Last night, I had the opportunity to experience a performance by Tim Zimmerman and the King’s Brass.  Notice I did not say hear, but instead, I used the word experience.  This 9-piece orchestra is a collection of individuals whose talent is truly phenomenal.  From the opening number titled “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” to their encore performance of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” I was captivated.  Sitting on the second row, front and center, I felt like I had a little glimpse of what Heaven might be like when they played glorious songs of the church like “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” “Shout to the Lord,” and “It Is Well With My Soul.”  While the music was magnificently majestic, the best part of the concert was the fact that they kept Jesus Christ at the center of it all.  These nine talented musicians realize that all of the glory, honor, and praise go to Jesus Christ and Him alone.  They live their lives as demonstration models for Christ.

During the program, they incorporated a few dramatic skits to illustrate a Biblical story such as Noah and the Ark, which was followed by a performance of a medley titled “Arky Arky.”  While all of the dramatic segments were enjoyable, there is one that stood out in my mind.  They told the story of a vacuum cleaner salesman who could not sell vacuum cleaners to save his life.
This vacuum cleaner salesman tried everything.  People told him to be more forward with people, telling them that their floors were filthy to pressure them into buying a vacuum cleaner.  Others told him to use a gimmicky commercial with a lot of pomp and circumstance.  Still, other individuals told him to just be himself.  But he was a soft-spoken gentleman who simply did not have the drive of a true salesman.
One day, he noticed some broken glass on the ground.  With nothing else to do, he decided to clean up the mess.  As he was vacuuming up the glass, an onlooker passed by.  They seemed curious, but the salesman just continued to vacuum.  The passerby said, “That vacuum sure does a good job.”  The salesman said, “Yep.”  The other man said, “Do you know where I could get one of those?”  The salesman said, “Well, I suppose I could tell you where I got mine.”  The soon-to-be-customer said, “Okay.”  And that was how the salesman sold his first ever vacuum cleaner.
You see, his sales pitch wasn’t about some gimmick or fanfare.  It wasn’t even a sales pitch at all.  Someone simply saw him using the product and realized how the vacuum cleaner would improve the quality of their household.  The salesman was using a demonstration model.  When the customer saw the demonstration, they wanted to be able to clean like the salesman.
As I sat there hearing this story, I couldn’t help but think how we should be demonstration models for Christ.  Think about it.  People always try to witness to people through all sorts of methods, from special events to handing out free stuff including the church’s name and address on it.  While these things are certainly worthwhile, the most important tool we have for witnessing to others is ourselves.  God’s Word says to “Be a witness” (Acts 22:15 ESV).  People look at our lives to see how we react in difficult situations.  Just like the passerby watching the salesman to see if the vacuum cleaner effectively cleaned up the mess, people look at us to see if our relationship with Jesus Christ is a valuable part of our lives.  If we live as demonstration models for Christ, they will see that life with Him is priceless.  They will approach us to find out how they can get to know the One whose love radiates from our souls like a beacon in the night.  It doesn’t take any gimmicks.  All it takes is a willing vessel.  Will you be a demonstration model for Christ?
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer