I Don’t Like to be Rejected!
Among the reasons why so many of us do not like to engage in personal evangelism is because we do not like rejection. We do not like to go door-knocking because we do not like to have the door shut in our face. In all the door-knocking I have done (and Dad started us out doing so on Saturdays at least when I was in the third grade!), very few people have ever been rude to me. Very, very few. Most people simply say, “I’m not interested.”
But the pain of rejection keeps us from engaging in evangelism in other, less threatening, environments like the breakroom at work or on the golf course or while fishing.
In The Up Side of Down, Megan McArdle discusses, in the subtitle, “Why Failing Well is the Key to Success.” In one chapter, she talks about her own struggle with unemployment and the feelings of failure she had for those two years. Looking for a job, she says, is much like being a door-to-door salesman.
Salesmen, or tele-marketers, know that “success is highly correlated to the amount of time you spend risking rejection. The single biggest predictor of success in a new territory, …is the number of calls you make” (173). When it comes to looking for a job, McArdle says, to find a job you have to keep looking for a job!
Salesmen are taught, in order to handle the “rejection” they feel, four principles. These four principles can be quite helpful in our effort to persuade the world to follow Christ. Consider these:
1. Set specific goals for input, not output. In evangelism, our job is to teach, teach, teach. We need to look for opportunities to teach, first, not baptize. Baptism is the result of teaching. “God sent me not to baptize, but to preach,” (1 Cor. 1:17). Look for opportunities to teach what you have learned from God’s word. Set a goal within the next seven days to share one thing you learned from Sunday’s sermon with a non-Christian friend.
2. Record your effort. After you have had a discussion with a non-Christian, go home and write down in a journal how it went. Record how the conversation started. Write down how you responded to the questions. Share your feelings about how you handled the dialogue. Reflect on what you have done and learn from any mistakes you may have made. No soul-winner converts everyone and rarely does it happen in the first conversation.
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Here are some “scripts” you might use… “We have a series of videos (DVD) that explain the history of Christianity. There are five in the set. Would you be interested in watching them with me? I would be glad to share with you our history.”
“We have a series of videos that give an overview of the Bible from the creation to the cross. There are five in the set. Would you be interested in watching them with me? You will have a better understanding of the story of the Bible when you finish.”
In the aftermath of a tragic event (like a car crash or plane crash), you could ask, “What if you were to die right now? Would you be ready to stand before God?” If they say “Yes,” ask what did they do to get prepared. Tell them that that is different from what you did. Ask if they would be interested in studying the Bible with you as you share with them what you have learned. If they say “No” to your question, then ask if they would be willing to study with you as you tell them what you did to get prepared and why you are not afraid or unprepared to die.
In the aftermath of some moral tragedy (like ISIS), ask, “Do you believe that that is morally wrong? Why or why not?” Then ask if they would be willing to study with you why you believe in God who says that is morally wrong.
4. Finally, surround yourself with other people who are experiencing the same thing. In other words, while trying to evangelize, talk with others at church who are also engaging in evangelism. Pray together. Discuss your approach. Share suggestions. Be encouraged by one another.
With practice, patience, and study you can be an effective soul-winner for Jesus.
–Paul Holland
