And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them” (Mark 6:10-11, English Standard Version).

When Jesus sent His disciples out, He told them to preach and heal.

Jesus sent disciples out to preach, heal, and cast out demons (Mark 3:13; Matthew 10:8): not to argue.

It was customary in those days for travelers to rely on the hospitality of strangers. Hospitality was an important virtue in Middle Eastern culture, so it did not sound abnormal when Jesus told them to find someone to stay with upon arriving in a town. Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ instructions in more detail than Mark does.

While these three Gospels share similar details, with some variation, they all emphasize Jesus’ instruction in these verses. If people in a town would not accept their message, they were expected to move on. They should not waste time arguing with hostile audiences. There were too many villages to reach and not a lot of time.

Sometimes, we might think that evangelism demands that we win debates, wasting our time arguing with people who refuse to accept the Gospel. We need to remember that we will save nobody. God does the saving work. We merely need to spread the seed of the Good News and wait for the Holy Spirit to convict others and bring salvation.

More and more Christians waste their time in other arguments, thinking they are serving God. We might argue about political issues, differences between denominations, or other things that distract us from Christ. (“My church is better than yours.” “My Bible translation is better than yours!” “Your church is going to hell!”) Are we trying to draw souls to Christ or inflate our egos by pretending we are better than others? Jesus is our Lord. Glorify Him. Invite others to know Him.

The harvest is plentiful. Get the Word out. Leave the results to God.

How do you share the Gospel with others? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Copyright © 2024 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.