Objections are one thing we may not be able to completely avoid as we evangelize to the lost in Israel. Check the Scripture: objections have taken place since the beginning. The prophets were opposed in the Old Testament (Acts 7:52). Yeshua and the apostles were opposed in the New Testament as well. However, I’ve observed a major difference between their experience and ours in Jewish evangelism ministries today.
Wondering what that could be? It is our response when objections arise. Discouragement, withdrawal, and loss of passion are the everyday responses of some believers today. Trust me, I’m not trying to be judgmental – far from it! I’ve had firsthand opposition experiences as an evangelist, so I know how hurtful they can be.
I must admit that I withdrew sometimes too. But I’m thankful to the Lord for His grace. At every point, God has always encouraged me and provided me with the strength to keep going. Over the years, He taught me how to handle objections His way. In this blog, I will be sharing some of those ideas with you. I pray that you will find the strength and wisdom you need to keep sharing the Gospel message as you read through. Amen?
Effective Ways of Handling Objections in Jewish Evangelism Ministries
1. See Objections the Right Way
Saul was a thorn in the flesh for believers in the early church. He acknowledged it too (Galatians 1:13). But there’s a part of his conversion experience that we often ignore, and that was something Yeshua said to him.
Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 9:4-5)
“But Paul only persecuted the church and not Yeshua,” you might say. Those were my thoughts at one time too. Little did I realize how much what happens to Yeshua’s followers affects Him (Matthew 25:35-40).
This is true for Jewish evangelism ministries in Israel too. It looked like we were rejected the last time someone sent us away after sharing our faith with them. But in the real sense, we were not rejected; Yeshua was.
The first step to handling objections God’s way is seeing things from this perspective. You weren’t rejected; Yeshua was.
2. Respond in Love
When the opposition is fierce and embarrassing, there is a temptation to respond harshly. Don’t take the bait. Love and patience must be your response.
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth. (II Timothy 2:24-25)
3. Try Other Means
You may be able to change minds if you try other means. For instance, if someone won’t give you the time for a face-to-face conversation, what about sharing digital content with them? We have enough edifying evangelistic content here – more than you can exhaust!
You can check out our Israel music videos under the Israel Music Evangelism section. Also, we constantly upload video testimonies of Jews and Gentiles who have accepted Yeshua as their Messiah in our Free in Messiah project. Hear O Israel is another of our projects where we put out high-quality animated videos about how Yeshua is the fulfillment of Scripture. Our upcoming WOW!BIBLE project is another resource you will find helpful – and it is a mix of both print and digital tools! Read more about it here.
Another thing you can do when someone opposes you is to send another believer to them. I usually counsel believers to try this when the objection is from a family member. As long as people are saved, it doesn’t really matter who gets the job done. Teamwork could be a major game-changer if we would learn to use it more often in evangelism.
4. Check Your End – Any Loopholes?
Beyond trying other resources from creative media ministries, do a personal evaluation. There might be something you need to do better. Maybe you were too pushy the last time you shared the Gospel, or maybe your lifestyle doesn’t match the message you’re preaching. If this is the case, listen, I’m not here to condemn you. Neither is God. Just pray and ask Him for forgiveness, and give Him the opportunity to lead you through some much-needed adjustments so that your evangelism efforts will be more effective.
5. Pray About It
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).
God doesn’t want you to go through the battle of objections alone. He wants you to talk to Him about it. So, get on your knees and pray!
6. Count It All Joy!
Finally, count it all joy to suffer objection for the course of the Gospel (James 1:2; Acts 5:41). Opposition is actually a thing to be thankful for. This may sound crazy, but God wants you to stay passionate about men’s salvation, so don’t let anything rain on your parade.
Bottom Line
You may not be able to stop opposition while evangelizing the unsaved. But you sure can choose to handle them properly. God wants us to handle objections His way, and we looked at six ways to do just that. Through our great commission media ministries to Israel, we’ve proven these strategies to be highly effective. Start trying them and watch God turn objections into avenues for a great harvest of souls. Shalom!