Encouragement: God Uses Gospel Tracts
“Comparatively few Christians realize the importance of tract work. I had been a Christian a good many years, and a minister of the Gospel several years, before it ever entered my head that tracts were of much value in Christian work. I had somehow grown up with the notion that tracts were all rubbish, and therefore I did not take the trouble to read them, and far less did I take the trouble to circulate them, but I found out that I was entirely wrong. Tract work has some great advantages over other forms of Christian work.” – R.A. Torrey
The above words were written at the turn of the 20th century; even back then, the use of gospel tracts was frowned upon by many. Not much has changed in the 21st century – people today look at these simple pieces of paper as being ineffective in reaching today’s culture. But, like R.A. Torrey, I think there is a need for us to reconsider the use of gospel literature.
Over the years, I have handed out thousands of tracts. Some people will read the literature; others will not. But the seed has been sown, and we never quite know how the Lord will use it. In recent weeks, I have been reminded of how tracts can sometimes lie dormant for years before the Holy Spirit decides to use them.
Recently, I received an email from a man in an English town I’ve never visited. Someone had given him a gospel tract that happened to have my contact details on it. The man who received the tract reached out to me online as he was intrigued by the message. After a few messages, he revealed that he was part of the LGBT community and wondered if God could really forgive him. Even though he had already read the tract, I was able to share the good news with him again.
Then, a couple of weeks later, I received an email from a man in Australia. He had found a tract I had written, which included my email address. He read the tract and reached out to me. He is going through many struggles and wanted to know if God was able to help. I shared the good news with him again and then connected him with a local church, where he has been attending. The interesting part of this story is that he lives in an area where I had formerly evangelised – but I haven’t been there in over five years! This tract had been reserved by God for just the right time.
I couldn’t have reached those two men at just the right time, as the Lord has me elsewhere, but God chose to use a tract, a simple piece of paper, to convey the words of eternal life. I’ve heard many testimonies of people being saved through tracts; we may not always know what the Lord is doing, but we can rest in the fact that God uses tracts.
If you’ve been active in handing out tracts, let me encourage you to keep going. You never know what the Lord will do; stay faithful and keep handing out leaflets. If you’ve never used gospel tracts, then let me encourage you to purchase tracts and hand them out. God will use your simple witness to spread His fame.
After having a change of heart, R.A. Torrey went on to say,
“A tract will often succeed in winning a man to Christ where a sermon or a personal conversation has failed. There are a great many people who, if you try to talk with them, will put you off; but if you put a tract in their hands and ask God to bless it, after they go away and are alone they will read the tract and God will carry it home to their hearts by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
For more on the vital ministry of gospel tracts, please download the free booklet ‘Silent Messengers’ from The Open-Air Mission (you can also purchase tracts via OAM).
I would also direct you to my article, ‘The Use of Gospel Tracts.’
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