They Don’t Want to Hear It!: Conquering the Fear of Evangelism

Encouraged By the Word

I was encouraged this morning while reading scripture, as I normally am each morning when I read my Bible. A principle that I discovered soon after getting saved is that men of God spend time in prayer and God’s word early every morning. That principle has been in place in my life since 2001, and I have rarely missed a day. Suppose spending time in prayer and God’s Word isn’t an important part of your daily life. In that case, I want to encourage you to make a new habit of going to bed a bit earlier and setting your alarm a bit earlier to make sure you have time to spend with God before your busy day begins. It’s a decision you will never regret!

They Don’t Want to Hear It!

I clearly remember the evening in 2003 when I was spending time with some former missionaries to Brazil. They had been there for several years attempting to reach the unreached but were now back home in the States with no plans to return. I was a new believer who had just moved 700 miles from home to attend a Bible school that would train and equip me to be a missionary. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit zealous and had lots of questions for my new missionary friends.

When I asked the question, “Why did you leave the field?” I remember the husband responding in a discouraged and a bit of a disgruntled tone, “They don’t want to hear it!” He was referring to the gospel message that they were attempting to share with the people of Brazil. I don’t remember what area they were working in, nor the exact people group they were attempting to reach, but I remember that in their minds, the people didn’t want to hear the good news that they were proclaiming.

Feeling the Same Way?

I think that many of us may have similar sentiments when it comes to sharing the gospel. I know I sure do at times, and I believe it’s one of the greatest hindrances to our evangelism and outreach efforts.

I live in the Seattle area, a predominantly secular city, with a significant proportion of its residents identifying as non-religious or atheist. And, with the war on Christianity that’s taking place in America, it makes one even more hesitant to share the gospel. But let’s be encouraged today by the Word of God!

Back to the Bible – The Encouraging Part

As I was reading this morning, I noticed how Luke, the believed author of the book of Acts, makes note that when Paul, Silas, and Timothy were on their way to Macedonia, they spent a few days in the town of Philippi. It was “a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony” (Acts 16:12). Being a Roman colony, it was a city where the culture of paganism, mystery cults, and a belief in Roman deities prevailed.

As this article states, Philippi was your “typical first-century city in that there were a large number of gods worshiped. One particular area that deserves mention is the possible presence of the imperial cult, in which the emperor was worshiped as a god. There is no doubt that the ideology of Caesar’s claim to be Lord and Savior who brings salvation and peace to the world would have been widely known throughout the Roman Empire and particularly in the Roman colony of Philippi.”

So, to say that this city was in need of the life-transforming and liberating power of the gospel was an understatement!

We’re Going Down to The River

On the Sabbath day, the team of apostles went down to the river and found a group of women, with whom they began to speak. It’s here where they met a woman named Lydia from Thyatira, and it’s here where Luke notes, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14). Such a beautiful statement! The words she heard must have made quite an impact on her as the next verse says that she was baptized along with her household.

Regardless of what they may have seen or experienced in this godless, pagan city it did not dissuade or discourage them from sharing the gospel. They could have easily said, “They don’t want to hear it!” but I believe they trusted that the Lord had people in that city whom He had chosen to receive salvation.

Continuing to Believe

In closing, I would like to say that as we go out into our towns and cities, regardless of how godless they may appear, we need to pray and believe for the Lord to bring us into contact with people like Lydia. Those who have open hearts and are ready to “pay attention” to what we have to say. I believe that many people are sick and tired of the delusion that the post-modern philosophical movement has sold them and are waiting for someone to bring them Real Truth.

“If you look at the world, and you look at what is going on and what Gen Z is facing, I just think they are absolutely desperate for something other than what the world is giving them right now.”

Asbury University communications director Abby Laub

Let’s continue to believe: 

• That “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) two thousand years ago and that He still loves the world today.
• That God still “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4)  
• That God is still “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
• That there is a “surge of faith” among our young people and that God is on the rise in America and around the world!
• That the Lord is placing men and women like Lydia in our paths whose hearts are open and ready to hear the good news that we have to share!