The Great Commission ("Taste and see"): Austin Shanley
When I first became a Christian about five years ago, God instilled in me a desire to see other people come to know Jesus. I knew it was important to share the faith I was given with others because I only came to believe in Jesus because others shared their faith with me. Because of this, the Great Commission has always been a major emphasis in my relationship with God.
In the last few weeks, the Lord has gifted me a renewed appreciation for my salvation, and, with it, a greater desire to participate in the Great Commission, just like I had when I first believed. This time, however, I began to examine and reflect on the reasons why it was so important to me that other people knew Jesus. So far, I have been able to deduce three main reasons. I initially wanted to expand upon each of those reasons in this harvest post, but I quickly realized that each of them needed their own post to do justice to them. In this one, I will only expand upon the first reason: We should invite people to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Ps 34:8).
In this verse, David is describing God’s goodness as something that is experiential, similarly to how you can enjoy the taste of a freshly plucked orange or admire the beauty of the tree that produced it. If you were to try and communicate this enjoyment to someone else, you could describe the vibrant color of the orange as the sun shines on it or the contrast of the orange color with the green leaves and white blossoms. You could tell them of the perfect combination of sweet and sour flavors of the orange. However, the best way for another person to understand and enjoy that experience is to see the tree and taste the orange for themselves. David, likewise, insists on inviting people to experience God’s goodness for themselves rather than trying to explain it.
Lately, I’ve been asking people to DTR with God. It’s an idea I picked up from a book called Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman. DTR stands for “define the relationship”. Essentially, I’m asking for them to tell me what it is like for them to have a relationship with God, and where are you willing to let that relationship take you. I have noticed that a lot of people struggle to answer this question. I also struggle when people ask me the same question back. I think the reason why is that there is something about experiencing God in our lives that is difficult to describe. I try my best by saying something like “God’s love is like being a 3-year-old resting in your parent’s arms” or “knowing God means having total dependence on him for everything.” A lot could be understood from these explanations, but still, it doesn’t feel like I’m fully communicating what my experience with God is like. It is so wonderful to know God, but I’m unable to put into words just how wonderful it is. The only thing I’m left with is to say, “Come and see” (John 1:46).
It hurts my heart to know that most people won’t get to experience the goodness that David is talking about. Most people won’t get to know what it’s like to have their sins forgiven or to have a peace surpassing all understanding. However, there are still people out there who will. That is why it is so incredibly important for Christians to bring the good news to the world. When we follow Jesus’ command to “go forth and make disciples,” what we are doing is inviting all people of the world to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Austin Shanley is a dedicated disciple of Christ and friend to us at The Wesley. A member of this year’s Discipleship Team, he has a passion for encouraging and leading others in their faith. Austin enjoys mountain biking, fishing, playing video games, and hanging out with friends. He is currently enrolled in his senior year at LA Tech. We’re blessed to have him in our community!