Why Gospel Tracts?
Jesus said "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). When was the last time a stranger talked to you about Jesus? If nobody ever tells YOU about Jesus, how often do you think the average person hears the Truth of the Word of God?
While most people claim some religious affiliation, even claim to be Christians, the majority of people in America today have never been personally led to Christ and have the assurance of salvation. If this is the condition in America, can you imagine how it is in other countries?
Deep down, every true Christian wants to tell others about salvation found in Jesus Christ, but find it difficult to talk personally with someone, especially a stranger. Is there a way to get over those fears, and make it less difficult to spread the Gospel? Yes there is... GOSPEL TRACTS!
In writing to the Corinthian believers, Paul explains the lengths to which he would go to share the gospel: “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). If Paul meant “by all means,” he no doubt would have used Gospel tracts as one means to reach the lost.
Why should a Christian use tracts? Simply because God uses them. He used a tract to save the great missionary Hudson Taylor. George Whitefield was also saved from a tract, as well as innumerable others. That fact alone should be enough incentive for a Christian to always use tracts to reach the lost, but there are even more reasons why we should use them. Here are a few:
* A tract is never embarrassed, timid nor fearful and isn't hurt by rejection.
* It does not flinch and show cowardice when the Truth it conveys is not believed.
* It never yields to the temptation to compromise the Truth of the gospel of Christ.
* It speaks clearly and right to the point.
* It never argues back when its message is disputed, and it always sticks to the Truth.
* It glorifies only Jesus as the Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to its readers.
* It never gets tired and gives up.
* It keeps on working while you are sleeping, even when you are unable to distribute it.
* It is always ready to witness to its readers at any time and at any location.
* It can get inside of a house and stay there, even in secret places where you cannot gain entrance, to be revealed at a chosen time.
* It cost very little and travels inexpensively.
* It travels by any mode or class and in all kinds of climate and weather conditions.
* It requires no food, clothing or shelter.
* It is easily carried in a pocket or purse and between the pages of a book.
* It can be used by anyone, any age, deaf, mute, crippled or even in a wheelchair.
* It can be used by either the intellectual or the uneducated, because no speaking skills are needed to convey its message.
* It conveys a message that is not ever lost, like a sermon, and can be read over and over again, long after you are gone and forgotten
* It always catches a person in the right mood, because the Holy Spirit will always speak to the heart as the Word is being read.
* It needs no translator, when it is in the language of the reader, as the Holy Spirit reveals His Word instantly to the reader. It may be read by scores of people before God is finished with its purpose.
* You can do a great work for God and lead many people to the knowledge of Christ.
Well, then.. How do I use them?
Tracts can be used in many different ways and can be given using many different techniques. Experiment and find a way that works best for you. Here are some hints to getting started...
Before ever handing a tract to an actual person, start by leaving tracts in places where people can find them. This can be quite exciting, but also for some reason it can make you a bit nervous!! Here are just some creative ideas as to where you can put Gospel tracts:
* At pay phones
* In shopping carts
* In clothes pockets in stores
* In letters to loved ones
* Along with a generous tip (even if the service wasn't the best.)
* On seats in restaurant lobbies
* With fast-food employees, cashiers,flight attendants, cab drivers, and gas station workers
* In restrooms
* At rest areas
* In diaper changing stations
* On ATM machines (or any credit card slot)
* In envelopes with bill payments. Please make sure the bill is on time!
* In elevators
* On hotel dressers for the maid and in the dressers
* In Bibles in waiting rooms
* On ice machines
* On newspaper racks
* In waiting rooms of doctors’ offices and hospitals
* On seats at airports, subways, and bus stations
* In plane seat pockets
* Inside magazines
* In cabs
* In laundromats
* Inside "religious" books or any other popular books in the library or book store
* At truckstops in the lounge
* In canisters at the drive-up teller and in night deposit box
* In the postage paid reply envelopes you get with junk mail
* Mail tracts to families that have just lost loved ones
* Mail them to people convicted of DUI or other crimes
* Put some in a plastic brochure holder by your door to give to anyone who comes to your door, and as a reminder to bring some with you when you leave the house.
* Between the rubber and the glass on driver's side windows
* To people you see waitng in their cars at parking lots.
* If you rent videos put one in the movie you are returning.
* Leave them on video games in the arcade
* Pull out a couple of feet of toilet paper, and insert the tract while rolling it back up (clean bathrooms only!)
