Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tracts are still effective

Steve states:
Pretty quickly after saying my prayer to Jesus, I started to pass out tracts. Concerning sharing the gospel, I am shy about striking up conversations with strangers, but I can at least leave tracts here and there.

I originally bought Chick tracts and I still do. Some people may think they aren't cool or in vogue but I believe that the little comics are still effective to lure people into reading them.

About a year ago I found Way of the Master (Living Waters) and have bought many a tract from them. My favorite would be the million dollar bill which is wonderful to leave with your tip when you eat out. I'm also big on the 10 Commandments coin.

I just bought some tracts from Custom Tract Source. They are in Texas and I really like the post notes they have. I leave them on pay phones in plain site for people to see. These don't have a gospel message on it but it refers them to a web page.

Another is One Million Tracts. Jon Speed of Last Cause Ministries recommended these guys and from their website I can see several I'd like to try. The card-sized tracts with a sports team schedule on one side and a gospel tract on the other sounds like it might get read eventually. I know in Dallas-Ft Worth the Cowboys are held in high esteem. I will definitely get some of those.

How I use them:
I leave them places I go and I always try to carry them with me. When I mail merchandise from my band to fans, I slip in tracts. It's funny they usually don't say anything about them, but I pray that I have planted a seed.

Some times I do something I've dubbed a "Time Bomb" and that's when I hide tracts from plain site. In some places you get the feeling they'll be thrown away pretty quickly so I hide some in the toilet paper ring, in paper towels that are stacked on the counter of some fancier restrooms, under a vase on the counter, etc. People may not find them today but it plants the seed for a later discovery. I will do this even when I leave some tracts in plain site.

This blog shows the BIG list of tracts that are available plus places you can put tracts.

Quotes on tracts:

Charles Spurgeon stated, “When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready. . . Get good striking tracts, or none at all. But a touching gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life. Therefore, do not go out without your tracts.”

Charles Spurgeon on the use of tracts:
I well remember distributing them in a town in England where tracts had never been distributed before, and going from house to house, and telling in humble language the things of the kingdom of God. I might have done nothing, if I had not been encouraged by finding myself able to do something . . . [Tracts are] adapted to those persons who have but little power and little ability, but nevertheless, wish to do something for Christ. They may not have the tongue of the eloquent, but they may have the hand of the diligent. They cannot stand and preach, but they can stand and distribute here and there these silent preachers . . . They may buy their thousand tracts, and these they can distribute broadcast.


I found this on Repent and Turn Ministries webpage which has some good information on tracts and evangelism.