Complimentary Story
As Christians, we like to feel we do the best we can when it comes to witnessing and evangelizing. We really do want to follow the commands of Christ when He said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” But most are not equipped to preach or even share their own testimony because they’ve never been trained up for the work of the ministry. And in today’s culture, Christians often “self censor,” holding their tongues, keeping their opinions to themselves and remaining quiet about their faith. They’re often fearful about what others might think if they start talking about Jesus.Many feel “the best they can do” is to place Bible tracts in public places and hope people find them, read them and are impacted enough to study the Bible, pray the “sinner’s prayer” which is often included in tracts, or at least have a seed planted as something they’ll think about later. For many, tracts are the primary tools they use in what they consider their “outreach.” And, that’s if they care enough to have an “outreach” at all.
Perhaps you send a Bible tract along with your utility bills and other payments. Maybe you leave one on the table for the waitress after eating at a restaurant. Maybe you even go to public places and hand the tracts out personally, hoping many will accept them.
But how effective are Bible tracts in winning souls for Christ? In my experience, it appears most are never read. I have a friend who works at a utility company and she’s one of many that opens the envelopes with peoples’ payments. She’s told me that occasionally, these mail workers come across a Bible tract along with the person’s check...and these always go directly into the trash, along with the envelope the check came in. They’re processing these payments quickly, and those tracts are never even looked at.
I also know a man who works as a waiter at a local restaurant. This place is popular with the “after church” lunch crowds on Sunday afternoons. Among other things, he’s told me that Christians are often the worst “tippers,” and many times they just leave a Bible tract instead of a tip. He’s told me these also go straight to the trash, along with the remains of the meal when the table is cleaned up.
And then last month, while I was out on my distribution route, stocking copies of Wisconsin Christian News in news racks across our state, I was at a gas station when I encountered a unique situation. There were two men approaching people, and handing them Bible tracts, sometimes sharing a few words about Jesus if there was an opportunity.
The gas station was busy. Every pump was being used, so I had to wait my turn to fill up, and was able to watch the situation for a few minutes and just observe. About half the people took them and said “thank you.” The other half ignored these men completely and kept walking or turned away. If cars were unattended, the men were leaving tracts under the windshield wipers.
Then, I watched what people did after receiving the tracts. Some threw them inside their cars, not wanting to seem “rude.” Some took them, looked at the cover, and then tossed them in the trash a minute later. One man skimmed the tract while walking inside the building, and then before entering, he also threw his in the trash can outside. I saw two cars that had tracts under their wiper blades. The people didn’t notice them until they got inside to drive away. In both cases, they got out, took one look, and then disposed of the tract in the nearby trash can.
Now, I’m not saying that using Bible tracts to evangelize is totally fruitless. I’m sure there are more cases than I know where one of these has led a person to the Savior. They do contain very vital information, present the Gospel in a concise manner and they offer an easy way to share the Good News. The problem is, in most cases, people are just not interested.
They look at the cover, see it’s something that looks “religious,” and without giving it a second thought, toss it away. Some do this because they think they already know who God is, what “Christianity” is all about and believe they’re “good” with God...but they have no interest in pursuing what they perceive as “religion” or learning anything more than they think they already know.
People also have extremely short attention spans, and Bible tracts often contain a lot of information in very small type font, packed into a very small booklet. And while these same people will spend countless hours scrolling through nonsense on social media, all those words in tiny print look intimidating. People know they’d have to take time to read that “fine print,” and they’re just not interested...any more than they’re interested in political fliers or other junk mail that comes in their mailbox.
I have seen some Bible tracts that work very effectively. Ray Comfort from Living Waters Ministries has some of the best. They grab your attention, and more than that, they’re designed to be conversation starters, so you’re not just littering random places with perceived “religious” materials that — (let’s be honest) — most aren’t interested in looking at, you’re actually able to use them to create a personal connection and an opportunity for discussion.
The printed word is extremely powerful, but in order for that power to work, people need to be interested. They have to want to read what’s presented, and ideally, what’s presented has to be compelling enough for a person to want to learn more, going beyond just the initial “door-opener,” to a genuine desire for more. Case in point, the Word of God itself is the most powerful Book in all of history. Hebrews 4, “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
But while this is absolutely true, and while the Bible still remains the biggest best-selling Book ever, few bother to read it. Indeed, there are many homes here in America that have multiple copies of the Bible. Unfortunately, most are just collecting dust.
