Something With Which to Fish for Souls by E. M. Graham

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 23, 1914

Something With Which to Fish for Souls

By E. M. Graham

Tracts are a valuable medium for spreading a knowledge of the truth, but they are not the only class of literature we have to use. We are called, as Peter was, to be fishers of men. All fish cannot be caught with the same bait, and all people cannot be reached with one kind of literature. Periodicals have an important place in our work.

"Our missionary paper [the Signs of the Times] is doing its work everywhere, and is opening the way for the truth to be more fully presented. This paper has been made a blessing to very many souls. . . . In the Christian world there are many starving for the bread of life. The Signs of the Times, laden with rich food, is a feast to many who are not of our faith. Our brethren do not all see and realize the importance of this paper; if they did, they would feel greater personal interest to circulate it everywhere..

. . If all would realize the necessity of doing to the utmost of their ability in the work of God, having a deep love for souls, feeling the burden of the work upon them, we should see hundreds engaged as active workers who have hitherto been dull and uninterested, accomplishing nothing. They have felt that there was nothing of importance in this tract and missionary work,—nothing worthy of their special interest. Yet it is a fact that the circulation of our papers is doing even a greater work than the living preacher can do. All can do something. Some can do more than others, but all should become intelligent as to how they can work most successfully and methodically in spreading the light of truth by scattering our publications."—"Missionary Work by Correspondence," pages 1-3.

The work in many foreign countries was started by the mailing of copies of the Signs of the Times to addresses obtained in various ways. Whole churches have been raised up in this and other countries through the circulation of periodicals. What is said in the above quotation from Mrs. E. G. White is equally true of other periodicals containing the truths of this message.

How to Use Periodicals

One excellent way to use the Signs of the Times weekly, and also other periodicals, is in a systematic house-to-house sale of them. The worker should first read the paper carefully, so as to get a knowledge of what it contains, and to pick out the selling points. The ability to do this will increase with practice. Before going out, he should pray earnestly that the Lord will send angels before him to open the hearts of the people to receive the paper. Work alone will not accomplish a great deal, neither will prayer alone do everything, but prayer and work will perform wonders.

Prepared in this way, the worker should go to his territory, and start with the first house in the first street, calling faithfully at every house, small and large. He should carry a notebook with him, in order to keep a record of his work. A good way to do this is: before starting out, let the worker head a page in the book with the name of the street where he intends to begin work, putting down at the left-hand side of the page the numbers, one on each line, if it is known how they run. This will leave the rest of the line for notes. If no one is at home, the word out may be put against that number. Empty houses should be noted. Where a paper is sold, that should be noted, and where one is refused. A moment or two between each call is sufficient to keep this record.

If a paper is refused one week, the worker should call again the following week, unless the refusal has been given in such a manner as to make it a lack of courtesy to call again. A simple, "No, we do not want that paper," leaves the worker free to offer another paper. Workers have been refused as many as four times by one person, and then have secured him as a regular buyer.

The worker should study ways of meeting the objections that may be made to buying the paper. He should prayerfully ponder over these objections, and think of ways in which they might have been met, so as to be ready for them the next time they are presented. If the worker is strongly tempted to miss a house or some houses for any reason, he may feel sure those are the very places where it is likely there are some honest souls. The only safe way is to call everywhere in the territory being worked.

Much of the worker's success will depend upon the real burden for souls which he feels. If he is selling papers because he feels a deep burden, an intense longing, to be the means of saving souls, those to whom he goes will feel the influence of this, because the Holy Spirit can work through such a person. The worker who goes forth with his heart filled with the Spirit of Christ will be an instrument in the Lord's hands for saving souls. E. M. GRAHAM.