Save: Having Courage to Share the Truth of God Through Rejection

Sharing the message of Christ can sometimes feel like a lost cause. But, only Christ can save. We must have the courage to share His Truth. Even through rejection. 

Being a teenager, or really any age, in 2018 should be considered an extreme sport. Several gold stars should be awarded to those who are surviving this challenging age. From social media to the ever-present peer pressure and skyrocketing mental health rates, it’s no wonder the church is being pushed further and further to the sidelines!

Save the Doubt

There’s nothing new under the sun, but I hope I’m not the only one who feels the gap between the church and those who are not yet a part of the family has grown exponentially in the past few decades. Everything is about doing what feels good and living by your own schedule. ‘You do you’ is classic phrase amongst youngsters today.

With all this being said, why then should anyone have to step away from their ‘kingdom of self’ to live in the kingdom of the one true King? It’s becoming easier to justify rebellion against Christ. Where was your God when this happened? Or maybe How could there be a God amidst all this brokenness?

All fair questions. Some we even ask ourselves. Why would God let this happen? Is this what unfailing love feels like?

As the excuses grow, so does the difficulty of sharing His perfect truth. How do you carry someone to their savior when they’re blind to their need of saving? How do you convince someone Christ is the answer when all they believe in is themselves? Oh dear, I seem to be rambling now… Let’s see where we can take this…

The Walking Dead

Over the summer we moved schools. So, I’ve met several new folks in recent months. And being a high schooler in a ‘You are yours before you are anyone else’s’ world, I’d say the vast majority of these folks want nothing to do with Jesus, God, or anything else tied to Christianity. This makes it extremely difficult to share life with someone who doesn’t know they’re dead.

By God’s good, good grace, He has given me tremendous courage over the last few months. I’ve learned to not be afraid of being slapped down by those who want no part of me due to their lack of interest in Christ. I have been able to hold conversations about the good news with those who’d rather listen to anything else. The assurance that it really is okay if that guy in my math class thinks I’m annoying is so freeing. And it’s okay if the girl I sit next to in history class won’t speak to me again because I attempted to share Christ. I’ve allowed God to speak through me and plant the seed.

I think for me, personally, I selfishly want to be the one to save these lost people. To revive and save the walking dead. But in reality, I was no better. I was just as lost and I’m just as in need of a Savior. I try and remind myself of this when I lose a friend due to my faith. It may suck, but God is humbling me and reminding me that I cannot save anyone. We are not necessary for the fulfillment of His divine plan, but by His great love, He allows us to be a part of it.

It's humbling to remember that WE cannot save anyone. It's through Christ alone and by His great love, He allows us to be a part His divine plan. Click To Tweet

24 Words

How can we doubt the One who knows all things?

It’s easy to tell yourself there’s no use. Why should I try to convince someone of something they want no part in? Oh, they’ll never change their mind, or perhaps, I’m wasting my time on him or her. But, let me ask you a question regarding the story of Paul. If God can take a man who was literally killing people for confessing Christ and turn him into a man suffering greatly for the Christ he once hated, how then can we question the Lord’s ability to transform the heart of a stubborn coworker? Or maybe an annoyingly headstrong classmate?

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Acts 9:5-6, NIV

Twenty four words. That’s all it took. This man who was imprisoning and murdering people for their faith heard 24 words from the Lord and was transformed into a man who would suffer greatly for Christ. This is the primary story I remind myself of when I’m lacking trust that a work can be done in someone.

We must constantly be on fire for Christ and for Truth. This fire and the courage to continue comes only from Christ…

And then he told them, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.

Mark 16:15, TLB