They seemed so sincere I don’t think they got it. They were convinced they were not salesmen. They were only knocking on doors to see if we needed new windows. They would help us determine so. Should they so decide they would then arrange to send a salesman. Therefore, they were not selling anything. I could not convince them they were selling.
They were like car sales people who rush out to snag you if you pause for a moment to look at a car. After they schmooze you, they bring in the big gun from the backroom to seal the deal. It is also like people who bring friends to church hoping the pastor can convince them to join. Everyone is part of the process. Even the people who brought casseroles to the potluck are part of the team. Convincing someone to buy or become a part of something is a team effort. The pastor will never succeed if the members do not create a welcoming atmosphere.
One would think it to be easy to give someone eternal life. Perhaps it is difficult because we complicate it. Often we make people think they have to join “our” church if they are to be saved. “We” are God’s exclusive little club and they need to dress like us, eat like us and pray like us. God must sometimes smile at our ridiculous behavior. At other times He must shake His head in exasperation. The point is we do have a marvelous product to share with the world. And the way we sell it or give it is to make it attractive and the way to make it attractive is for us to be as much like Jesus as we are capable.
Written by Roger Bothwell on September 1, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org