Have you ever tried to learn a new language? I like to pretend that I am learning Spanish, but I could hardly call myself committed. I use a free app on my phone to study for 5 minutes a day, and from that, I can confidently use words like agua, si, and baños (mas importante!).
Although I have somewhat limited experience with new languages, I have come to understand that if you are a native English speaker, learning a new language will teach you almost as much about English as it will the second language. Even if I knew that nouns and verbs had to agree, it’s not something I gave a lot of thought to until I had to be intentional about it. I can look back on how I learned English and now apply what I understand better, but my English was at least serviceable before I tried to learn Spanish.
This illustration, this little quirk of life, has a pretty close application to our spiritual life. Have you ever tried to convert someone who wasn’t going to church at all? When I was in college, I met a girl (who went on to become my wife) that was not going to church. As we dated, we started to study the bible together, and she, being much more intelligent than me, started asking some tough questions. What ended up happening was, through this process of studying together, I was learning as much or more about my faith than what I was teaching her.
Why was I learning? I was the one who had been a Christian for a long time. I was the one who had studied from when I was a child. Well, just like learning Spanish, I was now forced to be intentional about something I had taken for granted. I hadn’t abandoned the faith, and I was still active in the church, but now I was exercising my beliefs in new and challenging ways. I was able to see the Gospel through the fresh eyes of my wife. The outcome of this story is terrific. Instead of one person imparting bible doctrine to another, two people built their faith together.
Why do English speakers even study Spanish in the first place? It certainly opens up doors to speak to new members of the community and makes travel to some countries easier. It might come with a certain level of prestige or lead to better work opportunities. In addition to all of that, however, it makes you a better English speaker.
Why do we share the Gospel? Just like learning a new language, there are many reasons. The primary reason is that there are souls at stake. Have you ever considered that there may be more than others’ souls at stake? Have you recently had your faith tested and exercised by reasoning with a true seeker? If the answer is no, consider following the command to teach others, but be prepared to learn a lot along the way.
Brian Ketchem