12-1 Preaching By Door Knocking: Dialogues

Appendix:

Dialogue: Door knocking [North American context]

Following are four dialogues. The first two are successful. Why? The last 2 are unsuccessful. Consider where the preacher went wrong in them.

Dialogue 1

C= Christian preacher

O = Occupant [non-religious]

C: Hi! I know this isn’t the best time to call on you, but can you spare me a moment of your time please?

O: Well, I am rather busy, but what’s it about?

C: Yeah, OK, I do appreciate you’re busy. Well, briefly, it’s about some Bible seminars we’re holding in [West Valley High on Tuesday night].  OK, I realize you may not be very religious, but then neither am I, in that sense of going to church and praying in Latin and lighting candles and all that stuff. I’ve read the Bible, and parts of it far more than once, and I really got convinced that it offers a hope of eternal life, in the Kingdom of God, here on earth, when Jesus comes back here. But hey, what a tragedy that false religions and churches and all that stuff have created so much war and suffering, so much hypocrisy.

O: Yeah, well I’m not that religious actually, hope you understand…

C: Yeah, understand. Like I said, I’m not a very religious person either, most of that religious, preacher-man stuff just turns me right away. I’m too locked up inside myself I’m afraid to want to go to some huge happy-clappy set up. What I’m trying to do is read the Bible for myself, which I take to be the voice of God Himself, yeah, read it slowly, systematically…and we’re running these seminars in [West Valley High on Tuesday night]

O: Yeah yeah OK, interesting, but, not for me thanks.

C: OK, I don’t want to pressure you. Man, I hate it when them Jehovah’s Witnesses just won’t take no for an answer when they come round to my door. Just wanted to say, there was a time when I’d have said the same, “not for me thanks”. All I want to get over, and I’m sorry I took so long, is that, why not just spend an hour of your week, of your whole life, at least having a look into all these things? [Silence]

… And [get eye contact, squint, half close one eye etc.], you know, we really ARE sincere. None of that , you know, the Pastor takes off with the choir girl and who-knows-what-goes-on in Sunday School kinda thing. We don’t have Pastors, actually. We’re just ordinary guys. Well, I’m not the best kind of person for doing this kind of thing. No good really at talking to people on doorsteps. And more than that, you know at times I feel the biggest hypocrite around.

O: Yeah…?

C: Yeah. I mean, not that I do big time sins and all that, but when I think that Jesus really died for me, that He LOVES me and is coming again to save me, I’ve been baptized by water baptism, that’s immersion, I’m responsible to Him, and yet I know I say and think and even sometimes DO the most wrong things… well, I just kinda feel I shouldn’t be here. But I DO believe there is a real forgiveness with God [there ain’t no forgiveness with men, ha], and this is why I can keep going with hope and some kind of deep joy, that Jesus is going to come back, and the Kingdom of God, eternal life, is going to be given to me here on earth.

O: Ha, yeah, there ain’t no forgiveness with men. My divorce papers went through last week actually. And I just had my ex-mother in law round here giving me hell.

C: Ooooh…[appropriate body language, brief eye contact]. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’re all broken men and women. Well I didn’t want to take this much of your time. But, well, can you tell me your name, just your first name, coz I’d love to pray for you tonight when I kneel down and say my prayers…coz I can feel something of your hurt and pain.

O: Yeah, well I’m not saying it wasn’t totally her fault, I feel kinda dumb saying it was ALL her fault, but fact is, I was working shifts and she was messing with other guys all the time.

C: Messing with other guys, that’s the worst.

O: Yeah, it is….[he holds forth for some minutes about it all]

C: You know, I really feel bad taking all this time of yours. I really want to hear some more. Do you have e-mail? Or a telephone number? I’m not local, I’m from [DC], but I would love to just let you know that I’m with you. And look, this is no sales thing, but , I honestly from my heart reckon you’d get something from that seminar I was talking about. It’s at 7:30. You know [West Valley High]? …

Note:

The C. keeps wanting to leave, like the Lord, making as if He would go further, and they begged Him to stay.

C repeats O’s ideas and words.

C directs the conversation and makes at least 3 doctrinal points as well as gets over the invite to the seminar 3 times at least

Dialogue 2

C= Christian preacher

O = Occupant [religious]

C: Hi! I know this isn’t the best time to call on you, but can you spare me a moment of your time please?

O: Well, I am rather busy, but what’s it about?

C: Yeah, OK, I do appreciate you’re busy. Well, briefly, it’s about some Bible seminars we’re holding in [West Valley High on Tuesday night].  OK, I realize you may not be very religious, but then neither am I, in that sense of going to church and praying in Latin and lighting candles and all that stuff. I’ve read the Bible, and parts of it far more than once, and I really got convinced that it offers a hope of eternal life, in the Kingdom of God, here on earth, when Jesus comes back here. But hey, what a tragedy that false religions and churches and all that stuff have created so much war and suffering, so much hypocrisy.

O: Well actually I’m a Baptist, so, I suggest you spend your time preaching to those who need it. I don’t get it, you’re not religious but you preach the Bible. What are you, some kinda sect?

