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WHY DONT PEOPLE RESPOND WHEN I WITNESS ??
(Part 1 of 2)
PART 1-
Understanding the person we are witnessing to:
One of the most frustrating
aspects of the Christian experience is meeting someone that needs Christ, but
seems to be oblivious to Him. One tries witnessing but the person just doesn't
respond. Sometimes you'd just like to shake them and shout in their face "Dont
you realize you're going to hell??? You need Christ, and you need Him now!!
That's why your life is so messed up!!" . Well there are things we need to know
from the scripture which will help us to witness and to have patience while the
salvation process takes its course.....
OVERVIEW..CONVERSION IS LIKE A SEED GROWING
This parable is a picture
of somebody being witnessed to, and the various possibilities of their response,
depending on the degree of preparation of their heart (THE GROUND)
{3b} "A farmer was sowing grain in his
fields. {4} As he scattered the seed across the ground, some fell beside a path, and the birds came and ate it.
{5} And some fell on
rocky soil where there was little depth of earth; the plants sprang up
quickly enough in the shallow soil, {6} but the hot sun soon scorched
them and they withered and died, for they had so little
root.
{7} Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns choked out the tender
blades.
{8} But some fell on good soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty,
and even a hundred times as much as he had planted. {9} If you have ears,
listen!"Mat 13:3-9 (TLB)
"Now
here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer planting
grain: {19} The hard path
where some of the seeds fell represents the heart of a person who hears
the Good News about the Kingdom and doesn't understand it; then Satan comes and
snatches away the seeds from his
heart.
{20} The shallow, rocky soil represents the
heart of a man who hears the message and receives it with real joy,
{21} but he doesn't have much depth in his life, and the
seeds don't root very deeply, and after a while when trouble comes, or
persecution begins because of his beliefs, his enthusiasm fades, and he drops
out.
{22} The ground covered with thistles
represents a man who hears the message, but the cares of this life and
his longing for money choke out God's Word, and he does less and less for
God.
{23} The good ground represents the heart of
a man who listens to the message and understands it and goes out and brings
thirty, sixty, or even a hundred others into the
Kingdom."
Mat 13:18-23 (TLB)
"By the hardened path"--Spiritual deadness and
blindness
With no preparation from
God, the Word does not penetrate the person's heart, and Satan can easily
distract the person and the Word has no beneficial effect on them, and doesnt
remain in the person's thinking. we all start out this way, spiritually dead and
separated from God, our hearts hardened from the continual bombardment fo
worldly thoughts and ideas.
{3} But if our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost: {4} In whom the god of this world (satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. {5} For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. (2 Cor 4:3-5) "Stoney places"- Intellectual
assent
In the second case, a little more
preparation has taken place, and the person may be intellectually convinced that
the Gospel is true, but no real conversion has yet taken place. They may feel
that the that the claims of Christ are true, but they are not ready to leave
their old sinful pleasures behind and commit themselves fully to Christ. There
may also be too many convincing worldly arguments and reasons for them to
completely give over all to God. So then, when faced with the possible
danger arising from persecution, the person drops their intellectual assent and
behaves like an unbeliever again..(sort of like Peter, at the time he denied the
Lord 3 times)...(see Mat
26:69-75).
Mat 15:8 This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but
their heart is far from me. Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. "Among thorns"- Worldliness
In the third case, The Word has
taken root and started to grow, gradually increasing and living... but then
worldliness takes over in this person's life, and the riches and pleasures of
this life become more important and more attractive than living a life for
Christ. Whether a person can be really saved and live like this, I dont
know..it is up to the Lord to discern this as He reads the person's heart. The
person becomes silent and retreats into the obscurity of a non-evangelizing
lifestyle, and outwardly may look like an unsaved person.
Psa 17:13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my
soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
Psa 17:14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. Psa 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. Rev 3:14 And unto the
angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the
faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. "Good ground" -A contrite and willing heart
The fourth case is the desired
outcome, where the plant is growing and then producing fruit of its own, meaning
christian character, utilization of spiritual gifts, and advancement of
the Gospel through personal testimony to others...as Paul says,
1
Cor 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Cor 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1 Cor 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry (greek= cultivatable farm), ye are God's building. May your life and ministry be blessed as you
serve Him......
brother
bob................<><
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bob.......<><
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