Have you ever faced the obstacle of rejection when trying to fulfill the marching orders of Matthew 28:18-20? If so, how did you respond? Were you discouraged to the point that you never wanted to do evangelism again? Since this obstacle is one of the devil’s greatest tools to hinder our efforts to win the lost, we need to know how to combat it effectively. Here are three things to always remember when faced with the obstacle of rejection.

We need to remember that this is nothing new.

  • This may be surprising when you consider all of the conversion success stories in the Bible. Consider a few examples.
    • The people of Ninevah (Jonah 3:5-10)
    • The 3,000 on Pentecost (Acts 2:38-41)
    • The church grew to 4,000 (Acts 4:4)
    • The Samaritans (Acts 8:12-13)
    • The Ethiopian Treasurer (Acts 8:25-40)
  • Here are some conversion stories that did not turn out so well.
    • The preaching of Noah (2 Peter 2:5).
    • The preaching of the prophets (Matthew 23:31).
    • Stephen was murdered (Acts 7:54-60).
    • Many of those who heard the preaching of Peter (Acts 2:41).
    • Many of those who heard the preaching of Jesus (John 6:66).

We need to remember who is really being rejected.

  • The gospel is a product of the revelation of God.
    • The gospel does not originate from men (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 14:37; Galatians 1:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
    • When people refuse to obey the gospel, they are not rejecting us. Instead that they are rejecting God!
  • Remembering this will help us never take rejection personally.

We need to remember our responsibility.

  • The Bible is very clear about the responsibility of disciples.
    • We are to teach (Matthew 28:18-20).
    • We are to preach (Mark 16:15).
    • We are to plant the seed (1 Corinthians 3:5-7).
  • The power of God through the gospel is what ultimately converts!
    • The gospel is what draws the lost to God (Romans 1:16).
    • Our job is to just plant the seed, but God gives the increase!

We need to remember that there are some people who are interested in the gospel.

  • There were many people who refused to obey Jesus (John 6:66). There were also some who chose to obey Him (John 6:67-68).
  • The same process holds true today. While it is true that most will not respond to the gospel, there are some honest hearts who will. Those are the people who we need to ask God to help us find (Colossians 4:2-4).

Conclusion: We must never allow the fear of rejection to cripple us in our work.