C: No, no [grin]. No, we don’t have Jim Jones or someone giving this seminar and telling us all to go out into the jungle! We’re just ordinary guys, we don’t have any pastors, just ordinary people who spend an hour or so a day reading the Bible using this little plan- I don’t know if you’ve seen a ‘Bible Companion’ or something like it, it’s a plan for reading the Bible every day [explain using the plan]

O: Yeah yeah OK I read the Bible, I’m a Christian. So what are you trying to tell me?

C: Well we’ve found that by reading and studying systematically, not randomly, we have come to see a few things about the Lord Jesus Christ and His work that a lot of Christian people don’t seem to have latched onto. That’s why we’re running this seminar in [West Valley High on Tuesday night].

O: I don’t get you still; what kind of things?

C: Well, I was reading recently from Acts. That bit where the Lord Jesus is about to ascend to Heaven. And the Angels say He is going to come back. And then from the vision in Daniel 2 I understand that when He returns, He’s going to establish His Kingdom here on earth.

O: Yeah yeah well don’t we all believe that who are Christians?

C: OK, that’s great you believe that! But my point is, we’ve come to understand something quite revolutionary!

O: Yeah? What?

C: Well, that when Jesus returns there’s going to be the resurrection and the judgment…and SO, this idea that we go to Heaven when we die just isn’t right; we can’t have some kind of immortal soul, we’re going to be unconscious until Jesus returns…

Note:

Committed Christians are perhaps the hardest to talk to on the door step.

Lead them on through common ground to start with, but make them inquisitive. They won’t come along to another church’s meeting unless they think it’s pretty different. And unless they know their need or we make them perceive it. I know we can say ‘this seminar isn’t about doctrine, it’s just learn to read the Bible effectively’. Personally I find this a bit deceptive as I for one am out to convert people, not just show them how to read the Bible and leave them in an apostate church. When advertising a one evening event, like a special lecture, one really has no option but to give them some kind of radical reason why they should attend.

Dialogue 3

C= Christian preacher

O = Occupant [non-religious]

C: Oh HELLO! Nice to see you! I’m Duncan, from the CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP! We’ve got this fabulous seminar going on in West Valley High!

O: Yeah OK, I’m very busy just now, please understand.

C: Yes yes, but please can I just tell you about these seminars, lots of people have come to them in the past and now in your town there’s the chance to visit them! They’re professionally presented…

O: Yeah OK, I don’t have time, thanks.

C: Well they start at 7:30, that’s SEVEN THIRTY, OK, seven thirty, and oh yes, they’re…guess what!…FREE!

O: Look I never like to be rude to you religious types but I really have to go.

C: Well the Christian Fellowships have been holding these seminars all over North America…

O: Look I’ve never heard of Christapoodles or whatever…

C: Errr…Christian Fellowships actually, we were founded in this country by a doctor John THOMAS who…

O: Look pal, I just got the divorce papers through from my wife, my ex-mother in law was just round giving me hell and…

C: Yes yes, but look this is REALLY important because you could come to the seminars and find THE TRUTH!

O: Yeah yeah the truth, know what, I’ll count myself lucky if I never know the full truth about all the fellas my wife messed with

C: Yes but to know the TRUTH this is a wonderful thing and it can give you the chance of being in the Kingdom when Christ returns!

O: Look I really am going to have to shut the door now…

C: Oh no, please, just a moment, you are shutting the door on the Truth and the Kingdom and…

Dialogue 4

C= Christian preacher

O = Occupant [religious]

 C: Oh HELLO! Nice to see you! I’m Duncan, from the CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP! We’ve got this fabulous seminar going on in West Valley High!

O: Yeah OK, I’m very busy just now, please understand. And anyway I am a Baptist, thanks very much.

C: Oh , the BAPTISTS! Well, you know, I don’t know if you have ever considered the reasons for believing that Jesus can’t ever possibly be God, for example…

O: Yes, but please understand I really have no time just now, I consider those who don’t believe in the trinity to be a cult, but please, as I say to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I do NOT discuss religion on the door…

C: Oh no, Jehovah’s Witnesses, we’re NOTHING to do with THEM! They’ve made all sorts of false predictions about Jesus coming in 1914 etc! Well what do you make of that verse that says we must give a reason to every man who asks us of the hope that is in us? Surely you ought to be willing to discuss your faith with me at any time?

O: What, like, if I am in the middle of washing my baby? Come on. “In the beginning was the word and the word was God”, it’s quite simple. Jesus is God, but I am NOT going to discuss these holy matters on the doorstep with a cult member.

C: No no, you don’t understand, the Greek word translated “word” is the word “logos”, that’s LOG-OSSSS, and it means ‘the plan, the idea behind the deed’, if you look in any lexicon you’ll find…

O: Look, did you hear my baby crying then? I MUST go! Anyway I thought you were on about a seminar. We hold seminars at 1st Baptist Church, all are welcome. I MUST go!

