Why Someone You Love Rejects The Gospel (And What You Can Do About It) | Season 04, Episode 10 | Simple Truth Podcast

Have you ever worried about someone that you love because they won't believe the gospel of Jesus Christ? Maybe it's a husband or a wife. Maybe it's your son or daughter. Maybe it's a parent, a close friend or someone you have prayed for again and again. You know they need Jesus. You know the gospel has done great things in your life, but they keep resisting. And sometimes it leaves you discouraged, confused, and maybe even wondering, "Am I doing something wrong?" This is something that I've experienced and many Christians have experienced at some points in their life. In this episode, we're going to see what the Bible says about this burden. Why do people reject the gospel? Can God still reach someone whose heart seems so closed? And what should you do when someone you love keeps rejecting Christ? Most people don't realize that the Bible gives us a clear answer on this. It shows us that rejecting Jesus is not an intellectual problem. It's a spiritual problem. Scripture also shows us that God can open blind eyes, soften hard hearts, and shine his light where we cannot. By the end of this episode, you'll have a simple biblical framework for how to pray for the person you love, how to be a faithful witness, how to share the gospel with them, and how to trust God with the results. You cannot change their heart, but God can. So, let's get into it in this final episode of season 4 of The Simple Truth. Welcome to the Simple Truth Podcast, where we open the Bible to uncover simple, biblical, and essential truths that can transform your life. And now, here's your host, Ted Ross. Hi, my name is Ted Ross, and this is the Simple Truth Podcast, your home for biblical truth clearly taught and freely given. Welcome to season 4, episode 10, the final episode in season 4 on the gospel of the kingdom. And we tackle a really difficult and touchy topic. Why would someone you love reject the gospel? And what could you do about it? So, let's get into this important episode. Why does this matter? Today, we're going to tackle a problem that every Christian has experienced. You love someone, you want them to know Jesus, but they keep rejecting the gospel of the kingdom of God. It could be painful and even scary to watch. You want them to know the joy, the peace, the security that comes from a close relationship with God, but you just don't know how to reach them. So, we're going to answer three important questions. First, why do they reject the gospel? Second, can God still reach them? And third, what should you do about it? So, let's see what the Bible says about our first question. Question number one, why do they reject the gospel? Which brings us to simple truth number 74. People reject the gospel because they're spiritually blind. Okay, here we're going to go to 2 Corinthians 4 verses 3 and 4, where we're going to see in the Bible that when your loved one rejects the gospel, the problem is usually not the message itself, but a spiritual blindness in them as they hear it. All Bible verses, by the way, are coming from the New King James Version. So feel free to follow along. 2 Corinthians 4:3, quote, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." Okay, it says, "But if our gospel, remember Paul describes the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1-4 as the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ." In Romans chapter 1, he says that the gospel is the power of God to salvation. Right? It says even if our gospel, this death, burial, and resurrection, this message that carries God's power with it, if it's veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. To be veiled means it's covered. So if this message, if this gospel message is covered, it's hid. If it's concealed from view, it is to those who are perishing, it says whose minds, the mind is your thoughts, your mental activity, your perception, whose minds the god of this age, that's Satan, right? He's a spiritual authority who's influencing our fallen world system, right? He operates in the world. And he tries to use his influence, his deception, his trickery to influence to blind unbelievers. So it says that it's veiled, it's concealed, it's covered, it's hidden from view, and it's done so through their minds, through their thoughts, through their mental activity, and it's being done by the God of this age. And it's done to those who do not believe. Verse four says, unless the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Have you ever talked about Jesus with someone and wondered if you've explained it well enough? Well, I think it's important for you to understand that, you know, you could certainly we could also learn more and understand more about God and about having a greater revelation, but quite often it wasn't about how well you explained it because you can explain it perfectly and yet the devil will try to work to veil their mind. That's what we see here in this verse. They hear the words, but they cannot perceive the gospel's meaning. So quite often when we have a loved one, we could even talk to them about Jesus. We can even wonder if we explained it quite right. And they have heard the words, but they won't quite perceive the gospel's meaning. Let's take a look at Matthew 13 verses 13- 15. And here we're going to see that Jesus explains why he spoke in parables. Many people were hearing Jesus's words, but were unwilling to understand their true meaning. Wow. Matthew 13:3, quote, "Therefore, I speak to them in parables." Jesus is talking because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled which says hearing you will hear and shall not understand and seeing you will see and not perceive. It says therefore I speak to them in parables. Jesus said because seeing right seeing to look at to observe they look at they observe but they don't see. they hearing, right? They do not hear. So, they're listening to or they're trying to hear a message, but they do not hear, nor do they understand. They don't comprehend or grasp the meaning. And it says, "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, "Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and will not perceive." Do you ever feel like the person you're