This is the last in a short series on a few of the stumbling blocks that keep many from meeting God and entering His kingdom!
Part 1 of this series explored the stumbling blocks of pride and intellect.
Part 2 of this series discussed convenient confusion. And laid out 3 common arguments many believe (covered in Parts 3-5).
Part 3 covered whether there is more than one way to God/enter heaven/be saved/etc. For such an important topic, this is a must read!
Part 4 seeks to answer: Does any of us really need God?
So often I find myself bumping into the proverbial red tape when I try to talk about God with someone; often friends and family. In fact sometimes all I did was ask if I could pray for a complete stranger and I get a quick snap back “No, I’m good. I’m not religious.” Of course in those situations I can only laugh inside and inevitably I often blurt out, “Great, I’m not either! So can I pray?”
A Harsh Reality
But the reality is I’m not laughing inside. As much as asking to pray immediately gets you stereotyped as religious, the difficult thing for me is that I know deep in my heart that a barrier was just erected to which all discussion of God has been placed in the category of “off limits”. Internally all I can do is mourn the tragedy of the situation knowing that I’m likely not going to be reaching that individual with the most amazing gift (the gospel) because today their hearts likely not ready.
And that leads me to today’s topic:
Argument #3: To Each His Own
- “Well that’s your opinion.”
- “I don’t tell you what to believe and you shouldn’t tell me.”
- “There are many religions/gods, what makes you so certain yours is the right one?”
- “That’s great if you found god…”
- “I feel like everyone is entitled to believe whatever they want and none of us should tell others what we should believe.
- And my personal favorite: “No thanks, I’m not very religious.”
So rather than try to answer a bunch of philosophical, often circular, questions about “who’s on first” and factual relativism and the like, I’d rather not sow my time where many have already ventured and instead approach the myriad of arguments outlined above as excuses to avoid a genuine truth seeking and searching.
A Different Perspective
I may not gain any popularity awards with what I’m about to say but I think its fair to say that not everyone is genuinely searching for God. Jesus tells us to “ask, seek, knock” but He was honest in acknowledging that many would not do so:
51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:51-53
He goes on to say in Luke 13:3,5 “But unless you repent, you too will all likewise perish.” Jesus drew a line in the sand and clearly spelled out the reality that some would choose death over choosing Him.
So do I think it’s my job to persuade every person I meet to follow Jesus? Yes and no. It is part of the job description of a believer: “22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” Jude 1:22-23 However, we have to recognize when we’re dealing with “mockers” and the like as described in Jude and when we’ve encountered a “son of peace” as described in Luke 10.
The truth is today is the day of salvation for somebody, but that somebody may not be the individual in front me at a given point in time. Maybe their day is next week but the person whom God is calling and whose heart is open may be waiting for God’s servant to come share THE good news with them, which means I can’t get overly focused on trying to reach the one who’s heart is closed off at the expense of the one who is desperately asking, seeking and knocking; the one Jesus refers to when he says “the harvest truly is plentiful” Mt 9:37.
Distracted Laborers
Indeed, the issue is a shortage of laborers to reach those “sons of peace”. Unfortunately, some of those desperately needed laborers may be tied up trying to harvest where the grain’s not ready yet. That’s not to say scattering seed and watering aren’t necessary (see 1 Cor. 3:6-9). But they are not where you will likely find the harvest ready today and that has to be understood.
Jesus says we must have eyes to see and ears to hear and the scriptures tell us, “The Lord knows those who are His.” So, while some may not have eyes to see and fall back on “to each his own,” Jesus has called his sheep by name and commissioned them to reach His own.
3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
John 10:3
12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:12-14