Laurie, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts and the list could go on and on.  Could it be that they present the steak on a nicer plate with more ambiance than we who preach the whole truth? Some of these men really do bring thousands to a point of believing that they are sinners and need salvation and the pricked heart of Holy Spirit conviction, but then, instead of instructing the new believers as the original Apostles did to "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness] of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,"(Acts 2:38), they are instead told that all they have to do to be saved is to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...." (from Acts 16:31). Since it is much easier to count "success" by this shorcut method of making people believe they are instantly born-again Christians by just believing, this makes for  bigger success stories and because it is now more or less considered orthodox, is the most common practice. 

But what can we who preach the truth, the real Apostolic Plan of salvation that really brings deliverance, salvation, healing, peace and joy do to make our delivery of that steak more pleasing and palatable?  I believe we all tend to be too busy to spend the time we should spend on our knees in effectual, fervent prayer. I believe we tend to rely too much upon the fact that we are preaching "the truth" and I am acquainted with many who feel that even preparation for a sermon is unnecessary because if they will "open thy mouth wide" the Holy Spirit will fill it with the right words to speak. The "only Believe" preachers do pray and do study their sermons, and many also study the tactics of successful salesmen. 

So what is the tactic of a successful salesman? First, he is enthusiastic about his product and the enthusiasm shows through his speech and actions. Can you visualize a successful Cadillac salesman driving up to take you to the Cadillac showroom in a Lincoln? Not likely. Even though he might use such an ooccasion to tell you how much better the Caddy is than the Linc, use of the negative is not a good sales tactic in general.  Keeping your thoughts positive only towards the Caddy and not even mentioning the competition unless your client brings up the subject is much more effective.

Second, the super salesman tries to keep everything positive. He agrees with the client on everything he can.  If we Apostolic Christians would concentrate on agreeing with all the good things other denominations teach and preach and then share deeper truths as we feel confident and know that our hearers have learned to trust our Bible knowledge and our sincerity. Both are critical. Both Bible knowledge AND sincerity are crucial. Even more critical is that we show the love of Jesus Christ, His real, genuine love and caring, His compassion.  And here is where we who hold the Apostolic truth so dear so often fail. We are right and we know we are and sometimes we come off as "know-it-alls" and it is all too true that "nobody likes a know-it-all." We MUST share the truth in love.  And this is where agreeing on every point possible is important. 

Did you win your spouse by finding every fault you could from the start? Not likely. You complimented that person on every point you could find to compliment. You agreed on everything yhou could agree on and may even have compromised a few of your lesser areas of disagreement for the sake of harmony and winning the love and affection of that special someone. Now, just as I do not recommend that 

Genuine Apostolic Christianity should be like the perfect steak. Joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Our desires and enjoyment are those of new creatures in Christ Jesus.  Jesus promised that "And ye shall receive power [dunamis] after thate Holy Ghot is come upon you..." (Acts 1:8) and the Apostle Paul, in Romans 6:4, says, "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,  even so we also should walk in newness of life." and in 2 Corinthians 5:17, says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." These scriptures say that our nature is changed when we become a new creature in Christ. No only will our desires, our "want to" be changed, but also, we  will have the power to overcome the wiles of Satan as well as to bring glory to God through being empowered to do miracles of healing and other desirable and joyful things. 

Sadly, far too many truly Godly Christian parents, even Apostolic pastors, have children who are anything but godly.  But stop and analyze. Did you serve their steak of real Apostolic Christian life attractively on their plate of life? Have you made holy living a joyful way of life or have you presented it as an unpleasant duty and obligation? Did we throw their steak at them or slap them in the face with it? 

Sometimes we may wring our hands and wonder why. After all, we protected our children from seeing ungodly things on TV,  didn't allow them to wear clothing considered by the church to be unholy, never let them go to movies or "dress out" in shorts for physical education,  never let them go to the public beaches or swimming pools where they might see someone of the opposite sex in scant clothing and lust or be lusted after by others.  So why did our children go off into sin as soon as they were old enough to go out on their own? Did we slap them in the face with the steak instead of serving it to them in a delicious, delightful manner?

The Bible tells us, through Solomon, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). 'But I DID train up my child in the way I believed he or she should go and they still went bad. Was it in their genes?'' But how did you present that training?  Was it served attractively, deliciously?

That child will be a powerhouse for God whose parents teach them the right way and then allow that child to flex his or her muscles by doing right when faced with the possibility of doing wrong.  When the right way is presented as delicious, delightful.  Yes, do allow your child the opportunity to stumble and fall occasionally but you be there then to pick him or her up and teach them by their mistakes.

So whether you are seeking to win souls on the street, your co-workers, friends, neighbors or relatives, ir even your own children, remember that the most joyful truth can be served in an unpleasant manner and instead of bringing a delightful, joyful and victorious life in Christ Jesus, can be like the "just right" delicious steak dumped in the lap instead of served on an attractive plate. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).