The Power of (Good) Tracts
One of the easiest ways to share the gospel is through tracts. Using good tracts has a lot of advantages. The late R. A. Torrey summarized them as follows:
1. Anyone can do it.
2. A tract always sticks to the point.
3. A tract never loses it's temper.
4. Some who are too proud to be talked with, will read a tract when no one is looking.
5. A tract will stay with a person after the evangelist leaves.
6. Tracts lead many to accept Christ.
(To read Torrey's entire article click here.)
I would also add...
7. Even a coward (like me) can use tracts. If you are uncomfortable approaching stragers, simply leave a tract in a public place for someone to find. Or hand one to the drive through clerk right before you squeal out of Taco Bell.
So why don't more Christians use tracts? Maybe because there are so many bad ones out there.
But there are plenty of good tracts out there, too. Living Waters is one of the largest tract distributors in the world (14 million last year alone), and their tracts are creative, smart, appealing--and most importantly, present the gospel simply and powerfully. You can purchase them here. My personal favorites are 101 Funniest One-Liners, The World's Best Optical Illusions, and the Intelligence Test Bookmark.
posted by Cedricstudio at 10:10 AM
2 Comments:
I have never been a fan of Ray Comfort's tracts. I just find that they talk down to people and miss the Good News. But that's just my take. I have seen a lot of tracts too and very few would I put in the good category. I think the Billy Graham bridge is a good start - but the bridge illustration makes the assumption that people are immediately concerned with the state of their soul. Tracts can be great when this is true, but most people I know don't come to the realization that their souls are in jeopardy unless their percieved immediate needs are met. I love the story of Jesus and the woman at the well in John's gospel. Her needs are to be accepted instead of marginalized, spoken to instead of ignored. Is it any wonder that she has tried to fill this void with illicit relationships? Obviously she has a deep need for Jesus, but until she gets past the first need she can't see that. So Jesus carefully navigates her life and gives a powerful example of Spirit led evangelism. Notice the end of that story - she is turned into the evangelist! I also love that there was no sinners prayer in that story.
That's a good insight into the "woman at the well" story. There is no tract or method that is "one size fits all", but I like Ray Comfort's principle of "Law to the proud, grace to the humble". The woman at the well was already humbled by the weight of her sin and her screwed up life, so she was ready to admit her need and embrace Christ. But not everyone is like her. Many need to hear the law (presented in love) so that they can appreiate their need for a Savior (Gal. 3:24)
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