‘ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. ‘ Matthew 7:6
Christians have the most important message to give to this sinful world.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ‘ John 3:16
Why is it that it is this message meets so much resistance? Our family, friends, and co-workers dismiss us as crazy “Bible Thumpers.”
The scary thing about this is that a lot of people will not make it to heaven because they think they are “ok.” But make no mistake, there will be no one in hell who hasn’t chosen to be there.
People don’t want to see themselves as sinners. I mean, how can you look at a baby and say that they are a sinner? We are all sinners in need of a Savior. When God allows this change of heart to happen to His chosen, the heart is changed immediately and forever.
‘ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ‘ Matthew 7:7-8
When examining the lives of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, you will find that they brought their message to people seeking answers. And they also called out the people who were supposed to be filling that need for others.
Here are a couple of examples of people who were looking for answers:
‘Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. ‘ Luke 19:1-6
Zacchaeus must have heard Jesus was coming, and he wanted to see Jesus, so he climbed a tree to see Jesus. And Jesus saw him and saved Zacchaeus that very day.
‘Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.’ Mark 10:46-52
Bartimaeus was blind, and he heard Jesus was coming, and he started calling for Jesus. The people around him told him to pipe down, but he kept calling, and Jesus heard him and called him forward. From that day forward, Bartimaeus was saved.
‘So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” ‘ Mark 5:24-34
This lady “suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”
Like the previous two examples, she heard about Jesus and knew that He was the answer with faith that knowing that just by touching His clothes that she would be healed.
‘On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. ‘ Acts 16:13-15
Paul would go to areas where he felt people would seek spiritual answers. He would go to the Synagogues, and in this example, Paul went “outside the city gate to the river, where he expected to find a place of prayer.”
As he presented his message, Lydia, who was “a worshiper of God,” heard Paul’s message, and the Lord “opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
If we look at these examples, we have:
- Someone is seeking an answer to the problems in their lives or difficult circumstances due to their sinful lives.
- Someone is willingly delivering the Gospel through the Word of God.
And when these two things intersect, we have a life changed by the hand of God.
So why do some of those closest to us not respond to our life-saving message for them?
Here are a few ideas:
- They are not seeking God. This would apply to those who have lived their lives successfully based on the definition of success defined by this world’s standards. They have a job that pays their bills and supports their family through their work. They have been self-sufficient. They haven’t needed much help to get what they wanted. It’s hard to reach people who have it all figured out.
- Your life does not line up with what you say you believe. No one will respond when we espouse a message not reflected in our lives. When we live out faithfully what we believe, God will make it evident in our lives to those around us, and He will use that to affect the hearts of those He has chosen.
Being human, we sometimes struggle when we don’t see things happening in the lives of those who we are close with.
A personal example for me is my wife, Tracy. When the Lord changed my heart, I went to church weekly, but she was not. There were times when I would leave the house to go to church after asking her to go, but she declined, and I would be upset. And I would think if only she knew what she was missing.
The Lord softened my heart, and I just started praying that she would join me in church. After going for a few more weeks by myself, she asked me what time I would be going to church, and that week she started coming with me.
The Lord helped me understand that He wanted her to worship Him willingly, not simply because I wanted her to go.
“A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.” When we try to force someone to do something even if it is the best thing for them, but they disagree, they may submit to our will to appease us, but when we let off the pressure, they will return to their original position.
But a heart changed by God’s Hand will never return to its original position.
Paul wrote this to Timothy about dealing with opposing views:
‘And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.’ 2 Timothy 2:24-26
The keywords are: “in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.”
So what do we do with all of this?
We pray. We ask God to intervene. Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the doorbell be opened.”
Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually.”
Persistence is important to God.
‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ‘ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“But, John, this person always gives me a hard, but I know if I can just get them to see it, their lives will change forever.”
We must exercise discernment; there will be those we can not get to, period.
If this person has no interest in changing the way they see it for any reason, our time is best spent discussing our faith with someone willing to listen to our message of life and hope.
Here is what Jesus says about those who will not listen:
‘If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ‘ Matthew 10:14
Heavenly Father, thank You for your forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
I thank You for Your love and the sacrifice that You made on my behalf through Jesus.
I pray that Your Word continues to affect my life and that my thoughts, actions, and attitude glorify You.
Thank You for those who You have put in my life. Help me to see them the way You do. I pray that You soften my heart and make me sensitive to Your Spirit.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray in His Holy Name, Amen!! 🙏❤️
