THE ULTIMATE PRODUCT – WHY DON’T PEOPLE BUY IT?

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Salvation through faith in Jesus is the ultimate ‘product’:

  • ETERNAL LIFE IN A NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH WHERE THERE IS NO PAIN AND SUFFERING
  • IT’S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE
  • IT’S FREE
  • REJECTING JESUS (THE PRODUCT) CONSIGNS YOU TO AN ETERNITY IN HELL (SEPARATION FROM YOUR CREATOR AND HIS GOODNESS FOREVER)

“For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame…., for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 11-13

We are all involved in selling on a day-to-day basis, often without even knowing it. A dictionary definition of selling is ‘to persuade someone of the merits of’, or, to ‘cause someone to become enthusiastic about’ something.

And there is scriptural support for the idea that we should be more ‘calculating’ (or strategic) in our witnessing. In 1 Corinthians 9: 20-23 we read how Paul was strategic:

“To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”

Sales professionals simply take what is second nature to us all, refine it, and apply it to specific situations to maximise their chances of success.

What follows is not intended to be prescriptive of how we should witness to the lost. We are all different and, as such, we relate to people in different ways. Hopefully, many of you are already using a lot of the techniques I’m about to share, often without even realising it. But if you’re about to take the first step in your evangelising, or you are frustrated by your efforts to date, I hope this might help.

Laying the foundations

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”  1 Peter 3:15–16

Be prepared

When you witness to an unbeliever, you will be asked questions. It’s important that you can either answer these questions or, at the very least, direct them to a place where they might find the answers. But it’s pointless having all the answers if you never actually take the step to talk to an unbeliever about Jesus.

Prepared to give an answer

The Gospel message provides an answer to the predicament of every person—we are all sinners in need of salvation. Once this ‘cornerstone’ is in place, we have a sure foundation from which to confidently answer objections to the message.

Being equipped with answers will help you to overcome objections and give you confidence to step out and share the Gospel. This is where Creation Ministries International resources are so valuable. Probably the best place to start is with the Creation Answers Book, which has easy to understand answers to over 60 most asked questions on creation, evolution and the Bible.

You should also familiarise yourself with creation.com, so that, if you don’t know the answer to a question, you can recommend a place they can go to find the answer (and the search terms the person might use for best results). It can also be helpful to have tracts to give away (e.g. creation.com witnessing cards).

To everyone who asks

Successful sales people will actively seek to generate selling opportunities. Moreover, the Great Commission is a command – “go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19.

Making a sales presentation will usually involve an invitation, either in the form of an appointment, or at least a request for information about a product. Evangelism is similar—yes, we should always be looking for opportunities to start a conversation about Jesus (the easiest way is simply to tell (or, remind) people you’re a Christian). But ‘everyone who asks’ implies an invitation to give the reason for the hope we have.

The invitation(s) might be obvious: e.g. “Why are you a Christian?” Or they might be subtle: e.g. a throw away comment about Jesus, Christianity, another religion, or a news item with an evolutionary bias, etc. You just have to be prepared to recognize them when they arise. And don’t beat yourself up if you miss an opportunity (we all miss opportunities). Put it down to experience and work out ways to be better prepared next time.

Gentleness and respect

Successful selling requires persuasion, not pressure, and this is even more the case with evangelism. In most cases, you will effectively be telling someone that their whole worldview is wrong. This can be very confronting! Gentle persuasion is less likely to cause offence and, in the event of a negative reaction, is more likely to leave the lines of communication open for future discussions.

Respect is equally important. First, we are all made in the image of God, with responsibility for our decisions. We must always respect a person’s right to choose their own destiny, no matter how wrong we believe that choice to be. Second, respect implies a relationship. You cannot respectfully tell a person their worldview is wrong if you don’t know what that worldview is.

Before sharing the Gospel with someone, it’s important you take time to get to know them (if time allows). The easiest way to do this is to ask questions and be a good listener. We humans like to talk about ourselves and asking questions invites people to do just that. In the process, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate a genuine interest in who they are and what they believe. They, in turn, will be more comfortable in speaking to you, and will be more likely to listen when you speak to them.

Ask open-ended questions that require more than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. For instance, questions prefaced with ‘Who?’ ‘What?’ ‘Which?’ ‘Why?’ ‘When?’ ‘Where?’ and ‘How?’ Look for common interests and shared views and highlight these as they come up (as Paul would have done). If the conversation becomes more worldview-centric, ask clarifying questions and make a mental note of anything they may tell you that you can use to make the Gospel message more personal to them and more relevant to their life.

