How do we testify about happy people?
Telling miserable people that Jesus can meet their deepest needs seems easy compared to warning satisfied people of coming anger. I’m talking about people who, in every way, seem to be very good without God. They don’t seem to feel guilty, or ashamed of anything. They don’t seem to want anything transcendent to make sense of their lives. They don’t mind sleeping till Sunday and having breakfast slowly. In fact, they’re looking forward to it.
- We could try to convince them that they are not so happy at heart.
- But I do not recommend this tactic.
- Surely we have a biblical mandate to tell the unfortunate that there is more?Someone else!? can really satisfy them.
- I call it ‘apologetic based on misery’.
- Jesus gave us an example when He said to the woman.
- Near the well.
- “He that drinks from this water shall be thirsty again; But whoever drinks from the water I give him will never be thirsty again.
- On the contrary.
- The water I give you will be a source that will flow into eternal life (Jn 4:13-14).
But when people don’t seem so unhappy, it’s hard to make them feel something we think we should feel.
Despite our best efforts, we rarely convince people that their lives really suck. I imagine that a frustrating encounter between a Christian and a happy non-Christian could look like this:
Aren’t you looking for something else in life?
Do I like this?
Meaning, purpose, achievement, you know, things like that.
Not really. I really like my current job and my girlfriend and I are doing great. Did I tell you we’re going to Maui next month?
Very well. But that kind of thing doesn’t last forever, does it?
Everything is fine. Hawaii has other islands.
But have you ever wondered if life is more than temporary things?
I used to ask. But lately I haven’t asked for more
Isn’t there a void in you in the form of God?
What are you on about
Don’t you think life will get unhappy someday?
Maybe, if we keep talking.
Can apologetics based on misery work well?With unhappy people. But we also need a “joy-based apologetic” for people on the other side of the emotional spectrum.
The Apostle Paul illustrated “apologetic based on joy?”When he proclaimed the good news to the heathen of Lystre and Derbe, as indicated in Acts 14 After seeing Barnabas and Paul heal a crippled man, the crowd bowed and adored them, calling them Jupiter and Mercury The Evangelists would not accept any of this. They said, “Why do you become of these vain things for the living God?(Acts 14:15), claiming that they brought them “the good news. ” From what they said below we can learn a lot. the good that God has done as reflectors of the good news.
But[God] did not leave himself without testimony of himself, doing good, giving you fruitful rains and seasons of heaven, filling your heart with abundance and joy?(Acts 14:17).
See what they’re saying? They are based on the doctrine of common grace and Jesus’ teachings that God “raises his sun upon evil and good and rains upon the righteous and unjust” (Mt 5:45). They tell people to look at the joy in their hearts and wonder who or what may be behind them.
They say that foolish people can really have joy in their hearts, I know this can irritate us and I want to emphasize that every non-Christian, deep down, moans with conscious sadness, but that is not the case, and Paul and Barnabas recognized it.
Many non-Christians regard Christianity as a religion that kills happiness. They think most Christians are unhappy and don’t want to be like them. Evangelical Christians, in particular, are often better known for what they are against than for what they are doing. We can surprise non-believers in an exhilarating way by talking about the joys we share with them, as can Paul and Barnabas. I particularly like the fact that food can be a pre-evangelical resource. you can say, “Isn’t it delicious food?! And be amazed that God created the world with a seemingly infinite culinary variety.
Or can we talk about other blessings flowing from God’s common grace?The natural beauties of the physical world, the happy relationships that provide intimacy and pleasure, aesthetic delights such as art and music that celebrate creativity. We can observe manifestations of human goodness that stand out in our polarized world, marveling that we all share a common humanity, placed on the same planet by the Creator himself.
At some point, after these possible starting points, we can move the conversation more specifically to the gospel. There is more to life than temporal happiness; not that temporal happiness is bad or sinful (well, some certainly are). These momentary pleasures are indicators, not ends. They can convince us that God is good. Better yet, is it elegant to pour out blessings on people who don’t deserve it?People like you and me.
We share our stories and tell how God has brought us eternal and complete happiness that adds meaning and fullness to the many happy temporal experiences. We find relief from our greatest source of unhappiness: our sin, which separates us from God and disturbs all aspects of our lives. Life? We can find joy and happiness even in the smallest things.
The pleasures of temporal life provide a bittersweet launch pad for spreading the gospel. Earthly happiness is remarkable, but ephemeral. Earthly pleasure promises a lot, but then disappoints. If we affirm the two sides of this coin, promise and disappointment?We can say that there is more, but we will not find this without God, without his sacrifice, without crosses. There’s so much more to life than temporary happiness. There is eternal happiness. Jesus calls it abundant life (John 10:10), and He died so that we could have it.