So how do we reach the lost? The most effective way, obviously, is having a deep, meaningful one-on-one conversation with someone who’s not only willing to listen, but also engage in discussion, ask questions, be open about what you’re sharing and then, by God’s grace, develop a craving for the truth and the many revelations His Book contains...we want them to want to study God’s Word for themselves.
But situations and opportunities like this are rare. If ever you’re blessed to have such an divine appointment, don’t waste it. “...and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you...”
Still, the printed word holds great power. When presented in an appealing way, the printed word can literally change hearts, minds and lives. Unlike digital things that are constantly changing; here today and gone tomorrow, the printed word is printed, tangible and not going away. This is what we do at Wisconsin Christian News. More than 26 years ago, God called me to start a Christian newspaper here in the state of Wisconsin. At that time, there were more than 200 Christian newspapers throughout North America. Today, we are one of less than a dozen left....and most of those have gone “online only,” meaning they don’t actually print physical newspapers.
Some will say that the printed newspaper has gone the way of the horse and buggy; that people don’t read newspapers anymore. I can tell you, that’s not true. If anything, the fact that we still exist makes us quite the unique “unicorn” in the public square today. Yes, we also have a well-used website. We also utilize email, social media, radio and TV broadcasts. But it’s our printed newspaper that serves as our outreach tool.
We don’t focus on churches. Instead, we go directly to the people — distributing on news racks in busy public places. People can pick up a copy for free in grocery stores, restaurants, truck stops and hotels, among other places. If the truth be told, we’re not really welcome in most churches. Pastors consider us too “controversial” because we publish the hard truth on topics they’ll never dare to speak on. Abortion, homosexuality, “transgenderism,” pornography, social, cultural and moral issues that often “trigger” rage from the demonic Left.
We also feature hard-hitting commentaries from some of the best writers in the nation. Every page is filled with truthful news and vital information, from a biblical perspective. And yes, we also feature in-depth Bible studies. The information in our pages is current, relevant and addresses topics that all of us are impacted by in our daily lives. We now have subscribers in all fifty states, and also do bulk distribution on news racks in public places in several other states — so we’re not just for Wisconsin anymore.
On our front page, we always try to feature a topic that will grab people’s attention. It’s not our intention to “sensationalize” the news we cover, but we do want our front page to speak to real situations people are dealing with. Current things — relevant things. This is our outreach to the unsaved world — those who would never consider going to a church, or dare I say, reading a Bible tract. While many Christians also still pick the paper up in stores for free and never subscribe, those free copies in stores are really meant for the unsaved. Something will grab their attention, and even though we’re called “Christian News,” they can’t help but want a copy — because they want to read a particular article.
You may be wondering, how effective is this method in reaching the lost? It’s been extremely effective, like nothing else I’ve ever seen. What could possibly be more effective and powerful than having an unsaved person pick up a Christian newspaper — all on their own — because they want it? Because we’re in newspaper format, it’s non-threatening. Even in cases where people have no interest in the things of God and perhaps have never considered eternity, their need of the Savior, and have no intention of becoming a Christian — our newspaper grabs their attention, and they pick a copy up because they’re compelled to.
Then, as they page through it, they’re captivated by what else they find. Every week, I receive a multitude of emails, letters, phone calls and texts from people who have found our newspaper in a public place, had no intention of, as they say, “becoming religious,” and then because of what they’ve learned through Wisconsin Christian News, they’ve now discovered just how lost and deceived they were. They develop a hunger and thirst for the things of God. Some return to Him after many years away. Some find Him for the first time. Some are highly offended, and that’s to be expected, because as we know, “truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth.” But folks, most people don’t hate the truth. They may hate it when their preconceived ideologies are challenged. They may hate finding out they’ve been lied to. But honestly, most people do want the real truth. And they find that in our pages.
This is our outreach. This is a mission field — not in some foreign land, but right in our own backyards, where the Lord knows, it really is needed most. If you’ve never seen our newspaper, I’m happy to send you a free sample copy. We’ll soon be launching a major fundraiser to continue this work, because while we continue to press on, providing tens of thousands of copies of the newspaper for free to the public every month, few understand that we’re now almost 100% reader supported. And as our costs to produce the paper continue to rise with every new edition, we’re in the unsustainable position of having fewer and fewer faithful supporters able to help bear the financial burden. I’ll be sharing more with you about this next time. But for now, I’m happy to send a complimentary copy. You just need to ask for it. God has done truly amazing things and the fruit of this ministry has been plentiful. I hope you’ll prayerfully consider finding out more and partnering with us, because this is a team effort and we need you on our team!
You can contact me today by calling or texting: (715) 486-8066; or send an email to:
Rob@WisconsinChristianNews.com
