Truth in Advertising

Advertisers are required by law to tell the truth about their products. Realtors are required by law to tell you the downside of the particular property you are looking at. Oh, they can tell you all the positives, but if they don't tell you that this brand new kitchen is a result of a nasty fire 3 years ago, they've violated the law. Yet, it seems, Christians aren't required to tell the truth about the gospel. Why is that?

We're quite good at "Come to Jesus and He'll solve your problems." We're heavy on "love, peace, joy." We're happy to tell people about how God can solve their marital difficulties and fix their financial problems and heal their physical infirmities. And while I suspect we might oversell these a bit, I still think we're basically being honest. However, in our glee to share all this happy information, we are careful to avoid certain promises from the mouth of God that don't "sell" too well.

Paul wrote, "To you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Phil. 1:29). How nice! We have the immense privilege of believing in Him! (Of course, many think it is their divine right, but we won't go there right now.) And not only do we have the immense privilege of believing in Him; we also have the immense privilege of suffering for His sake! Now, how often is that included in our altar calls?

Jesus said some marvelous things in John 15. He told us to abide in Him and bear fruit. He told us these things "that your joy may be made full" (John 15:11). He speaks of loving one another. He tells us we are His friends. He tells us He chose us. All such wonderful stuff. So why is it that we seem to close out the chapter in our messages just before He gets to the other promise?

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, `A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well" (John 15:18-24).

There's a grand promise. "They hated Me; they will hate you." It is followed by a more grand promise, the promise of the Holy Spirit, but we seem to miss this promise from Christ that we will be persecuted.

This recently came home to me in reading through 1 Peter. Peter is a fiend for suffering. He mentions it again and again. Don't be surprised. Expect it. We were called for this purpose. It is God's will. And I think, "Why don't we notice this?"

Sure, it's not a "selling point", but Jesus told His disciples that before they followed Him they should "count the cost". Shouldn't we be telling prospective disciples the same thing? Aren't we obligated to tell the truth? Sure, there is comfort beyond compare in our suffering, peace that passes understanding, the Spirit Himself within, but if we don't tell people it's coming, they are likely to be victims rather than disciples. Shouldn't be telling the truth in our advertising of the gospel?