Rejection Is a Blessing
The fear of rejection is a serious impediment to most faith sharers. At the very least, fear leads to timidity and often stops Christians from sharing their faith altogether. The old adages of “you shouldn’t talk about politics and religion,” “to each his own,” “different strokes for different folks,” and “you have no right to impose your thoughts on other people” are inherent in our culture but contrary to scripture. People are lost, but how are they going to know unless someone tells them? Unless you tell them?
The image of the bearded man with a sign saying “The End is Near” or “Jesus Saves” comes to mind real fast. Indeed, it’s possible to have a heart for the lost and yet, with the best of intentions, push people away from God. While the message of the Gospel is sacred and we dare not change it, our methods for reaching the lost may vary widely depending on those we’re trying to reach. This is where the leading of the Holy Spirit becomes extremely intimate.
God’s already working with everyone with whom we come in contact. And every time we have a spiritual conversation, we’re entering into a sacred relationship, already in process, as a third-party endorser. That adds an entirely new dimension to every faith sharing experience.
Jesus told us in John 13:35 that they’ll know you’re His disciples by your love. As a church, we’ve become quite proficient at telling people they’re going to Hell while failing miserably at telling people how much God loves them. That message stops most people in their tracks. Most people feel they’re separated from God’s love or that God couldn’t love them after all the things they’ve done.
It’s often fun to watch the response after telling someone God loves them, followed by saying God loves them as much as He’s ever loved anyone, followed by saying God loves them as much as He loves His Own Son, Jesus Christ. Most people are not offended by the message of God’s love and His desire for them to spend Eternity with Him in Heaven.
Nevertheless, rejection and ridicule are always a possibility for those actively sharing their faith. It boils down to whether you fear God or fear man. Are you more afraid of offending God or offending man? Putting it in that perspective, there’s no contest. Matthew 10:33 tells us whoever denies Me before man, I will also deny before My Father in Heaven. Moving everyone, every day, closer to Jesus is your guarantee that God will never deny you before His Father.
There is, however, an additional silver lining. There’s a special blessing for those who suffer rejection. During His Sermon on the Mount, captured in Mathew 5, Jesus said that blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My Sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in Heaven…
