By Elizabeth Prata
Continue reading “There are no safe spaces”
Tag: gospel
You have to know when to stop evangelizing
By Elizabeth Prata
Matthew 28:19-20 famously says,
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.“
This is known as The Great Commission, where Jesus, upon the occasion of His departure from earth, told His disciples to evangelize, baptize, and raise up more disciples.
Mark 16:15 says, And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
So, we do. We share the Gospel (using words). It is our duty and our privilege.
So it seems like it would be a dereliction of duty to quit giving the Gospel to someone who rejects it. But it isn’t. If a person has been shared with and given the blessed Gospel of God, not only once but a few times, and they reject, it is OK to stop. In fact, sometimes they entrench further into their depravity and sin each time we bring it up. Rather that push the issue, stop and let the Holy Spirit do His work. If that person has been chosen and elect, they will at some point come to see as the scales fall from their eyes.
As Paul is a great model for sharing the Gospel he is also a great model of when to stop sharing the Gospel:
Acts 18:6, But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.“
If they were blaspheming, their minds were definitely not ready and that meant their heart was not accepting either. Let them go and move on to more fruitful fields. Also, if they were blaspheming, they were heaping sin upon themselves. We don’t want that for them. Just let them go and let the seed germinate if it is going to.
Here is another example-
Acts 19:9, But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he [Paul] withdrew from them and took the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus.
They were becoming hardened. Sometimes when we share the Gospel with a loved one, we can spiritually see them hardening. We feel them moving away from Jesus, not toward.
Sometimes it is OK to stop giving the Gospel if they ask you to stop. If you have shared and are satisfied with your clarity in that share, and the next time or two you’ve raised the issue and they say ‘stop’ then respect that and just love them.
This verse is kind of a brutal description, but remember, it’s advice from the All Omniscient One-
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6).
And we remember Matthew 10:14, where Jesus instructed them,
And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust off your feet.
So, is the person you’re sharing with stomping on the Gospel, rejecting it in a blaspheming way, or just weary of the ‘Jesus-talk’? It is OK to stop. It is actually loving to keep on loving them but refrain from continuing the Gospel share so that they do not blaspheme or harden. But pray for them.
Philippi and Fort Worth: The Same Battle Across the Centuries
By Elizabeth Prata
Passion Week 2026: Holy Monday
By Elizabeth Prata
Today is Monday, March 30, 2026. It is the Monday after Psalm Sunday. On that Sunday so long ago, Jesus rode a colt of a donkey into Jerusalem and was hailed and blessed and exalted as a coming King. A deliverer. A Savior (of the Israelites).
He was, but not in the way the hallelujah-ing crowds thought. He came to die.
Holy Week is that period between Psalm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a period rightly somber, and many Christians meditate on the meaning of the different things Jesus did in His last week of life as humble servant, prophet, miracle worker. He walked, sometimes trudged, always clear eyed and willingly, toward that dark death promised Him before the worlds began.
He came to die. It is time to die.
The Gospels were not written chronologically so it is hard to exactly tell what Jesus did during that specific week. Tradition says this is the day He cursed the fig tree for its promise of fruit but failure to produce it. Or perhaps this is the day He cleansed the Temple. We can’t be dogmatic about specifics, but we can rightly ponder the great truths Jesus has taught during his life as Teacher (Rabboni). Who IS this Jesus, this Jesus who is promised to come again. This same Jesus who will come again. (Acts 1:11).
He came to die as propitiation for our sins.
He not only came to die, but He came to shed His blood in the dying. Jesus’s is a story that bears repeating and repeating and it never becomes boring. How could it?! As Spurgeon said in his sermon Christ Set Forth As A Propitiation, Spurgeon, Good Friday Morning, March 29, 1861:
“You will not reply that you have heard this story so often that you have grown weary of it, for well I know that with you, the Person, the Character, and the work of Christ are always fresh themes for wonder! We have seen the sea, some of us, hundreds of times, and what an abiding sameness there is in its deep green surface; but who ever called the sea monotonous? Traveling over it as the mariner does, sometimes by the year together, there is always a freshness in the undulation of the waves, the whiteness of the foam of the breaker, the curl of the crested billow, and the frolicsome pursuit of every wave by its long train of brothers. Which of us has ever complained that the sun gave us but little variety…”
So this is a week when we ponder the old, old story, as we do every week of the year.
Jesus was set forth as a sacrifice. He willingly came to do so. Spurgeon’s text is Romans 3:25-
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; (Romans 3:25).
