I recently spoke at the opening of a Church in Birmingham where the pastor was a converted Hindu. He, his brothers, a sister and his parents had been converted after the sudden death of his 22-year-old brother. He, also a Hindu, had been converted through a tract which had been given him when he was about to go to a Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. Outside, somebody was distributing gospel tracts, and this young man had taken one, read it, gone to a Baptist Church and been converted. In Mussleborough I interviewed a man in his forties converted through reading tracts that had been sent in pre-paid envelopes to the Royal Mail in Edinburgh where he was working. He had had no other contact with the gospel. One of Britain’s leading pastors was converted through reading the Gospel of Mark. It was tucked under his windscreen wiper in Austria. When he returned from a day of mountain climbing, he read it and came to the Lord. A man who for twenty seven years had been working in Argentina, returned to his home in Sheffield for one month. He found a gospel booklet in a telephone kiosk, read it and trusted the Lord. 94% of the population of England and Wales do not go to any type of church. A large proportion of our people does not know any real Christian at all. So how shall they hear without a preacher? One way is through the gospel tract. How else can we reach people normally out of reach of the church? Who reaches the masses of young people who spend the weekend clubbing? How do we share Christ with those who have no Christian background? At least a tract may lead to a conversation. A few minutes before writing this article I gave a booklet to a Muslim shopkeeper; we engaged in a short conversation which was not very productive, but it may be more than he has ever had before.

"Give me twenty six lead soldiers and I’ll conquer the world’ said Benjamin Franklin. Printing is much easier today, but distribution of what is printed still takes effort. Oswald Smith expressed how I feel: For more than thirty years I have prayerfully considered the problem, ‘How can we evangelise the world in space of one generation?’ must be a way. vel and study in 53 countries I have come to this conclusion: the only way we are going to be able to carry out the Great Commission will be by means of the printed page."

We have become all too familiar with publications that spread evil. John Angell James, one of England’s revered Christians of the past, as an old man said, that he had never fully recovered from the ill effects of fifteen minutes’ reading of a bad pamphlet when he was a boy. In contrast Hudson Taylor read a tract at the age of fifteen, and the five words, “The finished work of Christ" were to change his life for ever, which in turn would make an impact on the whole of China. It was a pamphlet written by Martin Luther that fell into the hands of John Bunyan, and was the means of his conversion. From his pen came "Pilgrim’s Progress" through which thousands have been saved. Who knows the impact of a prayerfully distributed tract today? You remember how the verse "Cast your bread upon the water..." ends? (Ecclesiastes II vl). Elsewhere in the Bible we read, "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bring his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126 v5,6). A tract, given away, is an evangelist or missionary. It never shows cowardice or compromise. It does not get discouraged. It can equally reach the poor or the aristocracy. It can faithfully declare the word of life; it does not answer back or become irritated when ignored. Prayerfully used, it can be read in quietness or in the bustle of a busy life, at all times of the day or night. It can be left untouched for years before being picked up, read and used by God. These ‘evangelists’ need our prayerful backing! A tract (or gospel leaflet, as I prefer to call it) need not be drab, old fashioned or have the appearance of a mass of print. It can be attractive, and endearing to the gospel. Prayerfully used, tracts need not be discarded. Could I make two suggestions?

1.Use Tracts

Could I encourage you to always carry a tract or a gospel booklet with you? It can be the door to open conversation about the things of God. For example, when buying petrol, if there isn’t a queue behind you, offer to the person serving you a leaflet to read when things are a little quieter. With a mischievous smile, I like to add the words, "It simply explains how Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.., and I am sure you would agree that you and I qualify!" Or, if you have had an opportunity to witness to someone about Christ, give a tract at the end of the conversation. Enclose one when writing to a friend, or paying a bill, or sending a greeting card. When salesmen come to your door, be a blessing to them and give them a tract, and maybe, a cup of tea. It can be a wonderful hour or two to join with some friends and go to a shopping precinct or promenade, or football ground, or wherever and give out gospel leaflets with a view to getting into conversation with those you meet. Don’t stretch out your arm so that people can walk by, but go up to them, and with a friendly smile offer them the booklet Using tracts in this way is something we all can do; it takes us onto the ‘front line of battle’, as we engage in seeking to point people to Christ. It could be part of the routine of the retired, the young, the lonely, or the incredibly busy. I know a pastor who goes outside his local supermarket each week to give away gospel booklets. It keeps him in regular contact with the unsaved, and releases him from the single focus of sermon preparation and delivery. For myself, I find it helpful to give away tracts like this as it serves to remind me of where people ‘are at’: mostly, not interested in all things spiritual, but nevertheless, some are willing to talk and find out more.

2.Lose Tracts

If all this seems a little too up front for your personality, here’s another idea. How many thousands of places can tracts be left? In telephone kiosks, library books, pre-paid envelopes, on a bus, a train or on airline seats, in hotel rooms, or with tips in restaurants. Then pray that the Lord would use them. You may never know the outcome, but the Lord can take hold of the scattered seed and use it for His glory. In the context of the cancellation of debts, God gave instructions to His people, which seem interestingly applicable to the distribution of tracts. "If there is among you a poor man of your brethren ... you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother ... you shall surely give to him and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in the land." (Deut 15 v7,1O,11).

by Roger Carswell

So why not see what tracts are available in our tracts section ; we have a wide variety on offer.