The Magic Of God'S Word
Introduction
A very successful salesman once said to me, "The church I belong to has a huge congregation. With three services every week, the pastor reaches hundreds of people. The numbers are impressive, but I've often wondered if there is anyone in the entire group who really took the Lord into his heart and life, as a direct result of what was said there?"
Though we do not like to think of it in such terms, Christian speakers and performers are in the same business as salesmen. We are attempting to change the way people think. Often Christian leaders work at this, week after week, with the same people. A good salesman usually must accomplish the same task in a matter of minutes. The only difference is that he has concrete evidence of the results, and we do not.
It is true that church leaders often count numbers as an indication of results, but all too often, this is more an indication of the speaker's popularity, rather than the effectiveness of anything said. Of course, it would be cold and unfeeling for religious leaders to probe and test, but the rules of persuasion are as much a part of God's world as any natural law. It may be that Christians have been reluctant to use the tools of so secular a discipline as merchandising and sales, because such tools have been contaminated by their frequent unscrupulous use. However, the tools themselves are not tainted. Christ Himself was an expert at using such techniques, as we shall see in later chapters.
Perhaps they should be more aptly called "Principles of Persuasive Communication." These have become known as advertising principles, only because they are used so heavily by that medium. Salesmen must understand them or starve. Not under such pressures, men of Good Will have assumed that the message was important enough to come through, without the use of such techniques. Unfortunately for it, our audience is starved for the dynamics we lack.
Let us give thanks and take heed from the experience of those in the market place, by using the techniques they have developed and proved for us. To do anything less is to leave those techniques solely in the hands of the greedy and unscrupulous.
Let us re-frame, re-channel, and re-create these techniques of persuasive communication in the way that God intended. Such is the purpose of this book. We will explain some of the most important principles, and give examples as they exist in secular setting. In addition, Biblical examples will be quoted, showing how Christ used each. Then we shall attempt to show how they can be adapted to the purposes of the gospel entertainer. There will also be numerous ready-made routines, which may be performed as is, but the main importance of such examples is in helping you to understand how to use each technique of persuasive communication.
Remember, it is the goal of the salesman to change the life of a prospect, in such a way that he is willing to lay aside something of great value for the product offered. Can we strive to accomplish less for God?