An Advertisement for Christ
What is an advertisement? It is an image or description of an item or service we may or may not want or need. The purpose of advertising is not only to inform us but to convince us we need what is being offered. According to research by Bruce Sanders of Perceptive Business Solutions, we see an average of 4,000 advertising images a day! How can we possibly see 4,000 advertising images in an ordinary day while following our normal routine? Have you watched any television today? Television news averages 17 minutes of commercials per hour; television dramas/reality shows average 15 minutes per hour. We can add drive-time radio which averages 20 minutes of commercials per hour. An internet user gets 11,150 ads per month, according to a quote from Mexwood Hamif in a Huffington Post article. Our email server has ads on the side of the screen that change with each different email. Social media users see 111 impressions per person per day, according to customerexperiencemaric.
How expensive are commercials? Several factors influence cost – the medium used, the time of day aired (different times offer larger and different audiences). The most expensive commercials are the television commercials during the Super Bowl. A 30-second commercial during the last Super Bowl cost $5,000,000 with an estimated 306,000,000 viewers! When asked if the price was worth the cost, the companies hope their product’s message will be remembered.
At the end of the Super Bowl, when members of the winning Philadelphia Eagles were interviewed, their remarks were heard by that same estimated 306 million people – and their messages have been remembered! Many on the Philadelphia team are Christians and conduct Wednesday Bible studies and Saturday night prayer sessions. Nick Foles, winning quarterback and Most Valuable Player, and the others interviewed were very vocal about their belief and reliance on Jesus Christ! They presented an advertisement for Christ!
We have that same opportunity every day. If we call ourselves by Christ’s name – Christian – then we should be a living, walking advertisement for Him. As I saw the list of ad sponsors for the Super Bowl – car dealers, Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, telephone providers, and others, I thought of the many attributes of Jesus that we can advertise. Coke calls itself “the real thing,” but Jesus is truly the Real Thing“– He is “Truth!” Car dealers tout their newest designs – bigger and better than last year’s models. There is no need for change with God, because He is perfect in all His ways; no improvement is possible. And there is no warranty problem! He stands behind His promises. God’s “telephone” never goes out of style, does not need repair, never drops a call, never even calls a wrong number. We do not need to be a famous football player or celebrity to be a walking, talking advertisement” for Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord!