Objections are nothing new
Not a Saturday evening of evangelism has ever gone by that I have not received opposition for sharing the gospel in a public setting. And if you share the gospel very often, you too will have people object and oppose what you are doing. However, this should not surprise us for the Apostles, Christ himself, and many Christians throughout church history have experienced opposition to gospel proclamation.
Does opposition to evangelism mean that it should not be done? Of course, not. We must obey God rather than man!
18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:18-20).
Who is objecting?
The World Those whose sinful hearts love the sinful system of this world hate God and hate those who represent Him. Jesus warned His disciples, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:17). And John the Apostle said, “do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). So, it is clear that the world will oppose anyone who preaches Christ. The reason many Christians are unaware of the hatred is often that the world sees no difference in the Christian and themselves. But begin to speak openly about the gospel and get ready to experience hatred.
Religious folks We also know that the most religious people of the time such as the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees opposed Jesus Christ and His Apostles. They put Jesus to death and tried to do the same to those who followed Him. Even though these the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees were extremely tedious in the practice religion, they were greatly opposed to God. Just because someone is religious does not mean that they are right with God. The Sanhedrin, the council of 71 of the top religious men of the day are the very ones who put Christ to death and persecuted the Apostles. This was done in the name of God, yet it was a god of their own making, not the One True God. And of course, such hatred of God and God’s gospel did not stop with the hatred received by the Apostles.
Professing Christians Christians opposed to evangelism? That’s right... many Christians disagree with street preaching. I, myself, once rejected it. Then I eventually searched the Scriptures and by the grace of God, the Lord changed my heart. So, I completely understand. I also understand that not all open-air/street preaching is the same. I admit that there are certainly bad examples of street preaching just as there are bad examples of pulpit preaching as well. However, I am saying that virtually every single week, I see biblical preachers who proclaim the gospel in a kind, gentle, and respectful manner in the public forum receive hate from those who profess to be Christians.
What are the objections of some professing Christians?
Well, here are some of the ones that I hear the most:
Q: Is street preaching even effective? We cannot base “success” on pragmatism (numbers of converts or any other measurable results). Noah “a preacher of righteousness” found favor in God’s sight. And only seven people out of the entire world were spared from God’s wrath through his tireless efforts. The Old Testament Prophets were rejected and despised despite their faithful dedication to proclaiming the word of God. Neither Jesus’s earthly ministry nor Paul’s ministry to the Jews produced stellar numbers in their lifetimes. So, in light of these examples, results based on numbers should not be our focus. Instead, let us be obedient and faithful to Christ knowing that we can trust His promises.
Q: Have your efforts produced any fruit? Many times, we have seen people respond positively to the open preaching of the word of God. However, even if we do not see any fruit, it does not matter. Although we may not see an outward response, God still may be doing a regenerative work in their hearts. The Word (the gospel) is the seed and we are to be sowers and waterers of that seed. We trust that through our efforts God will bring the increase in His time (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8, 1 Corinthians 3:6).
Q: Are there not better ways to engage the lost? What matters is that the gospel is preached, and people hear the word of Christ. There are numerous examples of this being accomplished through Open-Air preaching, open reading of the Scriptures and street evangelism throughout the Bible (2 Peter 2:5, 1 Kings 8:54-56, Ezra 10:9-14, Nehemiah 8:1-8, Jeremiah 7:1-3, Jonah 3:1-5, Isaiah 5:29; Amos 5:10, Matthew 3:1-2; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3, Matthew 5-7, Luke 9:5-7, Acts 3:11-26, Acts 8:6-8, Acts 13:44-52, Acts 18:27-28, Acts 17:22-34).
Q: Won’t people be offended? Yes, and no. The same message which offends some is the same message that saves others. Why would the message of God’s love, mercy, and grace offend anyone? Why would anyone reject His free gifts of forgiveness and eternal life? It’s clear. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:18a that, “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing...” Unless God’s Spirit moves in the hearts of unbelievers they will be offended by the gospel, reject the Word of God and consider the message and the messenger to be foolish (1 Corinthians 2:14). They are offended not because the message of the gospel is wrong, but because it is right. So, if it is right why are they offended? Because, “this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19).
Conclusion If no one ever taught you, let me be the first to warn you that opposition to the proclamation of the gospel is sure to come. And such hostility is to be expected from those who openly reject Christianity and religious zealots alike. However, such hatred did not stop the mouth of Jesus Christ or the Apostles from the public proclamation of the gospel, and neither should the hatred we encounter stop us. The gospel must be believed in for salvation, but how can people believe it unless they hear it, and how can they hear it unless Christians like you and me are willing to tell them.
~Jeff Patton, Elder