart.”

“I reject it,” she answered, “and will not believe that I am as bad as that. I will not cut it out of the Bible, however, for it certainly is true of some folks that I know.”

“Perhaps, Miss S——, we can find some other passage in the Bible that is true of you. Please read this portion in Mark 7:21–23 and tell me whether you think those three things describe your heart correctly.”

When she came to verse 23 and read, “All these evil things come from within and defile the man,” she spoke rather forcefully and said, “No sir, most of these things are not true of me, but the last two things are, for I know that both pride and foolishness are often in my life.”

Upon hearing this partial confession, I handed Miss S—— a lead pencil, and said, “Will you please write at the end of verse 23, ‘All but Miss S——’? Since you say that all of these things do not come out of your heart, we should revise the Bible to make it tell the truth. If you wish, you can write in the margin of my Bible, ‘Only the last two things come out of my heart.’”

This suggestion did not please Miss S—— at all. She rather resented it and said, “God wrote the Bible the way He wanted it. I certainly will not presume to add any words to it. These verses may be true of many wicked people, but I tell you again that I do not like that kind of a wicked life.”

It was quite evident now that the passages concerning outrageous sins would not appeal to her at all, so I suggested that we turn to another passage and see whether this one might fit her case. The portion turned to was Matthew…

In a summer conference in the South, held especially for the benefit of young people, there was a little lad about twelve years of age who had come about two hundred miles for the ten-day Bible class. He was a very earnest little fellow. He attended Sunday school regularly in the city from which he came and liked very much to be around Christian people. He had a religious nature and was interested in religious things, even though so young.

My attention had been directed to him during the services because he usually sat on the front seat and paid very close attention to all that was said. He always had a hymn book and sang lustily, as though he really enjoyed it.

It was a time of heart-searching at this conference. Because there were so many young people there, the ministry was rather simple, pointed, and plain. Personal conferences were held between the services so that the young people might ask questions concerning their own individual needs and problems. This lad was of an inquiring mind and asked many questions about the things he heard from the platform which were not clearly understood. He was not a careless listener but an earnest one, desiring to let nothing escape his attention.

During the ten days a number of his companions had trusted the Saviour and found a new peace such as he did not possess. Because of their age and lack of experience, these who had trusted Christ could only say in their simplicity, “I trusted the Lord Jesus, and He saved me, and now I have peace in my heart.” This short, terse testimony, of course, did not bring very much light to the heart of our little friend, Henry Laird. He was not satisfied at all with something that he could not understand, and neither would he drift along in the dark without making an effort to obtain the information his heart desired.

Little Henry grew more and more troubled about his soul as the meetings progressed and as he saw others finding the peace and joy that he wanted. One night he came to the service and, as usual, sat in the front row, singing heartily in every song and quite oblivious of the other young people around him.

The message was about God’s gift to men—the gift of Christ. John 1:12 was used as a text, and also John 3:16. I sought to stress in the message that salvation is not some article which may be picked up at random; it is not like a piece of fruit on the tree which may be plucked when desired. Salvation is a Person. When Simeon took the baby Jesus up in his arms, he said, “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation” (Luke 2:30). When Jesus entered the home of Zacchaeus, He said, “This day is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9). God said about Christ, “I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth” (Isa. 49:6; Acts 13:47).

I endeavored to show the children that salvation is not a feeling or a peculiar experience that takes place when they have done some special act. It was my plan and purpose to present the Lord Jesus to them in such a way that they would see that He Himself is the Saviour. It is not His work that saves; it is He who saves. It is not believing in His works that brings peace; it is accepting His Person and believing in Him who has done the sufficient work at Calvary.

The Lord stirred the hearts of many that evening, and they were examining their hearts to see whether they had really received the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ from the loving hand of God or whether they had simply had a religious experience without taking Christ. Several trusted the Lord Jesus that evening, but little Henry did not make a confession. I could see that there was a cloud on his face, for he did not clearly understand the message as I had given it. We must remember that the darkened mind does not grasp quickly the Light of life. The Holy Spirit must do that wonderful work. He must illuminate the soul. He must deliver from tradition and darkness. He must shine into the dark heart and dispel the doubts and disperse the fears. Only He can do it!

