The Power Of The Holy Spirit To Change Lives

Dr. Harry A. Ironside the great evangelist and Bible teacher was living in the San Francisco Bay area working with a group of believers called “Brethren.” One Sunday as he was walking through the city he came upon a group of Salvation Army workers holding a meeting on the corner of Market and Grant avenues. There were probably 60 of them. When they recognized Ironside they immediately asked him if he would give his testimony. He did, giving a word about how God had saved him through faith in the bodily death and literal resurrection of Jesus.

As he was speaking, Ironside noticed that on the edge of the crowd, a well-dressed man had taken a card from his pocket and had written something on it. As Ironside finished his talk this man came forward and handed him the card. On one side was his name, which Ironside immediately recognized. He made a name for himself by Lecturing against Christianity. On the other side of the card read, “Sir, I challenge you to debate with me the question “Agnosticism versus Christianity” in the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock.” Ironside replied, “I agree to this challenge, on the following conditions: that in order to prove that you have something worth fighting for and worth debating about that you would promise to bring with you to the hall next Sunday two people, whose lives have been transformed and their character has changed.

“First, You must bring with you a man who was considered down and out. I’m not particular about the reason for them being in that situation. But who for years was under the power of evil habits which he could not get himself out from under who when they heard your criticism of the Bible and Christianity their mind was stirred so deeply that they went away from the meeting saying, I am now an Agnostic!” As a result of this exchange found new life and power to overcome the situation and sins that they found themselves in.

Secondly, I’d like you to promise to bring with you a woman who was once poor, an outcast, the slave of evil passions and the victim of corrupt living utterly lost and ruined because of her sin. Bring this woman who entered into a conversation with you about Agnosticism and ridiculed the message of the Holy Scriptures. And as she listened Hope was brought about in her heart and she said, she followed your teaching and became an intelligent agnostic. As a result, her whole being turned from her ways and that she had been living a happy life all because she is an agnostic.

Then he looked at the gentleman and said, “If you promise to bring these two people with you as examples of what agnosticism can do, I will promise to meet you at the Hall of Science at 4 o’clock next Sunday and bring with me 100 people who have lived in just such sinful degradation as I have tried to describe but who have been gloriously saved through believing the gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as a present-day proof of the truth of the Bible.”

Then Ironside turned to the Salvation Army captain, a woman, and said, “Capt., have you any who could go with me to this meeting?”

She said with great enthusiasm, “We can give you 40 at least just from our branch of the Salvation Army and will give you a brass band to lead the procession!”

Excellent, said Ironside. “Now Sir, I will have no difficulty in picking up 60 others from the various missions, gospel halls, and evangelical churches of the city; and if you will promise faithfully to bring to such exhibits as I have described, I will come marching in at the head of this procession, with the band playing, and I will be ready for the debate.”

Apparently, the man who had made the challenge must’ve had some sense of humour, for he smiled and waved his hand in a depreciating kind of way as if to say, “Nothing doing!” And then edged out of the crowd while the bystanders clapped for Ironside and the others. (H A Ironside, Random Reminiscences from 50 Years of Ministry. New York: 1939, pages 99-107.)