Stickman Theology

For a Bible believer, the most loving thing he or she can do for another person is to share the good news of Jesus – His death, burial, and resurrection, and the victory that is ours in Christ for those who respond in faith to Christ.

For a Bible believer, the most unloving thing that he or she can do is to say or do nothing to convince someone else of the need for a Savior.

I know not everyone wants to hear the truth about Jesus. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Paul writes:

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

In many ways, that day is here—that time has come. Many do not want to be challenged with a truth that might force a change in their lives. Many want to gather around folks who will tell them that any choice is OK and any direction is fine. Though that might be what people want to hear, can you see how unhelpful, even unloving, it is to allow untruths to go unchallenged?

This past Sunday, I ended my message with an illustration. The illustration had three components. Let me see if I can communicate in words what I tried to communicate visually to those listening.

The first part of the illustration had a stickman riding his bike off a cliff and into a big chasm. As the stickman reaches the edge of the cliff he topples head over heels as he goes crashing into the chasm.

As depressing as that stick figure cartoon was, the next part of the illustration was even more depressing. This time the stick man is riding his bike toward the same cliff, but another stickman is standing at the edge of the cliff. But, the observing stickman does nothing to warn the bike riding stickman that a cliff lies ahead. The stickman bike rider again topples head over heels flying off his bike and crashing into the chasm.

The last part of the illustration had the stick man riding the bike toward the chasm, but this time the other observing stickman is jumping and waving his arms to warn the bike rider of the danger that lies ahead. We don’t know if the bike rider stops or continues on, but at least he has been warned.

For those who are Christians, too often we sit idly by while those around us who do not know Jesus race toward a cliff. Can you sense how unloving that is to not try to warn them?

As Christians, we must try to warn them. Some will listen. Others will not. But, the loving thing to do is to warn them. It is unloving to stand by and do nothing.