Monday, May 27, 2013

Opening Doors



Engaging people in substantive conversation is essential to the Dominion Mandate. Engaging people in discussion, without being too overbearing, is the key to educating.
Look for the Open Door. You never know how many other doors will be opened as a result of opening the first.

The first thing you must do is familiarize yourself with some of the “hot topics” of the day. If you don’t know what is happening around you then you cannot discuss key issues with any authority. These can be local or national issues but remember your goal is to distill every issue by bringing it down to the local level. That is where change begins – at the local level. It is never top down. 

Visibility

Next you must make yourself available to others in order to engage them in discussion. Remember you are not there to debate. Rather you are going to advise and recommend Biblical solutions to real problems. If the Christian is not able to offer concrete Biblical solutions to problems affecting the local community then discussion is futile. It will simply be counterproductive and will ultimately show Christianity’s inability to solve society’s issues. This of course is not true. The only answer for the problems of the world is God’s Word adopted and applied. You must be able to address topical issues with concrete solutions. You must know what you are talking about before you open your mouth. This requires study. Only then should you become verbal. Until then make yourselves accessible to the community at large in order to disseminate what you know when you are ready.

Involvement

Here is a list on how you can make yourself visible

1.       Join a community committee.
2.       Visit local vendors and engage them in day to day conversation
3.       Visit your local coffee shop and make yourself a consistent customer. Talk to the customers and the owner. Become conversant with the employees. Build relationships.
4.       Volunteer for certain community events.
5.       Run for a local office.
6.       Assist others in running for a local office
7.       Visit the pastors in your community.
8.       Visit the local sheriff’s department. Take him to lunch.
9.       Join a gym. Talk with the people there. Engage them. Get to know them. Become an individual of conversation so that you can become the “go to guy” (or gal) for answers.
10.   Go to the county meetings. Engage your local officials. Get to know them. Get them to know you.

The Carrot 

Thirdly, whenever the opportunity presents itself within day to day interaction with people you come into contact with, bring up one of these “hot topics” and wait for a response. Put out the carrot and see who bites. Gauge the response so as to gauge your answer. Just mention one of the issues plaguing the local community. Then sit back and observe. Focus only on one issue at a time. Do not cloud the conversation with a barrage of issues or you will lose your effectiveness.

Follow-up

In order to resonate with your neighbors you first must genuinely care about them. If you do, they will know it right off. If you are a hypocrite or an opportunist, they will know that too. After an issue is raised carefully listen to their reaction and then offer some comments.  You may even pose your recommendation in the form of a question. You may say, “What do you think about this…?” or “Do you think the issue could be solved in this way…?” Be sure your follow up takes their personal and family situation into consideration. 

The Importance of the Individual and The family

Everything boils down to the well being of the individual and the family. The is key if you want to resonate with people. If political and economic policies infringe upon the family, by stifling them and bringing them into economic and or political bondage, those policies must be exposed for what they are – an attack upon the individual and the family. If your motive is Liberty under God for the well-being of the family God will bless your efforts. If that is not your motive then perhaps you should get a job at MacDonald’s and forget about the whole thing.

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