In Benson Hines’ guest post last week he touched on a point that I wanted to expand on. He shared about the importance of discussing the whys, not just the whats. Very often we talk about the significance of doing something or making a big change, but we don’t always communicate why it’s so important.
While Benson discussed this in light of providing a Biblical basis, I think this can apply to several different areas. We can look at it in terms of experiencing freedom from sin, evangelizing, casting vision, preaching messages, etc. You see if we communicate what students should do without ever telling them why they should do it we’ve only taken them halfway there. Because we’ve only taken them halfway they are less likely to buy in.
Think of it in terms of buying a new product. If you’re like me you need some convincing before you buy something new or change products. When the iPhone came out I immediately thought it looked cool, but I resolved not to buy it until I knew why it made sense for me to get it. When I started working for BASIC (two years after the first iPhone was announced) and began traveling a lot more it finally made sense to purchase something as useful as the iPhone.
When we take the time to discuss the whys as we cast vision people are more likely to want to get involved. When we explain why we want to restructure our small groups or change the way we do worship in our meetings leaders are more apt to jump on board. When we talk about why God cares about issues like sex before marriage or getting drunk students begin to rethink their choices. Some students have beaten themselves up for years trying to follow all the “what we should do as Christians” rules instead of taking the time to learn why God asks that of us.
I agree with Benson when he says that just telling students the whats without the whys can border on legalism and often it drives students away. In the end, when we communicate the whys it will encourage students to embrace the whats.
In light of this discussion, I want to quickly close by talking about why you should come to the BASIC conference this weekend. If you haven’t signed up yet it’s not too late. I attended the BASIC conference every semester during college (8 in all) and every time I left changed. I would go discouraged and leave encouraged. I would go struggling with sin and leave experiencing freedom. I would go with questions about life direction and leave with answers.
So, why go? When you dedicate a weekend to God I promise He will speak and I believe your life will be transformed. Online registration has closed, but you can still call the BASIC office to register and you can always sign up at the door throughout the weekend. Don’t miss out on a chance to hear God’s voice this weekend.
Also, with the conference this weekend I will be taking a break from the blog next week. I look forward to seeing you all this weekend!