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Today I discussed a few thoughts based on John 6:60-71. This is where, after Jesus declares himself as the Bread of Life and that his flesh must be eaten and his blood drunk, many of his disciples turn away and leave.
The main question is: If the message of Jesus Christ's offer of grace, the Gospel, is such good news, why do so many people reject it?
John's recording of this incident shows to me that having the most perfect methods and words (i.e., think evangelism) still won't guarantee everyone will choose to believe and trust in Jesus Christ. Who could be a better evangelist than Jesus himself?
John's record also tells us that the most perfect discipleship program won't guarantee complete success either. Jesus knew perfectly how to help each of his disciples in their spiritual journeys. Yet we could say that Jesus failed when it came to Judas.
When we choose to share the gospel message, we should expect that not all of our efforts will result in success, at least the way it's usually measured. And we shouldn't take rejection of the message as a rejection of us.
I think rather, that evangelistic success might be based on whether or not the receiver of the message came to a point of decision. Did he or she make a decision? Did he or she make a choice to either draw nearer or move farther away from God? If the answer is "yes" to these questions, then regardless of the outcome, the evangelism was successful.
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