C: Yes but I’m sorry, really, but LOG-OSSSS really and truly does mean “the idea behind the deed”, and what I just wanted to say was that in the beginning God had this idea, this LOG-OSSS, and then…this is the great bit!…the word WAS MADE FLESH! So you see, Jesus couldn’t have been God because the word was made flesh IN THE PERSON OF JESUS…God wasn’t made God! See…?

O: Did you hear the baby again! You are MOST rude! [Clank…]

C: Well, I am MOST disappointed that you are a so-called Christian and yet…

Note:

The C. doesn’t mirror what O. is saying. They are talking at cross purposes. Sooner or later the door is going to have to close. The C. is using a lot of in-house ideas. There is no attempt to get contact details when it’s clear the young mother may be unable to attend in any case. The interaction ends with the person having a very negative impression of our group. Sadly we are all likely to perceive that preaching cannot be about listening to another person, but is only about telling someone our views. Yet real dialogue must include listening to the other person, affirming them, feeling for them, whilst at the same time projecting to them our own sincerity, beliefs, hopes, and concern for them.

Following two dialogues are set after a preaching meeting has finished. The visitor is approached by a missionary. How could both of these have been improved? What body language may have occurred? What body language would have been appropriate? When would there have been eye contact? Underline on the transcript when it would have occurred.

Dialogue 5

Following a lecture “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God”

C = Christian preacher

V = Visitor

Unsuccessful dialogue

C: Hi! Wasn’t that just the GREATEST lecture?  Such a BRILLIANT talk!  What did you think?

V: Well, it’s kinda new to me you know

C: But SUCH a great topic!  So great that after two thousand years people are still learning all about the Gospel and such an awesome future God has in store for us!

V: Um, yeah, well...

C: So what did you think of the speaker?

V: He reminds me of one of my high school teachers - is he your pastor?

C: No, no!  Nothing like that!  No-one in our religion - Christian Fellowships, that is - is paid to do any sort of talks, it’s all done completely voluntarily.  It’s been that way ever since our founder discovered the truth after he was shipwrecked and vowed that if he ever made it back to land he would find the truth.  So now we’ve rediscovered the truth about the Gospel and believe exactly the same as the first century Christians believe!  Isn’t that great?

V: Well look, I’m kinda new to all this...

C: So what did you think?  Do you believe there’s a God?  Do you believe Jesus died and rose again?  What’s your vision of the Kingdom?

V: Um, I haven’t really thought...

C: Come on, you must have thought something!  Are your family religious?

V: Well, no, actually...

C: You’re joking!  You mean you’ve lived all this time without any belief in a God?

V: Well yes, that’s right.

C: Gosh!  What was that like?

V: I guess to me it was pretty normal, I haven’t known any differently...

C: That’s great, that’s great!  Well there’s heaps of literature and stuff I could give you if you like, about any topic whatsoever, maybe something about the existence of God?

V: Look, I’m not sure that I’m really interested...

C: That’s okay, I’ll just give you something about the kingdom of God that’s coming - most churches believe we go to heaven  when we die, but the Bible makes it quite clear that the kingdom will be on earth and everyone will stay dead until Jesus returns, then the resurrection will take place and all the dead will be raised - actually I shouldn’t say all the dead, just those who are responsible - but then I guess you don’t know what ‘responsible’ means, right?

V: Look, I don’t really want to know.

C: Okay, okay, how about I get you a cup of coffee or something?

V: Look I’ll be fine, it was nice meeting you, bye.

C: Here, it won’t take me a minute to grab a pamphlet for you...

V: I have to go.  Bye!

Note: the visitor didn’t really get a chance to express anything, the preacher wasn’t listening and they were talking at cross-purposes.

Successful

C:  Hi!  My name’s Mary - I’m not sure that I’ve seen you here before?

V: No, you wouldn’t have, this is my first time, I saw the lecture advertised and thought I’d come along and see what this whole Bible thing is about.

C: So you are new to the whole Christian concept?

V: Pretty much, my family has never been to church or anything.  There was this super religious chick I went to school with but she was pretty fanatic.

C: Well I’m sure glad you didn’t go to school with me, you may have put me into the same box!  But just to set the record straight, I’m not at all scary or fanatic, so don’t stress!  If truth be told, I actually don’t know an awful lot myself, but that’s not important.  There’s this verse I came across in the Bible which really strikes a chord with me, that anybody who thinks they know something actually know nothing like they ought to know!  Which relieves me, I was never the bookish type!

V: Me neither!  I used to hate studying for exams, I’d do anything to get out of it.

C: That’s one thing I love about the whole Christian concept, that we won’t have to pass an exam to be saved!

V: So what do we have to do to be saved?  I thought you’d have to know heaps, and do heaps of good things and all that.

C: You’re right - you don’t have to know heaps, we simply believe that there was a man called Jesus, God’s own Son, who gave His life so that we may be saved.  I don’t know about doing heaps of good works, I guess first step is to respond by being baptised.  But even then I feel pretty ashamed for a lot of the failures I still have.

V: Yeah, I heard the speaker guy say something about baptism . What’s this whole baptism thing?

C: How about we grab a cup of coffee and a biscuit or something and we’ll chat?  Remember I’m not a guru about all these subjects!

V: Okay, no problem!