For Evangelists: Gospel Drive

I’m indebted to Ben Merold, Minister at Large with Harvester Christian Church, St. Charles, MO, for the idea that fuels the following:

What makes a good salesman?  Let’s put it as a mathematical equation:

Product knowledge

+ Sales Know-How

+ Persuasive Ability

X  Achievement Drive

 =  Sales Effectiveness

Here’s a salesman who knows his product backwards and forwards.   Let’s score him a 10 on knowledge.   He also knows sales –best market, best time and place to sell, etc.  Score him a 8 on sales know-how.   Further, he’s a great persuader.   He can sell the proverbial refrigerator to an Eskimo.   Gotta give him a 9 for persuasive ability.   What’s his score so far?  27. 

A guy like this ought to be on his way to becoming Salesman of the Year, right?   But there’s a problem.  He doesn’t have much drive.  He sleeps in, comes to work when he feels like it, doesn’t schedule appointments and those he does he forgets about.  So, we have to give him a mere 1 for achievement drive.   Multiply 28 times 1; he gets 27.  That’s not a passing grade in any class, is it? 

Here’s another fellow.   He sometimes forgets little details about his product like where the widget fits into the discombobulator and so forth.  Score him a 5 on knowledge.   He doesn’t keep up with the changing market place as he should, but he’s still worth a 5 in sales know-how.  You can find people  more gifted in transferring their enthusiasm to the customer.  Guess that’s another 5.  Total so far?  15.  But  this boy is one hard worker.  He’s up early, out early, and home late.  He doesn’t take an hour lunch.   He has the drive, man!  Naturally, we have to give him at least a 9 for that.  15 times 9 equals?  135.  That’s more than a passing grade in any class! 

Can you see other applications to this “sales chart”?  I can think of another–evangelism.  Some people really know their Bible.  They see needs in their community that only God can fill.   There are tremendous communicators, marvelous persuaders.   But they’re not accomplishing very much for the Lord.  Why?  They don’t have the drive, the will, the discipline, the courage.  Whatever you want to call it, they’re missing it.  

The Gospel has more than enough power in itself to save.  We have a “product” like none other.  All we have to do is let it loose.  But that’ll never happen,  not so long as we lack the passion to go where people are, open our mouths, and tell them about Jesus.  We can’t just believe it, beloved.  We’ve got to do it.