Acts 1:8
...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
Matthew 20:25-28
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I have often made the observation that in all my travels to some 15 countries on 5 continents, I have always been able to find a cold Coke (well, maybe not always cold, but still a Coke nonetheless). The story of Coca-cola is arguably the most successful marketing strategy the world has ever seen. Today the Coca-cola company reports sales in every country in the world except three (Cuba, North Korea and Myanmar); and a total of 1.8 billion bottles sold every day. Furthermore, market researchers estimate that over 90% of the world’s population recognize the Coke brand logo (as opposed to just 54% that recognize the cross as the symbol of Christianity). Think about that for a moment. Here is a product that is basically carbonated sugar-water; a product that contains absolutely no nutritional value and that by almost every possible measure is bad for your health, and yet sales have increased world wide for 50 consecutive years.
Furthermore, Coke’s current marketing slogan is, “Open happiness.”
Before we shake our heads at the obvious irony of that slogan, let’s consider again Jesus’ vision for us as his church.
...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
Simply put, Jesus wants what the Coca-cola company wants; and that is penetration into every market in the world. He wants the gospel to be communicated, recognized, and understood by every nationality, every culture, and every people group on the face of the earth. The question is method.
In the middle ages the preferred model of “market penetration” was the crusade; which could be described as evangelism at the point of a sword. I think most of us would agree that multiple wars resulting in thousands upon thousands dead are counterproductive to the gospel.
Then came what could be called the “Colonial” method where Western Christians moved into regions of the world to preach the gospel, but tended to bring cultural, political and economic interests with them. The result being that the gospel sometimes became indistinguishable from Western culture.
Here’s a good question: how did Jesus say we should influence the world?
...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Simply put, the gospel is not to spread by force or by clever marketing; the gospel is to be spread by love, humility, service and sacrifice.
Pastor Brian Coffey
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