Jesus said you would be rejected for your faith. He said that other people would even hate you because of Him. That seems to be little of comfort when insults and shouting (and sometimes other things) are being hurled in your direction. No one likes to live out those verses.
Some Christians would assume that flying under the radar of faith would make being a Christian today a lot easier. If no one knows you are a Christian, or at least you don’t bring it up, then everyone will leave you alone. You can go on about your Christ-like day without so much as an emotional scratch from a spiky atheist. Which would be great if it worked that way.
There is always the one who knows that you are a Christian, even if you never say a word about it in the public square. The enemy knows, and since he enjoys persecuting Christians, you can bet he will find ways to confront you publicly about your Christianity and your lack of voicing it at the worst possible times. So, it seems that you have to get your mind around the idea that loving Jesus comes with some social pain at times. After all, Jesus endured worse…for you. Being rejected for your faith in today’s times may feel a bit more so than the generations before it. There are some good reasons that well-meaning Christians might have made it harder for the next generation to endure.
Being Rejected For Your Faith Isn’t Given Enough Air Time
Perhaps one of the things we got wrong as a previous generation of Christians was the idea that talking about being rejected for your faith was better left unsaid. I can see why it would be appealing to leave that out of the selling points for Christianity. Who signs up willingly to be unpopular? Not giving people a head’s up on that only served to catch them off guard. It is like getting sucker punched. The church could have done more to let new Christians know that they weren’t exactly signing up for the in-crowd when they got saved.
Too many times new Christians full of hope and faith have blindly walked into situations with friends and family, excited to share their newfound love of Christ only to get waffled by the reaction. Let it be known now; we make a decision for Christ, not because we want to be cool. We give our hearts to Jesus because we know we need Him.
We Probably Made Being A Christian Too Cool
Over the last several years, there has been a trend sweeping across American churches. It started small but has been building momentum to almost a fever pitch now. That trend is applying slick marketing to Jesus. It is one thing to come up with a trendy logo for your church and quite another to use Jesus as a marketing tool.
The message Jesus has was never suffering from lack of good marketing or slick advertising. The gospel is pretty plain. It doesn’t need any polish or PR work. You are a sinner, and you need a savior. The heart that knows this is going to be ready to receive it. We were never supposed to try to sell anyone on the gospel message. The evangelist who tries to spin the gospel into a more palatable schpeel for the masses has nothing to offer. To make the gospel easier to accept, we have to excuse the repentance of sin from the message. Without that, there is no gospel message. There is nothing cool about a sinful heart, and there is nothing good that comes out of a watered-down gospel. Nothing.
Why None Of This Should Dissuade You From Sharing Jesus
There is one thing that remains true no matter what anyone thinks of Christianity; people need Jesus. The only way to be free of the ruination that sin causes in everyone’s life is by accepting Jesus. If you knew someone needed to know something so they could stay alive, wouldn’t you tell them? That is what you do when you share the gospel. You heard the gospel, and you accepted it. Why? Remember why you thought it was so important to accept Christ, and it will be easier to tolerate criticism from others.
For everyone one person who rejects the gospel you share, others will gladly receive it. The truth is you cannot replicate the joy that comes from sharing the gospel with someone and praying with them to receive it. God rewards the faithful who fulfill the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit moves in these conversations, not emotion. Overcoming the fear of being rejected for your faith is worth doing for the reward and the blessing that follows.