Longbeard Press, LLC

Chapter 6

Does God Want Christians to Make Unwelcome Sales Pitches?

Mr. Warren says:

“We bring God glory by telling others about him.  God doesn’t want his love and purposes kept a secret.  Once we know the truth, he expects us to share it with others.”  (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, p. 57)

But Scripture says:

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”  (1^st Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV)

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

            Many Christians are coerced into trampling on social customs by preachers who insist that they must "share their faith" or "witness" or "share the gospel" with others, though not invited to do so.  This aggressive approach is counter-productive to the cause of Christ, because it shows rudeness, insensitivity and lack of respect for others' right to privacy.

            If someone approached you in a parking lot and asked whether you lifted weights and rode a bicycle, and then began to share how they became a fitness fanatic, and then asked whether you would agree to exercise regularly, and whether you would bow your head and promise God that you were going to be a weightlifter from now on and join his gym -- wouldn't you feel that the person interrupting your schedule, and taking your time, was out of line?  Wouldn't you feel that their unsolicited "sales pitch" was rude behavior?

            It is simply disrespectful of peoples’ time and privacy to present a "sales pitch" to them uninvited.  How should one get others to join his gym?  If somebody asks a fitness fanatic how he can eat so much and stay trim, then he has an opportunity to tell them the benefits of exercise.  When someone sees him lift and carry a heavy box and asks how he can lift so heavy a load, he can tell them about his exercise regimen.  If someone asks him if he knows of a good fitness center, he can share his personal experience about the benefits of his gym.  When people show they are interested in, or curious about, his healthy appearance, then he can share information on that subject.

            This is how Christians should behave in regard to their faith.  Instead of shoving it, uninvited, upon others, they should wait for the opportunity when they are asked why they never curse or lose their temper, or how they are able to cheerfully work for a difficult boss, or why they never complain, or why they are optimistic most of the time, or why they are eager to help others.  Then they can use this ‘invitation’ as an opportunity to explain how their behavior is related to their Biblical beliefs. 

            The passages which have been used to coerce Christians into a confrontational type of evangelism, are all Scriptures addressed to preachers -- to either the apostles in the four Gospels, or by Paul to younger preachers, in his Epistles to Timothy and Titus.  When you hear a preacher exhorting you that it is your duty to tell as many people about Jesus as you can, what kind of Scriptures does he recite to try and convince you?  Maybe he uses the “Great Commission” as his proof text:

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' "  (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

            But you should ask yourself, “Who is Jesus talking to in this passage?”  If you look at the passage in context, by reading the verses that precede this ‘commission’, you will see that he is addressing his eleven disciples, men who are apostles and evangelists.  By extension, this applies to those who take on that mantle of responsibility in the church, men whom God calls to be evangelists and pastors.  If you will examine all the exhortations in the New Testament to teach or preach the Christian faith to others, you will see that they are addressed to men who are called to be preachers and evangelists, and not to the average Christian working man or woman.

            However, when we look at the letters (or ‘epistles’) that Paul and Peter wrote to the congregations of various churches, we see that there are only a few passages which discuss evangelism (i.e., telling others about the Christian faith).  Obviously, the lack of passages to non-preachers on this subject shows that it was not a top priority of concern.  Rather, the apostles’ instructions to church members (as opposed to church leaders) emphasize how to live a good life in regard to your family, your fellow Christians, and your community. The living of a good life, we are told, is the basis for converting others to Christianity.  But we are to wait until we have earned the respect and trust of non-Christians before we attempt to introduce them to the Christian faith. 

How do we know when the time has arrived to tell someone about salvation in Christ?  We know because they invite us to tell them about our faith.  The invitation might not be made directly, as in:  “Tell me about the Christian faith.”  An opportunity might arise because of someone asking about a Christian’s exemplary lifestyle.  An informal invitation for you to explain some aspect[1] of the Christian faith could arise by someone asking your advice on something to which the Bible speaks.  {See support for numbered citations in notes at end of chapter.}

The apostles instruct us to share the truths of Scripture with others only when there is an appropriate opportunity presented.  That is, instead of making an uninvited sales pitch for the faith, we should wait until we are asked about our behavior or beliefs, and then we can share the reason for the way we live.  Paul and Peter speak of such evangelism in terms of answering people’s questions, instead of making uninvited presentations.

