Will Everyone accept Jesus?

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14

Some Will Be SavedWhen we think about praying for, and sharing with, friends and family members who reject Jesus, we love passages like 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is . . . patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But this doesn’t mean that everyone will eventually repent and accept Jesus Christ. Jesus plainly said in Matthew 7 that most people don’t find the way to eternal life.

Is God contradicting Himself? Not at all. In 2 Peter 3:9, we learn that God wishes, or desires, that everyone would accept Christ. It doesn’t mean that it will happen. Sometimes God desires things and other times He decides they will happen no matter what. God decided that Jesus would die on the cross so we’d have an opportunity to accept Jesus and live in Heaven. Now, God is being patient with us because he hopes, desires and wishes that we all accept the free gift He gave us. But some may refuse the gift.

God Is the One Who Chooses
In Romans, Paul makes a bold statement about God’s sovereignty: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion’” (Romans 9:14-15). Paul goes on quoting God, a few verses later: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” (Romans 9:20-21).

God’s ways are far higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9), and in the end, we have to simply acknowledge that He is in charge, and believe that everything that happens is part of His great plan.

Don’t Stop PrayingYou might say,“If God’s going to do whatever He wants, why pray?” Because God has instructed us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and promises great blessings when we do. And even if only a few will be saved, don’t you want your loved ones to be among the few? Remember, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

A Closed Mouth and Silent Heart

A Closed Mouth and Silent Heart – A. W. Tozer
by A.W. Tozer

My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue…. –Psalm 39:3

Prayer among evangelical Christians is always in danger of degenerating into a glorified gold rush. Almost every book on prayer deals with the “get” element mainly. How to get things we want from God occupies most of the space. Now, we gladly admit that we may ask for and receive specific gifts and benefits in answer to prayer, but we must never forget that the highest kind of prayer is never the making of requests. Prayer at its holiest moment is the entering into God to a place of such blessed union as makes miracles seem tame and remarkable answers to prayer appear something very far short of wonderful by comparison.

Holy men of soberer and quieter times than ours knew well the power of silence. David said, “I was dumb with silence. I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing the fire burned; then spoke I with my tongue.” There is a tip here for God’s modern prophets. The heart seldom gets hot while the mouth is open. A closed mouth before God and silent heart are indispensable for the reception of certain kinds of truth. No man is qualified to speak who has not first listened. The Set of the Sail, pp. 14-15

“Lord, teach me to close my mouth. I love to preach; You’ve given me opportunities to teach; I’m called on to dispense advice and counsel. But the sitting in silence before You, with my mouth closed–I don’t do nearly enough of that. Amen.”

What To Do If Your Family Rejects Jesus

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11

As Christians, we want our family members to know God’s forgiveness and love. We especially want them to go to Heaven. Sometimes, our family members reject Jesus. They might even mock or insult you for following Jesus if you live in a place with very few Christians. When your family rejects Jesus, what do you do?

Present Your Needs to God
Think of your earthly father. Would you describe him as kind or mean? Comforting or completely absent? Whatever your experience was with your earthly father, understand that our Heavenly Father is much different. God is always present, and he is far greater, kinder, and generous than any father on earth. Because God loves us, He wants us to present our needs to Him. If your family rejects Jesus, pray to God about it.

Use Your Secret Weapon - Prayer
We know we should pray to God for our family members who reject Jesus, but how? The Apostle Paul wrote, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for ALL people” (1 Timothy 2:1). Pray for all of your family members. Even the ones you don’t know yet! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 even says to “Pray without ceasing.” We should never stop praying for our family members that reject Jesus.

Remember, Jesus “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Pray confidently! The entire reason Jesus came to earth was to save us. That includes me, you and your entire family! Be persistent in your prayers. Even if the situation hasn’t changed yet, keep praying. And always remember to continue “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20).

Trust in God’s Will When we pray, we are not only asking for things, but aligning our own will with God’s. That’s why one of the first phrases of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Your will be done.” Our Heavenly Father knows what to give and when to give it. Our part is to persistently ask for the salvation of our loved ones, and to patiently wait and seek His will.

Heart and Mouth

Heart and Mouth – Hagin By Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” Romans 10:10

 It is always with the heart that man believes – and with the mouth that confession is “made unto salvation.” When you believe something with your heart and confess it with your mouth, then it becomes real to you.

Faith’s confessions create realities! For example, Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Jesus will never have to do that again; He has already done it once, and for all time. And Romans 10:10 tells us how we obtain the reality of that salvation: By believing with the heart – the inner man – and confessing with the mouth.

As you read some of the “in Christ,” “in Him,” and “in whom” scriptures, it may not seem like you really have what these scriptures say you have. But if you will begin to confess (because you do believe God’s Word in your heart), “This is mine. This is who I am. This is what I have,” then it will become real to you. It is already real in the spirit realm. But you want it to become real in this physical realm where you are living. Confession: With my heart I believe God’s Word; and with my mouth I make confession of its promises and provisions. My faith confessions create the reality of those promises and provisions in my life. I am who God says I am – now! I have what God says I have – now!

Copyright © Kenneth Hagin Ministries - Used by Permission