Another Improbable Story
The resurrection sounds improbable to many people today. What about your business?
The resurrection sounds improbable to many people today.
“Only 500.”
The Bible doesn’t say that’s all who saw Jesus; it simply says that 500 saw him at one time. It’s compelling proof; how many events have over 500 witnesses? All were verified witnesses, yet over 2,000 years later, many do not believe.
Can we trust a witness we have never met? We’re drawn to what we can touch and see to verify what we believe to be true. Our faith strengthens when we can touch, see, and understand the mysterious to testify to its improbability.
Yet Jesus said, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” John 20:29 (NLT)
We must separate tradition and sentimental thinking from truth and facts in every aspect of faith and business.
What you can touch and see may not be true; what you believe may be based on the weight of tradition. Tradition and sentimental thinking that outweigh the weight of truth are misleading and create false perceptions.
If we are to work and walk by faith, we can’t believe something is true because tradition says it’s true. Our sole source of truth is the Bible, and we look to archeology and history to verify what the Bible claims to be true.
This same principle of verification applies everywhere we ask people to trust us. What’s true for the Gospel is also true for your business.
In business, we expect people to believe what we say about our company, whether true or not. Making a claim is called branding, and sharing that claim with people is called marketing. Every day, people who follow us look to us to invite them into a story in which they are the hero; a guide who helps them solve their problems so they can live a better life.
Every day, you ask people (customers, followers, supporters) to reconcile what you say is true about your business with what they believe is true. That makes building a brand, communications, and marketing complex.
People will believe what your brand says to be true if what they see, touch, and experience aligns with your claims.
Can you see the correlation between your faith and building a brand? Just as the 500 witnesses provided credible testimony about the resurrection, your customers become witnesses to your brand’s truth. The early church grew not because of clever marketing, but because people’s lives were transformed. When your business consistently delivers real value, your customers become authentic witnesses of the same kind.
People want to know if your brand will act in alignment with what you say it values and believes. It is believable when your brand is trustworthy, transparent, and authentic. This is true for companies, causes, and churches.
Because our financial advisor is genuinely interested in our success, my wife continually asks him, “Are you for reals?” She believes what he says is true because he consistently and reliably demonstrates it.
Your faith is believable when your life is consistent with what you say you believe about the Gospel.
Will the next 500 people who learn about your business believe your brand is relevant based on the witness of five, 50, or 500 customers?
Will they say, “Are you for reals?” When they do, you can be confident that you are building a brand that loves people and a brand that people love.
Like those 500 who witnessed the risen Christ, your satisfied customers become living proof that what you claim is true.