Bumper Stickers
I pulled up to my usual morning "second office" this morning, and immediately couldn't help but notice a car in the parking lot whose back bumper was covered by Christian bumper stickers. One indicated which church this person is a part of and the rest were variations on "I <heart> Jesus." I'm very glad to see someone who openly proclaims their love for Jesus. Unfortunately, I know who this car belongs to, and by watching this person's life, you wouldn't know if they did love Jesus or not.
I'm afraid we modern American Christians have allowed bumper stickers and t-shirt slogans to be our primary (or only?) form of witnessing, of sharing the Gospel. If we "boldly" put a Christian message on our car, we can rest assured that surely someone somewhere will see that and instantly be converted to Jesus. However, in nearly twenty years of ministry, I don't ever recall hearing someone say, "I was driving down the highway, saw a bumper sticker and asked Jesus into my heart." Never. Not once. Nor do I ever recall anyone saying anything like that after having seen my Christian t-shirt.
What those things do more is put a mirror up to us. They ought to cause us to think twice about the way we act and live. I remember being in a grocery store some years ago, in a really bad mood, and the clerk mentioned my shirt. "I really like the message on your shirt." Yes, it was a Christian message, and I instantly realized a mirror had been held up to me. Was I treating the other person (especially the clerk) in a way that reflected Jesus? Was I living, at that moment, in a way that honored him?
The primary way still, after 2,000 years, for people to come to know Jesus is for one person to tell another. Jesus said, "Go...tell...make disciples..." He didn't say, "Put a bumper sticker on your chariot." He didn't say, "Just wear religious clothing and others will know you belong to me." (In fact, he criticized the religious leaders' use of special religious clothing!) He said, "Others will know you are mine by the way you live...by the way you obey my teachings."
There's nothing wrong with bumper stickers or Christian t-shirts. Let's just make sure we actually share the good news and live it out rather than relying on those things to do our work for us.
I'm afraid we modern American Christians have allowed bumper stickers and t-shirt slogans to be our primary (or only?) form of witnessing, of sharing the Gospel. If we "boldly" put a Christian message on our car, we can rest assured that surely someone somewhere will see that and instantly be converted to Jesus. However, in nearly twenty years of ministry, I don't ever recall hearing someone say, "I was driving down the highway, saw a bumper sticker and asked Jesus into my heart." Never. Not once. Nor do I ever recall anyone saying anything like that after having seen my Christian t-shirt.
What those things do more is put a mirror up to us. They ought to cause us to think twice about the way we act and live. I remember being in a grocery store some years ago, in a really bad mood, and the clerk mentioned my shirt. "I really like the message on your shirt." Yes, it was a Christian message, and I instantly realized a mirror had been held up to me. Was I treating the other person (especially the clerk) in a way that reflected Jesus? Was I living, at that moment, in a way that honored him?
The primary way still, after 2,000 years, for people to come to know Jesus is for one person to tell another. Jesus said, "Go...tell...make disciples..." He didn't say, "Put a bumper sticker on your chariot." He didn't say, "Just wear religious clothing and others will know you belong to me." (In fact, he criticized the religious leaders' use of special religious clothing!) He said, "Others will know you are mine by the way you live...by the way you obey my teachings."
There's nothing wrong with bumper stickers or Christian t-shirts. Let's just make sure we actually share the good news and live it out rather than relying on those things to do our work for us.
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