The after-meeting lasted for some time because a number of these precious young folks asked for help and guidance. Several Christian workers were busy answering the questions, some of which were strange and unusual. Let us never be in a hurry to urge a heart to make a confession. When the Light comes, a confession is automatic. When the soul really sees the Truth, the darkness is gone, and faith fills the heart with peace.

I was sorry to see my little lad go away without Christ. I had hoped and prayed that the message would be so clear and simple that he would be delivered from the chains of darkness that were around his little heart, and I really had expected that, because of his deep interest, he would be one of the first to announce his trust in Christ Jesus. As he left the service, I prayed for him, asking the blessed Lord of the harvest to gather in this little “grain of wheat” for His glory.

That evening, although other children gathered around the front of the hotel to talk about the service and to help each other, Henry was nowhere to be seen. A number of us who were especially interested in him were praying that he was away with the Lord and his Bible, seeking the solution of his perplexity. This was exactly the case. He had gone away to his bed in the dormitory and taken advantage of the quiet there while the other boys were out in the yard enjoying the evening and the company. There he put his finger on the passage 1 John 5:12, “He that hath the Son hath life,” and said to his Lord, “Lord Jesus, I take you tonight as my Saviour, and I will be all yours from now on.”

It was not a long, weary, laborious, dry prayer. His heart was in it, his soul was poured out to the Saviour, and the Holy Spirit revealed Christ to his heart.

We did not know of this transaction the next day. Evidently Henry was not quite sure that he was really saved. He meditated on the Scriptures during the day, listened to the afternoon message, listened to the Christians talking together around the grounds, but did not tell us what had transpired in his heart.

The time for the evening service arrived, and to our great joy Henry was sitting on the front seat again with his hymnbook and a Bible.

The sermon was about “Believing God.” The illustration was used of Abraham ready to offer up Isaac and of the dying thief trusting in a dying Saviour who was dying more rapidly than himself. I told of Peter, willing to step out of the boat on the water; and of the woman, willing to set out vessels for the oil; and of the soldiers, who dug the ditch for water when there was none in sight. Of course, after each illustration, an appeal was made for the soul to trust the Lord Jesus without reservation or hesitation.

Henry listened most attentively, sometimes watching the preacher and sometimes with his head bowed in meditation on what he was hearing. At the end of the service we did not give a call for any to come forward and make a confession, but the service was turned into a testimony meeting during which we hoped and expected that some would for the first time rise where they were and acknowledge their faith in the Lord Jesus.

The testimonies began immediately. One after another told how he had been directed to the conference by a hungering heart and had found the Saviour there. Others told how their faith had been strengthened by the truths that were presented. Still others told how they had drifted and wandered and now at this series of meetings had been brought back to a new walk with their Lord.

Our hearts kept praying for Henry, for we were especially drawn to him because of his earnest, simple hunger for the truth. As we were looking to God for him, and at the same time listening to the testimonies, suddenly he arose and, with a clear, shrill voice, almost cried out, “Folks, last year I went to a revival meeting and sort of went halfway with God. I’ve been listening to these sermons, and tonight I want to tell all of you that I’m going all the way with God.” His little heart could not express more, and he sat down weeping for joy. One of the Christian friends hurried to his side and put an arm about him affectionately and with open Bible helped him to see in a new way and more fully all that the Lord Jesus had done for him and all that the Saviour would be to him. His was a happy heart that evening as the new faith filled his face with a new light and put a new song in his heart.

During the few days of the conference that remained, we were happy to see that Henry Laird had really had a meeting with the Lord Jesus and had experienced the freedom and the radiant hope to which the faith of his little heart entitled him.

Reader, you too may go “all the way with God.” Accept the Lord Jesus right now, and He will cleanse you from your sins in His precious blood.

