I had an acquaintance once tell about HOW he was telling someone he met all about Jesus. He told this person at Walmart that it was better to believe in Jesus and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong. While it seems that there is truth to that…..I say….”friend, you are totally missing the point!”
Mark 6:10-11 (TNIV)
10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
It is important that when we share the Gospel that we don’t share just a belief (remember in the book of James that we are told that even the demons believe). It is also important that we don’t fear people into coming to the cross, use scare tactics or any type of coercion. Indeed, if somone (or even us)……if WE don’t believe with our heart…..we don’t really believe do we? However, I guess that’s a good start anyway. When we share jesus, we should simply share our relationship with Him, what God is doing in our lives, and the difference that He makes in our life. Yes, we want people to “believe”. But what we want most is that they share in life what we share in life….a loving relationship with a loving Father…God…indeed…Jesus.
It’s interesting that Jesus tells the disciples, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.” What he is telling them is not to offend who they are staying with by trying to find an even more comfortable place to stay once they have found a place to stay.
It is also interesting that Jesus tells the disciples, “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.” This is a common Jewish term, sort of like a cliché, that was often repeated when they themselves went through gentile (pagan) territory. Shaking the dust of one’s feet showed that you wished no more involvement with that person.
The point is, we share Jesus and if someone doesn’t want to believe or follow Him….well….God will give them what they want. We can share the Good News of Jesus…but we shouldn’t attempt to force it or fear people into believing by telling them that they will go to Hell if they don’t believe. We all make our choices and live with those choices. If someone rejects an eternity with God….I believe that God grants their wish. I would say, “answers their prayer”, but obviously, they aren’t praying.
If you don’t believe or choose to follow Jesus….please understand that it is fully your choice. God, indeed Jesus wants a relationship with you, and wants you to be in relationship with Him….but, if you don’t want that relationship with Him…well…..Okay. Don’t get dusted my friend.