Witnessing to Catholics-what is the key?

p491 [E L Bevir] DEAREST BROTHER, - I do not expect any large impression to be made on Rome or Roman Catholicism. God has given her time to repent, and she has not repented; but there are precious souls to be gathered out. The agent against popery at present is infidelity, but God is working to gather His own; and how plain it is, that when He opens, none shuts: look at all Europe and everywhere. Here at Pau, a considerable number of Roman Catholics have been converted, and there is a considerable tendency in France towards Protestantism, mixed with liberalism. All this we must leave, and hold fast by Christ. There is a difficulty which I have felt in Ireland: Roman Catholics receiving the truth, and anxious to break with Romanism, but one could not say they were Christians, yet they needed some recognition, some religious place. At - they have formed what they call a parish, a kind of Catechumenal, and thus take them in hand. It is a great thing, in the weak state all is in, to have them out of the hands and power of the priests, and open to receive instruction from the word. If one can bring to the Lord some of those dear to Him - it is already a great thing.

We have to go through a world full of experiences, and christian life in it thus, with which as ministering we have to do. Our great affair is so in our own souls to have Christ formed in us, and so to know Him experimentally in the little world of our own souls, that all that is of self being judged, then only Christ may come out, whether as testimony of life in the big outer world, or in that which we apply to others in ministry; and to wait on Him so that we may be guided in doing it. I often find the question arise in my mind in service, whether I was enough in the spirit of unitedness - that is, with Christ - the sense of His presence - so as to have had the right thing come into my mind: for "a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" At least we must seek this, and be continually looking to Him so that there may be nothing hasty in our words. I have no doubt that if we kept close to Christ, His Spirit would guide us in our intercourse with others. We are not always conscious of divine guidance, even when it is there; but the word comes from Christ to the souls we have to say to, even if rejected - as we see with the Jews. But our part is to keep close to Christ, so that it should be "not I, but Christ lives in me," and thus He acts in our thoughts and ways without our, at the moment, thinking of Him directly; but we always have the consciousness of speaking for Him, and of His presence. "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt," "which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers."

You all know how carefully you have been kept and warned from intercourse with those who have been anxious to bring the word of God amongst you, and to shew you what the Spirit of God has taught us concerning the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are taught to look upon them as heretics, as if we were not in the right faith at all. I shall make no observation on these things, for the Spirit of the Lord Jesus has taught us in His word, and teaches the heart of every real disciple, that the true and only answer to these charges, and this prejudice which they put into your hearts against us is the exercise of unwearied patience and love towards you; and this is our duty, brethren; and I pray God to enable His servants ever thus to walk, that you may see the sincerity of our hearts towards you in love.

Preach gently. "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle to all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves" (2 Tim. 2:24-25). Oh how careful is God that nothing should be in the preacher to prejudice the sinner's judgment, or harden his heart against the offer of His grace! If the servant be proud and hasty, how shall they know that the Master is meek and patient? He that will take the bird must not scare it. A forward, peevish messenger is no friend to him that sends him. Sinners are not pelted into Christ with stones of hard provoking language, but wooed into Christ by heart-melting exhortations.

We carry a message of grace, to be expressed in words of grace; at the same time our speech is to be seasoned with the salt of holiness. Thus speaking, our grace will not degenerate into lightly passing over sins, nor our faithfulness into mere hard condemnation of sinners. For this combination of grace and "salt" we need the wisdom of Christ Who, not only knew the right answer to give every enquirer or opposer, but, how to answer so as to meet the need of each one.

We who love the Lord Jesus Christ hunger to know something more about Him. There is nothing that we value more than some new thought or some new glimpse of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sweet to us because it is about Him. And the pastor knows how and shows us how to bring Christ into the things of daily life, into the workshop, into the busy street, into the home, into the various circumstances in which we find ourselves. We need instruction and advice about these practical matters because sometimes young Christians are not as wise as they might be, though they mean well. For instance, they sometimes talk about Christ in the office, perhaps, when they ought to be doing their duty to their masters, and that is not a wise nor a righteous thing. Again, we sometimes talk to people with a view to help them, and instead of that we drive them further away from the truth by our foolish remarks, and we never have another opportunity of saying what we should to them. We are so unwise, and need to be taught how to present Christ worthily and winningly.

If they make a practice of giving out gospel tracts, or of speaking to others of Christ when an occasion arises, this may lead to an opportunity of having a Bible study in a home along gospel lines, with people who may have never before had a real knowledge of the gospel of grace. Then if the Lord should give the deep joy of leading someone to Himself, this may work in giving a better understanding of the need of such people after they are saved.

We remember walking with a friend in Ireland some years ago. He pointed out an old countryman, walking a few yards ahead. He said, “Quicken your steps and catch up with that old man. He has never been to a Protestant place of worship in his life, but talk to him and you will be surprised at his knowledge of the Bible.” We quickened our steps, and were soon talking to the old man. He quoted Scripture freely in a most edifying manner, showing a deep spiritual knowledge of the Word of God. We could only rejoice in meeting a brother in Christ. But alas! he was a very great exception to the rule of complete ignorance of the Bible among Romanists. If only the Bible were freely circulated in popish lands, many would be delivered from Roman Catholic superstition.

I was walking with a friend one Lord’s day morning, at Newcastle, in the Potteries. My friend said, “The man we are meeting is a very earnest, devoted Roman Catholic.” I turned aside to him, and said, “Here, I want you for a particular matter this afternoon. I want you to make known to the Roman Catholics that I hope to preach in the Market, at three o’clock to-day, and mind you let them know that I am about to prove that the doctrine of the Church of Rome, in the year 60, is the only true doctrine.” “I quite understand,” said he. “And,” I continued, “you see now that they all stand as near me as they can get, and that they don’t let any one disturb or hinder me from going through the discourse.” It was astonishing what a number of them were there by three o’clock; and they stood packed all round, so that no one could have got at me. I then commenced, and showed that we were not left in any uncertainty as to which was the true church at Rome, in the year 60. It was composed of all the believers in Rome — the one church, the only true one church at Rome. Neither were we left in any uncertainty as to what were the true doctrines of the church at Rome in the year 60. We have an inspired account of those doctrines, and to that document we will turn our attention. From chapters 1 to 3 we found the statement as to the total ruin of man through sin. Whether Jews or Gentiles, all were sinners, all guilty, all utterly unable to acquire righteousness by works of law. Every man found it so, also, by his own experience. It must be so, for this was the true doctrine on the subject of the church at Rome, in the year 60; and it was the only true church in the year 60, at Rome. There was no other.

Should we expect exactly the same kind of preaching in London as in some village, say, in Sicily or South Italy, or in a mud hut on the Nile? The work of God is the same, but must not the means be adapted to circumstances? Catholics are nearly always converted through reading the Scriptures.