Sharing the Gospel during a Newsletter Sales Call

The business line rang at 11:05 and Caller ID showed an unidentified caller (usually means a telemarketer). I decided to go ahead and answer. A moment after I picked up the phone I heard the little click on the other line that confirms it is a telemarketing call. She wanted to talk to the person who handles the internet marketing for our company (yet another confirmation that it was a sales call!).

I said it would be “me” – and she started into the sales pitch. A $299-a-year newsletter with all the best internet marketing tips. We talked for about five minutes about the newsletter and I shared my thoughts/concerns.

After awhile I mentioned something about her sounding like a nice person, and how I wouldn’t want my saying “no” to the sample issue (which was free) to hurt her “conversion rate”. She said I sounded like a nice person – and I had the perfect segue into the Good Person Test.

I asked if she had a minute, and she did. She had never heard of the test before – but was willing to take it. She definitely considered herself a good person.

We went through the commandments:

• Lying (guilty, although she doesn’t really consider fibs to be lying)
• Stealing (guilty, although probably nothing of any real value)
• Blasphemy (guilty, but probably not really taking His name in vain openly, more likely minced oaths).
• Murder of the heart (guilty, but she has never really hated someone, although has called people “stupid” or “moron” and has been angry with people).
• Adultery of the heart (guilty, and this was the first one that she didn’t justify or try to downplay).
  

When I asked if God were to judge her if she would be innocent or guilty, she shared that she would be guilty. When I asked if she would go to heaven or hell, she believed heaven.

When I asked “why?” – she didn’t really have a good response. Other than that she tries to be good, and everyone else is also guilty of the same things. We talked about a court of law, and she readily agreed that a judge can’t let someone who has broken the laws go because others do the same. We also talked about how our good can never compensate for the bad that we’ve done (a bank robber that gives some of the money to charity, or a murderer who decides to volunteer his time at a hospital).

When I asked if she knew what a guilty sinner who was headed for hell could do to go to heaven, she had no idea, but she wanted to know if I knew and she then she specifically asked me to share with her.

We spent the next 20 or so minutes discussing God’s incredible plan of salvation, and it made sense to her. At one point she shared that she was moved to tears and that the phone call had made her month.

She used to attend church and occasionally read her Bible – so what I was sharing made sense. She agreed that she has been religious, but that she hasn’t really been born again.

She is a young, single parent with a small child to take care of. I encouraged her that her getting right with God was the most important thing she could do in properly raising her child.

I’ve shared with quite a few people over the phone, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever had someone that was so receptive.

Since this is an anonymous blog I won’t share her name, but I would be grateful for your prayers on her behalf. I’m praying that the light she has received would be acted upon and that the Lord will reveal even more of Himself to her.

At the same time the phone call was very encouraging to me. My schedule has been unbelievably full, and I haven’t had (taken) as many opportunities to share on the phone (today’s phone call took about 25 minutes). May I not be slack in sharing with those that are headed for a hopeless and dark eternity.