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."  (Colossians 4:5-6 NIV)

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."  (1^st Peter 3:15-16 NIV)

            The most effective means of evangelism is an exemplary life.  Everyone knows that it is very easy for people to say one thing, but to do another.  But a person who lives a good life convinces everyone who watches him, over weeks and months and years, that he actually is a good person.  Why should someone accept your view on life and the afterlife when they do not really know and trust you?  The proof of what someone actually believes is demonstrated by how they live.  As James says, "I will show you my faith by what I do."  (James 2:18 NIV)

            A Christian should be aware that when he or she shares the Christian faith with those who are uninterested, or whose consciences have not yet been prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive such a message, that there will likely be an adverse result.  “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”  (Matthew 7:6 NASV)  What a Christian recognizes as valuable wisdom (i.e., pearls), worldly men consider not only worthless, but infuriating, and they will often turn on those who seek to offer such pearls of wisdom.  Rather, as Jesus said, the average Christian, who has not been called to be a pastor or evangelist, should let their “light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16 NASV)  In other words, they should let their exemplary life of good behavior act as a light, or a beacon, in a dark world, to draw to their cause those who are ready and willing to become followers of the true light, Jesus Christ.[2]

            Having said this, it is also worth noting that those Christians whose lives are not so exemplary should focus more on "leading a quiet life" and "minding their own business" (1^st Thessalonians 4:11 NIV) rather than trying to evangelize others by their talk.  They tend to turn others away from the Christian faith when they say one thing and then do another.[3]  God disapproves of such people attempting to tell others what God's will is for their lives.  "But to the wicked, God says: "What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?"  (Psalm 50:16 NIV)

            This does not mean that a Christian must be perfect in order to be entitled to tell others about the Christian faith.  No one is, or can be, perfect.  The Scriptures are clear about this.  However, a Christian can lead a life that, despite his failings, is still commendable, in comparison to those who live as if they did not have to answer to God for their actions.  Any Christian who lives in such a manner, as to induce someone to ask the reason for their commendable behavior, can be assured that he is entitled to tell the other about his Christian faith.

Conclusion of “Purpose Driven Life”:  “We bring God glory by telling others about him.  God doesn’t want his love and purposes kept a secret.  Once we know the truth, he expects us to share it with others.”  (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, p. 57)

Outworking of “Purpose Driven Life” Conclusion:  When Christians make uninvited sales pitches to non-Christians, they come across as rude persons who break socially accepted rules of good behavior, interrupting others’ right to be undisturbed by unwanted interference in their private lives.  This is counter-productive to promoting the spread of Christianity.  Instead, it alienates most people.  They think to themselves that they do not want to associate with such rude people, and that they certainly do not want to be a part of any religion that would require them to go around interrupting others with uninvited sales pitches about their religion.

Conclusion from Scripture:  If you want to be an effective Christian witness to your faith, then you should "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, [and] to mind your own business . . . so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders." (1st Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV)  You should not be  making uninvited sales pitches to non-Christians about the Christian faith.  Instead, you should "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1st Peter 3:15 NIV)

Outworking of Scriptural Belief:  If Christians follow the principles of ‘opportunistic’ or ‘responsive’ evangelism, laid out in the Scriptures, they will find that they are not perceived as ‘fanatics’ or ‘high-pressure salesmen’.  Instead, by their exemplary lifestyle, they will convince those that get to know them that they are genuine and sincere about living a life pleasing to God.  It is on this basis of familiarity, through truly getting to know a sincere believer, that a non-Christian might be drawn to something he admires.  A non-Christian will then begin to question his or her Christian friend about what motivates and influences them to live such a lifestyle.  When they hear the truths of the Christian faith, it will not be from some stranger they cannot trust, but from a friend who leads a life that gives weight to his or her words.  This is God’s method for effective evangelism, not the uninvited sales pitch, which often drives non-Christians even further from what they perceive as rude fanaticism.

Memory Verses:

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”  (1^st Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV)

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

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 7:16 NASV)

Rick Warren & The Modern Church:  Purpose Driven Disaster; 155 pages; 6" x 9"; paperback; $9.99; available for purchase from Amazon.com.