Cures for Hardness of Heart

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore and make disciples ...
Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

Where is God and why is He not working through me?  

I wish to see people come to know Jesus.  

Why is no one interested?

Last year, I had a message from a young lady in south east Asia who shared her desire to see people come to know Christ.  The problem was that she was seeing no fruit.  She explained that she did not see any conversions and that most of the people to whom she shared the gospel expressed no spiritual interest.  

In other words, this young lady is experiencing the Christian life of most of us!  She hears from others how they can witness freely and see results.  She wants to know the same success.  She really wants God to work in and through her.  The problem is that through her witness, only a few had expressed interest in Christ.  

So, is she doing something wrong?  I would guess the answer to be no.  While she probably could be better at knowing and presenting the gospel, I can read between the lines to see that her heart is in the right place.  She desperately wants to see God's name exalted in her life and in the lives of her not-yet-believing friends.

This heart attitude is where most believers fall short in being used by God.  For many, complacency and selfishness drive our Christian life.  We view Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our personal saviors and helpers.  We seek to be healed of our hurts and hang-ups, and then we might tell others about Jesus.  The problem is that we never completely "get over" our hurts and hang-ups so we never get around to sharing the gospel with others.

This is where many of us go wrong!

The Holy Spirit must go somewhere in our life.  His purpose is to exalt the name of Jesus and the bring glory to the Father.  As we share about Jesus' work in our life and the truth about who He is, the Holy Spirit shows up to bring glory to Christ.  In the process, we are changed and transformed!  

Yes, the biggest reason most of us do not grow much and do not see people come to faith is that we do not share the life-changing message of the gospel!  Our "fear of rejection" illustrates a profound lack of faith.  Our desire to "be made right and holy" before we share our faith illustrates a profound misunderstanding of how we grow in grace.

Our friend in Southeast Asia does not appear to have this problem.  I am so glad!  So, what could be wrong?  If she is sharing her faith with a right heart, why is there so little fruit?

For the past twenty years I have worked in several places in America known for their secularism (The University, Maine and now Seattle).  For eight years I labored in Northern New England, an area with the lowest percentage of church attendance  in the USA that boasts in having the highest level of "noners" (those claiming absolutely no religious affiliation or preference) in the United States.  New England, and Maine in particular, has been called the grave-yard of preachers because of the rocky spiritual soil.  I know many sincere pastors and Christians who have seen little or no conversions through their witness.

Does this mean we are all failures?  I know many need to get past the fear of rejection and witness.  Others need to stop thinking of Christ as their personal savior and see Him as the answer to virtually all human questions and needs.  Their friends and co-workers need Jesus!  But there is something more at work here.

Most believers don't understand that there is a spiritual component to an individual's hardness of heart.  As a result, they don't deal with this spiritual component in their sharing of the gospel.

In scripture, we are told that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4).  In my experience and in the book of Acts, I have seen some groups of people responded more favorably to the gospel, while other entire groups of people rejected the gospel.  Even Paul witnessed little conversions in Athens (Acts 16:16-34), while seeing great revival in Berea (Acts 16:10-15).  Did he do something wrong in Athens?

Some would argue yes, but I think not!  The people of Athens were more worldly and secular than the people of Berea.  By this I do not mean "evil" but instead I mean that they looked and believed in natural causes more than spiritual answers.  Worldly and secular folks rule out the work of God from consideration.  Obviously it is harder to witness to these folks!

For example, the Stoics mentioned in Acts 16:18 most likely would have been very moral people marked by great self control.  They might be "more righteous" in their conduct than anyone we know!  Yet, they rejected the supernatural as superstitious "babbling" from a weak mind.  Of course they reject Paul's message.  They probably did not even listen to it.

I would argue that such thought is the very definition of worldliness.  It is also the mark of those controlled and dominated by the blinding influence of the evil one.

Our friend in Southeast Asia labors to witness for Jesus in an area dominated with the same sort of worldly and secular thought.  The spiritual blindness is real, deep, and pervasive.

What can we do?

First, pray like your life depends upon it!  In fact, pray like the lives of those to whom you witness depend upon it.  Ask for the Lord to send a spirit of revival and transformation.  Pray that the veil will be lifted so they may see their real need and embrace Christ.

Second, do not give up!  Keep praying, witnessing, and most importantly washing yourself in the gospel.  It will be easy to forget the gospel if you do not have others around you to remind you of its beauty and truth.  Find a community of like-minded believers to encourage and pray with you.

Finally, rejoice in the spiritual interest and conversions you do see.  It may not match the volume or experience of others in different towns or place, but who cares!  You do not live in those places.  God has called you to your specific place and to these people.

In other words, please remember that there is nothing wrong with you!  In fact, God has shown great trust in you by placing you in such a difficult environment.  Keep witnessing to the truth and praying for God to send His Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers.  Immerse yourself in the gospel.  Gather with a community of believers who share the same Lord and the same struggles.  Remember that today may be the day the revival starts through your witness.  To God be the glory in that wondrous revival!