Whatever you do, don’t assume anything about the person you’re speaking to that you haven’t heard from them personally. When the time is right, it can be remarkably easy to steer the conversation to what you believe, simply by saying something like; “That’s very different to how I view the world.”

The reason for the hope that we have

Our ultimate aim should be that the people we witness to will place their confidence and faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. This is the hope that we have for ourselves, and the hope we should have for others. It may not happen at the first meeting, the second meeting, or for many years. We might not even be present when the decision is finally made (if it is made at all) but this must be our goal from the very beginning.

To this end, the most important part of witnessing is the Gospel presentation and you need to get it right. Prepare, commit to memory, and practice your Gospel presentation. It should be biblically sound, containing all the major features and benefits of the Gospel message, starting with the ‘very good’ Creation of Genesis 1. It should be logical, easy to understand and concise.

It should explain the features of the Gospel, but should focus on the benefits, the reason(s) for the hope that we have. To use a sales analogy, no-one buys a refrigerator because it has a motor, insulated walls and shelves (the features). We buy a refrigerator because it keeps drinks cold and food fresh (the benefits).

Don’t cut corners. Just as you shouldn’t assume anything about another person’s worldview, don’t assume they have a clear understanding of the Gospel, even if they tell you they do. In this increasingly secular world, if an unbeliever has any understanding of the Gospel at all, it is likely to be a distorted version.

As you grow in confidence, you may be able to weave into your Gospel presentation some of what you have learnt about the person you’re witnessing to. A good sales presentation is designed to turn ‘wants’ into ‘needs’, the theory being that a person is much more likely to ‘buy’ if they are convinced they need something, rather than just wanting it. This same process can also be applied to evangelism. For example; most honest people, when confronted with questions of mortality, will admit they want to know what happens when they die. You can point out that, logically, they need to find the answer to this question before they die, because, once they’re dead, it’s too late to do anything about it.

Those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ

Competition is a fact of life. Sales people are always on the lookout for ways to convince potential clients that what they have to offer is superior to the opposition. Successful sales people do this by highlighting the positive features of their own product and subtly, rather than overtly, undermining the competition. However, if there is anything in a competitor’s sales presentation that is perceived to be inconsistent, or false, it will be (and should be) ruthlessly exploited.

How much more will this be the case with evangelism, where we must contend with an enemy who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) but also “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Don’t make Satan’s job any easier. Everything about your Gospel presentation, and your answers to the questions you are asked, must be internally consistent (without contradiction). In doing so, you give yourself the best opportunity to convince people that the Christian worldview, alone, is externally consistent (true).

This is where those who attempt to fit evolution and millions of years into the Bible get it so wrong. By attempting to make Christianity conform to the world’s version of origins, they open the door to accusations of inconsistency and outright, deliberate deception. If the Bible can’t be trusted in the first chapters of Genesis, why would anyone trust what it says about Jesus?

Militant anti-theists will always rage against the Christian worldview simply because they have an anti-God agenda. We do ourselves, those to whom we witness, and the God we serve, a disservice by trying to appease them. Keep a ‘clear conscience’. Let Satan and his minions argue the benefits of their own worldview rather than allowing them to point out inconsistencies in yours!

Be prepared for success

When a decision is made to buy, a good salesperson will have a procedure in place to finalize the sale and an after-sales support program designed to ensure long term buyer satisfaction. In the same way, you need to plan what you will do when someone indicates that he/she is ready to commit to Christ.

First, and foremost, you should encourage them to acknowledge and confess their sin (1 John 1:9), turn to God in repentance (Acts 20:21), and believe in Jesus for remission of their sin and for salvation (Romans 10:9, John 3:16).

Then, help them to put in place the tools they’ll need to grow and defend their newfound faith. This should include: encouraging them to read the Bible and pray, helping them find a Bible believing church in their area, and suggesting they seek out Christian friends and join a Bible study group. You might also offer to stay in touch and disciple them.

Last, but not least, make sure they know where to go if they have questions. Introduce them to CMI materials; Creation Magazine (you might start by giving them one of your back issues), the Creation Answers Book, and the wealth of biblically based, God-honouring resources at creation.com. That way, they too will be prepared to give an answer.

