These words will haunt those who said them, for eternity:
“They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be the Son of God?” And he replied, “You say that I am.” “Why do we need other witnesses?” they said. “We ourselves heard him say it.””
Luke 22:70-71 NLT
Jesus was on trial. His accusers had heard the truth for themselves, but rejected it. Today we believe, because we have heard the good news from others. Our message carries the same weight now as it did when Jesus Himself spoke it. When we are rejected, they are really rejecting Jesus.
Jesus prayed:
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”
John 17:20 NLT
When we share our faith in Jesus, we give people the opportunity to live real life. Sometimes there’s pushback; just like how our eyes burn when we are sitting in a dark place and suddenly a light comes on, people rarely like to hear they are wrong, or that they have missed a huge truth. Yet, deep down there is a knowing they are missing something.
This is why we “fish for men.” Fishing takes different approaches for different people, times of the day, and seasons in life.
Every trip around the sun, people are continually accepting or rejecting our message. May believers continue in the grace to share our faith and then walk with those who accept it into maturity.