The Hardest People to Reach for Christ

The hardest people to reach for Christ are those who are proud of their knowledge and their own idea of their spirituality. Those who have elevated themselves above others believing they are going to heaven because they think of themselves as good by their own merit. These people negate the word of God while ignoring the things they do not like in that Word, they are not born again, they will fight and argue to defend their sin and the sins of others. These hypocrites make rules God never made thinking it is spirituality while intimidating others to follow their rules and traditions.

Matthew 23:4-6 "…4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

Matthew 23:15-16 "… 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. 16 Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’…"

When you find someone in the church who acts as though they hate you but will not speak to you about their grievance, you are probably obeying God and it offends these hypocrites. Any correction at all is seen as a personal attack without being ashamed of themselves enough to change or even pray about the challenge to greater holiness.

I am thankful to God that He shows us what the world is becoming and what should be our response to it all. We are less impacted emotionally when we know where it is coming from and that is really has nothing to do with us, but their hatred toward God Whom we love.

John 15:17-19 "17 This is My command to you: Love one another. 18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. 19 If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."

Praise God for the authentic born again believers who support and love one another. Hallelujah!!!!!

Why The World Hates Christians by David Wilkerson

Brothers and Sisters this is a wonderful encouragement for those who have experienced rejection because of your love for Christ. 

Bludgeoning is a Tool of the Devil

We do not bludgeon people emotionally to force them to come around to our way of thinking if we have love.

Love is kind and shows respect even to those we do not particularly like. It is not our responsibility to be mean to anyone to frighten them into compliance.

I Corinthians 13:4-6

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth."

When we love people we look beyond their sinful nature to their need for salvation. This causes us to warn them about their sin with the prayer and hope they will choose to repent to become born again.

When we warn others of their need for repentance and salvation we do it with a broken heart to help them never with a prideful superior heart that wants to harm them.

Galatians 6:13, "For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they want to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh."

Those who harm others so they can feel superior are not walking in love. These people want to boast that they turned you from sin, when in fact no person turns another one from sin, it is Christ Who does this in response to the desire of the sinner to be changed by Him.

We are the messengers to bring the gospel to those who are perishing, lost in their sin, and on their way to hell. We do this out of love that they might see the blessing of salvation that we found before we were saved. We never bring the message to bring converts to us, but out of love for Christ and for the sinner to become born again.

Prideful pretenders love to drone on and on about the people "they have saved" by converting them to their own way of thinking. I have news for them, no person saves another person. When we bring the gospel we are not concerned about changing a person's ways to fit with the Bible. We are concerned about the sinner choosing to trust Christ so that Christ is the One Who changes hearts. We get no credit whatever for someone else's salvation. We are merely messengers to help bring the good news.

Ephesians 2:10

"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "…8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not by works, so that no one can boast."

No one can boast that they saved another person nor can anyone boast that they saved themselves by their own good deeds.

John 13:34-35 "…34A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” "

The greatest sign that we love God is the love we show one another, especially those who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

1 John 3:14

"We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death."

There is no place for arrogance, superiority or class envy in any born again believer, if this is found there needs to be repentance.

1 John 4:20

"If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen."

2 John 1:5

"And now I urge you, dear lady--not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning--that we love one another."

Love includes humble but straight talk, sometimes rebuke, sometimes weeping with those who weep, other times a strong rebuke to the believer who is walking in pride. Love includes all the elements of help that will help a brother, sister, or even the unsaved to see their need for something.

Love includes encouragement to stay on the path, instruction in righteousness as well as discipline when someone is stubborn.

When we care about others we are more concerned with their spiritual well-being than we care whether or not they like us. God did not call us to "be liked" by people, He called us to love them so much we will take a chance on rejection to help them see their need.

Proverbs 29:27

"An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked."

Isaiah 66:5

"You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: "Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!' But they will be put to shame."

The question is; "Do we love the Lord more than we love anyone or anything else", if we do then the reaction to us when we speak of Christ is irrelevant, it is God's business not ours.

May those who read this be encouraged that we can become so strong that it does not matter if we lose everything and everyone to follow Christ.

John 14:21

"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him."