Servicing the sale - a sequel

This is the sequel to Ask for the sale. Oftentimes the sales is made but there is no follow up, there is no servicing the sale. When someone buys a product they expect service if something goes wrong. Warranty, we call it, and the warranty has to be honored. And, so, with Ask for the sale in converting folks to Christianity there has to be the follow up to keep the conversion converted. If not, after the new wears off, at least outwardly there is reason to believe it was not worth the trip. So, ChuckOonreligion needs to address this - servicing the sale.

If you look at it, in the New Testament - that dealing with Jesus Christ and converting to Him, a relatively small portion is used to show the conversions. Most is dedicated to servicing the sale. For example Paul in Corinth (Acts 18) after being driven off from the Jewish synagogues in an attempt to convert to Jesus the Christ, went to the people, where many were said to have heard, believed, and were baptized. Well, two books, 1st and 2nd Corinthians are devoted by Paul to service the sale - and there were lots of corrections that had to be made. Paul was servicing the sale. The same was true with other books by Paul, following up to the recorded visits found in Acts.

In the Ask for the sale perhaps we did not go far enough to say that additional teaching and mentoring has to take place. When a person turns to Christ he or she is leaving a former way of life that will in a short time begin to call the person back. Without the help of continued teaching and encouragement many will fall back to their former ways. I mentioned before how that after the gospel meetings the churches tended to just keep house until the next evolution of a gospel meeting. Maybe the keeping house was not too good. Maybe the servicing the sale was not as good as it should been. I do recall many times the former baptized coming forward asking prayers, repenting - which is a good thing. But it would have been better if there had not been the need to bring people back so much.

We need to do a better job of servicing the sale. The example of it is certainly all the New Testament books following Acts written by Paul, Peter, John and James. That said, we do believe that God takes a part in offering grace that we humans would never be able to offer.

So, this is indeed the sequel. We are still trying to get it right. It is part of the story that must be considered among at least leaders in the churches. In 1 Peter 5, Peter admonished the elders to be shepherds of God's flock that was under their care. That is part of serving the sale, certainly.

Ask for the sale

I have in time been in a few sales positions, from selling Bibles for Southwestern just out of high school to hotel management - and a lot of in between. The instruction in most sales positions is "Ask for the sale." In other words, the deal needs to be closed before anything can be counted in the positive category. The asking needs to be done in a positive way, like "How many could I put you down for?" I recently called a local radio fund raiser and the station representative recognizing my name as the one calling responded, "Welcome to the $1,000 donation line!" Well, that was more than over the top. I brought him down a few hundred. He still made the sale. ha.

As for this ChuckOonreligion, it needs to relate to religion what I am going to say, and it does. Christians need to ask for the sale when presenting the Christ to others who have not yet made that commitment. I remember as a youngster growing up in a country church how we had "gospel meetings" about once a year (they would last for two weeks back then) and that was the time people came to accept Jesus and be baptized. It seems that was the time ask for the sale happened back in that country church. Likely, as I look back, at the rest of the time we were mostly just keeping house. The main thrust in bringing in converts was left to the gospel meeting, when a "big name" preacher would be brought in. Well, that is the way it was. Probably that way in a lot of other churches, too -- even now.

I have been reading Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, published in the late 19th century. One of the interesting aspects of that read was how in their work back then in trying to get the message of God right, continuing what was called the reformation that really began with Martin Luther, Calvin and others, they discussed and formed opinions based on a new understanding of the word of God. Some called it Restoration, which meant to take it back to exactly what was formed after the resurrection of Jesus and his ascension to the right hand of God. One Walter Scott is mentioned as finally determining a process for presenting the biblical view and then making an ask for the sale in such a way that folks would be prompted to come down front, confess Christ and submit to biblical baptism (on the order as given by Jesus in Matt. 28:18-20).
As I read that part, I remembered the forceful presentations of my childhood days and how those preachers had something right in asking for the sale.

That leads me to think that perhaps we are not asking in the same way. Sometimes we are not asking at all. The message is great and seems to me, and as is evidenced in the New Testament, that when the story is told properly most people will respond positively. Acts 2 in the New Testament is a prime example of this. Peter preached the truth in such a way that the hearers were convince so that they were cut to the heart! Imagine that. That cutting prompting them to ask, "What shall we do?" Peter responded, "repent and be baptised," and they did, about 3,000. That was demonstrative of asking for the sale. It was like what Walter Scott was trying to do, and he did, with a lot of great results. His way prompted others to do it the same say, perhaps even Alexander Campbell.

Asking for the sale is so important if we have something to sell. And we do. It is Jesus the Christ and salvation through Him. We should learn to ask for the sale better and in such a way that folks will readily respond, having been filled with the message through the prodding of the Holy Spirit.

"End of the world" talk

Just been watching a local TV preacher with all kinds of tales about the coming end of time, "the end of the world," he said. I say "all kinds of tales" because even he was getting confused on how to say it. He did affirm that the end of the world would come in 2012! Yet, he was bidding people to come to his land and build houses, plant gardens, and raise animals for meat - all, obviously to be done in two years. That left me with the question, if it is the end of the world, why build houses and plant gardens?

His view was that "so called" Christians who worshipped on the First Day, Sunday, were people God would tramp out because they were not keeping the Sabbath of the Old Law. Imagine that. Folks in New Testament, New Covenant times, worshipped on the First Day we are told.

This TV preacher was using Matt. 24, but that scripture obviously is speaking to something besides the end of time. Jesus refered to it as a time that part of the generation he was speaking to would be around when what was to happen happened (Matt. 24:34). Those folks are long since gone and we are still here.

It amazes me that people teach such stuff as they do. From my point of view, they are not well schooled in the scripture. Course that is my judgement but I believe it is in accord with the scripture as given. Yes, there will be an end time when we will all stand before judgement, but I believe it is as Jesus said in Matt. 24:36: "No man knows about that day or hour (could have been Jerusalem or end time), not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Certainly, this TV preachers announcement that the end of the world in 2012 would have to be off, based on what Jesus said.

What we all need to do is to read our Bibles in context. Know what the Word says before we attempt to tell others. I think that works. That is what ChuckOonreligion thinks. The main thing is to be ready whenever it comes, and that does not include going to this TV preacher's land and building houses and raising animals and planting a garden.

Avoiding a reprobate mind

What is a reprobate? The dictionary definition is morally depraved; unprincipled; bad. Sounds bad, doesn't it. In the KJV (King James Version) of the New Testament Paul says in Rom. 1:28 of a people who practiced bad things, according to context, God gave them over to a reprobate mind - paraphrased. Paul lists a number of acts that caused this. We should want to avoid a reprobate mind.

Are we reprobates? I hope not. I try to keep from being. I would hope that you do too. Reprobate even sounds bad, doesn't. Well, "reprobate" comes from the KJV. Other versions use different words, but the meaning is the same. The NIV (New International Version) says it this way (full quote): "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." Depraved sounds like reprobate to me.

You can read what it was that caused God to give over in Romans chapter 1. What is mentioned there, and it is wide reaching, caused God to give them over. That says to me that God gave up on them. We do not want God to give up on us. I don't. I should therefore avoid the reprobate, depraved mind, but should seek to do the things that God would be pleased with.

Repentance, called for in the Bible, must be met with deeds - otherwise it is not repentance. Without the deeds, God knows. Deeds are important. That is what we do. Paul explained to King Agrippa in Acts 26:20 of his work, "I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." Indeed, God looks on our deeds - how we live. If our deeds are not right, not much is right, and at some point, God gives up on us as he did those Paul talked about in Romans 1.

So, for me, and I hope for you, we avoid the reprobate mind; that we seek always to do, act, in such a way that God keeps us in his fold. Let's not make God angry with us and how we act - not a good situation.

Let's throw in here that none of us - me included - are perfect. There are going to be times when we do not measure up. But I think God looks on the trend. Is it an upward trend or a spiraling down trend. That is up to us, I think.

My interest in a religious blog

I have another blog where I speak to various issues not usually religious. However, I have been engaged as a church minister most recently at a small church in Laredo - Northside Church of Christ. As a minister, I now feel this kind of communication is a good way to get my religious thoughts out - at least as a way for me to talk to me. That is a part of writing, I think.

There are so many issues that need further talk, more biblical connection. I don't suppose the world has changed a lot but today everything is so much more visible than ever before because of the cyberspace connection. What used to travel by snail mail letter now goes instantaneous email and social networks. Used to be that friends saw each other occasionally but now it is almost an every day thing through pictures and words viewable a such as Face Book. So, as a minister, I feel inclined to get more into the communications networks and, thus, connect with folks who are fighting the issues of the time.

The term "religion" covers a very broad scope. As understood, it reaches to all major (and minor) beliefs of peoples of the world. But more to me, it covers the Christian religion and that as I understand it in my understanding of the Bible - more so, the New Testament. Of course, I know too that within that definition there are numerous beliefs. Mine comes down to my understanding that the words of the Bible are God inspired and are there for a reason - that I may understand and apply what is said. So, what I say with regard to religion will be from my understanding of applications pertaining to Christians using my understanding of the words written and preserved for Christians - and really for all people who will receive it.

This pretty much backgrounds my aim. This is the premise with which I will share on this blog. I welcome comment, too, even if it is opposed to what I say and/or how I say it. Onward then we go on this new venture of ChuckOonreligion. Certainly, I welcome followers, too.

Beginning a religion blog

This is a first of this nature - blogging on religion. I have done a lot of writing in this realm but now for a blog.