Spurgeon: “The words, “set forth,” in the original may signify, “foreordained;” but according to eminent critics, it has also in it the idea of setting forth as well as a “foreordaining.” Barnes says, “The word properly means to place in public view; to exhibit in a conspicuous situation, as goods are exhibited or exposed for sale, or as premiums or rewards of victory were exhibited to public view in the games of the Greeks.” So has God the Father set forth, manifested, made conspicuous the Person of the Lord Jesus as the Propitiation of sin.“
Indeed. As the week progresses to its climax, we understand that Jesus’ suffering and death was made ‘a spectacle’ for all to view.
For now, He saw the crowds praising Him, knowing in a few days they would be cursing Him. Such is the fickle display of sinning hearts, crowds who became a spectacle themselves as spiritually worthless flunkies howling their hosannas which crumbled like dead leaves underfoot days later.
Spurgeon- “We should look to Christ, and look to Christ, alone, as the propitiation for our sins, and take care that our faith is simple, and fixed solely on his precious blood” that shall be shed in a mere few days.
And still Jesus pressed on.
More tomorrow.
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
1″Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2″He will not cry out nor raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3″A bent reed He will not break off And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4″He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice on the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
Isaiah 42:1-4
Lessons from the Man in the Cage
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS: Reflecting on The Pilgrim’s Progress and examples like John Child, I explore apostasy’s terror, irreversibility, and sobering call to perseverance, holiness, and faithful gospel proclamation.
Continue reading “Lessons from the Man in the Cage”There is No Middle Ground
By Elizabeth Prata
I am on a rotation for being a helper in children’s Sunday School once per month. It’s consistently edifying to see how the children respond to the truths presented in the lesson. It’s always gratifying to see that their growth is added to the foundation their parents are laying at home.
The lesson this week was about the people who mocked Jesus at the cross and the ones who did not. As the Bible was read sentence by sentence in the passage, the children were asked ‘Did this person or group honor Jesus, or dishonor Him?’ The children responded by taping a printed picture under a happy face or a sad face on one side of the board or the other.
As we neared the end of the lesson, one tyke noticed something about the way the pictures had been arranged. He said there was nobody in the middle. Which is perceptive.
Those who mocked Him were the Jewish crowds, the chief priests, scribes, & elders, Roman soldiers, and the two thieves crucified alongside him.
Those who honored Him were the centurion, eventually the repentant thief, the women who stood off from the crowd, Joseph of Arimathea.
There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. In our daily lives we ‘hedge our bets’ all the time on a score of things. We don’t utter an opinion, we sit on the fence, we take no chances, and stay on the safe side. This might be to keep the extended family peace, to keep the calm at work, and so on.
With Jesus there is only His safe side with Him, or against Him and destruction. You have to pick a side. Or as one little Sunday School student said about the centurion, “He was on God’s team.”
The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters. (Matthew 12:30).
Mark phrases it like this: For the one who is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:40).
Many of today’s people do not like to talk about destruction, wrath, or hell. But it is the default destination of all flesh if they reject Jesus’ offer of salvation.
On Judgment Day, each person will be judged one by one by Jesus. It will not matter if you were hiding in a crowd. It will not matter if you were refraining from speaking of Jesus at Thanksgiving ‘to keep the peace’. It will not matter of you desired a workspace unruffled by religious feathers. Not when it comes to the topic of the Gospel and Jesus. Each and every soul will be examined to see if you were with Him or against Him.
Not Another Gospel—Not Ever
By Elizabeth Prata
We tend to think of Revelation being the “hard” chapter. But Paul’s little missive to the Galatians has some tough language in it, and stern words for the Christians of his day and for Christians of all time. Paul sends curses out twice in this short passage. False doctrine is extremely important to tend to. A little leaven spoils the whole lump.
Paul wrote:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9).
Paul mentions here that:
–Christians desert solid doctrine
–Christians accept a different gospel
–Christians be warned that some come in who trouble us
–Christians be warned that some who come in purposely distort the Gospel
–Do not ‘dialog’ with the Gospel-perverters. Instead, let them be accursed!
“Have you ever noticed how difficult sometimes it is to reject a false system because the people in it are so nice? Paul says, “I don’t care if it’s me or if it’s a beautiful angel from heaven, let him be accursed.” So many buy false doctrine because the package is so nice. Don’t you know Satan knows that?” (source)
Far from being tolerant, having a ‘let them be mentality, or promoting inclusiveness; Christians should be exclusive to the Gospel only, intolerant of false doctrine, and vigorous in defending Christ.
The Gospel: Exclusive Truth, Inclusive Invitation
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Christianity teaches Jesus Christ as the sole way to heaven: exclusive in rejecting unrepentant sin and alternative paths, yet inclusive by offering salvation to all people who repent, believe in the Son, and obey Him, restoring humanity to fellowship with God through Christ alone eternally.
