WHY ARE WE HERE?When I served as a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of my goals was to make sure that each student was aware of the “main thing” in the work of God. I enjoyed the interaction of the students in classes. I loved to launch a challenging question and watch the class come alive in discussion. Early each semester I presented the question, “Why are we here?” I was not asking, “Why are we here for this class period?” or “Why are we here at Dallas Seminary?” My question was, “Why do we exist as Christians in this world?” I knew that this simple question could lead us to the “main thing” in the Christian life. To prime the pump I suggested a “neighbor nudging” session. Each student paired up with the person next to him or her. Together they compiled a list of every reason they could think of for a Christian’s existence. It was fun to watch the class buzz with animated conversation. At the end of the five minutes I had allotted for the exercise, I asked the class to share some of the items they had listed together. “Glorify God,” one student offered. Another student said, “Grow in Christ.” Others suggested, “Fellowship with other believers,” “Evangelism,” and “Reach the world.” The list continued to grow. I finally intervened. “We could probably go on, but let’s stop right here and analyze this list for a moment. Look over the list,” I suggested. “Of the things we have listed, what will we do better when we get to heaven?” It didn’t take them long to respond. As we discussed each item on the list, they began to see that we will be able to do every one of those things better in heaven than on the earth, with one exception, namely, to evangelize and engage in missionary outreach. “That,” I said, “is why we are here.” Ronald Blue, Evangelism and Missions (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013). |
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