by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)
FAMILY SAVED THROUGH "DEDICATION SERVICE FOR HOME"
As I have taught soul winning across the country, I have said again and again, "Get the Gospel to every person some way. Do not leave without presenting the Gospel to them."
Sometimes a person is having home problems and will ask you for help concerning his home condition. Start with Romans 3:10 and tell him how to be saved; this will help the home. Perhaps a person is having trouble with his children and wants some help. Start with Romans 3:10; getting saved will help him rear his children right. Suppose a person is having some business difficulties. Start with Romans 3:10 and show him how to be saved; this will help him become a better businessman.
It is always dangerous to get off the subject. It is a good idea while talking to a lost person to stay on the subject of salvation and to get the Gospel to him some way before you leave.
I was visiting in the city of Hammond and knocked on the door of a third-floor apartment. A man, his wife, and four children lived there. I had the most difficult time getting them unsaved, or shall I say, getting them to admit they were unsaved.
"Are you a Christian?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," replied the man. "I have been a Christian all my life, and my wife became a Christian when she was three years old in the Catholic Church." Of course, this did not ring true, so I backed up and started again.
"Have you been saved?" I asked him.
"Oh, yes," he replied, "I have been saved all my life, and my wife was saved when she was three years old in the Catholic Church."
Again I backed off and tried. "Are you born again?"
"Oh, yes," he said. "I have been born again all my life, and my wife was born again when she was three years old in the Catholic Church."
"Well,'" I said, "since you are saved, born again, and on your way to Heaven, let me show you some Scriptures about Bible study so you and your family can have Bible study together." (I was going to show him Romans 3:10 and the plan of salvation and get the Gospel to him.) Was I surprised when he answered that he and his wife were taking a Bible correspondence course from a fundamental school at that time!
"Are you sure you are regenerated?" I asked.
"Oh, yes," he answered. "I have been regenerated all my life, and my wife was regenerated when she was three years old in a Catholic Church." (Boy, was I on the spot!
Then I thought of a good idea. I said, "How would you like for me to discuss the family altar with you and show you how your family could pray together every night?" (Once again I was going to start with Romans 3:10 and get the Gospel to him.)
"There is no need for that," he answered. "Each of our children is required to have a private prayer time each day, and we have a family altar each night. We know how to do it because we do it regularly."
"Are you sure that you are God's child?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. I have been God's child all my life, and my wife became a child of God when she was three years old in a Catholic Church," he answered.
To be quite honest with you, I could not think of a single way to get the Gospel to him or even to get him to admit he was lost. Prayerfully I continued my conversation, and suddenly the Holy Spirit led me to say this: "My dear brother, since you have such a good home, what you need to do is have a formal dedication service for your home. My, you take correspondence courses, you study the Bible, you have family altar-you certainly should have a regular formal dedication service for your home."
His eyes lit up like headlights on a car! He liked that idea tremendously. "When could you get a copy of that service?" he asked.
"It just so happens I have a copy of it now," I answered.
"Aren't we lucky?" he said to his wife. "The Pastor has a copy of this formal dedication service with him."
He sent his children to the bedroom to dress. (They were in pajamas already.) They came back with white blouses and shirts on. His wife went in and fixed her hair, and he went in and got a white shirt and tie on and came back for the formal dedication service. I proceeded with the service.
"In this service," I said, "we start off with Scripture reading. My first Scripture is Romans 3:10." Then I read all the Scriptures I had been trying to read for an hour, using them as Scriptures for a dedication service of the home. After I had told the entire plan of salvation using the "Roman Road," I then said, "Now let us bow our heads, please, for our dedicatory prayer."
I prayed a prayer asking God to bless the home and then asked the man to pray a prayer after me. He gladly did. I inserted the sinner's prayer, "God be merciful to me, a sinner, and save my soul. I do now receive Jesus Christ as my Saviour and trust Him to take me to Heaven when I die." Then I asked the wife to pray the same prayer, followed by each child.
By the end of the prayer time, we were all weeping. "That concludes the service," I said. "By the way, when did you say you were saved?"
Then he replied, "I have been saved all my life, and my wife was saved when she was three years old in the Catholic Ch .... Oh, no, no, no! I just got saved a minute ago when I prayed that prayer!"
"I did too," said the wife, and a little revival meeting broke out.
It always pays to get the Gospel to everyone with whom you talk. Get the Gospel to them some way. Many can be reached.