Be prepared in the heavenly realms

One last piece of advice (this one’s definitely not learnt from the business world); before you do anything, cover yourself in prayer.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel and pray that you will recognise these opportunities when they present themselves. Pray for the boldness to speak God’s truth into the lives of friends, family, workmates, new acquaintances, etc. Pray that you will have clarity of thought and mind and that you will be able to answer the questions you might be asked. Pray for open hearts and open minds, that your efforts will bear fruit and that you will have success.

And pray, in particular, that you, and those you witness to, will be protected from the arrows of the enemy.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12

The above article has been taken from the CMI article – More effective evangelism Lessons from the business world – Laying the foundations by Mark James, published, 5 June 2018 http://www.creation.com

 

CHRISTIANS: TIME TO BE BOLD AND COURAGEOUS

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Like never before, Christians are being challenged by God to honour Him by standing up for their belief in Him.

Jennie Finch and Jelene Hinkle are to be commended for their stand which invariably costs from a worldly perspective. I am sure it was not there motivation, but they have built up treasure in heaven which is eternal (Matthew 6:19-21)

Jennie Finch on 'Dancing With The Stars'

Olympic athlete and Dancing With the Stars contestant Jennie Finch refused to perform to a popular new Janelle Monae track, citing her Christian faith and desire to honour God. The song, “Make Me Feel,” is sexually suggestive and was deemed to be a “little too risque” for the athlete.

According to the Kansas City Star, Finch was struggling with the song all through rehearsals until she finally made a phone call to producers saying she was not prepared to dance to such a sexually charged track.

“It’s not what I’m about. I need to follow who I am and stand up for what I believe in,” Finch explained on the hit show.

United States defender Jaelene Hinkle (19) and midfielder Carli Lloyd (10) and defender Kelley O'Hara (5) celebrate.

Last year, a Christian soccer star, Jaelene Hinkle, withdrew from the United States Women’s National Team after the team decided to swap out their normal jerseys for LGBT Pride jerseys in international matches.

Hinkle withdrew from the United States soccer roster in June citing “personal reasons.” This came at a time where she was called to play in international games versus Sweden and Norway.

United States defender Jaelene Hinkle 19 and midfielder Carli Lloyd 10 and defender Kelley O’Hara 5.

Hinkle’s resignation from the team came two weeks after the U.S. men and women’s national teams announced that they would be wearing LGBT pride jerseys in support of the June pride month.

GOD’S VALUES/GOD’S WORDS ARE NOW UNACCEPTABLE

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“Happy pride everybody!” Canadian television host Jessi Cruickshank begins, while being met by a throng of cheers from the impressionable young children who took part in the video celebrating gay pride month.

This video is produced by the Canadian government. Take a look at the video and you will realise that this generation is being taught that God’s values/God’s Word are unacceptable, they are offensive and teach hate. At the same time, the Canadian government is beginning to ban certain “offensive” Bible verses. This is all happening at such an alarming rate, it just reinforces we are in the “end times” and need to know we are in the centre of God’s will for our lives. We need God’s heart for the lost, and have a sense of urgency to complete the great commission.

After asking the kids if they know what gay pride means, she says “that’s absolutely right, it’s a celebration of sexual diversity,” She then explains, “I’m not gay, but I’m a gay ally.” Cruickshank then puts the children on the spot and asks them if they, too, are gay allies.

“Are you gay allies?”

“Definitely!” the children respond. Cruickshank then goes on to ask the children a series of questions, including if they know what it means to come out of the closet and what their views on gay marriage are.

The conversation then takes a turn to gay icons, which ends up being a list of gay celebrities. But things take a darker turn when Jodi Foster is mentioned, and one of the kids thinks Foster is a boy. “Jodi Foster is a woman,” Cruickshank interjects. “And she made me question my sexuality when I was a child, because I liked her so much. And she was nude in the film Nell, not that I remember watching it several times as a child.”

 

CAN YOU BE GAY AND CHRISTIAN?

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On May 2, Dr Michael Brown Ministries launched the first video in a new animated series called “Consider This.” The video was titled “Can You Be Gay and Christian?”. It was promoted through all of the normal US social media and internet channels. First time ever, they paid for advertising on Facebook and YouTube. (Dr Brown currently has  roughly 1,300 videos on YouTube).

The intended audience was primarily the conservative Christian community, because of which the ad words used were Faith, Beliefs, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Family, Gay, God, Homosexual, Marriage.

The last thing planned was to advertise on LGBT-related channels on YouTube. But based on the subject matter and the words “gay” and “homosexual,” an ad for the video began appearing on some LGBT channels.

