Don’t Waste Your Time if Unfruitful
The Bible is clear that as Christians we should not waste our time with those who refuse to engage with us on religious matters. We can see a clear message in Matthew to move on in our efforts at evangelism when things appear to be unfruitful.
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. – Matthew 7:6
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. – Matthew 10:14
Of course, we are not always in a position to confidently know how our conversations impact others over the full course of their lives.
A Challenge – Failed
Last week someone whom I respect very highly asked me a question that struck a nerve.
Knowing I have devoted a good portion of the last three years to online evangelism, he asked…
“Has Anyone been saved?”
My answer was… “no, not that I am aware of”.
Quickly attempting to recover from the unintentional body blow, I offered that we don’t know the impact we have on those around us “listening in” on conversations and, this is especially true of online sharing of the gospel and so many other theological viewpoints. However, the valid point remained, after thousands of conversations, I could not point to a single person who “got saved” and consequently “praised the Lord” for their newfound faith.
So, have I wasted three years of my life? And, if so, what’s next?
Any pastors seeing a dry spell in their lives want to weigh in based on the Scripture verses above?
Or, do we grab hold of Jeremiah’s experience and pray for the best?
A Bit of History
My motivation to start this journey online (website, Medium, YouTube, Facebook) was to publish some of my writings from all sorts of Bible studies over decades, gathering dust on a hard drive. I thought that the End-Times were upon us and wanted to put down some mile markers for those “left behind” to find, hidden away in an obscure website that perhaps would be missed by the evil that surrounded them after the Rapture.
However, as time went on I got more and more riled up over how our country has deteriorated and drifted from a Biblical Christian Worldview (BCW). Since I am an introvert, now with a mission, it became an online obsession.
Lack of Fruit
Have I wasted three years and counting? Is this a mistaken sense of God’s calling? Over 7k “conversations” on one platform alone, some indicating appreciation, others agreement, others edification, of course others vitriol, but no salvations. Should I stop the madness and go play golf?
My Response
God communicates with us in many ways. As an old study from Blackaby, “Experiencing God” offered, we see God through the Bible, Prayer, Circumstances, and other Mature Christians.
Looking at that list… the Bible seems clear that sharing God’s truth, and especially His gospel message, is what we need to be doing. My prayer life is not the best but I have never felt God telling me to back off online ministry as He has with other Christian service. The ministry of Biblical Christian Worldview has grown exponentially and, though I am guilty of deemphasizing other responsibilities in an effort to keep things progressing, clearly the numbers suggest God is potentially in it. And finally, though I keep a very low profile in public, there seems to be a consistent stream of encouragement from mature Christians on the impact it has had for them.
Perhaps God is doing one of or a mix of the following:
- Folks have come to Christ, partly due to the seeds planted by BCW. I just don’t know it.
- The ministry is more to challenge believers to share God’s truth, rather than convict the lost.
- Our calling is to draw attention to the disparity between our world and God’s ideal, perhaps to make the lost reflect on alternate viewpoints, or to mature Christians in the sanctification process.
My prayer is that God has graced BCW to serve all three objectives. However, if it has only been allowed to promote the third, then I have devoted too much effort to the exercise. Life is not about earthly existence, it is about finding the path to the Holy Spirit on earth, and to God for eternity in Heaven.
POSTSCRIPT: I have closed off Medium.com comments on this post. It was intended to emphasize seeking God’s best rather than God’s good and the importance of evangelism over less than productive discussions. However, clearly, I expressed these points poorly and instead, it has been understandably seen as a piece expressing my whining over a lack of fruit. Perhaps it will encourage others in a similar place to reflect on how the Lord is blessing their life, regardless of tangible results on this side of the grave. I sincerely appreciate those who were able to respond but, again, none of this is, or should be, anything about me. As others have said… “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6
Author – Jeff Hilles | BCWorldview.org
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Please Read/Respond to Comments – on Medium
