Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Is Witnessing Like Selling Insurance?

Many people are irritated or offended when people begin telling them about their personal religious beliefs or begin “preaching at them.” Well, they can relax. The odds that anyone will preach at them in any direct, confrontational manner, is very slim. That's because most of the people who worship in places where the sharing of one's faith is encouraged, don't do much of it.


It's not that they are unwilling to do it. It's just that they think their knowledge of what they believe is limited, they are not sure how to express themselves and so they are afraid they won't do it correctly. Consequently they think they will not say the right things, they will be incapable of answering questions that might come up and they will run the risk of unnecessarily offending someone. So there's a big gap between their perceived ability to witness and what they believe their leaders expect of them.


To close the gap classes and seminars are offered where methods of evangelism are presented. Sometimes they are boiled down to three or four steps (a mini sales presentation) to lead someone to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. Often the methods are helpful and effective. Still, the gap remains. Why?


Too often witnessing is approached like selling insurance. And too often those who respond to the message do so like they're buying insurance. The witness presents the problem; your sin with the certainty of judgment to come. Then the solution; Jesus Christ died for your sins. Believe in Him and your sins will be forgiven, you will receive the gift of eternal life and gain heaven when your life on earth ends. Then the press for a decision; Trust in Him now. Those who do are “covered.”


But witnessing is not like selling insurance. Certainly the problem, the solution and the decision are components in any response to the gospel, but witnessing is more like telling a story. It includes the facts, and calls for a response, but it also includes the feelings. If I may say so, there's an element of romance in it. After all, the Church – all believers in Jesus Christ – is the bride of Christ. So when Christians witness the objective is to do more than just get people “covered.”


Witnessing is inviting friends and neighbors to enter into a life-long relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. For too many people, becoming a Christian is like buying a product that offers benefits, rather than entering into a life-long personal relationship with the living God. Both elements are essential; the facts concerning the gospel, and the personal relationship to which they lead.


Let me explain it this way. I have an auto insurance policy. I'm covered. But I don't have a personal relationship with my policy, or even with my insurance agent whom I found on the Internet.


I recently submitted an accident claim. Rough gravel falling off an oncoming truck damaged the hood of my car. I reported the accident to my insurance agent. She asked what happened. I told her rocks came flying through the air and damaged my car. She said, “Good. If the rocks are 'flying' you're covered. If they are not flying you are not covered.” I was unaware of that distinction, but I didn't care because in this case I was covered. The insurance company paid the bill and my car looks like new.


If I have to file another claim someday, so be it. In the meantime I don't feel any need to spend time reading my insurance policy or getting to know my insurance salesperson better. I'm confident I'm covered, or at least I think I'm covered. That's all I care about. One thing I can say for sure. I never want to be in a situation where I am called upon to explain the benefits of my policy to another person, much less to attempt to persuade him or her to get the policy I have. I'm glad I'm covered, but don't expect me to sell my policy to someone else.


Telling someone about my faith in Jesus Christ is not at all like selling an insurance policy. It's more like telling someone the story about my new car. No one has ever knocked on your front door or sashayed up to you in the mall and said, “Let me tell you about my insurance policy.” But if your neighbor gets a new car he or she will tell you more than you want to know about it and about the great deal they got.


I don't know everything about my car, but I know a little, and what's more, I am emotionally connected to it. My car means something to me, maybe more than it should. It's a 2.0 turbo, goes like a rocket, tracks as straight as a laser, gets 32 mpg on the road and has a nice big comfortable seat with 6-way power. How's that for a quick testimony? And I haven't attended a dealer sponsored seminar about, “How to tell my neighbor about my new car.”


Since purchasing the car I have spent some time reading the owner's manual. So over time I have learned how to set the clock, load CD's, and lower all the windows using the ignition key. I read the owners manual to learn how to take good care of the car so I can enjoy it for a long time. The longer I own the car, and the more I learn from the owners manual the more things I have to talk about. It's what I know about the car and my personal connection with it that is the key to talking about it.


Many years ago a high school age Sunday school class I taught asked for some lessons about sharing their faith with other people. They wanted to learn how to witness. At the beginning of the first class I asked them what they wanted to share with other people. They said, “That Jesus died for their sins.” I asked, “How do you know that?” They said, “It's in the Bible.” I asked, “Where?” They fumbled around a little and then someone quoted John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”


Good answer! But it didn't take long until we all realized that beyond quoting John 3:16 they didn't have much to say. They were true believers in Jesus Christ, no doubt about that, but they had been under the influence of the insurance method of witnessing. They thought they were required to sell the gospel. Their knowledge and level of maturity were limited so they felt inadequate to “explain the details of the policy.”


So we shifted the direction of the class. We began by studying what the Bible has to say about Jesus Christ and what's involved in trusting in Him. Then I encouraged them to talk about their relationship with Jesus Christ in their own words, emphasizing that there is not just one way to do it, and that what they say represents their present level of spiritual understanding and maturity, and that's ok. Then I encouraged then to study the Bible on a regular basis so they would grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and consequently become more capable of sharing their faith with others in greater depth.


I encourage you to do that. Forget attempting to sell the gospel. Rather, look for opportunities to introduce your friends and neighbors to your Lord and Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ. And in your own words, tell them the story of how you met Him, and why He means so much to you. It's as easy and natural and satisfying as telling your neighbor about your new car.


Several years ago I was ready to trade cars. I went for a ride with a friend in his new car. I had already decided what I was going to buy and I hadn't given any consideration to the car he bought. I was impressed with the look and ride of his car. He described some of the features and explained what he liked about it. He didn't try to talk me into buying one. We just went for a ride and he explained what he liked about his car. Two weeks later I bought a car just like his. I never expected to do that. It was a great car!