talking to, let's say your loved one, they hear the gospel, but it still doesn't reach their heart? The words are being spoken, the sight is there, the hearing is working, their physical body can hear, their physical eye can see, and yet in seeing, they still don't see it. And in hearing, they still don't hear it. And they don't understand it. They don't grasp the meaning or the importance of it in their life. Hearing the gospel is not enough. They must perceive it and they must receive it. That's what we're seeing in scripture. Let's take a look at verse 15. Matthew 13:15. Your loved one may reject the gospel because the heart is resistant. Matthew 13:15, quote, "For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. Jesus is continuing the quote from the book of Isaiah. It says, "For the hearts of this people have grown dull." What is the heart? We've discussed it many times in this podcast. It's your inner self. It's your soul and your spirit. So, a person's made of a spirit, a soul, and a body. It's what's inside of you. It's your inner self. It says that the hearts of those people have grown dull. To grow dull means it's become insensitive. It's become unresponsive. That means something really important could come your way and you're doing nothing about it. Their ears are hard of hearing and their eyes they have closed. Lest it's an important word. Unless they should actually see with their eyes and actually hear with their ears. Unless they should actually understand. to understand. There's that word again, comprehend, grasp the meaning. Wow. With their heart to then turn. Because if they could grasp what's being spoken to them, if they could see and grasp what they're seeing, if they could hear and grasp what they're hearing, and then they could understand. And when they understand, they'll comprehend it. They'll grasp its importance. And when they do, they will turn. In other words, they will repent. And then what will happen when they repent? They repent and they believe what they heard. And then God heals them. Full restoration, right? They'll turn, they'll turn back, they'll change direction, they'll repent, and when they heal, they'll be restored. They will be made whole. That is a powerful word. Praise God. Does it seem like when you talk to that loved one that they're not just confused, but they're resistant to it? The gospel, it must reach more than their ears. It must reach right into their heart. Let's take a look at John 3 verses 19 and 20. Here we're going to see that the greatest obstacle to faith. It's not always ignorance. It's not that they don't have enough information or they haven't heard something. It's often a heart that prefers darkness over life. This is what Jesus was talking about. A heart that prefers darkness over light. John 3:19. And this is the condemnation. This is Jesus talking that the light has come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Verse 20, for everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed. Very strong words from Jesus there. So to say and this is the condemnation, right? This is the judgment that the light, the illumination, the truth, the divine revelation, it has come into the world, right? And men loved darkness. That means they preferred, they chose, they were devoted to darkness, right? Spiritual darkness, sin, separation from God. They loved, they preferred, they were devoted to that rather than the light, rather than the illumination, rather than the truth, rather than the divine revelation. That's a tough word, isn't it? And it says, "Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed." Have you ever wondered why someone resists the truth when that truth could set them free? They may even see that truth setting others free. Maybe you have a brother or a sister in your family, or maybe you have a a husband or a wife, and they're seeing the effects of the truth in other people, but still, for some reason, they're resisting it. Some people reject the gospel of the kingdom because that light exposes something that they don't want to surrender. There's something inside of them that they prefer. As we see here, Jesus said, "These people loved darkness." They preferred, they chose, they were devoted to that spiritual darkness, that sin, that falling short, that separation from God. Some people prefer it and will reject God's word, will reject having a relationship with God because this light is exposing something that they don't want to surrender yet. If blindness is spiritual and a heart can resist the light, then what can be done? That brings us to question number two. Can God reach them anyway? If the loved one that we're describing in your life fits the category of the scriptures that we were just looking at, well, can God reach them anyway? Yes, he can. Simple truth number 75. God can open people's eyes to receive the gospel. Let's go to John 6:44. Here we're going to see the good news. We're going to see that your loved one can't come to Jesus through their own efforts alone. The father will draw them. John 6:44, quote, "No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day." This is Jesus talking, right? He says, "No one can come to me, no one can approach, no one can move toward me unless the father draws him." Right? The father draws, the father pulls, the father attracts, the father brings them toward oneself. That's how people come to know God. That's how people become born again. That's how people receive Jesus Christ. We're all born into sin. We all have a hardness in our heart. We all find ourselves loving or being devoted to darkness in one way, shape, or form. Some people are devoted to darkness in the form of an addiction. Some people are devoted into darkness in their pride. Some people are devoted to darkness and they're lying or their thievery or whatever it may be. There is a long list of sins, folks, of why people would be devoted to something and prefer the darkness over the light. And yet God pulls, he attracts, he brings people toward himself. Praise God. And he says, "I will raise him up. I will resurrect. I will restore that person from death to life. And I will do that in the last day." Praise God. Have you ever felt helpless because no matter what you say to them, they still won't make good decisions and they still won't seem to come to Christ? Well, the same God who drew you, the same God who drew me, can draw them, too. Praise God. Acts 16:14, here we're going to see that salvation, it involves both the gospel being shared and God's work on the inside. Both of those things run in parallel. Quite often you might find that maybe you're sharing something but God hasn't done that work yet. And we're going to talk more about what you can do regarding these things. Let's take a look in the book of Acts. Let's take a look at a person named Lydia. Acts 16 verse14. Quote, "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us." This is Paul talking. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Right? So it says, "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple." A seller of purple, someone who sold fine clothing, clothing worn by wealthy people, right? From the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. That means here's a person who honored and devoted herself to God. It implies someone who was spiritually interested, right? someone who was seeking God at the time, who had yet to have a revelation of Jesus Christ, but someone who's committing to themselves to what they knew. And so this is the nature of this person, this loved one, so to speak, in this example of the verse. And it says, "The Lord opened her heart." That word opened means the Lord unlocked, the Lord enabled understanding of her heart. Again, there's that word. We're not talking about the flesh. We're not talking about the body. We're talking about her inner self. We're talking about her soul and her spirit. The Lord opened her heart, opened her inner self to heed. To heed is to pay attention, to give careful consideration to the things that were being spoken by Paul, to the message Paul was preaching to the gospel of the kingdom. Seeking God or not, we want the best for our loved one, don't we? Some of our loved ones, they may openly say, you know what, I'm agnostic. I'm I'm seeking after something, but I I don't necessarily know what it is, right? Maybe there's somebody who is partially religious, but you know, their heart isn't into it, right? Or they may be someone who's zealous, but who knows what direction their zeal is going in. Or they may be zealous in all the wrong things. Insert list here of all the things that, you know, aren't doing them any favors, but they find themselves chasing after those things. But we want the best for them, don't we? The good news is God can open hearts that seem completely closed. We see it with Lydia. We saw it with Saul of Tarsus. One great example of someone who was murdering Christians in the book of Acts to only get knocked off of his horse and for God to reveal himself to him and for him to repent and become Paul the Apostle. There's a long list in scriptures of people who were one way, who had a heart that was closed, who then came around, who God opened up their heart. The word was ministered, they repented, and they committed themselves to the gospel. And what's important about that, it's not that they have some kind of label. It's not important that I'm now labeled a Christian. I've now joined this church or that church. What's important is that by being a Christian, they're building this relationship with God. They are pursuing God. They're seeking God. They're coming to know God. And they're getting the benefits of believing the gospel. That's what matters. Not a label, a relationship. That's what matters. Second Corinthians 4:6. Here we're going to see that the same God that commanded light to shine out of darkness at creation, that same God shines spiritual light into darkened hearts for salvation. 2 Corinthians 4:6. quote, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." It says, "It is the God who commanded light." There's that word again, illumination, truth, divine revelation. He shined it out of darkness back in Genesis 1, back in creation. that darkness, it's an absence of light. In this case, for what we're describing, it's spiritual blindness. Right? So, darkness is not just this absence of light, but in this analogy, it is the opposite of that truth. It's the opposite of that divine revelation. It's the spiritual blindness that this god of this age is using to veil to cover over their minds as we saw earlier in this episode. And it says he has shone, this same God who called light out of darkness back in creation has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge, the light of the understanding, the recognition of the truth into our hearts, right? The light of the knowledge of this glory of this honor of God. And he did it in the face of Jesus Christ. He's doing that work in our hearts. Paul says to the Corinthian church, "Do you ever find yourselves feeling responsible for trying to convince your loved one to believe God? Do you ever find yourself saying that is your responsibility to try to get them, maybe even try to force them, so to speak, by hook or by crook, by any means necessary, to get them, to convince them to believe?" The reality is, and we see this throughout scripture, that only God could open blind eyes. So, put your hope in his power. Don't put your hope in your cleverness. Put your hope in his power. Put your hope not that you're taking on the responsibility and that you'll do whatever it takes. Yes, you will be available to pray and you'll be available to share the gospel with them, but put your hope in the power of God because he's the one who knows how to set aside the God of this age, who knows how to shine light into darkness, who knows how to put the knowledge of God, who knows how to put the understanding and the recognition of the truth in the heart of the person that you love. But how do we know God wants to save them? Right? Sometimes we may even ask that question. Well, maybe it's not God's will. Maybe God doesn't want them. Maybe they're just not one of the people, which is a terrible feeling to have to love so and so very much. They may be related to you. You may have raised that person, right? And then you may ask yourself the question, well, does God really want to save them? And the answer is yes. God does. Simple truth number 76. God wants all people to be saved. I'm going to say that one more time. God wants all people to be saved. Let's look at second Peter 3:9. Here we're going to see that God's desire is not to condemn people, but it's to give them time to repent and to be saved. That is actually why Jesus has not returned yet. Interesting. Second Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Wow. The Lord is not slack. That word slack means to be slow, to be late, to be delayed in action. The Lord is not late. The Lord has not been delayed as some count lateness or slackness or delay. But the Lord is long-suffering. That means God is patient. He's enduring. He's slow to anger. He's long-suffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish. To say that he's not willing means he doesn't desire it. He doesn't wish it. That any should perish. To perish means to be lost. To be ruined, to be separated from God. It is not God's desire or God's wish that any should be ruined. that any should be lost, that any should be separated from God, but that all should come to repentance, all should come to God, should understand and recognize and perceive the truth, and should turn away from their old life to believing, that means trusting and relying on, clinging on and believing the gospel of the kingdom of God, the death, their own resurrection, which transforms us. Have you ever wondered why God still hasn't brought everything to an end? why there's all sorts of crazy things going on in the world and yet Jesus still hasn't returned. Well, the answer is actually quite simple. It's stone here in second Peter 3:9. Jesus's return has been delayed to give people time to repent and to be saved. Praise God. Let's take a look at First Timothy chapter 2. We'll look at verse 1 and verses 3 and 4. Here we'll see that God is not looking for reasons to exclude anybody from salvation, but he wishes everyone to receive salvation. That's why we pray for people. First Timothy chapter 2 verse one, therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. Right? The four kinds of prayer. Supplication, prayer, intercession, and giving of thanks be made for all men. And a little later in this episode, we'll drill into that one a little bit more. Verse three, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Verse four, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. We're going to zero in on verse four here in this specific part of the episode. He says that God desires to desires to wish is to take pleasure in. God takes pleasure in that all. That's a powerful word that every that the whole without distinction. Doesn't matter about race or nation or origin or wherever you came from or wherever you're going or whatever you've done. He desires that all be saved. To be saved is to be rescued, to be delivered, to be kept from destruction and to come to the knowledge of the truth, to recognize the truth, to come to an understanding of reality, of what is genuine and what is authentic. Remember at the beginning of this episode, we talked about how the God of this age blinds the minds of people so they don't perceive, they don't recognize, they don't understand, and that the gospel seems veiled to them, seems hidden, seems concealed. Here we're going to see that God, his desire is that for everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth, to come to a knowledge of reality, what's genuine, what's authentic, so that nothing is concealed, so that nothing is hidden, and that they could fully understand regardless of what the God of this age tries to do to them. You're praying for your loved one to come to the knowledge of the truth. Right? That's what we're all asking for. That's what we want from God. We want that person that we love who's rejecting the gospel. We want them to come to a knowledge, to an understanding of what's real, what's genuine, what's authentic, what's God's will for their life. And how do they go ahead and pursue it? Prayer, it aligns our burden for them. We have a burden for them. We love them. We care passionately for them. Could be a co-worker, could be a colleague, could be a close friend, could be a parent, it could be all sorts, could be a neighbor. We have a burden for them. And prayer aligns that burden with God's desire to save them. And that's why we should pray. That's why in 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul exhorts them to do all four types of prayers for everybody because in verse four, he says God desires all of them to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. And prayer is a beginning important part of that. So let's take a moment. If God wants everyone to be saved and God can open blind eyes, that begs a very important question. Why doesn't God just force everyone to be saved and just take them to heaven, right? Why do we have to go through all this pressure and go through all this stress? Why can't God just force everybody to just become a Christian? It's good for everybody, right? Well, forced love isn't true love. And forced faith, it isn't real faith. God isn't going to force someone to love him because it's not really love, is it? And God isn't going to force people to believe him because that's not really faith, is it? God opens eyes, but he will never force hearts. He'll open their eyes to be able to perceive and see, but he needs them to perceive and receive. That's what's important. So, he'll open up your eyes and your heart, but he won't force you to accept it. Quite often, an expression that's used for this is free will. We have the will and the freedom to make a choice. And that's ultimately what we're talking about here. People's eyes can be opened, but they can still resist God's truth. And they often resist it through sin, right? They like the darkness, through pride. They refuse to submit to God or through unbelief that they trust themself over they trust God. And so quite often we find that sin, pride, and unbelief are obstacles to a person receiving the gospel. God gives all people a real opportunity to repent and to be saved. We know people, they may reject the gospel, but God can open blind eyes. So if God doesn't force people to believe, what does he expect from us? That leads us to question number three. What should I do now? What should I do now? I love this person. I understand their spiritual blindness. I love this person. I understand that God can open up blind eyes. And I need them not only to perceive God, but to also receive God. So, what should I do? Well, simple truth number 77. Christians should share the gospel with others. Let's go to Mark 16:1 15. Here we see that the gospel is too important to keep it to yourself. It's meant to be shared. Mark 16:15 quote, and this is Jesus. