Word of mouth advertising is often more effective than any print, radio or television ad a company can purchase. If someone you know tells you about a restaurant with excellent food or an auto repair place with incredible customer service, that will influence your opinion more than a paid spokesperson or celebrity endorsement ever would. I bought a car from a local guy one time that had a sign in shop that said “If you are unsatisfied with the service you receive, tell us. If you are satisfied please tell someone else.” We are more likely to talk about a business or go online and write reviews about a product if we are unhappy. We just don’t take the time or exert the energy to share when things go exactly the way they are supposed to. A good endorsement goes a long way, especially from someone we know, which is why those are better than any money buy.

When you look at Jesus you will want to show him to someone else. Think about the Samaritan woman by the well. She went into the village to tell everyone about this man named Jesus she met. “He knows about everything I have ever done. Could this not be the Christ?” The first disciples Jesus called went to their families and co-workers and brought others that became disciples. As Jesus began his public ministry, he tried to slow down the rate at which his fame quickly spread but it was no use. In a very short time period Jesus was no longer able to enter cities and towns without the crowds of people shutting those places down so he remained on the outskirts of town and in wilderness (rural) places.

Fear is a great tool the devil uses. If a soldier is afraid then the enemy doesn’t have to defeat him; a solider that is too scared to go into battle is nothing to worry about. A new believer may rush to tell friends and family about their salvation experience only to get quickly shut down. The natural response is to protect our feelings, and possibly reputation, by never saying anything else about it. Don’t give up. New believers need to be in a class or small group where they can begin to grow in faith and knowledge. Part of that is learning how to share one’s testimony. (It probably wouldn’t hurt some veteran church members to brush up on sharing their testimony just to make sure they are still sharp.) Some people naturally have a personality type that lets them talk to strangers in line at a grocery store or witness to the window clerk at a drive through. But don’t worry if that is not you; there are many ways to share the gospel. A Christian believer should be able to articulate what he or she believes and why, even if it is with one person at a time, perhaps over a meal or even a cup of coffee.

Christianity began in Jerusalem in the first century and very quickly spread across Europe, Africa and into Asia. The Romans actively persecuted Christianity for four centuries and yet there may have been one million Christians living under Roman control by the time of Constantine. Why? Because it offered a personal relationship with a living God; because lives were changed and hope was offered beyond this mortal live. And because Christians traveled to the ends of the earth with a simple message: Let me tell you Christ has done for me.

When you look at Jesus, you will move in the right direction.

When you look at Jesus, everything else looks different.

When you look at Jesus, you will want to show him to someone else.