By: Undre Griggs, Jr.
Every Christian should have the goal to save the lost. As with any goal, you are going to face setbacks and challenges because everyone is not interested in obeying the Gospel. Keep in mind that there will be those who reject your message and never become a Christian; but other times, the seed you planted will one day save their soul.
When trying to help someone see the light, Jesus shows us the importance of emphasizing God’s love. To ensure everyone understands the meaning of God’s love, Jesus shares that God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son to save it. Jesus wants to make sure everyone knows that love is not being defined by loose worldly standards, but by God’s divine measure.
John 3:16-18 (ESV): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jesus balances God’s love of the world with the fact that He is righteous and therefore consistent. As a result of the wages of sin being death, there will still be those who will perish (although no one should perish). This is important because there will be some who see God’s love as an unconditional relationship, without any expectation of us from God. God expects His people to be holy because He is holy.
John 3:19-21 (ESV): And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Jesus draws a clear distinction between those who obey the Gospel and those who ignore it. Those who are not pricked by the love and righteousness of God are considered evil. They are seen as people who would rather hide in the ignorance of darkness than come into the light of truth. It is imperative to understand all of your evangelism efforts will not bring everyone to Christ, and that does not mean you did something wrong. It is also true if dozens of people are pricked and turn their life over to God, that does not mean you did everything right. The most important aspect of evangelism is a willingness to share your faith with others. If you have done everything you can to help bring someone to Christ, you need to be content with the results. On the other hand, if you are not following Jesus’ pattern of love and compassion, make an effort to add it to your evangelism repertoire.
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