* Place tract in napkin holders, behind a few napkins
* Insert money-type tracts into any vending machine that accepts dollars. The machine will spit the bill back out, but most of the time it will leave enough of it inside in order to secure it.
* Great to put in packages for eBay shipments.
Once you get comfortable placing tracts in different places, you can take a deep breath and try your hand at actually handing a tract to someone... gasp!!
If you want people to accept a tract, try to greet them before offering it to them. If you can get them to respond to a warm “Good morning,” or “How are you doing?” that will almost always break the ice and they will take it. After the greeting, don’t ask, “Would you like this?” They will probably respond,“What is it?” Instead, say, “Did you get one of these?” That question has a twofold effect. You stir their curiosity and make them ask, “One of what?” That’s when you hand them a tract. It also makes them feel as though they are missing out on something. So they are.
Perhaps you almost pass out at the thought of passing out a tract. Don’t worry; you are not alone. We all battle fear. The answer to fear is found in the prayer closet. Ask God to give you a compassion that will swallow your fears. Meditate on the fate of the ungodly. Give hell some deep thought. Confront what it is that makes you fearful.
You can hand out tracts during your everyday routine. The opportunities will pop up all around you - you just have to know to look! For example, when you check out at the grocery store, you can hand the cashier a Million Dollar Bill tract and say "Thanks a million!" Most of the time they will smile or laugh and their face will just brighten up!
If you're in an elevator with someone, grab a tract, and ask the person with you in the elevator "Did you get one of these?" and hand them the tract.. It's really not that hard!
If you have never given out tracts, why not begin today? If you are fearful when it comes to witnessing, here’s something you can do that doesn’t take much courage. Go into a phone booth. Open the phone book to the Yellow Pages; find “Abortion” and slip a tract between the pages. Then look for the category “Escorts” and slip a tract in there. You are not breaking the law, and simply leaving a gospel tract in those two places may not only keep someone from making a terrible life-changing decision, but it may bring them to faith in the Savior.
Then each night as you shut your eyes to go to sleep, you will have something very special to pray about—that God will use the tracts you put somewhere. You will also have a deep sense of satisfaction that you played a small part in carrying out the Great Commission to reach this dying world with the gospel of everlasting life. Don’t waste your life. Do something for the kingdom of God while you are able to. Always remember: treat every day as though it were your last—one day you will be right.
Jesus said "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). When was the last time a stranger talked to you about Jesus? If nobody ever tells YOU about Jesus, how often do you think the average person hears the Truth of the Word of God?
While most people claim some religious affiliation, even claim to be Christians, the majority of people in America today have never been personally led to Christ and have the assurance of salvation. If this is the condition in America, can you imagine how it is in other countries?
Deep down, every true Christian wants to tell others about salvation found in Jesus Christ, but find it difficult to talk personally with someone, especially a stranger. Is there a way to get over those fears, and make it less difficult to spread the Gospel? Yes there is... GOSPEL TRACTS!
In writing to the Corinthian believers, Paul explains the lengths to which he would go to share the gospel: “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). If Paul meant “by all means,” he no doubt would have used Gospel tracts as one means to reach the lost.
Why should a Christian use tracts? Simply because God uses them. He used a tract to save the great missionary Hudson Taylor. George Whitefield was also saved from a tract, as well as innumerable others. That fact alone should be enough incentive for a Christian to always use tracts to reach the lost, but there are even more reasons why we should use them. Here are a few:
* A tract is never embarrassed, timid nor fearful and isn't hurt by rejection.
* It does not flinch and show cowardice when the Truth it conveys is not believed.
* It never yields to the temptation to compromise the Truth of the gospel of Christ.
* It speaks clearly and right to the point.
* It never argues back when its message is disputed, and it always sticks to the Truth.
* It glorifies only Jesus as the Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to its readers.
* It never gets tired and gives up.
* It keeps on working while you are sleeping, even when you are unable to distribute it.
* It is always ready to witness to its readers at any time and at any location.
* It can get inside of a house and stay there, even in secret places where you cannot gain entrance, to be revealed at a chosen time.
* It cost very little and travels inexpensively.
* It travels by any mode or class and in all kinds of climate and weather conditions.
* It requires no food, clothing or shelter.
* It is easily carried in a pocket or purse and between the pages of a book.
* It can be used by anyone, any age, deaf, mute, crippled or even in a wheelchair.
* It can be used by either the intellectual or the uneducated, because no speaking skills are needed to convey its message.
* It conveys a message that is not ever lost, like a sermon, and can be read over and over again, long after you are gone and forgotten
* It always catches a person in the right mood, because the Holy Spirit will always speak to the heart as the Word is being read.
