The Hardships of The Christian Walk

For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 2 Corinthians 4:17

Last night my wife and I had dinner with my parents at their place. They’re not Christians and so essentially they don’t understand the motive of why Christians share the gospel. Over dinner my dad warned me of sharing the gospel in the work place (I work casually as a construction labourer), the reason being is because he told me of someone else who had been kicked off a site for singing hymns and sharing the gospel. My parents tried to give me ‘selling’ techniques, as if I could tone down the message of the gospel.

I admit that I was frustrated at hearing what they had to say, but only so much as that they themselves are not saved. And so I began to share the gospel with them (this is not the first time), I tried explaining as best I could as to why we Christians share the uncompromised truth of Jesus Christ. I said to my parents “I’m not worried about losing my job, but I need Christ!” Both of my parents are managers and they’re quite secular in their ways of how they do business.

My wife and I stand in opposition to my parents, not so much that we fight with them but that we are for Christ. I love my parents, which is exactly why I share the gospel with them despite the fact that they hate it very much. I’ve been told by them that I’m “too full on!” hence why they told me that I might need ‘selling’ techniques. I want to tell you brothers and sisters, that we do not trust in man’s strength to share the gospel of Jesus Christ! We do not trust in our own flesh to do the will of our Lord, we trust in Him who works in us.

We do not look for better ways on how to sell the gospel! This is a message of salvation, whether they like it or not, we have a duty to share the full uncompromised gospel. Yes you will be hated; yes you will face afflictions of various kinds. Consider Christ who faced beatings and was hated to the point of death! I’m not worried about losing my job, I’m worried about their (my parents) salvation. I don’t go out to purposely face afflictions, nor do I intend to lose my job. But I can’t (and I said this to my parents) go to work without sharing the gospel! And when I don’t share the gospel, I groan within, thinking that in some way I’ve missed an opportunity to share the greatest message anyone can possibly hear.

I don’t know where you stand or what kind of persecutions you have or are currently facing in the case of sharing the gospel. Let me say this, press on! Don’t stop at sharing this message because as Paul says in Romans 1:16, it IS the power of salvation! Let us press on and encourage one another to do so! Let us leave behind our old dead self who once chased after worldly trivialities. And let us put on Christ, every day that He gives us that we may glorify Him who gives us the strength to persist in the face of afflictions and hardships.