Friends: I am always eager to share, but am lousy at sales. What’s a Christian to do? Tell a great story. Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #951

February 4, 2025

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Sharing the Gospel

By Bob Walters

“… set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” – 1 Peter 3:15

I have always been a lousy salesman. What I’m good at is telling stories, explaining things, reporting news, and recasting-revealing-identifying-finding not-so-obvious connections and associations, and doing it with lively perspective and phrasing.

I love “Hey, look at this!” moments.

“Telling stories” was and is the foundation of my career in journalism, corporate, public, and media relations, and now in “retirement,” teaching high school social studies and Church history at a very fun Christian academy. Yes, teaching high school is fun.

But getting back to my dearth of talent in actual “sales” of anything, I’ve attended sales training seminars and read books on sales. I tried my hand in one career low-point of selling life and health insurance (a disaster despite passing the licensing test).  And I’ve seen master-class sales ninjas in action. “Sell me this pen.” I can tell you about ink.

But, “sharing the Gospel.” Is that a sales pitch? Or a story? Or truth in action? Or living a life of service to others? Or as 1 Peter 3:15 says, setting “apart Christ as Lord?”

My point here is, what exactly does one say to share the Gospel? What are the words? What is the 30-second “elevator speech” that boils down the glorious purpose of this life – serving God in love through faith in Jesus Christ – to a soul far from the Lord?

Many “come to Jesus” tracts I’ve seen begin by saying, approximately, “You’re a liar and a thief and you’re going to hell!” And then, shortly thereafter, claiming how much God loves you anyway.  It’s all true, of course, but the sales progression, the logic, is lost on me. The most important thing Jesus says to those confounded by his miracles is, “Fear not.” “Why?” one might ask. “For I am the Lord.” Hmm. What does that mean?

This is where a savvy sales pitch would be really handy.  While some folks look at sales as the art of convincing people to do what they don’t want to do, I believe it is more the art of merging truth with reality to discover what one most wants to do.

Granted, man’s nature is fallen – we are all sinners – but Jesus isn’t merely the ladder out of the pit; Jesus is the highway to the mountaintop and the surety of God. 

My great comfort about “evangelizing” is knowing that salvation really isn’t up to me; it is the Holy Spirit who captures and convicts a soul, i.e., makes the sale and closes the deal. But we are each, thankfully and joyfully, part of the process: sharing relationship, trust, knowledge, testimony, and our witness, i.e., living a life that reveals our own love of God and others. There is more power in “show me,” than in “tell me.”

As 1 Peter directs, we must be prepared to give an answer for our hope.  And we all know that our words are as big of an encouragement to us as to the soul we’d like to see sharing the Gospel life with Jesus. Peter’s context in this passage is dealing with persecutors, not, say, random people on an elevator. So the great strength of our own hope, when challenged, is knowing – and being able to explain – what we believe.

What is the reason for my own hope?  It is that, in Jesus, I know truth exists, God exists, reality is illuminated only in faith, and life’s purpose is to love God and others.

Not everybody will buy it, but that’s what I’m selling and sharing. That’s my story.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) marvels at God’s talent for stories.