I heard a man this week share an experience regarding the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two men of different Christian faiths were speaking about this topic, and one of them said to the other that the reason for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is not about trying to convert others but rather done because we are converted. The Savior invited his apostles at the end of his life to share the gospel with others saying, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Elder Bednar shared an experience that he had that illustrates why sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is such an integral part of being converted to Jesus.
“One evening Susan and I stood near a window in our home and watched two of our little boys playing outside. During the course of their adventures, the younger of the two boys was injured slightly in a small accident. We quickly recognized that he was not seriously hurt, and we decided not to provide immediate assistance. We wanted to observe and see if any of our family discussions about brotherly kindness had sunk in. What happened next was both interesting and instructive.
The older brother consoled and carefully helped the younger brother back into the house. Susan and I had positioned ourselves near the kitchen so we could see what next took place, and we were prepared to intervene immediately if additional bodily harm seemed likely or a serious accident was imminent.
The older brother dragged a chair to the kitchen sink. He climbed up on the chair, assisted his brother onto the chair, turned on the water, and proceeded to pour a large quantity of dishwashing soap onto the scratched arm of his little brother. He did his best to gently wash away the dirt. The reaction of the little brother to this procedure can only be described accurately using language from the holy scriptures: “And they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth” (Mosiah 16:2). And did that little boy howl!
After the scrubbing was finished, the arm was carefully dried with a towel. Eventually the screaming stopped. The older brother next climbed up onto the kitchen counter, opened a cabinet, and found a new tube of medicated ointment. Though the scratches on his little brother were not large or extensive, the older brother applied almost all of the ointment in the tube to the entire injured arm. The screaming did not resume, as the little brother clearly liked the soothing effect of the ointment much more than he appreciated the cleansing effect of the dishwashing soap.
The older brother returned again to the cabinet in which he had found the ointment and located a new box of sterile bandages. He then unwrapped and put bandages all up and down his brother’s arm—from the wrist to the elbow. With the emergency resolved, and with soap bubbles, ointment, and wrappers all over the kitchen, the two little boys hopped down from the chair with bright smiles and happy faces.
What happened next is most important. The injured brother gathered up the remaining bandages and the almost empty tube of ointment, and he went back outside. He quickly sought out his friends and began to put ointment and bandages on their arms. Susan and I both were struck by the sincerity, enthusiasm, and rapidity of his response.”
This story serves as a good analogy, I believe, for the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The soothing medication is like the Gospel and the sharing of the medication with others is like the missionary work that goes on throughout the world. I know for me, it can be overwhelming and shocking to have someone come up to me suggesting I try something new to fix a problem I might have. I believe it is probably the same way when talking with others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I think I saw this particularly in Germany as a young man. I served for a period of 2 years trying to tell people about the joy I had felt from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many times people were not interested, and I believe this was in part due to their past experiences in their country. They had heard of the wonderful things that were supposed to be happening under a previous governmental regime only to have the reality of those wonderful things come crashing down after the war. I believe this happens with others as well. Sometimes, something that can sound too good to be true turns out to be just that. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ has turned out to be as good as advertised for me.
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