Commercials, commercials, commercials. You can’t watch a TV show without seeing them. Since TVs became commercially avaliable in the late 1930s*, they have become a fixture in the American home. And over the years, what is on TV has changed greatly as have the advertisements show during them.

Why have they spent so much time and effort on these commercials? Because they’ve found them to be effective means of impacting the way people behave, whether it is to vote a certain way, live a certain way, go to a certain place, or buy a certain product. They are all paying money to get a moment of your time to change the way you live and behave.

They all have a message they are trying to communicate, and they’re trying to do it as effectively as possible. And guess what? They are constantly changing. An old commercial by Coca Cola and a newer commercial by Coca Cola These commercials have changed in style, but the ultimate message is the same, right? Drink Coke, buy Coke.

Why do they do this? So that they can be more effective at getting your attention and changing you, which results in greater profits for them.

American businesses realize that they can communicate the same message in different forms, but why are we so worried about doing this as Christians? Why do we get so caught on a single style or method of evangelism that might have worked well with a certain generation, in a certain place, or at a certain time, and fail to move on to new methods, as if it would be equivalent of blasphemy? Think about the way you talk about your faith or share it with others? Isn’t there other ways to share about Christ than an evangelistic campaign, street preaching, or tracts? Are there other times of the year to invite your neighbors to church and more creative ways of doing it than just before Christmas and Easter? Can’t we break out of the mold a little, and try new ways of bringing the message of Christ to people?