Shutting Down Opposition

I am privileged to be a part of a group that ministers to prison inmates, sharing the love of God with them and inviting them to become a part of the family of God. Everyone who knows me know that I love evangelism (sharing the good news of Christ to unbelievers) and being a part of this group is one of the highlights of my living in Canada.

Last Sunday, my Pastor’s wife and I went to minister to this wonderful group of young ladies and we taught from Romans 5:6-12 and Romans 10:9-13. The ladies listened attentively, asked a few questions and when the call for salvation was made, they all joyfully accepted Christ. Of course, we were happy. We asked if they had anything they’d like us to pray about, and we prayed along with them for their needs.

After the prayer, prison staff who had accompanied us into the room cut in and began to speak about how it didn’t matter whatever church they identified with, it was still all the same message. That was fairly correct. But then he went on. He added that it didn’t matter which religion it was, it all pointed to God. One of the ladies who had just accepted Christ began to agree with what he was saying. Obviously, I became uncomfortable. My pastor’s wife was as well. We tried to smile to hide our horror. But we knew for sure that weren’t going to leave that place without straightening that out.

I mean, seriously, we had just concluded a beautiful teaching of the gospel, explaining in detail how man had sinned because of Adam’s sin and how believing in Christ was the only way to salvation, because we cannot pay for our sins. We explained and broke it down so that they could understand, and they did. These women excitedly received Jesus. And then right in the same room, only a few minutes following their salvation, this man distorts the truth of Christ in our very faces. Hello? Who is this? Simon Barjesus? (Acts 13:6-12).

When he finished speaking and this young lady began to speak out her agreement with him, I lost the remaining gram of patience in me and interrupted her. I explained pointedly that Jesus is man’s only Savior because He is the only one who walked the surface of this earth without sin. He is God and it’s only through Him anyone can get to the Father. Other religions would require you to do one or two things to be saved, but as a Christian, we know that there is nothing we can possibly do on our own ability/strength to earn God’s love. We have been saved only by grace. I went on and on and saw on their faces that they understood. They looked satisfied; and boy, was I satisfied!

You see, Satan is never happy when people believe in Jesus and confess Him as Lord. Satan is never happy when people who were bound for hell make a turnaround and become a part of God’s family. So, he will bring oppositions to the gospel anytime and anywhere, with the aim to confuse people and keep them in darkness. It is important for us as believers to stand firmly against these oppositions to the gospel whenever they arise. If we had kept quiet that day, because we didn’t want to offend the prison staff, those ladies, even after accepting Christ, may have left that room confused. This could have affected their relationships with God and the message they tell people who they’d love to share their newfound faith with. We could not allow that to happen.

Remember, speaking the truth of God’s word and sharing the true love of Christ is more important than anyone’s feelings. So speak God’s truth even when it may hurt feelings. The salvation of those ladies is of greater value than the feelings of that man.

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