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Praise God. Go. Two letters, an important word. That means travel, depart, move with purpose. Go somewhere. Get out there. Jesus is saying, "Go into all the world." The world is humanity, the inhabited earth. So again, no one is excluded. Jesus didn't send them to go talk to those people over there or that one person over here and just limit it there. Go into all the world and preach. That's to proclaim. Preaching sometimes takes on a term. Sometimes, you know, certainly I'm familiar. will think, well, preaching, it's something that a pastor does up on a stage with a microphone, a choir behind them, whatever it may be. That's not what preaching is. Preaching is a simple term, simple concept. It's to proclaim, it's to announce, it's to publicly declare something. It's to share something with somebody. He says, "Go into all the world and preach, proclaim, share the gospel to every creature." The gospel is the good news, right? It's the death, and resurrection. It means that there is salvation. There is rescue and restoration through the death, the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whatever thing is hindering you, whatever problem you are having, God has solved it. He's solved it in the body of Jesus Christ. And when he rose from the dead, all power was given to him in heaven and in earth. And if you would believe and put your trust in him, it could be an issue with your body. It could be an issue in your soul. It could be something that you're wrestling with spiritually. Regardless of what those things are, there is a power of God to salvation in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And everyone who believes, remember we saw what Jesus was quoting in Isaiah. He says, "If they would, lest they would understand and then they would be healed. They would be restored, fully restored, fully made whole." Praise God. That is what stands on the other side for your loved one. That's what stands on the other side of actually perceiving and receiving the gospel. Thank God. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That's all creation. That's every person. Are you waiting until you know more before telling others about Jesus? I know that's a common trick. I know I've been tricked by that before. Yeah, I got to get ready. I got to get ready and then once I get ready, then I can go there and I can share what's happened in my life. No, you're never going to feel ready enough. You're never going to feel like you know enough because it's not about what you know. It's about experiencing something. And that moment that you became born again, you experienced something that you could share. You only need one thing to be a witness. You need to share what Christ has done in your life. And by the way, he's done many things in your life. I am sure of it. So feel free to share some of those things. Praise God. Let's take a look at Acts 1:8. The Holy Spirit actually empowers Christians not only to live for Jesus Christ, but to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Acts 1 verse 8. quote, "But you," this is Jesus talking to the disciples, "shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." Praise God. He says, "You shall receive, you shall take into possession, you shall acquire, you shall be given power." That's dunamis, ability, strength, the miraculous capability, right? when the Holy Spirit, when the sacred breath, when the Holy Wind of God has come upon you. If you'd like to learn more about receiving the Holy Spirit and being led by the Holy Spirit, check out season 2, episode two of the Simple Truth Podcast, where we drill into this in more detail. And it says, "And you shall be witnesses." A witness is someone who tells of their experience. A witness is someone who gives evidence. The evidence they give is their evidence. It's their testimony. So you'll be a witness. You will tell of your experience. You will give evidence of Jesus Christ. That's the meat that's being spoken of. You'll do it in Jerusalem. You'll do in Judea. You'll do it in Samaria. You'll do it to the end of all the earth. Regardless of where you live, you could live in the Arctic. And that's exactly the place where you could be a witness of Jesus Christ. Do you think being witness is only for pastors and preachers? That's not the folks who are supposed to be witnesses. Jesus wasn't saying, "Well, I'm just talking to just some pastors, some preachers here. Everyone else doesn't have to be a witness. You when you receive the Holy Spirit, you're receiving a witness of Jesus Christ. And that witness can go across the span of the earth. Every spirit-filled Christian, according to this verse, is empowered to testify about Jesus. We see it throughout the Bible. We're just zeroing in on just this one example. We're empowered to testify about Jesus. Praise God. Because your loved one, that's not they're not just looking for your words. Your loved one is going to have their eyes opened as God uses you in a number of ways to be able to minister and to be able to help open those blind eyes and to soften that hard heart. Praise God. Everyone is empowered to testify about Jesus. You don't have to have a credential. You don't have to have a license. You don't have to have gone to seminary. You just need to have experienced Jesus Christ. And if you're listening to this episode, I guarantee you have experienced Jesus Christ. Thank God. 2 Corinthians chapter 5:20. When you share the gospel, God is appealing to the person through you. God is actually appealing to your loved one through you. 2 Corinthians 5:20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf. Be reconciled to God. It's a very powerful verse. It says, "Now then we are ambassadors." This is Paul writing to the church at Corinth. To be ambassadors, we are a representative. We're an official messenger for Christ. That's the Messiah, the anointed one sent by God. You and I are actually representatives