You Have Received Your Reward
Ministry Update Jan 27, 2019
Since it was only 22 degrees on Wednesday when I witnessed at Missouri State University, I really expected little to no interaction. It turned out to be very little interaction. One young lady stopped for a few seconds and recorded while I was bringing a message. Then shortly after that a young man walked by me saying “You have received your reward.” He was referring to Matthew 6:5, but sadly, he was taking that verse out of context.
In Matthew 6:5 Jesus says: When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. After Matthew 7:1 “Judge not,” Matthew 6:5 is probably the next verse I hear quoted the most by mockers. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar to see that praying in public and open-air preaching are two different things. Jesus was saying don’t pray in public to be seen and heard by men. He wasn’t even saying don’t pray in public. No, He was saying don’t pray in public for the purpose of trying to impress others. People who are seeking man’s attention or applause have received their reward.
What Jesus Actually Said About Preaching The Gospel
Here’s what Jesus did say about preaching the Gospel: And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). So I ask you, is Missouri State University campus part of the world? Aren’t college students part of every creature? Of course they are. I pointed these things out to the young man. When I told him that a true Christian wouldn’t hinder the Gospel from going forth, he pulled out the Judge not verse. At that point I pleaded with him to repent and surrender his life to Jesus. That is my hope and prayer for all the students at MSU. I do pray that the Lord saves the lost and empowers the true believers with holy boldness to share their faith in Jesus with others.
Are You A Believer In Jesus?
Friday night was 27 degrees (so a little warmer) than it was on Wednesday. It snowed for a couple of hours before I went downtown to witness, but I was really glad that I went. Several people took tracts and three people waved and encouraged me as they walked by while I was open-air preaching. One guy across the street stopped and recorded part of the message at the same time another gentleman was standing there listening.
A couple of people that rejected tracts also stood out. I recognized one young woman that I’ve seen walk by before and she’s always refuses a tract when she passes by. As I tried to hand her a tract, she just shook her head no. So this time I asked her, “Are you a believer in Jesus?” I did so because sometimes Christians refuse tracts because they don’t need them. (I personally accept tracts because I want to see what other Christians are handing out). But sadly, the young woman just kept shaking her head no. So I just said Jesus is the only way of salvation as she walked away.
Later on, a guy refused a tract and said, “No thank you.” Then he turned back around and said something like especially if it has to do with religion, he really didn’t want it. I’d like to blame my non-response on the cold weather, but the truth is I just didn’t think of it until later, but I should have told him that it wasn’t about religion. I wouldn’t want something that was about religion. No, the Gospel tract I was trying to hand him talks about Jesus. The Lord is not religion; He is Lord of all. Then I thought if this man continues going through life rejecting the only way of salvation, saying, “I said ‘No thank you’ to a person offering me a tract” will be no excuse on Judgment Day. May God unharden hard hearts and draw lost souls to Himself.
(These updates are given to encourage Christians to share the Gospel. It is not up to us whether people accept or reject God’s truth. We are just called to share the Good News with others. God does the saving and He receives all the glory.)