When Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth, He was not given a hero's welcome. Instead, He was met with contempt and rejection. Sadly, when we tell our friends, family members, and coworkers about the Gospel, we often encounter the same thing. Jesus warned His disciples about this when He sent them out in pairs to evangelize; not everyone would welcome them and their message.
Our job is not to worry about whether or not people will listen to our message about Jesus; we are only called to be faithful to the calling God has given us, and to share His words with those whom He puts in our path – even if we are called hateful bigots and are persecuted, like John the Baptist was.
John preached a message of repentance and it cost him his life. So where do we, as Christ's people, find comfort when we go out and tell others the same message? When we preach repentance from sin and salvation by Christ alone, it won't be popular. We must resolve to cling to Christ, no matter what. The Lord is the One Who brings fruit. When we evangelize, it's not our efforts that will make it succeed; it is all the work of the Holy Spirit.
Have faith and hope in Jesus Christ! If we know Him, we know that His work is effectual in our own hearts. Our job is to be faithful to the commission that He has given us, and to share the good news of the Gospel! |
