You don’t have to sell Jesus

"Is it our job to “sell” Jesus? Looking for signs of spiritual hunger and trusting God to move people toward Jesus is far more effective than trying to sell them on a gimmicky plan.

It recently dawned on me (much to my nausea) that I’ve thought of evangelism as a sales job. First, you create slick and attractive packaging that appeals to your target population. Then you have to create a “felt need” for your product. You’ve got to convince the customer that they need what you’re selling, even if they don’t need it at all. Once you’ve done that, you have to persuade them that your product can meet this need better than anything else on the market. That’s not easy—the competition is fierce. But if you can convince them that your product will somehow make their life better, more comfortable and safe, then there’s a pretty good chance they will sign on the dotted line. Some sales agents will also try to minimize the cost in order to get the sale, whatever it takes. For the good salesperson, it’s all about closing the deal.

Jesus made it clear that people can’t come to him unless the Father draws them to him (John 6:44, 65). He said that his job was to speak the words of life (John 6:63), keep all those whom the Father had given him (John 6:39), and give them eternal life. Did Jesus use language and images that were pertinent, meaningful and relevant? Absolutely. But he wasn’t trying to conjure up a spiritual interest that wasn’t already there. He spoke about the living bread from heaven because he wanted to bring forth those whom God had given him, those with a genuine hunger for life in union with God. He was looking for vital signs—for a spiritual pulse. In the process of keeping those people God had given him, Jesus also caused those who had no spiritual hunger to move on. That’s what the Father sent him to do."

Click on the link below for the full article:

http://www.intervarsity.org/slj/article/2432