of him. We are official messengers. It says as though God were pleading through us. It says as though God were urging, appealing, earnestly calling to that person through us. Fascinating. That's what it means to be this ambassador, to be this representative. That means God is actually urging and appealing other people through us. And it says, "We implore you on Christ's behalf." To implore is to earnestly beg, to plead, to make an urgent appeal. This is energy, folks. This isn't just dropping a tract on somebody's desk. This is to earnestly beg, plead, or make an urgent appeal on Christ's behalf. And what is the appeal that's being made? Be reconciled to God. Restore your relationship with God. Remove the hostility between you and God because of sin. Believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent from your old life. Put your trust in God. submit yourself to his lordship. You will manifest a ton of benefits and you'll establish the relationship that you were always meant to have. You will be like Adam in the garden before the fall. You will have a relationship where you walk and talk with God and fulfill your purpose in the earth. That is what God is doing through you for your loved one. He is urging. He is using you as a representative. He's using you to beg, plead, to urgently appeal for that loved one, to restore their relationship with God, to remove the hostility, and to be saved. Is your loving appeal, maybe it's the way that God finally reaches their heart. Maybe when God uses you to do this this appeal, this urging, this begging, this pleading, maybe that's the way it gets through to this loved one's heart, maybe that's what God is setting you up for. God opens hearts, but he often sends us to deliver the invitation. So God does a work in people's hearts. God even sends others to that person, to that loved one, but he'll often send you and me to deliver the invitation itself. Praise God. So be spiritually perceptive. Be mindful of that. That may be exactly what's coming down the pipeline for you. So how do you help someone you love who has rejected the gospel? Well, four ways. Number one, pray for them. Number two, be a good witness. And we're going to drill into each one of these. Number three, share the gospel with them. And number four, trust God with the results. So, let's take a look at the Bible. Number one was pray for them. Pray for that loved one. We're going to go back to 1 Timothy 2 verses 1 3 and 4, but we're going to focus in on a different verse than we did before. So pray for them. 1 Timothy 2:1 quote, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." God desires all to be saved. Praying for them then becomes our top priority. If you want to learn more about prayer, check out simple truth podcast season 3 episode 7 where we drill into the details and talk practically about how to pray. So he says, I exhort, I urge that first of all, supplications. A supplication is a request. It's asking God for something. Secondly, prayers. Prayers is a generic word, a communion. It's talking to and listening to God. Number three, intercessions. It's specifically praying for others. It's standing between. So notice what Paul is saying here. That should be done for all people. That there should be specific requests for them. Maybe you're asking them for some kind of provision or specifically about their salvation. Or you're praying. That means you're talking to and listening to God regarding them. You're interceding. You're praying on their behalf. You're standing between them and God making intercession for them. and you're giving thanks to God for them. You're showing gratitude. You're showing thankfulness. You're giving God praise for them. Have you been worrying for them more than you've been praying for them? Ask yourself that question. God instructs, he does it here. He does it in other verses. He instructs for us to supplicate, to pray, to intercede, and to give thanks for our loved one. But if we find ourselves sitting around worrying about them, nowhere on this list is worry. Instead, it says, "Pray. Pray for them. Bring them before God because God wants them saved." God has already said he wants them saved. He says right here in verse four, he desires for everyone to be saved, to be rescued, to be set at safety, and to come to a knowledge, right? To come to an understanding or realization of reality. That's what he wants them for. and he's going to do it through prayer. So pray for them. Number two, be a good witness to this loved one. Let's look at Matthew chapter 5 verses 14- 16. Here we're going to see live out the gospel. Live it out the way that you want your loved one to believe in that gospel. Right? You're telling them to believe in something. Are you demonstrating that thing that they should believe in? Matthew 5:14, quote, this is Jesus talking. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor 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. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Praise God. You are the light of the world. You are the illumination. You're the truth. You're the divine revelation for the world. When you became born again, you became born from above. You became connected to God. You become illumination. And I understand that maybe when you're just a little bit converted, maybe you're a relatively small illumination. It's enough. It's more than enough. And then as you get converted, as you walk more with God, you become an even greater revelation, an even greater representative of the truth and illumination, but just a little bit is all that's needed. You are a light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. You do not take this inhabited city, put it on a hill, and then everyone ignores it. It's clearly visible to everybody. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket. You don't turn on a light and then hide it under something. You put on a lamp stand. You put on something where it can show to everybody who's in the house. So in verse 16, he says, "So let your light so shine. Let it radiate. Give light. Let it be visible before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. that everybody around you can honor, praise, give God glory to God for the good deeds, for the good actions, for the good works that you do. Why? Because you're submitting yourself to God. You're doing the five disciplines. You're praying. You're fasting. You're reading your word. You're meditating on God's word. You're seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit. And it results in good things. Good things in your life and good things in the lives of those around you. So Jesus says, "Let your light, let your illumination, let the divine revelation, the truth that's inside of you, let it shine, let it radiate, let it give light, let it be visible to everybody. And then people will thank God for you." And they'll thank God for what they're seeing in you because it's not you, it's God in you. Praise God. Does your life support the message you share? It should. If you're concerned about that loved one, one of the best places to start is for you to commit yourself to the gospel. to really commit yourself to believing God and then your life will become a message. Your very behavior will radiate and make visible the truth, the divine revelation, the illumination that is within you. People should see Christ in you before they hear about Christ. Praise God. Number three, share the gospel with them. Let's take a look at Colossians 4 verses 5 and 6. Here we're going to see that the gospel is not only about what you say, but it's also about how you say it. Colossians 4:5, quote, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Interesting. It says, "Walk in wisdom." To walk is to conduct yourself. Live live in wisdom. Wisdom is skill. It's ability to choose the right thing or to do something. That's what wisdom is. To walk in wisdom means live your life with skill to those who are outside. To non-Christians, to non-believers, in this case, your loved one. Do so redeeming the time, which means making the most of an opportunity. You're here on this earth for a finite time. Make the most out of it. Paul was saying to the church at Colossae, it says, "Let your speech always be with grace. Let it be with kindness. Let it be with God's unearned favor. Let it be with goodwill." That's how you should communicate with them. Communicate with kindness. Communicate with the favor that God gives people. Even though they don't deserve it, God is still favorable to them. Praise God. It says seasoned with salt. Salt. What does this mean in this situation? Well, salt is something that preserves. Salt is something that gives flavor. So let your speech be seasoned with salt. Let there be flavor. Let there be preservation in the words that you speak that you may know how to answer each one each one of those people who are on the outside. Each one of those people who are not believing God because you're redeeming or making the most of an opportunity. Have you been waiting for the perfect moment with your loved one? There are no perfect moments. I'll be really quite clear. Have you been waiting for that perfect moment? When the time comes, you'll have an opportunity. Speak graciously. Speak clearly. When God opens up the door, God is going to open up an opportunity. He's going to open up several opportunities. And when that kind comes, speak graciously and speak clearly because God has opened up a door. God is opening the heart. And don't be concerned if the first time it doesn't do what you're hoping for it to do. So, how do I share the gospel? We're instructed to preach the gospel. We're told how we should speak with people who are unbelieving, right? With grace seasoned with salt. But here are some practical steps on how to share the gospel. First, share it with love. Don't share it with pressure. Pressure is worldly. Pressure is is fleshly. When you pressure someone to do something, often they'll just relent. They'll submit just to get you off their back, but their heart never really changes. Remember what we saw earlier in the episode. It's not just about perceiving. That's perceiving and receiving. You want them to have a relationship with God. Them just going to church once a week and calling themselves a Christian doesn't make a relationship. You want a relationship. You want them to know God and to be known by God. Praise God. So, start with love. Don't start with pressure. Let them know you care about them. You're not here to try to win an argument. You were there to share with them something really important that's really changed your life and the life of those around you, and you want them to be a part of it. Number two, feel free to ask them a thoughtful question. Try something like, "Can I share with you why Jesus means so much to me?" Right? Let them give you permission. Again, you're not trying to force them into this situation. You want them to perceive it. You want them to understand it with their heart, and you want them to receive it. And when that happens, they walk in it, and they will prosper in it. Again, them just calling themselves a Christian and showing up at church once in a while. That's not ultimately what you're looking for, is it? Number three, explain the gospel simply. God loves us, but sin separates us. Jesus died and rose again to restore us, and we are called to repent and to believe. Share what Christ has done in you. The most powerful witness of all. In the book of Revelations, it says, "For they overcame the devil by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony." Praise God. Tell them how Jesus changed your life. Don't just tell them what you know about Jesus. You're not an encyclopedia. Honestly, an encyclopedia is not effective. They're not looking for you just to espouse a bunch of information, a bunch of knowledge. They've heard information before. They want to hear from you, your experience. They want to hear about your testimony. and they want to understand why you made the choices that you made and saw the effects that you saw. Number five, invite. Don't force. Invite. Again, it's their choice to be made. Give them room to think. Give them room to ask questions and respond honestly. You may not have answered all their questions, right? But sometimes you also respond honestly by saying, "You're just asking a bunch of questions. Seems like you're looking for an excuse." And they'll respect that. They know who you are. They know where you're at. So just be honest with them. Again, you don't have to have all the answers. Number six, trust God with their heart. You can speak faithfully, but only God can open their eyes. Remember, you can speak faithfully, you can be sincere, you can be honest, you could be patient, you could show grace, but only God can open up their eyes. Don't forget that. And number four, trust God with the results. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 6 and 7. You can share the gospel faithfully with them, but only God can change a heart. Quote, I planted, says Paul writing, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then, neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Paul planted, that means Paul sewed. He established something for growth. He's using the analogy of a plant. He spoke God's word. He preached the gospel and he sewed that seed of the gospel in the hearts of the people he was speaking to. And Apollos watered. To water is to nourish, to refresh, to help something grow. Apollos fostered that word, fostered that gospel, nourished it, reminded them of it, spoke with them, helped answer questions to try to help the gospel grow in those people's lives. But it is God who gave the increase. God gave the growth. It implies spiritual development in this context. It's God who developed the people that Paul planted information in and Apollos watered the gospel in. It says, "So neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but it's God, the one who gives the increase, God who gives the growth, God who does the spiritual development." We are responsible for faithfully praying, faithfully witnessing and sharing the gospel with our loved one. But we cannot force transformation to someone we love. We can't force that. They have a will. They have a decision to be made. Do you feel responsible for changing them? It's a tough feeling. I know. You feel like somehow you're the one who's going to make the difference or you're the one who can make it all happen. And maybe you feel responsible. Maybe you feel like you made the mistake. Maybe they are the way they are because of you. Your job is to be faithful to that person. It's God's job to transform that person. It says it throughout scripture. Don't take on this burden. Don't take on this responsibility. God didn't put it on you. It's your job to be faithful, to pray. It's your job to share the gospel, right? It's your go. It's your job to be a witness to them, but it's God's job to transform them. So, trust God with the results as you faithfully do what you know to do, but you're trusting God with what happens. So, what should I do now? Well, pray for the person you love. Ask God to open their eyes. Ask God to soften their heart. Pray with hope because you know God wants all people to be saved. Secondly, be a faithful witness. Let them see the gospel in your life. Live in a way that reflects Jesus Christ. Share the gospel with them. Look for opportunities to talk about Jesus. Tell them what Christ has done for you. Be patient. Be loving. Be respectful. And be clear. Be sincere. Be honest. Trust God to give you the right words at the right time. Trust God also with the results. You can plant, you can water, but only God could give the growth. be faithful to them and trust God to transform them. Thank you for listening to this episode. Next season, let's talk about what's to come. You've made it. This concludes season 4, the gospel of the kingdom of God. I've hope you have appreciated and have enjoyed it. And I thank you so much for watching, for learning, and for growing with us. But we're really just getting started. Join us for season 5 as we explore a question that every Christian should understand. What exactly is my spirit, my soul, and my body? Understanding how God created you can transform how you think, how you live, how you grow, how you pray, how you walk with Christ. So important that we moved this topic up in our season listing. So next season we're going to talk about the whole Christian, spirit, soul, and body. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Simple Truth Podcast. Today we saw that when someone rejects the gospel, the problem is deeper than them just not having the right information. They could hear the words and still not perceive the truth. They could see the light and still prefer the darkness. But we also saw that God can open blind eyes. God can draw people to Christ. God could shine his light into hearts that seem completely closed. So don't lose hope and don't carry a burden that God never gave you to carry. Your job is not to force someone to believe. Your job is to be faithful. Pray for them. Live your life as a faithful witness. Share the gospel with grace and trust God with the results. Over the next seven days, I challenge you to pray every day for one specific person who needs Jesus in their life. Ask God to open their eyes. Ask God to soften their heart. Ask him to help you recognize the right opportunity to share the gospel with grace, with sincerity, and with love. No pressure, no panic, just faithfulness. It's scriptural. And God always honors his word. This week, bring that person before the Lord in prayer and trust him to do what only he can do. He did it for you. He did it for me. he can do it for them. And we'd love to hear from you in the comments. Share what God is showing you through this episode or how you are applying this 7-day challenge for someone close to you. And if you know someone who is getting discouraged because their loved one keeps rejecting the gospel, share this episode with them. It may help them to find hope, clarity, and next steps in what the scriptures say. If this episode helped you, please be sure to like and subscribe. Next episode, we move into season five where we'll talk about the whole Christian, spirit, soul, and body. And we'll begin looking at how God created you and why understanding what the scriptures say about your spirit, your soul, and your body transforms the way you understand your relationship with God. It's been a pleasure talking about the Bible with you. I pray God bless you, God keep you, and give you the faith, the patience, and the courage as you pray for the people you love and trust God with their hearts. Until next time, thank you for listening to the Simple Truth podcast. For additional episodes, visit us at www.simpletruth.org.