It seems both strange and sad that so many of our fine physicians do not believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. They do their work well. They are kind to the afflicted. They spend their lives in the service of others. They will go at any hour of the day or night where duty calls. They realize the seriousness and the danger of death and yet make no provision for the safety of the soul who dies. They make no provision for their own souls. This story will relate to you the blessing that came to one such physician who was practicing medicine in a small town in Kansas.

Dr. White had graduated from a medical college in which there was a very fine Christian physician who gave lectures to the students. This professor’s faith and his godly life had attracted and won the admiration of the young student. He had often said that this Christian doctor was his favorite teacher. In addition to being a good Christian, the professor was an excellent teacher and was thoroughly versed in his subject of medicines, their character, and their uses. He was able to impart his information to the students in such a way that they were able to retain the instructions.

The young medical student was not interested at all in Christianity; in fact, he was quite opposed to Christian doctrines and principles. The real reason for his opposition lay in the fact that he loved his sins and did not want Christianity to hinder his free and easy way of living. Rather than get rid of his sins, he tried to blot out Christianity, thinking that thereby his conscience would be eased, and he could live as he pleased. He remained away from gospel services, ignored the Bible, and made a mockery of Christian things.

It was my good fortune to be called to this little city where Dr. White lived to hold a series of meetings in the Presbyterian church. As is usually my custom, I inquired of the pastor concerning the spiritual life of the physicians of the town. He informed me that some of them were friendly to the church and would sometimes attend the services. Others were not at all friendly and remained away constantly from services of every kind. He particularly mentioned the antagonism of Dr. White. He made known his atheistic doctrines and theories to his patients and rather gloated over the victories he had won in private debates with Christians. He was aggressive in his unbelief and active in propagating his wicked theories.

The doctor should be a believer. He sees the miracles of the human body. He sees the wonderful workings of mental processes. He sees the tragedy of dying in the dark. He observes the cruel ravages of sin which wreck the human body. He should realize, above all others, that Christ Jesus alone can transform the heart and implant in the soul a love for righteousness and a hatred of sin. He knows very well that all he can do is for the body, and after that he can do no more. He sees the death of the saint, where peace and rest abound and comfort fills the heart. He sees the death of the wicked, where fear, dread, and hopelessness pervade the whole soul and heart of the patient. All of this should stir his heart to want to be a real Christian.

Having heard of the attitude of Dr. White, I presented myself at his office and requested an interview. This he readily granted. He took me into his private office, and, as I entered the door, I was delightfully surprised to see, hanging on the wall, a framed picture of the Christian professor he had so much liked while in college. I said to him, “Oh, I see you have Dr. Wilson’s picture hanging on your wall. Did you like him, and did you enjoy his classes?”

He replied with some joy, “Yes, Dr. Wilson was my favorite professor. He was a sane and sensible Christian and was able to tell what he knew in a way that made me remember it.”

“I am glad to know this,” I said, “because he was my father. It is a joy to me to hear one of his students speak well of him.” Up until now, the doctor had been somewhat formal and stiff in his attitude toward me, but now his whole demeanor changed.

“You cannot know how glad I am to meet you,” he said with much joy. “I consider it an honor to know a son of Dr. Wilson, whom I esteemed so highly, and I certainly am happy to have you call on me. Are you the preacher who is preaching over at the Presbyterian church?”

“Yes,” I answered, “and I came over today to ask whether you cannot spare a little time to attend the service. I believe you would enjoy it.”

The doctor became quite friendly now, as he invited me to be seated opposite his desk where he took his place in his office chair. “Dr. Wilson,” he began, “your father tried to talk to me about religion, but I never could see anything in it. I am an atheist. I do not believe that the Bible is true, nor do I believe in a God. Sometimes I wish it were not so and that I could really believe what you Christians believe.”

This frank response pleased me. I saw that through the years, troubles of various kinds had made him more thoughtful and more considerate. To me this was a good sign. It indicated that God was working in this man’s heart and that perhaps he would not be so difficult to reach as the pastor had thought. Sometimes we place men in positions of antagonism and opposition in which they really should not be placed. Oftentimes we shall find that those who seem to be hard and difficult to reach are not quite so antagonistic as we thought. Let us approach every friend whom we would win for Christ with kindness and courtesy.

