Would You Withhold the Cure?

Suppose a close friend was suffering from cancer and you learned about a newly discovered, 100-percent cure for the disease, but chose not to tell the friend about it?

Or suppose you were visiting a remote Third World village whose inhabitants were dying of starvation and you knew of a plentiful source for free food within easy walking distance, but you decided not to let them know?

Suppose you had loved ones or dear friends that had been unemployed for many months and you heard about immediate job opportunities that would fit them perfectly, but you refused to inform them?

Or suppose someone was drowning in a lake and you were holding a life preserver, but elected not to throw it?

You wouldn’t do any of those things – but just imagine you did. In each instance, wouldn’t you be considered inhumane, heartless, cruel, even criminal?

Yet when followers of Jesus attempt to share what we believe to be the cure to spiritual cancer, the answer to spiritual impoverishment, starvation and death, we’re often ridiculed. Narrow-minded, bigoted, judgmental and “holier than thou” are just some of the derogatory terms directed toward those who believe that when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), He wasn’t kidding – or only referring to a particular group of people.

I’m not an evangelist, but in more than 30 years of walking with Christ I’ve discovered He is the answer to life’s most profound questions: “Why am I here?” “What’s my purpose?” “How do I find meaning?” “Is this all there is?” “What will happen to me when I die?” “How can I make sense of this life?”

If you received great news, wouldn’t you want to share it with others? I feel that way about the Good News of Jesus Christ, both for people who don’t know Him and those who are believers, but haven’t yet experienced the “abundant life” He promises.

What’s our motivation? It should the same as what the apostle John wrote: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (1 John 1:3-4).

If that’s narrow-minded, so be it.