I Feel Upset That I Can't Change People's Minds
I remembered reading through "The Gospel According to Jesus", "Hard to Believe" and listening to Ray Comfort's lectures "Hell's Best Kept Secret" and "True and False Conversion". All these books present a non-watered down presentation of the Gospel according to Jesus. But there's one huge problem: no matter how much I present the Gospel and give evidence for my faith, some just refuse to believe. Somehow, I wish I could change people's minds from their unbelief to their belief.
I really wish I could change people's minds whenever I tell them the truth or present the evidence of my faith. I could go ahead and gather all the evidence of all sciences to prove the Bible is real, I could study exegesis to get Scriptures into context than out of context and yet the person still doesn't believe. It's very easy to compare that the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Even after all the twelve plagues have hit Egypt he still refused to believe. He still hardened his heart. But there's one thing we fail to see: God allowed Pharaoh's heart to be hardened. Maybe, just maybe he's allowing the hearts of some people to be hardened.
If I could really change people's minds then I'm the one who gets the glory and not God. My prayer that I wish God would give me the power to change people's minds about the Gospel is selfish, it's self-seeking and it's not Soli Deo Gloria or Glory to God Alone. When I think I wish I had the power to change people's minds from their unbelief to belief then I am violating John 6:44. No man can come unto Jesus except that the Father which sent the Son draw him.
Painful as it is but I must accept it. I'm just sent to warn others. I can't make people believe. I'm only tasked to give the warning as nicely as possible without watering down the message. Some people will just continue in their unbelief no matter how nice Christians can be to them. Just think no matter how nice (but not by postmodern standards) Christians were but they suffer wrongful persecution for things that they didn't do. If Jesus was wrongfully persecuted then so will Christians.
I'm just think that God's denial to grant me my prayer that I could change people's minds is all part of his sovereignty. There will be people who will listen and people who won't. I'm just tasked to warn others and move away to warn others. After all Titus 3:10-11 commands that after one or two admonitions then it's time to move away and warn others. It's their problem not mine.
Painful as it is but I must accept it. I'm just sent to warn others. I can't make people believe. I'm only tasked to give the warning as nicely as possible without watering down the message. Some people will just continue in their unbelief no matter how nice Christians can be to them. Just think no matter how nice (but not by postmodern standards) Christians were but they suffer wrongful persecution for things that they didn't do. If Jesus was wrongfully persecuted then so will Christians.
I'm just think that God's denial to grant me my prayer that I could change people's minds is all part of his sovereignty. There will be people who will listen and people who won't. I'm just tasked to warn others and move away to warn others. After all Titus 3:10-11 commands that after one or two admonitions then it's time to move away and warn others. It's their problem not mine.