Imagine with me two men in an airplane flying 6,000 above the ground. All seems to be going well when, halfway through the flight, one man is approached by an attendant who offers him a parachute. She promises that wearing this parachute will dramatically enhance his flight. Though somewhat hesitant at first, not seeing how a parachute of this size could possibly “enhance one’s flight”,  he decides to give it a try after several minutes of persistent nagging by the woman.

A few hours pass and the man finds himself miserably uncomfortable. He looks around and sees dozens of other passengers who seem to be enjoying themselves quite nicely, yet none of them are wearing parachutes. What was supposed enhance his flight has done little more than remove his ability to sit upright and rub several terrible blisters on his shoulders. With a sore neck and aching back, he sees no reason to continue bearing this terrible burden and thus removes the parachute and tosses it to the floor.

Meanwhile, another flight attendant approached a man at the opposite end of the plane with an identical parachute as was offered to man #1. Rather than promising an enhanced flight, however, she informed the gentleman that, in just a few moments, he would be forced to jump from the plane and that wearing this parachute was his only hope of survival. No debating was necessary, for the man immediately recognized the impending danger and strapped himself to the parachute without a minute’s delay. He didn’t give a second thought to the weight he must carry while he waited to jump or the apparent happiness of  other passengers who were wearing no parachute; he rather thanked God for saving Him from a terrible death.

Think about this story. Man #1 represents every person who is told that becoming a Christian will “enhance their flight.” They are promised joy, peace, lasting happiness, and anything else they’ve been missing in life. Though somewhat hesitant at first, most decide to give Jesus a try and see what happens.

Not long afterward, however, they realize that serving Jesus doesn't always make you feel warm and cozy inside. They lose their friends at school, are ridiculed by those closest to them, and maybe even get put in jail. After a quick taste of the persecution promised to all who truly serve God (II Timothy 3:12), they want nothing to do with it and thus discard their faith in what they thought would give them a happier, more peaceful life (see Matthew 10:34).

Man #2, on the other hand, represents everyone who is confronted with the truth of the Gospel: man is a sinner in need of forgiveness, and God is a Savior willing to give it out. Instead of being led to salvation with the promise of joy and lasting happiness, they accept Christ fully aware of the wrath of God which will be revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Romans 1:18). They understand that Jesus Christ is the only way to avoid hell, and so any inconvenience they encounter is disregarded for the sheer joy of knowing they are saved.

We are doing a great disservice to both God and the world when we reduce Christianity to just another way of enhancing your life. We must confront people with the truth of sin, judgment, and hell if we hope for them to respond to the gospel is such a way that they will endure the tribulations of this life without losing the faith. Doing things the easy way might please more people, but it certainly won’t be pleasing God.