PARA EL PASTOR 4

1. 10 Reasons Why Friends and Family

Struggle to Believe the Gospel
Southeastern Seminary, where I work, challenged all students, staff, and faculty
to share the gospel at least once a day during the month of September. Based
on my experiences that month, in addition to years of sharing Christ with family
members, here are my thoughts about why my family and friends struggle with
believing the gospel.
1. They have never really heard the gospel. The more I speak to people in
North America, the more I realize this truth: some folks on our continent
are just as distant from the gospel as unreached people groups around
the world. Within the shadows of our church buildings are people who
have never heard the truth.
2. They struggle understanding the Bible. Even for those who are willing
to read the Bible, the content is often new and challenging. If genuine
believers wrestle with interpreting the Bible, it shouldnt surprise us that
non-believers face the same battle.
3. They see the gospel as too good to be true. The story of the gospel
really is quite astounding. That the one and only creator God would
forgive our sins, make us whole, place us in His family, and indwell us is
hard to fathom, especially if the story is new. Nobody I know believer or
unbeliever fully grasps Gods work of salvation.
4. They see hypocrisy in the church. Ive heard this general excuse for
years, but more recently Ive heard the words with specificity. I dont
expect people to be perfect, a family member told me, but if _______
represents what a Christian is, I dont want to be a part. We may defend
the church all we want, but we must not forget that watching unbelievers
see the reality in our lives.
5. They hear other messages more loudly. Even if a non-believer hears
three one-hour Christian sermons per week (which seldom happens), he
still hears dozens of hours of other messages throughout the week. The
media emphasizes moral stances in opposition to Christian teaching.
Preachers of false gospels dominate the television. Political correctness
reigns and the gospel gets clouded in the process.
6. They are enjoying their sin. Theres no other way to describe this
obstacle. Sin can be fun (at least for a while), and some of the people I
know are having a good time. Following Christ, they assume, would cost
them too much fun. Combining this reasoning with the next reason, they
see no need to turn to Christ today.
7. They believe time is on their side. This is not always the case, of
course. Some of my older family and friends are now more willing to talk
about eternal matters as they see their own generation passing away.
Those who are younger, though, have been more interested in waiting to
consider Christianity. No urgency drives them to consider life and death
matters now.
8. They still fail to see their lostness. Their reasoning is neither new nor
unique. I treat people well, and I try to help my neighbors. Let me tell
you some of the good things Ive been doing. I just dont believe a good
God will send good people to hell. I dont do anything thats just evil.
Folks who see no need for forgiveness seldom seek it.
9. They cannot understand the preaching. Obviously, this reason
assumes non-believers who have attended church (as does the next one).
A family member told me, I like hearing _______ preach, but I dont really
understand him. Granted, the Spirit of God helps us to understand the
Word, but this message is nevertheless clear: we who preach the Word
are not there to impress; we are there tocommunicate the life-giving
message of the gospel. Clarity is a must.
10. They are overwhelmed by Christian follow up. Frankly, this response
has surprised me. Occasionally, a church fully committed to outreach and
follow up has been so faithful to the task that they have frightened off a
non-believer. I am grateful for churches this passionate, but its worth
remembering that non-believers may not be prepared for our zeal.
Sensitivity matters.
I suppose there are few new findings here, but I needed this reminder.
Obstacles to the gospel have not changed much, at least in my experience.