“One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, but some of them said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart. You say I am empowered by Satan. But if Satan is divided and fighting against himself, how can his kingdom survive? And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. For when a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe— until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings. “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!” Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God. “The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.”
Luke 11:14-32 NLT
Believing in Jesus is an issue of the will, not just the mind and emotions. People in Jesus’ day saw clear miracles, yet they accused Him of being demon possessed—while asking to see more miracles. Jesus taught that He is stronger than Satan, and the Kingdom of God had come and included the binding of Satan. He also taught that the greatest miracle was yet to come: the sign of Jonah. His resurrection would be the sign to the world that God had sent Him. Jesus would be resurrected—and yet people would still reject Him.
People in our day still refuse to believe. God can show miracles, clear explanations can be given, emotional connections can be made—and yet people still choose to reject Jesus. Faith is an act of the will; following Jesus is a continual transformation of the will. The human will is bent inward upon self; salvation is the process of the Holy Spirit slowly straightening the will back towards the Father. The will curved into self—though deceitfully seeming to bring happiness—only brings loneliness and selfishness. As our wills are turned to our Creator, we experience true love and overflowing joy. Pay attention to how the Lord is changing your will.
Since salvation is about our will, when we do evangelism, we need to aim for the will. Mental arguments are important and emotional connections are good, but without the will there will be no true change. People will reject the message, but you need to keep sharing His hope and love with everyone. And make sure you are in the process of letting the Spirit straighten your will back to the will of God. In fact, evangelism is primarily about sharing our testimonies of transformation with others and inviting them into the joy of Jesus.
Why do you think people reject the love of God in Jesus? Why is it important to pay attention to the will, especially in evangelism? In what areas of your life is the Spirit working on your will?
