Have you ever been given a task and knew from the onset that it was destined for failure? Perhaps its impending doom was the reason why you said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Who would ever say “Yes” to failure? Here in America we tend to be more “sophisticated” than that, or more to the heart of the matter, we want to be known as a success and not a failure.
When it comes to defining whether or not the work you’ve done is a success, that’s usually based on results. If the French proverb “Nothing succeeds like success” is true that once you succeed at something, you are in a better position to succeed at the next step, then its antithesis tells us that if we fail we will be in a position to fail again.
When it comes to fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) the christian tends to evaluate their success in going and telling the Gospel by whether or not their audience responds positively. Does the conversation end with them wanting to hear more? Success! Does one person go and bring others to you so they can hear the message you just shared? Success! Or perhaps your audience, however big or small, drops everything they’re doing, forsakes everything, and commits to following Jesus Christ and make Him known…Success!
I believe that a results driven culture has promoted a results expected Christianity within the Evangelical Church. We believe that there are only winners and losers. We believe that only the smart kids get scholarships. We believe that only the people who put in 60+ hours of work a week will get the promotion. We even believe that a woman’s success can only be measured by her achievements outside the home. But by who’s standard? The world’s?
Jesus never speaks about success in terms of doing more to achieve more. Instead He speaks of obedience regardless of achieving earthly success.
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25).
This is where the christian mind needs to be centered when it comes to obeying the Great Commission. We proclaim the Gospel because Jesus commands us to, not because we’ll always receive a positive response in return. How people respond to you when you tell them the Good News of Salvation has no bearing on whether or not you tell them. You tell them because you’ve been commanded to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Sharing the Gospel is both an act of obedience and love. The world around you and me is blind and deaf to their sin and need to be forgiven and reconciled to the Creator. The world is not searching for God. It does not desire God. The world is an enemy of God and every human being, because of their fallen nature desires to satisfy their own selfish wants and desires instead of pleasing God (James 4:1-10). How will they ever be awakened to their desperate need of God’s forgiveness and repentance of sins unless you tell them? (Romans 10:14,15). You do not share the Gospel because God has promised you “success”. You share it because God has commanded you to (John 14:21).
But what if I share the Gospel and it’s rejected? Does that mean the Gospel has failed?
Salvation is not the only reason why you proclaim the Gospel. Ezekiel 12:1-7 reminds us of that. As God speaks to Ezekiel while in captivity in Babylonia He gives His prophet a command to perform a sign for the other exiles so they would know that Jerusalem’s destruction and the death of its inhabitants was drawing near.
The Lord instead stressed that the exiles were a “rebellious house”. Their hearts were hard. They were stubborn. They weren’t going to joyfully receive Ezekiel’s message from God, but none of that mattered. Ezekiel was commanded to go to a rebellious people and give them a sign they wouldn’t understand; consequently, it wouldn’t change their heart, but he did what he was commanded.
God never told Ezekiel prior to acting out the sign what the purpose of the sign meant. Nor did the Lord give Ezekiel assurance that the exiles would believe his message, trust in Yahweh, and repent of their sins, and yet there is a promise given to us in Scripture.
…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Perhaps you’ve witnessed that yourself as you’ve shared the Word of God with a person. Over time they’ve become more obstinate and defiant toward the Lord. Rest in this truth. You and I do not have the power to change the heart of people, only God does. Only by the proclamation of the Gospel and the blessing of the Holy Spirit will any sinner ever receive grace to believe by Faith in Christ alone for eternal life.
The word of God is plain in itself; if there is any obscurity in one place, the Holy Ghost, who is never contrary to himself, explains it more clearly in other places, so that there can remain no doubt, but unto such as are obstinately ignorant.
John Knox
The reason why hearts remain hard and become even harder is because the Lord has not given the Spirit for them to hear and see, but again, how will they ever hear and see unless the Gospel is given to them?
Even if you never see one person trust in Christ will you proclaim the Gospel? Even if no one listens to you, will you obey? Even if you’re made to look like a fool in the eyes of the world, will you still unashamedly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ because you believe it’s worth proclaiming?
God’s word will always fulfill its purpose; whether it’s giving life through justification or passing a death sentence unto condemnation. He calls you Christian to proclaim it. Not to question. Not to hesitate. And certainly not to trust in yourself, but only to proclaim it with the assurance of knowing that His will, will ALWAYS be done.
Providence Reformed Baptist Church 