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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
How to evangelize who resist the gospel
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1Tonne
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Those who have seen my posts on these forums will know that I’m usually strong on sharing the Gospel as soon as possible.
However, in this instance, it sounds a bit like witnessing to a family member. You share the Gospel, and once it’s been rejected, you continue to bless them through kindness and goodness. If you keep pressing the message after rejection, it can come across like a dripping tap. But when they see your honourable conduct and genuine love for God, they may become curious and ask why, and that opens the door again for the Gospel.
In your case, since others have gone before you and been rejected, your role may now be to show kindness and integrity, in the hope that they’ll see something different in you. But do let them know initially that you are a believer.
That said, I would also reflect on whether your time might be more fruitful elsewhere. Sometimes investing in hearts that are firmly closed can consume valuable time. Life is short, a vapour, and we’re called to make the best use of it for God’s glory.
Still, good on you for your courage. In many Western nations where it’s easy to speak of Christ, most believers remain silent. They assume everyone has already heard the Gospel, so they focus only on doing good deeds. Yet people may have heard of the Gospel, but they still think they’re good enough to reach heaven on their own. We must lovingly show them that all have fallen short of God’s standard and need a Saviour.
And for you, dear brother, as God opens doors, remind these people that they’ve sinned against a holy and righteous God, and that one day they’ll stand before Him. Only then may they see their need to receive Christ.
However, in this instance, it sounds a bit like witnessing to a family member. You share the Gospel, and once it’s been rejected, you continue to bless them through kindness and goodness. If you keep pressing the message after rejection, it can come across like a dripping tap. But when they see your honourable conduct and genuine love for God, they may become curious and ask why, and that opens the door again for the Gospel.
In your case, since others have gone before you and been rejected, your role may now be to show kindness and integrity, in the hope that they’ll see something different in you. But do let them know initially that you are a believer.
That said, I would also reflect on whether your time might be more fruitful elsewhere. Sometimes investing in hearts that are firmly closed can consume valuable time. Life is short, a vapour, and we’re called to make the best use of it for God’s glory.
Still, good on you for your courage. In many Western nations where it’s easy to speak of Christ, most believers remain silent. They assume everyone has already heard the Gospel, so they focus only on doing good deeds. Yet people may have heard of the Gospel, but they still think they’re good enough to reach heaven on their own. We must lovingly show them that all have fallen short of God’s standard and need a Saviour.
And for you, dear brother, as God opens doors, remind these people that they’ve sinned against a holy and righteous God, and that one day they’ll stand before Him. Only then may they see their need to receive Christ.
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JosephZ
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Many Christian missionaries that come from the first world have a reputation of insulting the religion, faith, culture, and ways of life of non-Christians living in the developing world. This is one reason many people groups dislike Christians. In the villages we work in, missionaries have been known to mock the people's cultural practices, call their god a product of satan or a moon god, and tell them they have to give up their traditions in order to be saved. I have personally witnessed this, and worse.
Before any Christian goes into a village that is foreign to them to evangelize, they need to first take at least a year to study the religious beliefs, language, and culture of the people. They also need to spend time in the village and immerse themselves in the culture and participate in the daily lives of the people for a while before sharing the Gospel. Chances are the people that are going to be evangelized have already heard the gospel at least once, so a missionary who takes the time that is necessary to form a meaningful relationship with them shows that they truly love them and care about them. Going into a village and sharing Christ's love through action will go a lot farther in leading people towards Christ than rushing into a village spouting out a bunch of scripture and pointing out the people's errors without knowing much, if anything, about them and their culture beforehand.
I've shared the following on this forum in the past, but I think it is relevant to this thread.
Sharing the gospel is about planting, watering, and faith. When it comes to us sharing the Gospel, our job is to plant and water seeds. It's God who makes things grow.
"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building." (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
It's the Holy Spirit that's doing the work of reaching the unbeliever, not us. We are simply the ones who share the gospel. In many cases the results may seem disappointing, but we should not be discouraged. God has not called us to convert people but to share the gospel. No one expects a seed to produce a harvest the same day that seed is planted, so in the same way, we should not expect to see immediate fruit from our evangelizing.
We can only do our part, which is to share the gospel and love the people as Christ loves us. We have no idea what God is doing in the lives of all the people we encounter and/or share the gospel with, and we may never know. Someone we share the gospel with today may or may not come to Christ, but they may share what we have told them about Jesus with someone else in the future, at which time the Holy Spirit convicts that person; a person we have never encountered or may never meet.
In addition to sharing the gospel, we need to also remember as personal witnesses to Jesus Christ and the gospel, living our lives in a Christlike manner and treating others with a Christ-like attitude is of utmost importance. The simple acts of showing kindness, love, and compassion towards those who are lost may be all it takes to eventually lead them to the Truth. Living by example is at the foundation and perhaps one of the most crucial components of our personal witness to Christ to others. Most everyone in the unbelieving world has heard about Jesus, some many times over, but they may not have seen Him in action even once.
