Even the Young Die!
Since 2004, I have had the privilege of being involved in evangelistic ministry. Over the years I have spoken to more people than I can remember, but sometimes a conversation takes place that you never forget; one such chat was with a young man named Jordan.
It was a hot and humid Tuesday afternoon in Woodridge in November 2012 when I had an opportunity to speak to this young man. The community where we were ministering is known for its crime and violence, but in my time witnessing there I found the people to be generally open to the gospel and willing to talk. On that particular Tuesday, I was handing out tracts when Jordan walked by; he stopped to take a leaflet and then we started to chat.
Even though Jordan was friendly and polite, like most teenagers, he put on a tough front. As we spoke, the toughness disappeared, and I found myself engaging with a really nice young man. Jordan had some religious influence in his background, which gave him a basic understanding of a few Christian concepts. However, what he didn’t comprehend was the reason why Jesus came to die.
I explained to him the love of God shown towards sinful people and the grace of God manifested in the death and resurrection of Jesus. He listened intently as I conveyed that, due to our sin, we deserve judgment. The good news, I emphasized, is that Christ has come to rescue sinners. At the end of our conversation, I urged Jordan to repent and trust in Christ. I pleaded with him to come to the Saviour while he still had time, but Jordan didn’t come to Jesus.
Sadly, like many people in our society, Jordan had bought into the lie that suggests we have plenty of time. From his perspective, he believed he had his whole life ahead of him and would consider Jesus when he was older. The problem was that Jordan didn’t realize what the next few weeks would bring; he didn’t grasp that his life had an end date, and it was very near.
Before we parted ways, I looked Jordan in the eyes and said, 'Mate, you are young, but even the young die. Cemeteries are full of young people who thought they had plenty of life left, yet death came upon them suddenly. Jordan, you are not assured of another day; that is why the Bible says, ‘Today is the day of salvation.’
Jordan smiled and thanked me for the chat; then, he went on his way. At that moment, it seemed like just one more conversation in the sea of many gospel encounters. However, a few weeks later, as I watched the evening news, I saw an image of Jordan appear on the screen.
It turned out that Jordan had attended a party, and during the event, a fight broke out. At some point, someone got into a car and ran Jordan down. He was murdered on the streets of Woodridge; his young life was over – a stark reminder that even the young die.
As I reflect on this gospel conversation, I still find myself wondering, 'Did Jordan ever repent? Did he come to trust in Christ before he took his final breath?' I don’t know the answer, but what I do know is that he had heard the truth about Jesus.
Why do I share this story? I share it because I hope you will realize that every person you meet is someone who will one day stand before God. Every person you know, every person you meet needs Jesus.
Life is fragile; we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but what we do know is that eventually, we will all have a final day. As Christians, we should always have the reality of eternity before us; we should grasp the truth that all those we know and meet, if they die without Jesus, will spend eternity in Hell.
We have the words of eternal life; we know Jesus, so let’s go and make Him known! It would be very unloving for a doctor to withhold from a patient a cure for a disease; so how much more unloving is it for us to withhold the gospel from our family, friends, neighbours, and strangers?
If we love God, then we should desire to make known His message; if we love our neighbour, then we should long to tell them of the wonderful Saviour who can forgive all sinners. Today, let us examine our hearts and ask that the Lord would grant us greater concern for the lost, and the boldness to make Jesus known.
__________