The Sabbath School

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 3, 1880

The Sabbath School.

HOW TO WIN YOUR CLASS FOR CHRIST.

DR. RAY PALMER gives in the S. S. Times this recital of how one teacher did his most excellent work for souls.

I have personal knowledge of the case of a particular teacher which strikingly shows how greatly defective the service of that teacher is who rests content with mere intellectual teaching, instead of coming to the class with the fixed determination to win all their hearts as soon as possible to Christ. He was an active man of business, calm, but not cold in temperament, deliberate and wise in forming plans, constant to his purpose, and bent on doing the greatest possible amount of good. For a long course of years he was superintendent of the Sunday-school in the large church to which he belonged. In this position it often seemed to me that he exerted scarcely less influence than the average pastors, so thoroughly was he accustomed to prepare himself, intellectually and spiritually, for his Sunday work. Perhaps it was in some degree because of what he saw of the want of spiritual power in many teachers, that he was led to do himself what he did at a later period. Believing at length that a change of superintendent might be beneficial to the school, he resigned that office; and then, taking the place of a teacher, he immediately organized a Bible-class of fifteen or sixteen young ladies, the greater number of whom were not professed Christians. With this class he commenced at once a course of efforts directed to the end of leading them to give their hearts and lives to their Redeemer with the least possible delay. Every Saturday evening, shutting himself into his library, by thorough study of the lesson, and by special prayer for himself and for his class, he prepared himself for his Sunday labor. At brief intervals he invited the class to his house together, where, after a pleasant social interview by way of cultivating easy acquaintance, he pressed on them the question of personal discipleship, and prayed with them and for their spiritual renewing. They soon manifested great readiness to attend these little gatherings; and then gladly gave him opportunity to converse with them severally, and to give such counsel as the particular case required. The class once in operation after this fashion, it required no persuasion to secure attendance. Within two years, every member of it had united with the church, and the school needing additional teachers, they were taken for that service. But the pleasure of being under the care of that teacher, had now come to be so well known, that another class of about the same number and character was formed immediately, the same course was pursued, and with the same result. We knew the history of successive classes, and have witnessed, since, the consistent Christian lives of some of those who were connected with them, and who associate with them and their faithful teacher the beginning of the divine life in their souls.