“Tell me, Doctor, what it is in the Bible that you do not believe. There are many things there that you must admit are true and accurate. Perhaps you just refer to certain things that are not pleasing to you and which you hope are not true. Is that correct?”

Those who make the broad statement that the Bible is not true should always be given an opportunity to tell just what things the Bible says which they know positively to be untrue. This will pin the friend down to specific facts and will probably take the foundation from under his feet. It was so in this case.

The doctor replied to me, “I do not know of any of it that I believe. It seems to me to be just a lot of fables and oriental stories with the colorings of the civilizations of that time.”

I continued my question by asking, “Do you refer, Doctor, to things that the Bible says about ants, trees, gravitation, and precipitation? Do you think that what the Scripture records about the rise and fall of certain kingdoms is not true?

“Do you also question the veracity of the statements in the Bible about birds and their nests, sheep and their lambs, the evil results of sin in the human life? Do you believe that the Bible gives incorrect instructions when it says that the husbands should love their wives, and that the children should obey their parents, and that kings should rule in righteousness and equity? I can hardly believe, Doctor, that you deny these basic principles.”

His answer was not long in coming. “Oh, no, I believe all of that. I do not know a better code of ethics or standard of morals than that which the Bible gives.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” I said, “this relieves my mind considerably, for now I see that you are a believer in part, and that you do admit that some parts of the Bible are quite true and dependable. Tell me, Doctor, just exactly what thing in the Bible you feel is untrue and inaccurate.”

He answered at once, “I do not believe in a God who would punish anybody. The Bible says that God will put people in hell and burn them forever. That idea is repulsive to me, and I do not want anything to do with a God of that character.”

During the course of a revival meeting in the Memorial Church, a group of friends attended regularly in a body and sat near the rear of the auditorium. It was quite evident that the messages had been of such a character that they instilled a deep interest and aroused some surprise in their hearts.

The ministry followed the lines of salvation by grace alone, without human merit or personal virtue. The text chosen one night was: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). On another night, the text was taken from Romans 4:5—“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” As the interest of these friends deepened from night to night, they were led to move forward a few rows.

At the close of the first week, a lady who seemed to be the leader of this group, approached me with the statement: “This gospel which you preach is a new one to me. Being a Sunday school teacher in a church in another part of this city, I have been active in Christian work among young people. I am also a school teacher in the public schools of this city. Your messages from night to night have caused me considerable self-examination, and I think I am beginning to understand the reason why Christ has seemed so far away from me, and why I have experienced so little in the way of spiritual results in my church work. I fear I have never been saved at all.”

The earnestness of this friend, together with her frank admission of failure, assured me that the Holy Spirit was effectively working in her heart.

“What are you depending upon for salvation, Mrs. B——?”

“I do not know that I am really depending upon anything,” she answered. “I know that it is right to be religious; I strive to be good; I seek to be as useful as possible in the church; and for that reason I suppose that God will be kind and merciful to me.”

“Do you find anything like that in the Bible?” I asked. “What Scriptures would lead you to think that God will forgive if you try to be good? Where have you read in the Bible that religious activities and desires for good things are sufficient to blot out the sins that you have committed?”

She looked puzzled for a moment. That she must find her instructions in the Bible seemed an entirely new thought to her.

“I will look it up,” she said, “and when I return another day, I will let you know.”

She did return Sunday and Monday and on through the week, but avoided giving me the opportunity of speaking with her—leaving immediately, with the others in the group, as soon as the service closed. Throughout the meetings, she paid close attention to the messages, turning up the passages in her Bible as they were quoted, and checked up the speaker continually. Not until Friday night did the burden of her heart impel her to come forward for further help.

