When it’s Hard to Care: Indifference and the Sharing the Gospel
Practical steps to move forward
It’s Hard to Care
If you find yourself wrestling with a sense of indifference or a lack of urgency to share the Gospel, you're not alone. While all Christians know that believing in Jesus is an eternally important matter, any given day is full of thousands of decisions. All of us have hundreds of digital and in-person conversations before we go to bed at night. Our family members are in crisis, our neighbors are fighting, work is hard, and our children need to eat (again). It’s hard to care about the good news of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return when there are so many things right in front of us, demanding our immediate attention. Indifference can sometimes feel like the only option when everything is important all the time.
An Antidote to Apathy
While it might seem like there is no room in our lives to prioritize telling our friends and neighbors about Jesus, that’s not true. We always make time for the things we care about. (That’s why I always have time to sit down for dinner and watch TV before bed!) Sometimes, the reason we are indifferent is that we simply don’t care enough. But the Christian solution to indifference might surprise you. The best way Christians can begin to care more for their non-believing neighbors and friends is to remember how much God cares for us.
God’s Compassion Toward You
God has an infinite amount of care and compassion towards people who are indifferent towards him. The entire Bible is filled with stories of people who hate God, hate others, and hate obeying God’s laws. If you or I were dealing with someone who hated us that much, we might just call them “toxic” and cut them off. But that’s not what God does. The infinitely powerful God becomes weak and human so that he can show love and compassion to people who have wanted nothing to do with God (John 3:16). His life was marked by a deep, genuine concern for the physical and spiritual well-being of everyone around him. Eventually, God’s compassion drove him to die for the same people who hated him (Romans 5:8). God is not indifferent towards us, he died for us. Remembering God’s compassion towards his people isn’t the only, but it is the first way Christians should fight indifference.
Practical Steps To Move Forward
1. Reflect on Jesus’ Compassion: To help fight indifference, spend time reflecting on the compassion of Jesus towards people who hate him. You could start by reading Luke 15 and Luke 23:34-46.
2. Tell Somebody Your Story: Sometimes, remembering how much God has transformed you can motivate us to tell others about Jesus. Tell a friend or family member how you came to know Jesus and how your life has changed.
3. Pray for Empathy: Prayer can shift our perspectives and soften our hearts. Ask God to help you see others through His eyes, to feel with His heart, and to respond with His love.
How Spoken Gospel Can Help
We're passionate about people hearing the good news of God’s compassion toward them. That’s why we create thought-provoking videos, Bible reading plans, and podcasts designed to help you know your Bible better and have conversations about Jesus more confidently.
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