Did you realize not everyone in this world knows candy canes are peppermint flavored...? If not, I'm sorry to be the first one to break this news to you! And I'm not just talking about people in the remotest village of Papua New Guinea or people with some medical condition that affects their sense of taste...no. I've discovered there are people in the Western, social-media-connected, Christmas-movie-watching world that have never actually tasted a candy cane, and therefore live in complete ignorance of the simple fact that candy canes are peppermint flavored!
I discovered this unsettling truth a little before Christmas. My Belgian friend, Iliana, was over at my house one day and, without thinking much about it, popped one of those round, candy cane-striped peppermint candies into her mouth. Normal...until I watched her face turn rapidly from muted curiosity to confusion and shock! She was undergoing some type of massive paradigm shift right before my eyes!
"Candy cane...isn't...strawberry flavored?!? Then why would it be red?! Mint is green!!! Everyone knows that!!!"
Ok, she had a point, I had to admit. There was reason behind her shock. Regardless, I found myself just as (if not more) shocked by her response, and the startling fact that she had never before experienced firsthand the delicious, minty magic of a candy cane!!! The more I've thought about this eye-opening experience, the more I've realized I waste too much time assuming what people do or don't already know, or what they have or haven't experienced.
A proper handle on Christmas candy is one thing, but in a much more real sense, it's a huge mistake to assume that the people around me already have an adequate knowledge of the gospel basics and have simply chosen, based on this sufficient information, to deny its truth. I so take for granted the gospel-saturated environment in which I was raised. I forget that not everyone's been given the same opportunity to make an informed decision about whether or not they're going to choose to surrender their life to the God of this universe through His Son, Jesus Christ.
I've been challenged to look at my life and think about how many people surrounding me are living just like my Belgian friend. She'd certainly heard about candy canes, seen pictures of them, understood that they belong in stores around Christmastime, but up until just a few months ago, had never actually tasted the candy. How many people in our lives have maybe heard of a man called Jesus, seen images of him hanging on a cross, understand that some people pray to him or try to follow his teachings, but have had no firsthand experience of his eternity-altering love and power or have never tasted the sweetness of the truth found only in him? The answer is...a LOT! Billions and billions of people in this world are living without any real comprehension of the intimate relationship with the Creator of the world that we have access to through what Jesus has done for us. It’s more than just a matter of having decided that this life in Christ isn’t for them. It’s a matter of not even having the context from which to understand the sweetness and beauty of this life-changing gift. It's irresponsible on our part to take this message of hope entrusted to us and keep it to ourselves, assuming that everyone around us has had equal access to it, assuming the gospel to be common knowledge.
That moment of tasting the sweetness, discovering the flavor firsthand...it changes everything. Without that step, you're stuck with a superficial knowledge of something, whether it's candy canes or the goodness of our God, which was intended to be tasted and enjoyed. Remember how David, in Psalm 34:8, calls us to taste and see that the Lord is good! The more conversations I have with my non-Christian friends here, the more I realize how truly insufficient their knowledge is of the gospel truths that bring salvation and change everything. My Belgian friend, again, in our countless conversations about faith and religion, has been a perfect example of this. The idea of knowing God personally, of speaking to Him and knowing that He listens and cares, of relating to Him on the intimate level that we have access to through the blood of Jesus, of delighting in His presence...these are concepts that can't be fully comprehended until they've been tasted firsthand! It’s absurdity to them. More absurd, even, than a red and white candy being mint flavored!
All of this has led to somewhat of a breakthrough in my attitude towards evangelism. More than ever I'm feeling a sense of ownership of the fact that I DO want others to accept what I believe as truth. I don't have to back down or be ashamed of the fact that I want people to know and experience this Jesus that has changed everything for me!!! To know his power, love, forgiveness, the hope it brings! I want them to know every part of it! There's nothing wrong or shameful about wanting the best for others, even when this "best" entails surrendering your life to Jesus and giving up old ways of living that lead to death. I'm not a saleswoman trying to push some inconvenient new set of fun-killing rules on anyone gullible or desperate enough to buy an enslaving product. I'm also not the Savior. Both of these views of evangelism are dangerous and far from the truth. What I am, according to 2 Corinthians 5:20, is an ambassador. I possess a message that has eternal significance and I am empowered by the Holy Spirit as I take this message out into the world. The beauty and light of this relationship I have with my Creator overflows into my actions and words and it gives others the opportunity to begin understanding what it's like to know Him. Eventually, we pray, they will step into this relationship with Him as well! He is the One doing the work of drawing hearts into His promises, love, and salvation. We are the mouthpiece in this process. It's an honor and a privilege to be used by Him in this, but never a burden! If we view the gospel as some product we're trying to push, simply because we think that's what we're supposed to do, or if our hearts aren't truly moved by the freedoms that come through the truth of this gospel, we will become miserable in the task we're doing.
As a recent example, in apprentice class one of our leaders told us about a friend of hers who helped invent a piece of equipment used to help stop blood clots during surgical procedures. Once it had been completed and was on the market, he was given the task of promoting it, going hospital to hospital telling them about the exciting news of this product that would improve surgeries, and possibly even save lives! At first he was highly satisfied in this job, knowing that in what he did each day he was both providing a service to the surgeons and to the patients, while also earning money to provide for his family. It wasn't until another product, one more efficient and significantly lower in price, was introduced to the market that things began to change. Being already fully invested in his own product, he was compelled to continue as before, visiting hospitals, selling it with a zeal and conviction that would close the necessary deals, ignoring the voice haunting him inside, reminding him that he knew full well there was another, better option available. My leader said she saw a blatant change in the demeanor of this man over the years as he transitioned from promoting something he fully stood behind, truly believing in the good to come from it, to a reluctant, guilt-laden salesman of a second rate, overpriced product. If we're being honest, it's easy to forget the power of the gospel and view it in this second light from time to time. It's easy to buy the lie that it's an inconvenience in our lives, asking us to give up things we’d rather not and add on things we feel we could do without. If we're not, in the first place, fully convinced of the radical power to bring about good existing within the gospel, we will have no motivation to go and make known the message we’ve received.
This was a powerful illustration for me. I recognize aspects in my own life reminiscent of the apathy and resignation that dragged this man down as he trudged through his work, fulfilling his task out of duty rather than an outpouring of joy. We need the gospel daily. We need to wake up every day and ask that the Lord remind us of what’s at stake here, of His worthiness, and of the calling He’s placed on our lives. There is an urgency to the calling we’ve been given, but there’s also an incredible joy! This is the message that carries the power of eternal salvation!!! If we lack boldness, if we find any excuse to avoid the important discussions of salvation through Christ with non-Christians, if we’re worried that coming to know Jesus and believing the Bible as truth could be an inconvenience for our friends, if we assume there are plenty of others out there who could deliver this message instead of us, freeing us up to stay within our own little comfort zone, we either have a misunderstanding of this gospel message, or a lack of love for our neighbors.
It’s time we stop assuming, stop justifying, repent of the apathy, and be reminded of the power of the gospel to transform lives. Let’s once again taste and see that the Lord is good and invite His Spirit to empower us to welcome others to partake in this goodness as well!