Know Your Why

I approached a mall food court with excited and motivated high school students. We were in town for a weekend conference. Our mall experience was the second half of a training seminar about sharing Jesus. The hands-on practicum was a challenge to engage people in the mall, sharing Jesus with them. As my group approached a young woman handing out samples of teriyaki chicken, I gently encouraged the students to begin a conversation. Student after student grabbed their sample and stepped back. Somewhere between the mall entrance and the food court, the students lost their excitement and motivation to tell anyone about Jesus.

I am currently studying John chapter 17 in preparation for an upcoming talk about the "why" for sharing Jesus with others. The "what" or the content of the Gospel is important. If we miss the content of the Gospel of Jesus, then the Gospel isn't good news. The Gospel tells the story of God's loving pursuit of rebellious and broken humanity to redeem and restore humanity to Himself through the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming return of Jesus Christ. But we must ask, if we keep the content of the Gospel to ourselves, is the gospel good news? As Christians, knowing the content of the Gospel is equally important to knowing why we must share the Gospel—the "why" of sharing the Gospel is eternal life.

How important is eternal life? The offer of eternal life is really good news. It begins back in Genesis. God created humanity and placed them in His garden temple, which houses two important trees. The first tree is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; the second is the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is found in Genesis and Revelation, referencing concepts of provision, healing, wisdom, and abundant life. When humanity rebelled against God, they were cut off from God and the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Because of sin, humanity could not approach God and could not serve in His temple garden. Humanity had changed. We do not see another human capable of serving in heaven and earth until we see Jesus transfigured. We need a different kind of human, or as some have suggested, a new humanity to live forever. Therefore, the offer of eternal life is good news.

A basic definition of eternal life is living forever. Yet in John chapter 17, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God and Jesus. Eternal life is more than simply living forever; eternal life is the undoing of human rebellion, the destruction of sin, and the defeat of death. Eternal life is a radical transformation (2 Corinthians 5:15). Eternal life is restoration into a relationship with God (John 17:3), and a gift from God (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is the fulfillment of God's promises (John 3:16) and assurance of our salvation (1 John 5:11-13). Eternal life is a reward for faithfulness (Matthew 25:46), purpose in life (Philippians 1:21), and escape from judgment (John 5:24). Eternal life is ultimate joy and peace in the presence of our faithful and loving God.

The young woman’s tray was empty, and the student’s mouths were full. I recall asking her if I could share with her about Jesus. She nodded yes. She had heard of Jesus only by name. As we began to talk, the students joined the conversation, having recovered their motivation and excitement—their “why.” Before we left her in the food court to return to our bus, the young woman chose to follow Jesus. Later, I contacted a pastor at a nearby church, asking him to reach out to help the young woman learn to follow Jesus. 

What aspect of eternal life motivates you to share Jesus with others?

When was the last time you had a conversation about eternal life with someone who doesn’t know Jesus?