March 15, 2023 –
At the end of a Sam’s Club aisle, I saw a woman showing a bottle she called a “Super household cleaner!” Her product was a professional-strength multi-purpose stain remover. It was plant-based, biodegradable, non-toxic, and made in sunny Florida.
I wasn’t planning on buying a bottle of this fantastic product, Whip-it. But the demonstrator sold, and soon I was buying. She persuaded me to buy a 32-ounce bottle plus a second bottle for half price. The demonstrator was a super persuader.
Scripture has an interesting point of view about persuaders. An example is in the book of Matthew. After inviting brothers Peter and James to follow Him the next day, Jesus found Philip and told him, “Follow Me!”
Immediately, Philip set out to find Nathaniel. Finding him beneath the tree, Philip began his persuasive appeal to Nathaniel, saying, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!”
Nathanael immediately objected. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46, HCSB). Like any excellent persuader, Philip asked for action. “Come and see.” Philip’s response was not to argue but to invite.
In the last week, who did you invite or persuade to come and meet Jesus? The invitation to meet Jesus is more important than persuading them to buy a super household cleaner.