In the Parable of the Sower (click here to read), we touched on not being discoursed because Jesus Christ told us about four different types of people and how they each receive the Gospel. I wanted to go more in-depth on not being discouraged when sharing the word of God, telling people they need to repent and accept, trust, and live a life for Jesus Christ and God.
In Matthew 5: 11, Jesus Christ says, “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.”
When people are new to Evangelism, they think that they can go out and everyone will accept the Gospel, and it will be one big revival. Yet, Jesus Christ says that you will be reviled (criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.), persecution (subjected to hostility and ill-treatment) and that people will say all types of different lies (evil) about you for spreading His word. So, most of the time, it does not happen the way you think it should; this can discourage you and lead to you not wanting to share the Gospel. You may be asking yourself, why should I Evangelize? No one wants rumors spread about them or being yelled at or cussed out, but let us look at what Jesus Christ said.
Matthew 5:12 Jesus Christ says, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you.”
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Jesus Christ is talking about how Christians are here to preserve the world, but if we do not spread the Gospel, we have lost our saltiness, so what good are we as Christians to the world. This inaction will lead to a man’s word trampling over God’s word. To understand what Jesus Christ meant, you must realize that when bad salt gets tossed on the ground, it renders the land infertile, unusable, and unproductive. If you are not willing to share your faith with others and let them know how they to can be a part of God’s grace through Jesus Christ, and have everlasting life, then you have become an unusable, unproductive, infertile (not baring fruit) Christian in the eyes of God. I am not saying you have to hard-core evangelize, but if the people you work with or know do not know you are a Christian, that is a problem.
Jesus Christ goes on to tell us in Matthew 5:14-16 that, “14You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Jesus Christ is telling us that people must know we are Christians and that we need to evangelize or at least share our faith so people may see your good works (these works do not save, it is by grace through faith that we are saved (click here to read more on that topic)) and to give glory to God.
It is our duty to tell others about our faith (Read Evangelism: The Great Commission). Do not be discouraged by people or by not seeing the results; it is your job to plant the seed (word), not save the person. Do not get angry with those who are mean to you; pray for them as is stated in Luke 6:28 “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” As Jesus Christ says in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Remember, you are not battling flesh, but it is a spiritual battle, so not only should you not be discouraged but do not get angry at the person being vulgar to you.
(All verses are taken from NKJV)
Study done with the collaboration of Rory Russell
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