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- Aug 22, 2018
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Thank you for this valuable comment.
I want to share more details that how they are reacting to Christians. It is not directly rejecting us but they indirectly act on us. I am a missionary pastor, I used to move here and there in a rental before. But the place where I stayed the past was OKAY, and there is hinderances to share about Christ. They attentively listened to us, or even attend our home church.
Our country is in miliatry coup since 2021. The situation is intense and words can't express our suffers. This effect to my small ministry, and family. The miliatry has imposed a law that serve all males to serve, but this was to sent out to war. While our formal rental area was effected badly, we relocated this a new place urgently early this year. In short, as a missionary pastor I always look out a place to settle where I can share about the Gospel. When I obeserved this village, they look simple and polite to me or to us. So I did Christmas outreach to the village on December 2024. (If you would like to see, Christmas Outreach 2024 ). I provided them meal after service, there are about 2,00 people come to listen us. I informed the village authority about Christmas program. I told some of my friends, missionaries, who helped me for the service that if they even said to accept Christ, we have to look at their situation.
When one of the missionaries among us, a lady, danced with Christmas song and invited them that if they wanted to accept Christ, some said YES YES YES. I belived they are good, and as our situation of military pressure increased, we shifted to this village with building a bamboo home, with my family and my orphan kids.
There, we see their true colors that they are not willing to accept. They do not like Christians, they has a history of conflict between missionaries who once lived with them, and chased them away.
There are many drunkards, uncivil, acting of something weird. At the first night of our location, we have been in trouble, so one drunkard man disturbbed us at late night. Then they observed us about our situation, so when they see us that we have home service on Sunday. They reported us to military, and after 2 days at mid night the military armies came to home, surrounded our home with guns. The Lord protected us.
I am telling this because to explain how the situation has hindered me to tell Christ. So that if you have some kind of experience or a way to share, you may pray for us or advice me.
Thank you, brother.
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- Aug 22, 2018
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Yes, Thank you. It is something that they are too rooted to their religion, and they do not want to accept Christ or hear about us.Finding out why they don't like Christians might be a place to start. God Bless You
They are Buddhist, and the monastery is in the village. The head of monk preached on a mic with loud on a very bid box one day that Christian people will tell you their religion, but do not listen to them. The village worshipped the monk as god. So they listened to whatever the monk said.
They think that our preaching about Christ is persuading them to Christianity and changing their religion. Persuasion is a kind of criminal in the country law.
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- Aug 22, 2018
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Hi Brother, Thank you.
I checked your wall, and I knew you write through the context of Asia. Yes, our culture and context is similar to what you said.
First of all, I see you are living at Philippians, the Fung Wong Typphoon is badly hitting right now? Are you safe? Our prayer is to the safety of people there.
To get back to the topic, I totally agree to what you said. Sharing the gospel to the first take or the first hearers are the best to share about Christ. While I was in Bible school back to many years ago, as practical class for requirements we used to share about Christ every Saturday. When we asked them "If they ever heard about Jesus?" They replied, "We never heard the person name, Jesus, if a thing or person or male or female?". Sharing about Christ to these people, challenge about life, witnessing, showing kindness is the great achievement we ever had sometimes. They willingly wanted to hear us. They expect the next visit.
Sometimes when we were sent to the wolves as a sheep, we have to be be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16). But sometimes the past missionaries did the wrong witnessing like they did as they wished and left with a bad reputation. Buddhist believers had idols or kind of worshipping at home. A missionary the past rented their home, and throwed their gods, as they considered their sacred god, at the street to bin. When they found out, they had some problems then chased him out of the village. A second time, a lady came to the village some years later. She act wisely, and taught their kids as preshool students, showed them kindness. Later, as she was also in a rent, she has some problem with the landlord, then had a mean to leave.
This village is another way that they don't like Christian that they did every kind of indirect way. Giving something with showing kindness is also considered that we persuaded them to become Christian. This is the biggest mistake that they did the past.
When I situated this village, they considered me as I would do the same. But to this day, I never give anyone but I tried to involved with community work like we are poor village, I helped them repaired the road, or help need of school tables or some other works. They acted weird before but when I slowly did some community works, they talked me or greet me.
As our country is in a bad situation, if they report in a bad way about me to destroy me, then military easily come to arrest or torture me. This is happening everywhere. So I am very carefully to take any step further. As far as the situation concerns, I need to show some kindness, like involving some help for the community, not to individual but a whole so that they knew our care, love and act of Christ. This required physical needs, but challenging my condition. I knew the Lord would do some transformation one day.
I would like to ask to pray for us. God bless you.
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