This became apparent when disgruntled viewers began posting comments like, “Horrible Human Being. You’re a moron. I just saw this [expletive] advertisement telling me I’m not gay!” And, “You make me sincerely sick, keep your dumb ads Off my page, go make your money somewhere else hypocrite.” And, “Um can you please get this disgusting advertisement off my youtube videos.”

The video was reaching a whole new audience. Perhaps, God had other plans.

A June 1 headline on LGBTQ nation asked, “Why is YouTube running anti-LGBTQ ads before videos?”

One of the ads in question featured a video from the Alliance Defending Freedom. But the video featured in the article was “Can You Be Gay and Christian?”

The article noted that, “YouTube has come under fire for putting anti-LGBTQ ads on LGBTQ videos.

“Twitter user Jace Aarons tweeted an example. He found an ad from Michael Brown, a conservative radio host, playing before a video from Chase Ross, a transgender YouTuber.” How in the world did the ad end up there?

This prompted Chase (who has 145,000 subscribers) to express his frustration in his own YouTube video. In it, he took YouTube to task for allowing “an anti-LGBT ad, a very homophobic and transphobic company [to] advertise their message, their conversion therapy, their horrible, like, mean messages on my LGBT videos.”

He also mocked YouTube for being “diverse” something like “once a month.” (Obviously, Chase missed the irony of excoriating YouTube for allowing diverse viewpoints, since “diversity” in his book means pro-LGBT only.)

Chase was also mortified that anyone in 2018 could possibly argue that marriage was the union of a man and a woman. “Like we’re still here? Like literally, what year are we in? 1810? 1940? Where are we?”

Dr Brown said, “I’m glad our video is getting the added attention. (May it get far more in the days ahead!). And I’m glad lots of folks are watching it who would not have seen it otherwise. (One woman commented on Hank’s video that watching the two-minute ad has started to convince her that homosexual practice is wrong. I hope she watches the whole video and then studies the Scriptures for herself.)”

Bear in mind it was not Dr Brown’s intent these ads for his video appear on LGBTQ videos, so he fully understands the frustration expressed by these LGBT viewers, since the ads appearing on their channels felt to them like an invasion of their safe space (or worse). That was never his intent, and in future, he commits to do his best to avoid offending anyone unnecessarily.

However, Dr Brown also said, “if the content of the video offends, so be it. We spoke the truth in love, and it is God’s truth that sets us free.”

 

THE “RARE JEWEL” THAT IS ISRAEL

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A former Australian lawmaker publicly chastised the Arab world for not appreciating the “rare jewel” that is Israel.

Australia’s Sky News hosted an interview with former Australian MP, Ross Cameron, who expressed admiration for the Jewish people and sent a message to the Arab world, praising Israel as a “rare jewel” and “one of the best things going for the Middle East.”

According to Cameron, Israel and the Jewish people lays claim to “the most awesome story of human survival ever written.”

The only thing missing from this amazing report by Ross Cameron is the WHY and WHO of this “rare jewel” that is Israel. YAWEH birthed, established and preserves His nation for His purposes. God said in His Word that His nation would be a blessing to all nations of the world and in Jesus and many other ways this is truth.

DESIGN IS ALWAYS TOP DOWN IT DOES NOT EVOLVE

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Taken from the new bible study for “Is Genesis History?” The full bible study is available here: http://bit.ly/ighbiblestudy

Dr. Stuart Burgess completed an engineering apprenticeship with Stothert and Pitt Cranes in Bath while completing a degree in mechanical engineering. After completing his PhD in the area of machine design he worked for the European Space Agency for five years mainly working on the ENVISAT earth observation satellite which is the largest earth observation civilian satellite in the world. He designed the solar array deployment mechanism including inventing a new type of gearbox – the double action worm gear set. He spent three years at Cambridge University as an Assistant Director of Research and Bye-Fellow of Selywn College. He led the design of the chain drive on the bicycles used by Team GB in the Rio Olympics where the cycling team won 6 gold medals and broke two world records. He has been at Bristol University since 1997 mainly working in the area of design optimisation of mechanical systems and bio-mechanical systems. I hope this in depth background on Stuart convinces you he has something worthwhile to say on a topic which determines where you will spend eternity.

MAN AND WOMAN DO BECOME ONE FLESH – MICROCHIMERISM

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Once again, science has finally caught up with God’s Word: It turns out that sexual intimacy and childbearing result in a unique enmeshing of a man’s DNA into a woman’s body!

