A beekeeper friend recently had an interesting encounter with what he thought was a swarming, hostile hive of bees. The bees were perched outside the opening to their hive enclosure—a wooden structure in which they lived. My friend thought that a swarm was imminent, but upon closer inspection he realized the bees had moved outside of the hive because it had gotten too hot due to sweltering weather. They weren’t hostile, but simply chilling out in the daytime breeze.
At times, we’ll feel the heat of the world’s hostility to God and His good news. Some people simply don’t want to hear about it. Jesus spoke of the responses the disciples would receive as they told others about Him (Matthew 10:7). He said, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). When we tell others the gospel, we too can expect trouble. Some of us will even face white-hot persecution (Matthew 10:17-21).
There can be some challenging moments as we live out and share our faith. But Jesus said, “Slaves are not greater than their master. . . . And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names!” (Matthew 10:24-25). To make it perfectly clear, He stated, “All nations will hate you because you are my followers” (Matthew 10:22).
But here’s the good news about God’s good news! Not everyone will oppose us or reject our message. We may perceive or expect hostility, but Jesus says there will be people who will respond positively to the gospel (Matthew 10:40-42).
So it’s our time to spread the good news! The people around us need Jesus. For the sake of those who will want to believe in Him, may God help us carry out our mission today!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Esther 1:1-22
More:
Read Acts 5:26-32 to see how the apostles responded to the hostility of the unbelieving world as they persisted in sharing the good news.
Next:
What are some challenges and consequences you have faced while sharing the gospel? How does it encourage you that some people will respond favorably to the good news?
Gary Shultz on May 2, 2015 at 5:04 am
Things have been chill and respectful for christian since our country was founded, but like the bees, the heat is on. The climate has changed and we have often responded poorly. Maybe some heat is a good thing we may see who is really in the hive.
tgustafs on May 2, 2015 at 7:37 am
I agree with Gary. We have responded poorly. And some heat is a good thing. It ought to motivate us to identify with Christ and ask for the Spirit’s help to respond as He would. Thanks, KT, for this timely article.