Continue reading “The Gospel: Exclusive Truth, Inclusive Invitation”It’s Gospel season
By Elizabeth Prata
Christmas is a time of blessing, love, warmth, and peace. Even non-Christians enjoy this season in their way, expressing generosity and care to those around them. We all seek to put hard feelings, pettiness, and trouble behind us.
Christians exult in the celebratory season because the Son of God, very God, Perfect God, poured His infinite self into human flesh to live and die for our sins, and also to impute His righteousness to us. We remember the babe in the manger but also the Man-God on the cross taking all the Father’s wrath for sin.
If a person gets that far in their thinking, it’s usually as far as it goes. We do not like to think of the wrath of God. But we must think of it, because this is the eternal destination for unbelievers.
The next step after the Babe, after the cross, even after the ascension, is to ponder His judgment. He came to save, but He will also punish. He is King, Priest, Prophet, Friend to repentant sinners, and Judge for those who won’t.
Christmas is a good time when unbelievers are thinking of Christ, whether they want to or not. It can be called Gospel season…
Think of those who bask in their sin, refusing God’s Gospel, and die in unrighteousness. They are consigned to hell. Jesus took the wrath for sinners, yes, but we must repent of those sins and fall at the feet of Jesus, else when a person meets Him they will hear those fearsome words, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire.” (Matthew 25:41). The wrath is real.
I have been thinking lot about hell lately. I have unsaved family members. Some of those have heard the gospel from me, some from others. I’ve received negative reactions, dismissals, and rejections. I’ve heard “Away with your dogma!”, “Religion is a crutch for stupid people,” and “I’m fine, I served on the church board and I’ve done good deeds.” Sinners really hate the gospel.
But the reality of hell hangs over them. Some have gone on to their place, including my father. He died at the scene of a car accident he caused. The newspaper took a photo of his tarp-covered body, one elbow sticking out, crumbled car behind him. He was tootling along the highway one second and the next, he was in hell (probably). Of course I can’t know for sure, but after 84 years of rejecting Jesus in his confirmed atheism, one surmises the outcome is not good.
Jonathan Edwards preached about heaven, and in his follow-up sermon, Edwards preached the famous sermon about hell titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It is a startling sermon even today. Edwards was no showman and reportedly read his sermons in practically a monotone, but the weight of the words and the reality of hell caused people to fling themselves out of their pews toward the altar crying “What must I do to be saved?!”
I think of a portion of that sermon that hits my soul like a bowling ball on a mosquito,
“It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: for ‘who knows the power of God’s anger?'” ~Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
In whose hands are you today? Have you looked to Jesus? Charles Spurgeon was suddenly gripped by a faltering shoemaker, a layman who took over the pulpit that snowy morning, who kept saying from Isaiah 45:22 over and over again—”Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” Spurgeon looked. He saw, his eyes were opened.
You do not have to be a skilled preacher, an astute theologian, or an experienced evangelist to share the gospel with someone. Spurgeon said the layman who took over the preacher-less pulpit that morning didn’t even pronounce all the words right, “but that did not matter. There was, I thought, a glimpse of hope for me in that text.” It’s the TEXT that saves, not your delivery of it. God’s word is powerful with the Holy Spirit behind it, whispering it along, or in some cases like mine, hammering it into my stony heart to shatter all my self-sufficiency.
“Is My word not like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?” (Jeremiah 23:29).
Here is a Founders article on The Horror of Hell. It does not carry the same sweetness as thinking of the Babe in swaddling cloths, but it is the default destination of everyone who, in this Christmas season, looks upon a Nativity set and goes their unrepentant fleshly way.
The Horror of Hell by Tom Ascol.
“So, what should we think of hell? Is the idea of it really responsible for all the cruelty and torture in the world? Is the doctrine of hell incompatible with the way of Jesus Christ? Hardly. In fact, the most prolific teacher of hell in the Bible is Jesus, and He spoke more about it than He did about heaven. In Matthew 25:41–46 He teaches us four truths about hell that should cause us to grieve over the prospect of anyone experiencing its horrors...”
The True ‘Wondrous Strange’
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
In 1998, I drove to Maine’s Farnsworth Art Museum to see Wondrous Strange: The Wyeth Tradition, an eerie exhibition exploring dreamlike and unsettling imagery. Reflecting later, I contrast the human imagination of the Wyeths with the true “wondrous strange” mystery of the Gospel—God’s unimaginable incarnation and redemption.
Continue reading “The True ‘Wondrous Strange’”
the-end-time.org 