Suppose you’re looking to purchase a new car and are having trouble deciding what to buy. Who would you trust more – the salesperson at the car dealership needing to make a sale to earn a commission or a good friend who recently bought a car similar to what you’re considering? Probably the friend, right?
Most likely it would be the same if you were shopping for a new state-of-the-art TV, a large kitchen appliance, or even someone to do major renovations in your home. It always helps to ask the opinion of a “satisfied customer” who can speak to a product’s merits from personal experience.
Why is that? There are many reasons, but for one thing, with the plethora of denominations coupled with a multitude of local congregations large and small, the “seeker” hasn’t a clue about where to go. Even if they surf through the channels to find TV preachers, they encounter a vast array of personalities, well-polished speakers who often seem to give contradictory messages. So, who should seekers believe and trust? Is it multiple choice – the old saw, “There are many ways to God. All that matters is that you’re sincere”? Or are there bedrock truths that provide answers for their spiritual questions?
This brings us back to the value of a “satisfied customer.” I remember years ago when I was trying to make sense of life in general and my own life in particular. I’d always believed in God in an intellectual way, and the stories I’d heard about Jesus Christ seemed interesting. But was there more to belief in God than sending up occasional “flare prayers” in times of crisis?
I had visited some churches and they each had their own rituals and traditions; but one said this while another said that. Who was right?
Then God took me and my family to Houston, Texas where my uncle and aunt lived. I had great affection and admiration for them, so when they invited us to their church, we agreed to go. Being new to the area, we didn’t have any better ideas anyway.
What I heard at that church resonated with truth. Equally important, it was something my relatives clearly believed in and lived out in their lives. Without question, they were satisfied customers who understood what it meant to know and follow Jesus Christ. Over time that influenced me to take a serious look at the Bible and what it revealed about Jesus.
On TV we often see testimonials from persons (usually actors) who supposedly use and endorse various products, ranging from health insurance and prescription drugs to cereals and laundry detergent. “Take my word for it!” they assure us as they pocket their endorsement checks. Obviously, companies wouldn’t spend big bucks to produce and air commercials for their products if they didn’t work.
As Christ followers, we can give testimonials, too, except we call them testimonies. And we do it not because we’re paid, but because as satisfied customers of the Good News of Jesus Christ, we’re eager for others to know about it as well. We can explain what we believe and tell of the difference it has made in our lives. As 1 Peter 3:15 instructs, “…Always be prepared to give an answer to every who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have….”
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do this on two separate occasions, first at a funeral for a member of our extended family and then during an interview with someone conducting research on religious beliefs. I don’t know the impact of what I had to say, but all we’re responsible for is giving our answer when someone has asked about what we believe.
This is why the remainder of 1 Peter 3:15 and the verse following are so important. They say, “…But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” To be clear, no one spoke negatively about what I expressed, but my desire was to share my faith respectfully with sincere concern for those who were listening.
Once we’ve communicated about our faith in Jesus and what He’s done in our lives, we can leave the results to God. As the apostle Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Paul knew he wasn’t the one doing the saving.
Reading the book of Acts and several of Paul’s epistles, we find he truly was “ready always to give an answer.” Or as another translation expresses it, “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you….”
On numerous occasions the one-time zealous persecutor of Christians spoke boldly before government officials and religious leaders who challenged him about his dramatic change of heart. In fact, he wrote to fellow believers in the city of Ephesus, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20).
As the spiritual need intensifies in a world that’s turning into a spiritual wasteland, are we willing to do the same? Does anyone know that you’re one of Jesus’ “satisfied customers”?
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