Christian Bible Lesson 15: You will not reach everyone

Bible Verses

“Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.” — Matthew 10:14

“Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?’ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.” — Matthew 13:54-58

Christian Bible Lesson Overview

Sometimes it is difficult to understand that there are locations or groups of people you will not be able to reach regardless of how much you prepare.  Jesus sensed this in his hometown.  He realized the people in his hometown lacked the faith to receive his message.  Therefore he did not perform major miracles there.

Christian Bible Lesson for Today

This lesson applies to many aspects of our lives.  Regardless of the message you are presenting, if your audience is not open to listening to you, it may be time to move to a different audience.   Lack of acceptance by the audience does not necessarily mean that the message is poor; it could be that audience is not open to listening to you.

The challenge with spending too much time with people who are not open to you is that you are not spending quality time with people who will consider your message.  It takes discipline to manage your time.

When you realize that a specific group of people are not open to listening to you, you need to review your message and make sure it is clear.  If it is clear, it may be time to move to a new audience.

Learn From Salespeople

In business, salespeople frequently face the dilemma of talking with people who are not open to their products.  Good salespeople identify if the challenge is in their message or if the audience was not open to their products.  Good salespeople do not continue to present to an audience that is not open to their presentation.

Christian Bible Lesson Summary

We need to function like good salespeople.  Develop a presentation that is effective at communicating the benefits of your message.  Continue to improve, but do not waste time presenting to people who are not open to considering your points.  There are too many other people to reach. Always work to improve your presentation and many audiences will support you.