Pictures of Jesus

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:16

Imagine for a moment that Jesus was born in 1992 instead of 4 B.C. Do you think he would have social media? Even though Isaiah 53:2 says, “when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him,” I’m sure people would still flock to see pictures of Jesus, videos of him healing people and such. Wouldn’t it be neat to see what he really looked like?

But someone as busy and important as Jesus usually hires out his social media management to a PR company. In fact, WE are supposed to be like little pictures of Jesus, and though sometimes we get very little time with a person we encounter— rarely enough time to present a Bible lesson— we can try to leave them with a picture and a name, a calling card if you will. We can try to make an impression on Jesus’s behalf. I guess that makes us Jesus’s PR team!

Unfortunately, with so much content and so many platforms out there, the world’s attention span gets shorter and shorter. I allow myself no more than 700 words per blog post, not counting the scripture at the beginning or the prayer at the end. It’s not very much from a writer’s point of view, but people are so busy, sometimes even that is more than they are going to read. I’m the same way. If something is more than a handful of paragraphs I may put off reading it, save it for later, but often never get back to it. We PR folks need some strategies for reaching people in a fast-paced, short-attention-span world.

For example, when a friend or neighbor is sick or grieving, we could send a card in the mail and include a scripture. We can leave tracts here and there. Anything that puts God’s word in front of people is good.

One of our deacons has encouraged us to hand out the church’s “business card” with our location and the times of services on it. He recommends handing them out to the person working at the drive-thru, for example, and inviting them to worship with us. Our newest card encourages people to let us know if they have a need. We’re here to help if we can.

Of course developing relationships and discussing spiritual matters in-depth is the ideal. We should pray for these kinds of opportunities as well as do our part to create them by investing in people. But we mustn’t ever forget that we are supposed to be a picture of Jesus to everyone around us, from the stranger we pass in the grocery store aisle to our spouses and children.

Our families will see us at our best and at our worst. There’s no way around that. But in their mental inventory does my family have a picture of me apologizing, a picture of me enduring hardship with prayer, a picture of me doing my daily work cheerfully?

Jesus doesn’t have social media. But I do. There are no videos of him, no pictures. But there are videos of me, and lots of pictures. Can people see Jesus through me on that kind of platform? You won’t run into Jesus in Walmart, but you might run into me. One thing is for sure. If the “snapshot” I leave with a stranger is me being harsh with my child, huffy with my husband, rude to the cashier, or flipping someone off in traffic, that is bad PR. It’s counter-evangelism.

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16

Dear God, please forgive me for the many times I have left a bad impression of Christ because of my sinful, selfish, and foolish behavior. Help me to be more conscious of the example I set before family, strangers, and everyone in between. I pray that others will see my good works and glorify You, my Father in heaven. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

What are some rapid-fire techniques for sharing the gospel? Share your ideas in the comments.