At the close of the meeting on that night, I observed Mrs. B—— coming towards the front of the auditorium and so I made an opportunity for a personal conversation with her. Stepping to one side where we might be quiet, she said rather impulsively: “I am ready now to be saved. These two weeks have caused me to examine my heart carefully, and my life as well, and I find that all I have is religion. It has been a good religion and orthodox in every way as far as I can find, but there never has been a personal meeting with Christ in my experience.”

Seating ourselves, I turned to the Scriptures and read to her: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5).

“Do you suppose that this passage is true?” I asked her.

“It must be true,” she replied, “although I never knew before that such a statement was in the Bible. Even now I do not understand it. It seems to me that if I do not work for salvation I will never get it. Do you mean that I should just do nothing at all to be saved? If I quit trying to be saved, will God save me anyway?”

This statement caused me to turn to Romans 5:6, which reads: “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

“You will never be saved, Mrs. B——, until you acknowledge your helplessness, your weakness, and your inability to save yourself.”

Her response to this statement was one that I have often heard, and one that is very commonly made by those who do not see that Christ Jesus alone is the Saviour from hell and the Giver of eternal life: “But doesn’t the Bible say somewhere that ‘faith without works is dead’? Doesn’t that mean that we should believe what the Bible says and then do all the good we can, in order that we may be saved?”

“Yes,” I answered, “the Bible does make that statement in James 2:20, and two examples are given in that chapter of the kind of works referred to. Neither one of the examples, however, is the kind that you have in mind. The two incidents recorded there tell of a wonderful faith and confidence in the Word of God and the will of God. The good works that you are picking out, such as helping the poor, caring for the sick, looking after the various kinds of church work and such like, only prove that you do not believe in the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, but that you believe that salvation is by works and not by Christ at all.”

“I can readily see that so far nothing I have done has produced any change in my life. I have never received eternal life, although I have often read about it in the Bible, but never understood what it meant. I pray and work but seemingly it is without result, and certainly does not bring any peace or joy to my soul. It must be that there is something wrong with my faith and that I am on the wrong track. Do explain this ‘Grace’ business more fully to me.”

Such a cordial invitation was not to be refused and I undertook to call her attention to Christ and to His cross. The passage chosen for our consideration was 1 Peter 2:24, wherein we read: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.”

“Whose sins did He bare, Mrs. B——?”

“He must have borne mine,” she said, “for there is no other Saviour, and certainly He will never return to die again for me. How strange that I never saw that passage before. Is this truth found anywhere else?”

We then turned to 1 Peter 3:18, and read: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”

“May I ask you again, Mrs. B——, for whom was Jesus dying, and for whose sins was He suffering? Do you know?”

The thought that Jesus had died for her own personal sins was such a new experience to the heart of this friend, that she seemed staggered by the wonderful revelation. It seemed too good to be true. She read and re-read the passage several times, thought carefully of each word, and then said: “I see now what I have never seen before, that Christ Jesus came to save me, and to put away my own personal sins.”

“Then will you just now tell Him that you believe Him, and accept Him as God’s gift to you? He says in John 1:12—‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.’ Let us look, too, at this passage in John 3:36—‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’”

The work was finished in her heart, and so she said, “May I come to Christ just now and tell Him that I trust Him, and that I take Him for my very own?”

“Yes, indeed,” I answered quickly, “I am sure His heart will be filled with joy as He hears you tell Him of your faith and trust.”

We knelt together and with deep emotion, she said: “Lord Jesus, you have been wonderful to me. You have borne with me through the years, but in my ignorance I stayed away from you, and did not know that I could come to you as a guilty sinner. I do come now, Lord Jesus, and take you as my own Saviour and Lord. I believe you have blotted out my sins with your precious blood. I love you and trust you.”

The heart that had been in the dark was flooded with light. The soul once dead in sins had received eternal life. The life heretofore fruitless was now on the threshold of a life of blessing and power.

Perhaps others who read this message may be passing through a similar experience. Is there a question in your heart as to why you lack peace; why the things of God are so difficult to understand; and why so little fruit is evident in your ministry and labors? Go to the Lord Jesus Christ quickly. He is God’s remedy for every need of the human soul.