CREATION.com | Becoming one flesh

This phenomenon is known as ‘microchimerism’ and is a clear affirmation of Genesis 2:24, which says,

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

As science is finally affirming, ‘one flesh’ is a physical reality, not just a metaphor. It makes sense, then, that God’s good design for marriage and sexuality be for one man to unite with one woman—exclusively, for life.

Both Jesus and Paul quoted the above verse when they were teaching on marriage, with Jesus concluding: So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Matthew 19:6)

So it should come as no surprise that science also affirms the dangers of not following the Creator’s design. For example, women are known to be at risk from sexual involvement with multiple partners as it can impact their health and increase pregnancy risks such as miscarriage, low birth weight and dangerous (potentially fatal) diseases.

Having the DNA of a separate individual integrated into one’s body for life, conveyed via the process of procreation, emphasises the depth of the intimacy achievable for a male and female union. Following God’s instructions contained in His Word regarding sexual behaviours results in better health outcomes for women. This is as expected since God is the author of life and He said:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Article by Dr Kathy Wallace, BA, BHSc Hons, BM BS, FRACGP. Dr Wallace is a medical doctor who works as a GP in Adelaide, South Australia. She did her undergraduate studies at University of Adelaide, with Honours in Neuropathology, and her graduate-entry medicine at Flinders University.

Creation Ministries have Dr Wallace speaking at their October 2-5, 2018 Gold Coast, SuperConference. Check it out on http://www.creation.com

 

ARE YOU PURSUING GOD OR HIS GIFTS?

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WE ARE THE CHURCH – ARE WE USING THE HOLY SPIRIT GIFTS ? – DO YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS JESUS LOVES US ? – DO WE LOVE GOD’S WORD ? IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD DEEPENING ? DO WE HAVE THE JOY OF KNOWING WE ARE IN HIS WILL ?

Another great message from Francis Chan. You will be challenged and blessed if you get it.

CHIEF AIM OF MAN IS TO GLORIFY GOD AND ENJOY HIM FOREVER

MAJOR GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS IMMINENT

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Ten indicators that the next major global economic crisis is imminent. The mainstream media in the United States almost entirely ignores Europe, but what is going on over there is key right now.

  1. The 9th largest economy in the world, Italy, is in the midst of yet another financial meltdown. Italian banking stocks crashed really hard this week. Italian two year bond yields are the highest that they have been since the crisis of 2014. In fact, there are fears that it could spread to other areas of the euro zone. Europe could barely handle what happened in Greece, and the Italian economy is many times its size.Deutsche Bank share price graphic
  2. German banking giant Deutsche Bank just announced that it will be cutting another 7,000 jobs as it “seeks to turn the page on years of losses”.  Many are amazed that it has survived for this long.  If Deutsche Bank fails in 2018, it will essentially be a “Lehman Brothers moment for the entire planet.
  3. In the US, the “smart money” is getting out of stocks at a rate that we haven’t seen since just before the financial crisis of 2008.
  4. Moody’s is warning that a “particularly large wave” of junk bond defaults is coming.  Junk bond defaults are often an early warning indicator for a major financial crisis.
  5. According to the FDIC, a closely watched category known as “assets of problem banks” more than tripled during the first quarter of 2018.  What that means is that some really big banks are now officially in “problem” territory.
  6. U.S. Treasury bonds are having the worst start to a year since the Great Depression.
  7. Mortgage interest rates in the US just hit a 7 year high, and they have been rising at the fastest pace in nearly 50 years.  This is going to be absolutely crippling for the real estate and housing industries.
  8. US retail industry debt defaults have hit a record high in 2018.
  9. The US is on pace for the worst year for retail store closings ever.
  10. The two largest economies on the entire globe are on the verge of starting an international trade war.

Once things start unravelling in Europe, the US will be deeply affected as well.  The global financial system is more interconnected than ever before, and at this point the US is even more vulnerable than it was just prior to the crisis of 2008.

When this thing breaks loose, it won’t matter who is in the White House, who is in Congress or who is running the Federal Reserve, there is nothing that anyone will be able to do to stop it.

Global central banks have been able to buy a few extra years of time by engaging in unprecedented levels of intervention, but now they are almost out of ammunition and events are beginning to escalate at a very frightening pace.

Church will need to be like in the Book of Acts where believers shared their resources with those in need. Be prepared, get out of debt, and make sure you have readily available reserves.