Jesus knew that after his death, his followers would face lots of opposition as they worked to spread the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). So he prepared them for it. Jesus taught them at least six things about handling opposition to their faith. These are the same things that will prepare us to spread the gospel in the face of opposition today. In this post we’ll cover the three things not covered in the previous post that Jesus taught about handling opposition to our faith. To view the first three click here.
- Don’t Be Afraid. Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” If we’re afraid of what people might think of us or do to us for being followers of Jesus, we won’t be effective in spreading the gospel. It’s not that the first century Christians weren’t afraid. They just weren’t afraid of the wrong things. They feared not hearing “Well done my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). They feared being ashamed of Jesus on earth which would result in Jesus being ashamed of them before the Father in heaven (Mark 8:38). If they were afraid of anything it was disappointing Jesus, not that people wouldn’t like them – because they were living their lives to please God, not man. If we’re going to be effective in spreading the gospel we’ve got to fear the right things while avoiding fearing the wrong things.
- Don’t Give Up. In Matthew 13 we read what’s called The Parable of the Sower. In this story Jesus tells us of a farmer who sowed some seed. In three places the soil was not receptive. But in one place it was. The disciples didn’t understand the meaning of the parable so Jesus explained it to them in Matthew 13:18-23, “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” If we focus on those who reject our message, we might get so discouraged that we that quit trying. If we focus, instead, on those who will receive our message, we’ll stay encouraged and keep on spreading the gospel.
- Don’t Retaliate. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Jesus was clear that spreading the gospel would make us some enemies and that spreading the gospel would result in persecution. And Jesus was equally clear how to respond – with love and kindness and prayer. Do as Paul did. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:12-13, “When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.” You see, Romans 2:4 says that the kindness of God is what leads to repentance, so if we want people to turn to Christ we can’t respond in kind to their opposition. As the saying goes, you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. So even if someone rejects you for what you believe, keep on loving them and praying for them. It just might be your kindness that ultimately wins them to Christ.