Ever heard about that older couple who were trying to communicate with each other at the time of their half-century anniversary?
Yes, together they were celebrating 50 years of married life together. How wonderful is that? But the wife had been getting a little hard of hearing, and so the husband clearly announced in front of family and friends, to his wife, the love of my life -- my dear beloved, after 50 years, I have found you tried and true.
He had to repeat this.
Again, cuz she couldn't hear very well. She said, What?
He said, My dear wife, after 50 years, I have found you tried and true.
...and then she shot back at him, Well, after 50 years, I'm tired of you too.
There was a little bit of a communication breakdown there.
You know, there are a lot of American companies that have had this same problem. They tried to offer their products overseas, but sometimes there's a language barrier that has to be overcome. Many fail to get their message across the bridge so to speak.
It's called something getting lost in translation, and this can be a bit humorous in certain situations.
As an example, the Parker Pen Company was expanding its ballpoint line to Mexico came up with another slogan: It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you. But the problem was they didn't fully understand how it would come out in Spanish. And instead it was translated to say, on billboards, this pen will not leak in your pocket and impregnate you. Man, that a little different than what they had intended.
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes tonic water was translated into Schweppes toilet water.
Needless to say, not a lot of people wanted to drink toilet water.
Jolly Green Giant, you remember them, with their ho ho ho, and their slogan, the Jolly Green Giant. Well they tried to go market in the Arabic market, and instead it came out to the intimidating green ogre.
Have you tried some of those beans from the intimidating green ogre?
In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan, come alive with the Pepsi generation, instead came out to say, Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead. Now, depending on what ancestors those were, maybe that's a promising thing, maybe not so.
Clairol tried to market its mystic curling iron in Germany, and instead of it saying mystic, it said manure stick. Not a lot of German ladies were all that excited about using a manure stick.
In China, Kentucky Fried Chicken took their slogan, finger-licking good, and instead it came out in Chinese as, eat your fingers off. It gives a whole new meaning to chicken fingers, doesn't it?
And finally, Scandinavian vacuum cleaner manufacturer Electrolux used the following in their American ad campaign. So they came over to America and used this phrase, nothing sucks like an Electrolux. There's some surfer lingo there. Yeah, something is lost in translation.
Well, guess what? Jesus Christ, as perfect as He is also seemed to have this sort of communication issue with his own disciples. It was with those lacking ears to hear They did not understand why he had come to this earth in the first place.. though He kept telling them.
Repeating in different ways can be helpful with time. Be clear in your thinking -- yes, no matter where you're located on earth.
Me thinks when it's foggy in the pulpit or on the streets, it sure seems to be cloudy all around there.
Dr. Howard Hendricks used to attend our local church in Frisco, Texas and he once said: "A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew!"
"Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him." Mark 8:27-30 nkjv.
Clear gospel witness requires a clear gospel mind and a compassionate gospel voice. Scripture urges us to speak so people truly understand: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Col. 4:6). Clarity is not compromise; it is love applied to truth. When hearts are eternal and time is short, vague words are unkind words.
The apostles modeled this holy clarity. Paul resolved, “We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5), and again, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). The gospel was never buried beneath cultural jargon. It was spoken plainly: Christ died for sinners, rose again, and calls all to repent and believe (1 Cor. 15:3–4; Acts 17:30–31). As Billy Graham often said, “The gospel is the good news that God loves us and sent His Son to die for our sins.”
Clarity in witness is both biblical and strategic. Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29). That question demands a clear answer, not a cloudy impression. Peter’s confession—“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16)—shows that saving faith rests on a precise understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done. Yet moments later Peter resisted the cross (Mark 8:32–33), proving that even sincere believers can misunderstand the mission of Christ if the message is not fully grasped. The crown cannot be preached without the cross.
Faithful witnesses will therefore study both Scripture and people. “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer” (Prov. 15:28). We translate without diluting.
Paul spoke their particular language and entered their culture short of sinning. He became “all things to all people” (1 Cor. 9:22), not by changing the gospel, but by removing needless barriers to understanding. John Stott wrote, “We must be faithful to the gospel and sensitive to the culture.” The message is sacred; the method must be thoughtful.
Research confirms the urgency of clarity. Studies from the Barna Group repeatedly show that many non-Christians believe Christianity is mainly about moral behavior rather than Christ’s atoning death and resurrection. When the core message is misunderstood, evangelism must recover simplicity: sin, cross, resurrection, repentance, faith. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Christian history echoes the same conviction. Charles Spurgeon declared, “If people will not come to hear us, we must go and speak so they can understand.”
Hudson Taylor insisted that missionaries must “put the cookies on the lowest shelf,” meaning the gospel should be reachable to the simplest listener.
Mr. Clive S. Lewis once observed, “The message of Christianity is not complicated; it is profound but plain.” These voices remind us that obscurity is never a spiritual virtue.
Even our songs teach this. The old hymn sings, “I love to tell the story,” because the story itself—clear, repeated, and Christ-centered—awakens faith (Rom. 10:17). The power lies not in clever phrasing but in a faithful proclamation of Christ crucified and risen.
Practically, clear witnessing grows through three disciplines as we walk closely following Jesus.
First, know the Bible and Christ's gospel deeply. If the message is fuzzy in our heart or mind, it will be foggy on our lips.. and in their ears (2 Tim. 2:15).
Second, know your audience, yes, the listener compassionately. Jesus saw the crowds and felt somethign -- He had compassion for each of them (Matt. 9:36). His type of compassion listens and hears before speaking.
Third, know your mother tongue well, and how to use their language wisely. Avoid insider jargon, regional slang like surfer-speak, and vague religious phrases. Speak as Jesus did—using images and words drawn from culture and their everyday life so truth lands gently but firmly (Mark 4:33).
Fourth, above all, we must be given to prayer and really care before we share. Do you love God most and love people too? Who is really leading you? Do you pray for those you want to see in heaven one day?
I hope they feel that they are loved by you before you start witnessing to them in a non-pushy or preachy sort of way. The clarity must be joined with consecration and God's love.
Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). A clear message without a consistent life creates confusion; a clear message with a faithful life creates credibility (Phil. 1:27). As Eugene Peterson summarized, discipleship is “a long obedience in the same direction,” a steady witness that outlasts emotional hype and fleeting charisma.
When Christ taught, a child could understand Him. He didn't neglect the Scriptures when he spoke their language.
Therefore, let our witness be like that and remain simple, stay scriptural, and always be sincere. Careful, but use some humor too. Don't make yourself the hero of every story.
Explain the cross and Christ's resurrection carefully using clean language. Be bold yet gentle. Call for repentance lovingly. Trust the Spirit to illuminate their hearts (John 16:8). Yes, rely upon Him and His power. He will guide you step by step. When the gospel is spoken with clarity, when it is clothed in compassion, and it is confirmed by consistent victorious living, it will rarely get lost in the translation. By God’s strong grace, it will come through, and you will see a response toward Him with saving faith.