* It needs no translator, when it is in the language of the reader, as the Holy Spirit reveals His Word instantly to the reader. It may be read by scores of people before God is finished with its purpose.
* You can do a great work for God and lead many people to the knowledge of Christ.
Well, then.. How do I use them?
Tracts can be used in many different ways and can be given using many different techniques. Experiment and find a way that works best for you. Here are some hints to getting started...
Before ever handing a tract to an actual person, start by leaving tracts in places where people can find them. This can be quite exciting, but also for some reason it can make you a bit nervous!! Here are just some creative ideas as to where you can put Gospel tracts:
* At pay phones
* In shopping carts
* In clothes pockets in stores
* In letters to loved ones
* Along with a generous tip (even if the service wasn't the best.)
* On seats in restaurant lobbies
* With fast-food employees, cashiers,flight attendants, cab drivers, and gas station workers
* In restrooms
* At rest areas
* In diaper changing stations
* On ATM machines (or any credit card slot)
* In envelopes with bill payments. Please make sure the bill is on time!
* In elevators
* On hotel dressers for the maid and in the dressers
* In Bibles in waiting rooms
* On ice machines
* On newspaper racks
* In waiting rooms of doctors’ offices and hospitals
* On seats at airports, subways, and bus stations
* In plane seat pockets
* Inside magazines
* In cabs
* In laundromats
* Inside "religious" books or any other popular books in the library or book store
* At truckstops in the lounge
* In canisters at the drive-up teller and in night deposit box
* In the postage paid reply envelopes you get with junk mail
* Mail tracts to families that have just lost loved ones
* Mail them to people convicted of DUI or other crimes
* Put some in a plastic brochure holder by your door to give to anyone who comes to your door, and as a reminder to bring some with you when you leave the house.
* Between the rubber and the glass on driver's side windows
* To people you see waitng in their cars at parking lots.
* If you rent videos put one in the movie you are returning.
* Leave them on video games in the arcade
* Pull out a couple of feet of toilet paper, and insert the tract while rolling it back up (clean bathrooms only!)
* Place tract in napkin holders, behind a few napkins
* Insert money-type tracts into any vending machine that accepts dollars. The machine will spit the bill back out, but most of the time it will leave enough of it inside in order to secure it.
* Great to put in packages for eBay shipments.
Once you get comfortable placing tracts in different places, you can take a deep breath and try your hand at actually handing a tract to someone... gasp!!
If you want people to accept a tract, try to greet them before offering it to them. If you can get them to respond to a warm “Good morning,” or “How are you doing?” that will almost always break the ice and they will take it. After the greeting, don’t ask, “Would you like this?” They will probably respond,“What is it?” Instead, say, “Did you get one of these?” That question has a twofold effect. You stir their curiosity and make them ask, “One of what?” That’s when you hand them a tract. It also makes them feel as though they are missing out on something. So they are.
Perhaps you almost pass out at the thought of passing out a tract. Don’t worry; you are not alone. We all battle fear. The answer to fear is found in the prayer closet. Ask God to give you a compassion that will swallow your fears. Meditate on the fate of the ungodly. Give hell some deep thought. Confront what it is that makes you fearful.
You can hand out tracts during your everyday routine. The opportunities will pop up all around you - you just have to know to look! For example, when you check out at the grocery store, you can hand the cashier a Million Dollar Bill tract and say "Thanks a million!" Most of the time they will smile or laugh and their face will just brighten up!
If you're in an elevator with someone, grab a tract, and ask the person with you in the elevator "Did you get one of these?" and hand them the tract.. It's really not that hard!
If you have never given out tracts, why not begin today? If you are fearful when it comes to witnessing, here’s something you can do that doesn’t take much courage. Go into a phone booth. Open the phone book to the Yellow Pages; find “Abortion” and slip a tract between the pages. Then look for the category “Escorts” and slip a tract in there. You are not breaking the law, and simply leaving a gospel tract in those two places may not only keep someone from making a terrible life-changing decision, but it may bring them to faith in the Savior.
Then each night as you shut your eyes to go to sleep, you will have something very special to pray about—that God will use the tracts you put somewhere. You will also have a deep sense of satisfaction that you played a small part in carrying out the Great Commission to reach this dying world with the gospel of everlasting life. Don’t waste your life. Do something for the kingdom of God while you are able to. Always remember: treat every day as though it were your last—one day you will be right.
Comments