I was almost sold…

When we were young and impressionable and newly married, Andrea and I went along to a meeting in a hotel that offered a free holiday to anyone who attended. But first we had to listen to a presentation about a product. We were convinced by the end of the evening that we should sign up for this product which would cost us every month for a very long time. As my pen hovered over the paper to sign, I felt quite disturbed inside and had to back out. The sale’s person’s patter had worked but when it came to the crunch I ran away. He was very disappointed, and I think he held back a few rude comments about me.

I was almost sold.

Looking back, I could see that I had been led through a process in someone else’s playbook.

 

The playbook and you

Have you ever felt like the world is constantly trying to sell you something? Telling you what you don’t have rather than what you do have? Have you been sold on something before and not realised it was happening?

A good salesperson can easily take you on a journey and before you know it you’ve committed to a purchase.

Maybe you’ve been in sales yourself and know what it takes to get inside someone’s head.

 

What is a playbook?

The term ‘playbook’ (apart from ‘play book’ being used in the theatre and dramatic arts to mean a book of plays) originally meant a notebook containing a sports team’s strategies and plays.

It’s now used in other lines of work and means a set of tactics frequently employed by anyone engaged in a competitive activity.

 

What’s in a playbook?

Most sales companies’ playbooks will introduce the company goals and vision. But they will also consider the following:

1. The persona and mindset of their target audience. “Sales reps have to get inside the buyer’s head to sell” (Zorian Rotenberg, insightsquared.com)
2. The buyer journey – the steps your prospect will usually take before committing.
3. Sales process – what it takes to make a sale – call methodology, pitching the product, usual buyer questions and your answers, suggested conversation flow, call and email scripts, sound bytes, objection handling.

In a sporting setting, the coach will spend a lot of time analysing the opposition, looking for weaknesses in their play, and devise a playbook accordingly. They might consider:

1. What are our strengths?
2. Which of these strengths will the opposition already know about and be prepared for?
3. What are their weaknesses?
4. Where are they likely to be strong in the next game?
5. What else is going on for them? (e.g. key player dropped / injured, tired or energised from recent games, current morale, predicted weather conditions, etc.)
6. How can we utilise the above to maximise our chances of defeating them?

Imagine a spiritual enemy looking at BCC and asking similar questions.

Imagine a spiritual enemy looking at your life and doing the same.

 

Does the Devil have a playbook?

Absolutely. Here are some verses from the bible that illustrate this.

For we are not unaware of his [Satan’s] schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:27)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

Satan has a plan. But don’t worry, he’s only a fallen angel and the all-powerful, all-loving God of the universe has a plan too.

We just have to be

Aware of the devil’s schemes

Aligned to God’s

Then all is well. Simple? Let’s see.

 

God’s playbook

God has plans we don’t know about. He knows the plans he as for you. We know that they will prosper us and not harm us, that they are plans of hope and with a bright future. But there are lotgs of details he chooses to keep from us. Look how he told Abraham to go to a land he would show him after he’d committed to the long journey. Think how he told his disciples not to worry about how God will carry out the end times.

But despite these plans unknown to man, we can simplify the headlines of God’s playbook since the beginning.

Don’t judge me – I know this is a simplification and you’d probably put more things in here. Just go with the main thrust of what I am getting at.

1. Save humanity – done.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

2. Come back to earth – pending.

This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

3. Punish the devil

And the devil, who deceived them [the nations], was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

4. Reign forever with those who believed in him

He will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)

If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us. (2 Timothy 2:12)

Great. Off you go then God, we’re waiting for Jesus to return. What shall we do in the meantime?

Here’s another oversimplification.

Our role

1. Love God

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. (Luke 10:27)

Worship

Communion

Serving God, obedience, sacrifice

2. Love people

Love your neighbour as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

Fellowship

Evangelism

3. Make disciples

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:15-16)

Conversion, water baptism, Spirit baptism

Discipleship

 

Is there any time for anything else!?

There is if the devil has anything to do with it. In the light of God’s big plan and our role in it, the enemy is extra hard at work.

What are some of his ‘schemes’?

1: Distraction

From: The Kingdom, our role in it, saving lost souls, keeping our eyes on Jesus

To: The here and now – this world, self-serving temporary accomplishments

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world,

2: Doubt

Self-doubt – disqualification – I’m not good enough

Doubting God

3: Despondency

Disappointment – delay – disillusionment – hope deferred

4: Division

Disunity in the church – denominations, and splits within churches, gossip and inward looking issues.

 

I’ll be thinking about each of these in turn for a little while, but for now, let’s create our own little playbook based on an anticipation that the enemy will come at us with one or more of the above offensives.

1: Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (defeats distraction)

Could you not watch with me one hour? Distracted by sleepiness.

2: Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (defeats doubt)

Peter saw the waves and began to doubt

3: Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (defeats despondency)

The woman who touched the hem of his garment had given up hope and tried everything else.

4: Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (defeats disunity)

Jesus is not coming back for Baptists or Methodists or the Assemblies of God. He’s coming back for a unified bride.

 

We are here to win

The devil might know your weaknesses. He might play on them. But we know his. It’s Jesus.

I was praying for someone who had a relative who was severely oppressed and there was a sense that this was not just a natural problem. We were in a static caravan. The door was closed but not locked. I began to pray about the cross. I was thanking God out loud for his sacrifice, for the crucifixion, for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As I got to the end of my prayer the door flew wide open and slammed shut. There was a sense of calm from that moment on.

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

 

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