A gospel salesman arrived in our town the other day.  I had no pressing business to pursue, so I decided to observe him for awhile.

His first official act was to select a shady park bench near the square and sit down.  By and by, he rummaged in a battered train case for a brown paper bag, from which he extracted a sandwich.   He bowed his head for a moment, eyes closed, and hands folded in his lap.  Then he picked up the sandwich and began to slowly devour it.

When he had finished, he tossed the bag in the trash can by the bench, picked up his case and embarked on a leisurely stroll down sun-dappled sidewalks.  He seemed to be reconnoitering the city center, looking for just the right spot to set up shop.  But after his reconnaissance, he returned to the park bench on which he’d enjoyed his noontime repast.  I watched as he placed the case on the bench, hinges toward the backrest, catches toward the street.  When he opened the case I could see that there was bold lettering inside the lid, which acted as a kind of sign.  It read, ‘GOSPEL FOR SALE FREE.’ 

“Ugh,” I thought to myself—“one of those.”  I was expecting this peddler to put out his merchandise and start hawking his wares.  But instead, he removed a small, well-used book—it might have been a Bible—from the inside pocket of his rumpled linen suit.  He found the point where he had marked his place, slipped on a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and started reading.

I would not have been surprised if he had read aloud, assaulting the ears of passers by and annoying innocent bystanders, like me.  As I looked on, the few seconds more which I had planned to linger stretched into minutes.  I was mildly intrigued by the fact that, aside from turning the occasional page, the gospel salesman (as I dubbed him), made no movement.  If he had any intention of plying his trade that afternoon, he gave no sign.  This odd behavior piqued my interest.  I decided to approach him and see if he would pounce.  He did not.

Until I greeted him, he hardly seemed to take notice of me.  When we exchanged pleasantries, he was polite, but not unduly interested in my presence.  I wondered if I might be keeping him from his book.  To dispel the awkwardness, I asked if he were a gospel salesman, to which he replied, “Yes and no.”  Of the range of responses I may have anticipated, I was not expecting that one.  

This was obviously a slippery character laying a clever trap.  Yet his answer had not struck me as evasive, only conditional or incomplete.  Still, I resolved to be wary and to keep my guard up.  I changed the subject to the import of the message inside his suitcase.  What did it mean, this cryptic phrase, “GOSPEL FOR SALE FREE?”

“Oh, that” he said, as if reminded of something half-forgotten.  “The gospel is the good news I offer to interested persons at no charge.  It’s priceless and was purchased by a benefactor who gave His life so they could have it now and enjoy it forever.  It’s free to you, but not to Him.  It cost Him everything.  Are you, by chance, an interested party?”

“Who, ME?” I blurted.   “No.  No, I’m not.”

“Pity” said the gospel salesman, looking me full in the face for a moment.  “Well, it’s nice to have met you,” he added, turning to pick up his book again.

“You’re not much of a salesman,” I jabbed, feeling slighted at being so easily dismissed.

“I said that I was and I wasn’t” he rejoined.  “Why?  Are you disappointed in me?  Are you offended that I didn’t give you a song and dance, a bit of the old high pressure?”

“Maybe,” I said cautiously, careful not to make my answer sound like an invitation.  “It’s just that you didn’t even try to flip me, to get me to buy whatever it is you’re selling.”

“Look,” replied the gospel salesman. “You seem like a nice fellow.  Let’s not waste each other’s time.  You approached me.  I told you what I do and asked if you were interested.  You said , ‘no.’  What more is there to say?”

“You could at least have made an effort to sell me, to tell me your ‘good news,’” I retorted.  “You don’t seem to have much else to do.”

“Fair point,” said the gospel salesman.  “Don’t get me wrong: ‘…I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.’  Do YOU believe that the gospel is the power God uses to save a person—you, for instance?  Before you answer, I should tell you that the gospel is extremely short.  Ready?”  He thumbed through his little book.  “Here it is:

‘Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…‘

“That’s it.  And the message itself consists of only the last 26 words I just read,” said the salesman.

• “Christ” is a title—the Latin equivalent of the Hebrew word, ‘Messiah’
•  “our sins” means that we—you, me, all of us—have broken God’s law
• “died for” means that sin carries the death penalty 
• “Christ died for our sins” means He had no sin of His own, but paid the penalty for ours
• “according to the scriptures” means that God planned and foretold this
• “Christ died…and was buried” means that Jesus paid our penalty in full
• “he rose again” means Jesus was resurrected (and those who trust in Him will be, too)
• “on the third day according to the scriptures” means God planned and foretold this, too.

Any questions?”

Though still skeptical, I was curious about one thing more.  “Well…” (I hesitated, struggling to keep the sarcasm out of my voice) “aren’t you going to try to seal the deal—you know, get me to ‘make a decision,’ pray a little prayer, repeat after you…or something?”

“What?  No!” the gospel salesman replied, looking horrified.  “It really is as simple as it sounds. ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’   Jesus said that He came that those who believe might have life, and have it more abundantly.  He’s offering you a personal relationship with the God of the universe, a pardon purchased with His own blood, a full and everlasting life.  What you do with that offer is up to you. That’s between you and God.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must be moving on.”  He returned his book to his pocket, closed the lid on his well-traveled case and stood up, extending a hand.

“Wait,” I pleaded before I could stop myself.  “I have so many questions!  How can I contact you?”  The gospel merchant smiled a secret, knowing smile.  

“I’ll be back tomorrow or the next day, right here on this bench,” he replied.  And sure enough he was.  I still say he’s a sorry excuse for a salesman, but I must admit I’m learning a lot.  Maybe one of these days I’ll show him how it’s done.

HOW TO BE SAVED:

• Admit to God that you are a sinner (that you have not kept His moral law to perfection; in your thoughts, words, and actions you have done what His law forbids and have failed to do what His love demands).  This is seeing yourself from God’s point of view and agreeing that He is right about you.  Be as specific as you can.
• Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead.
• Sincerely repent (turn away) from your sins, asking God to forgive you and to use His power to help you resist temptation, no matter how strong the pull of sin may be, at first.
• Acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life.  Invite Him to move into your heart and take up residence there, so that He can change you from the inside out.
• Trust His promise to save you and give you a new spiritual birth and a new nature (thoughts, desires, priorities, hopes, dreams, and character).

SOME KEY TRUTHS:

• “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)
• “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”  (Romans 3:10)
• “For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23)
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)
• “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)
• “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”  (I Corinthians 15:3,4)
• “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)
• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him…”  (Revelation 3:20)
• “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)
• “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  (Romans 10:9)
• “Verily, verily, I say unto you; He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  (John 5:24)
• “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through his name.”  (John 20:31) 
• “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”  (I John 5:13)