A Walking Advertisement
Years ago, a Nike television commercial for hiking shoes was shot in Kenya using Samburu tribesmen. The camera closed in on one of the tribesmen who speaks in native Ma'a while the Nike slogan "Just do it" appears on the screen. Good commercial. Except...an anthropologist at the University of Cincinnati named Lee Cronk was watching it--and was able to interpret the Samburu words the Kenyan was really saying,, "I don't want these. Give me big shoes." Oops! When news got around, a Nike spokesperson eventually commented, "We thought nobody in America would know what he said."
It's not the only time advertising slogans have been lost in translation. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging with the cute baby on the label as it appeared in the United States. They wondered why the product just didn't sell so well. Later they discovered that in Africa, since many people could not read, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside the jar. Oops again!
When the Pope came to the U.S. for a visit that included touring several states, a Miami-based t-shirt vendor printed shirts for the Spanish market. But instead of "I saw the pope" (el Papa), the shirt read "I saw the potato" (la Papa). Not quite so inspiring!
Pepsi Cola's "Come alive with the Pepsi generation" didn't translate so well into Chinese. For some reason, "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave" was not a big seller. But it probably did better than Clairol's "MistStick" curling iron. When they introduced that into Germany, sales were bad, and that's when they realized that "mist" is slang for manure. Not a lot of people wanted to purchase a manure stick.
I assume you are wondering what the point is I am trying to make. Well, our lives as followers of Jesus are walking advertisements for Christianity. For good or for bad. So...
when we say, Jesus can change your life, yet our lives are no different...
when we say, Christianity can bring you hope, yet our lives are filled with despair...
when we say, Christ can bring you peace, yet our lives are wracked by turmoil...
when we say, God is the answer, yet our lives are consumed with doubt and fear...
when we say, Christianity can set you free, yet our lives are in bondage to strongholds...
...then...we could be accused of false advertising! At the very least, our message can be quite confusing to the world around us if our lives don't match our words.
What does the world see when they see the walking advertisement that is your life? Is your faith appealing? Does your walk with Christ draw others to want to follow Him too? Is your life a good ad campaign for the value of Christianity?
I hope so. Don't forget that people are watching. Walk with the Lord daily, and always be ready to explain the hope that you have to others when they notice something different about your life. (1 Peter 3:15). I am praying for you, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
