It started when I read an article about the influence of the Coca-Cola Company in the world. The company is the most recognized brand in the world, selling more than 18,000 servings of its beverages every second! The company makes about 15 million dollars a day in profits with operations in more than 200 countries. Studies show that about 94 percent of the world's population easily recognizes the famous Coca-Cola logo.
Then I was convicted again while I enjoyed an afternoon snack. On the back of my Brach's Candy Corn bag I read that "Each year Americans consume enough Brach's Candy Corn that if laid end-to-end, would circle the earth 4.25 times..." That my friends is a lot of Candy Corn! It shouldn't be a surprise because Americans spent about 1.9 billion dollars buying nearly 600 million pounds of candy last Halloween.
Then last night I was convicted a third time when I watched the last few minutes of a documentary about Colonel Sanders. His life story was actually very interesting. He really didn't find fame or success until he had retired. At age 65 his "finger lickin' good chicken" became famous and helped start the Kentucky Fried Chicken craze. Today, there are over 16,000 KFC locations in more than 100 countries. (Including about 50 locations in the city of Lima, Peru alone!) About 12 million people eat at KFC everyday.
Why did I find all of this useless information convicting? Because in less than 100 years all three of these products have managed to have a big influence in our world culture. These companies have managed to promote and sell their products to countless masses of people. As Christians we've had about 2000 years to promote the cause of Christ, yet, so many have still never heard. Some studies indicate that as many as 3.8 billion people on earth have never even heard the name of Jesus. You better believe most of them have heard of Coca-Cola. I was indeed moved to conviction when I considered our failure as a church in reaching the world with the life-changing good news of the Gospel. What's more important to us today? Coke, Candy Corn, Colonel Sanders, or Christ?
