by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)
"DEAR LORD, KILL THIS MAN"
Occasionally in soul winning the startling is necessary. One day while visiting on the north side of Hammond, I was having an especially good time winning souls. (In fact, I won twelve that day.) Toward the end of the day my faith was increased, and I was greatly encouraged when I came to a house where the man began to knock at Christianity. He said he didn't have any time for that "junk" and that he had no confidence in my religion.
Though I would not advise this for a regular practice, I said, "Well, if I am a fake, then so is my religion. Let's find out. I am going to bow my head and pray for God to kill you," whereupon I bowed my head to pray and call his bluff.
As I began to pray for God to kill the man (I don't know whether this is good theology or even good ethics, but I did it!), I felt a tap on the elbow and heard him say, "Hey, reverend, don't pray that!" I just kept on praying something like this:
"Dear God, help him to get saved now or kill him."
Again he tapped my elbow and said, "Reverend, I am ready to get saved now!" This he did, and he had, I think, a wonderful experience of salvation.
One of my assistants was out visiting recently and had an urge to pray similarly. (Maybe he had been running with me too much!) His faith was not quite as big as the faith of his boss, or perhaps he was more sane than the boss; but he prayed for God to break a man's leg because the man seemed to be antagonistic toward God.
A few days later the man called the church to tell my assistant that there must be something to this Christianity after all because he had broken an arm! Now he was ready to talk business.
Now I am not sure why it was an arm instead of a leg, but I am sure there is something to this Christianity business. There is something to this soul-winning business, too. Would to God we had some Christians who would do it regularly!
