“It is crystal clear; I have more wisdom when it comes down to life. Besides that, my knowledge of the spiritual realm is way bigger than yours. I am 10 years older than you are, so please don’t try to teach me anything at all”

What started out as a great conversation in a park in Tallinn (Estonia) slowly became a bit unpleasant. As I shared about God and the spiritual realm the person in front of me was quite interested. Even when I mentioned the issue of “sin” he could relate to the narrative of the gospel. It was when I started to mention the name of Jesus things started to grow a bit tense.

The statement that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life was the turning point. He tried to be polite when he said goodbye. But as he walked away it was obvious he was upset and angry at the same time.

Keep Moving When the Door Closes

My outreach partner looked at me with some question marks in her eyes. She was a bit disappointed and confused because of what just had happened. Honestly, over the years I’ve learned that rejection of the gospel is part of the deal when you go out to evangelize. But on the other I hand I’ve recognized the pattern of breakthrough after rejection.

So, I said to her: “We must shake the dust of our feet.
Let’s continue with the outreach. Let me pray. Father thank you for the privilege to share the gospel. Father, I ask for another encounter. Father, let us meet the right person who is ready to encounter you. I pray in the name of Jesus”.

One Rejection Doesn’t Define the Outreach

As I looked around, we saw a youngster entering the park.
“Hey excuse me” I opened the conversation.

“Has anyone ever told you that God loves you? And that He has a wonderful plan for your life?” Judging by her reply it seemed that God hears us when we pray. She was open for the conversation. As we shared the gospel and prayed for her the Holy Spirit started to move upon her.

The Next Person May Be Ready

“Would you like to receive the gift of eternal life and start to follow Jesus Christ?”

Without any hesitation she said yes. As we prayed with her the sinner’s prayer she got born again in a park in Tallinn.

Every Conversation Is a Seed

What I have seen is over the years is that during outreaches on an average 1 of the 10 encounters turns out into salvation. Isn’t that amazing? Besides that, each time we share the gospel we speak the Word of God. Knowing that the Word of God shall not return void but accomplish what He pleases.

Sharing the gospel is like planting seeds. Sooner or later, it will start produce fruit in someone’s life. The more believers start to share Christ, the more fruit we will see on the long term. Because when the seed of the spoken word starts to grow in someone’s heart the earlier the moment will be there when she or he is ready to receive Christ.

So don’t be discouraged by rejection. You already have spoken Words of Life. Rejection means: the person in front of you wasn’t simply ready to open the door of his/her heart.

SELAH
– When was the last time you experienced rejection while sharing the gospel?
– How did that rejection affect you?
– Did you take it personally, or did you recognize that they were rejecting the gospel rather than you?
– Can you remember a time when God opened another door after an apparent rejection?
– Are you willing to shake off the dust, wait on the Lord, and keep going?