If we do not preach the gospel, is that rebellion against God?
“Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” – Ezekiel 3:11
One of the most discouraging aspects of proclaiming the word of God to sinners is how little they care and how futile the whole endeavor seems. This is true both of evangelism and of preaching a sermon. We desire the people who are hearing God’s words to be moved by them, to take them seriously, to repent and to modify their lives accordingly. If it’s evangelism, we yearn to see people turn away from their sins and turn to Christ for salvation. If it’s a sermon, we yearn to see the congregation moved to the depths of their being and make radical changes as a result of God’s perfect word. The indifference of many to the word of God is heartbreaking.
But this has been the experience of the prophets from the beginning of the prophetic office. The prophets were dispatched to a rebellious people who God said would reject his words before they were even spoken. God knew their hearts well. And in Ezekiel 3, God is preparing his messenger for the outcome. God tells Ezekiel that they will not listen to him because they do not listen to God, for they are hardened and obstinate. And yet, God wants Ezekiel to speak his words anyway. He is commissioned to go and speak, whether the people listen or not.
So, it is with us in evangelism. In Mark 4, Jesus told the parable of the seed and the four soils to get us ready for the likelihood of rejection. The hardened soil, the path, represents people who instantly reject the word as soon as they hear it. The rocky soil represents people who initially respond well, but who fall away when trouble comes. The thorny soil represents people who care so much about the world and its issues that they do not bear any fruit. Only the fourth soil produces a harvest. This parable should make us realistic about the outcome of evangelism and missions. And so it has been now for twenty centuries. The overwhelming percentage of people who hear the gospel reject it.
“God told Ezekiel not to be rebellious like those people, and for us to fail to proclaim God’s word because we fear they will reject it is to behave in exactly the same way as them.”
But in the spirit of today’s passage, Ezekiel 3:11, we are commanded to proclaim the saving gospel whether people listen or fail to listen. God told Ezekiel not to be rebellious like those people, and for us to fail to proclaim God’s word because we fear they will reject it is to behave in exactly the same way as them. Our task is to be sure we are proclaiming the heaven-sent gospel in purity, with boldness and love, and leave the results to God. For he alone can transform a sinner’s heart to make it receptive to his holy word.
