Presenting the Good News​—With Persuasion

¹ Is it appropriate for ministers of the good news to persuade people to accept the truth? It certainly is! (Acts 18:4) The apostle Paul reminded Timothy that he had been persuaded to become a believer by his mother and grandmother. (2 Tim. 3:14) To persuade someone means to move him by entreaty, to reason earnestly with him concerning a belief, a position, or a course of action.

² The apostle Paul made good use of the art of persuasion. While he was in Athens, “his spirit within him came to be irritated at beholding that the city was full of idols.” (Acts 17:16) However, when he stood in the midst of the Areopagus, Paul did not bluntly tell those present that their worship of idols was in vain. Skillfully avoiding a harsh emotional confrontation, he called their attention to “an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.’” He thereafter gave a forceful witness, with fine results.​—Acts 17:23, 28, 29, 34.

BE DISCERNING

³ Paul clearly demonstrated that persuasion requires more than just an emotional presentation or an abundance of words. We must have insight and be discerning about the feelings, beliefs, and interests of the people to whom we speak. We need to be alert and quick to recognize when the householder’s emotions may be the real barrier to an open-minded consideration of Bible teachings.​—Prov. 16:23.

⁴ For example, a person may believe in the immortality of the soul because of sentimental attachment to the memory of a deceased loved one. What would be the persuasive way to help him with the truth? Instead of directly telling him that he is wrong in his belief and that the soul dies, would it not be better to use persuasion to penetrate the emotional barrier he may have and reason with him? We could tell him that we understand his feelings because we too have lost loved ones in death. We have found comfort in the promise of the resurrection, a time when we will be reunited with lost loved ones and once again enjoy their company. Then appropriate scriptures could be read and discussed. If we are discerning and season our speech with salt, we can be persuasive in presenting the good news.​—Prov. 16:21; Col. 4:6.

USE ILLUSTRATIONS

⁵ Illustrations can be effective in persuading people to adjust their thinking. A noteworthy example is the discreet way that Nathan reached King David’s heart. (2 Sam. 12:1-14) Well-chosen illustrations couple intellectual appeal with emotional impact. They make it easier for people to grasp new thoughts. For example, the earth could be likened to a home and people to tenants. If the tenants fail to take good care of a home, the owner will not destroy the home, but he will evict the tenants. Hence, God will not destroy the earth, but he will remove the bad people.​—Isa. 45:18.

⁶ Persuasion has its limitations. If people do not want to believe or make changes in their lives, they will remain as they are. (Matt. 13:14, 15) However, there are still many honesthearted people in the world who can be reached with the message of the Kingdom. To help them, we should make every reasonable effort to develop and use the art of persuasion in our ministry.