(08-16-2020 02:45 PM)olliebaba Wrote: "That why is SO IMPORTANT to share the good news of the Gospel and live as and example of it for them."
It's not that easy Eric. I know I tried to with my brother but he was like a Democrat not wanting to learn about how crooked his party is. They will shut their ears. Like me when I was a Catholic I did not want to learn what the Bible says. I thought that what the church told me was enough not knowing that most priests don't even know themselves what the Bible says, they only know the Cathechism...like we did.
Brother, I was lost for nearly 40 years, I know full well what its like and how much people can resist it. And I still see it every day when people resist and attack me simply for my faith.
If not for those who loved me and planted those seeds of truth in me even when I resisted it fully, I would never have come to faith when I finally did. If not for their prayers, love and example for me, I may NEVER have come to repentance and the truth.
There is not a single day of my life that I am not casting my net and coming up empty WAY more than not. But I also remember how many times people cast their net seeking me and came up empty, until the day came and He opened my eyes and heart. Some of those people lived and died before I got saved, but their efforts paid off and had an impact on me in the end.
Its often hardest to get through to a Jew, or Muslim, or a "Christian" who is blinded by false religion. But if we don't still pick up our cross and spread the truth of His Word, then we have utterly failed Jesus and denied the faith. Our Lord did not quit and say its too hard when they tried to stone Him and rejected Him, EVEN IN HIS OWN HOME TOWN HE WAS TOTALLY REJECTED. His own brothers did not believe in Him during His earthly ministry. But in the end He divided time itself and changed the world.
So stay strong in Him, finish the race, and shout it from the rooftops for all to hear. Remember the FERVENT prayer of a righteous man avails much, even if we can't see the results yet. The double minded man need not even ask the Lord, because he will not hear it. The one who asks and believes without doubt can move mountains, our efforts can bear fruit even long after we have left this world.