DRAWING THE NET – R. A. TORREY

Many a mighty preacher fails to get the results he might from his preaching because he does not know ­how to draw the net. He is skillful at hooking fish, but does not know how to land them. A friend told me three days ago that he heard a man that evening preach to a large congregation of men one of the best sermons he ever heard, and, continued my friend, “I believe there would have been fifty decisions right then, but just at the critical moment the evangelist did not know what to do, and he let the meeting slip through his fingers. He asked them all to stand up and sing some hymns. The men began to go out in crowds. Then he tried to get hold of things again, but it was too late, though there were some inquirers there was nothing like the result there ought to have been.

The moment the last word of the sermon is uttered, there should be opportunity for decisions. This opportunity may be given in a variety of ways. You may ask the audience to bow a few moments in silent prayer, insisting courteously but firmly that no one go out for a few moments. If the interest is deep enough you may then ask “all who wish to be saved,” or “all who have made up their minds now and here to accept Christ as their personal Savior, to surrender to Him as their Lord and Master, and to begin to confess Him as such before the world, ’ ’ to rise (or come forward and give me your hand; or come kneel at the altar). If you think the interest hardly warrants that, you can ask “all in the audience who are burdened for unsaved friends,” or “all who are anxious for the salvation of some friends in this audience,” to rise. When they have risen, invite all who wish to be saved right now to rise. It is not well usually in the general meeting to ask all Christians to rise, as this makes it awkward for the unsaved, and they may not come back again. Another good way is to say, “We are going to sing a hymn and I don’t want anyone to go out until it is finished. The Holy Spirit is working in this meeting (don’t say that unless He is), and anyone moving about may disturb some one just on the verge of a decision for Christ. Now, while we sing the second verse, all who will accept Christ (don’t say, “if any one will”) arise. Stop when the second verse is sung and call for decisions. Then sing the third, and the fourth, etc., in a similar way.

If you are fortunate enough to have an altar in the church where you are preaching, it is often better to have them come to the altar. If you have no altar, you can have the front seats emptied and use them for an altar. A solo may be used in place of a congregational hymn. Still another way is to say, as you close your sermon, “We are going to have a second meeting to give those who have been converted here to-night and all who are interested an opportunity to accept Christ now and enter at once into the joy of the Christian life. We want every man who is interested in his soul’s salva­tion and all Christians to stay to that second meeting. You can’t afford to go away.” It is usually better to have the second meeting in another room, if there is one that the people have to pass as they go out. Have wise workers posted at every door of this room to invite and urge the people to come in as they pass. When the interest is very deep you can have the second meeting in another building. Have the singing in the second meeting begin at once as the people come in. When all are in, have absolute silence, and then silent prayer. Perhaps two or three audible prayers by men and women whom you can trust as really knowing God may follow. (Don’t take any chances at this point and let some crank spoil your meeting.)

The next thing to do varies with circum­stances. You may call for an expression at once. If the interest is very deep, call at once for those who wish to accept Christ to rise or come forward. On other occasions ask “all who have accepted Christ and know that they are saved and are walking in fellowship with Christ’’ to arise. Now you and your workers see who the persons to deal with are. Next ask those who wish to become Christians to arise. It may be well to sing one or several verses as this is done. One and another and another and then many will arise. Wherever it is possible it is well to have now still a third room into which those who have risen as desiring to become Christians shall go. Have a wise man in charge of this room until you get there yourself. Have him put one worker, and only one, with each inquirer. These workers should be trained for the work. Every church should have a training class for this purpose. When you have gotten all you can into the inside room, turn the outside meeting into a meet­ing for testimony and prayer, which either you or some wise worker manages. It is a great advantage to have a choir leader who can do that. The unconverted ones who have not gone into the inside room can be gotten hold of personally in this testimony meeting or after­ward. Don’t have any holes in your net anywhere if you can avoid it.

Sometimes, in the second meeting, it is well to ask all who were converted after they were fifty to rise, then those who were converted after they were forty, thirty, twenty, ten, before they were ten. Then ask all who will accept Jesus to-night to rise. Then all who really desire to know the way of life. A good method to use occasionally in the second meet­ing is te ask all who were converted after they were fifty to come forward and gather about the platform, then those who were converted after they were forty, etc. This will gradually thin out those who are seated, and the unconverted will find themselves being left behind, and it will set some of them to thinking. Especially will this be true if a man sees his wife leav­ing him, or a son sees a mother. Some one may think that there is too much method and maneuvering in all this, but it wins souls, and that is worth maneuvering for.

Jesus Himself told us to be “wise as serpents,” and also said that “the sons of this world are for their own generations wiser than the sons of light.” Evi­dently Jesus would have us exercise all honest ingenuity in accomplishing His work, especially the work of soul winning. It is lawful, as Paul’s example shows, to catch them “with guile” (2 Cor. 12:16). The methods suggested will suggest still others. The great purpose of all these methods is to get many to commit themselves and to bring them to a decision to accept Christ. Much good preaching comes to nothing because it is not driven home to the individual and the individual brought then and there to an acceptance and confession of Jesus as Savior and as Lord. When one has been led to accept Jesus, an immediate public confession (then and there) should be insisted upon. (Rom. 10:9, 10.)