A Christian nurse in a certain great hospital was as interested in the souls of those about her as she was in the bodies of her patients. She was particularly interested in the other nurses with whom she constantly associated. The duties of these nurses and the hours during which they must serve kept many of them from attending religious services, and therefore it was no uncommon thing for them to drift away from the faith which they had learned at home.

Upon one occasion, this saved nurse brought with her to the church another nurse who had expressed a desire to hear the gospel preached by a physician. I saw the two girls in the service and knew that one of them was a stranger. At the close of the meeting, my friend brought the new nurse forward and introduced her. Thinking immediately of her salvation, I asked, “Are you a saved nurse, or are you a lost nurse?”

“Oh,” she replied, “I am a Christian; I joined the church twelve years ago.”

“It is certainly a pleasure to know that you are interested in these matters; but do you know that there are two kinds of church members?”

“No,” she said, “what are they?”

“Saved ones and lost ones,” I answered; “I wonder which kind you are!”

This reply seemed to be a little disconcerting to the nurse, and she did not answer at once. I could see the Christian nurse off at one side, quietly praying that the Lord would do a good work in the heart of her friend. How blessed it is that we may help the soul winner by prayer and so have a part in the harvest!

After a few thoughtful moments, the nurse looked up and said, “Really, doctor, I do not know whether I am saved or lost. I came to this service to find out. I am not at all clear in my mind about the way of salvation and feel that I should know.”

“Did you ever sing that beautiful hymn, ‘Jesus Paid It All’?”

“Oh, yes,” she said, “that is in almost every hymn book that I have seen. It is an old song, and I like it very much.”

“Well, tell me, nurse, did Jesus pay it all for you, or did He not?”

Again, the nurse bowed her head in meditation. She was a thoughtful girl and was not to be hurried into any statement that she did not understand. Finally, she said, as she looked up, “I wish I knew whether He did pay it all. I do not feel that He has.”

I answered at once, “Would you prefer to go by your feelings in the matter, or would you be willing to believe what the Word of God says about it?”

“I do not want to be fooled,” she answered, “I want to know the truth. What does the Bible say about it?”

“It is finished,” I replied. “Jesus said this on the cross as He was dying for you, and it is recorded in John 19:30. If He said, ‘It is finished,’ surely it must be finished, do you not think so? Again, let me ask you, nurse, did Jesus finish the work of salvation for you, and did He pay all of your debt?”

We had been standing by the pulpit, but when she heard these words and this question, she turned from me, stepped over a little to the front row of seats and knelt down with her head and arms upon the seat. I slipped over quickly and knelt beside her to hear what she was saying to the Lord, and these were her words: “Lord Jesus, I never knew before that You had paid my debt on the cross. I knew you had died for sinners, but I did not know that it was for me. You did pay my debt, and you said, ‘It is finished’; I thank you for it, Lord Jesus. I believe my debt is paid, and oh, what a peace you have given to my heart.”

The saved nurse also had knelt on the other side of her friend, and as this simple prayer of faith was ended, we both said, “Amen,” and thanked God for another work of grace in a hungry heart.

It was not convenient for me to visit that particular hospital again for a number of days, perhaps a week. When I did go, I sought to find the newly saved nurse and to see whether she had really trusted Christ, and if she had His peace and joy in her heart. I found that she was working on one of the upper floors and was in the diet kitchen. Approaching the kitchen, I looked through the serving window and saw my friend in the far corner of the room making up some fresh trays. Calling to her, I said, “Nurse, tell me, did Jesus pay it all, or did He fail in the attempt?”

She stopped her work, hurried quickly to the window, and with her face wreathed in smiles, and with happiness in her heart, said, “Doctor, Jesus did pay it all; He paid it all for me. If you had told me two weeks ago that it was possible for a person to have heaven on earth as I have had it this week, I would have laughed at you and thought it was preposterous. Now I have heaven in my heart, for I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

You, too, may enjoy heaven on earth if you will only learn to know and love the Saviour who “Paid it all.”