For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by His hand would deliver them. But they understood not. Acts 7:25
A Christian who owned a small store had made it a point to witness for his Lord whenever an opportunity arose. One day, as he chatted with a customer in the store, he happened to mention something about Moses. The customer looked puzzled and asked, ‘Moses? Who is Moses?’ The Christian suddenly realized that this man, and most of the people around us, not only don’t know who Moses was but also don’t have much understanding at all about the Bible and its contents. That is difficult to grasp for those of us who grew up in a Bible believing and Bible reading home, and who have been given a good grounding in the Scriptures through Sunday School attendance and many years of attending Assembly meetings and conferences. We just assume that everybody knows who Moses was and what the Bible has to say about him and about many other subjects. But like Moses, we need to be aware of the incredible ignorance of the Scriptures all around us.
Although a mighty prince of Egypt and possibly an heir to the throne, Moses knew he was an Israelite, and he took an interest in the affairs of his people. As an Israelite, he knew of God’s promise to deliver His people. His real parents had taught him well in his early years before he was turned over to the direction of his adoptive mother, the daughter of Pharaoh. Perhaps he viewed his position in Egypt as that which God could use as part of the deliverance. In this he was mistaken; God had other plans. But Moses discovered that not all of the Israelites shared his conviction about God’s deliverance. In the same way, you and I discover that not many of the people around us are very interested in the Gospel message; they don’t share our excitement about the great plan of deliverance that God has for us. If we are to reach them, we must do as Moses did, step back and step into God’s plan.
Christians are anomalies in today’s world. We live according to God’s absolutes in contrast to those around us doing that which is right in their own eyes. We live in the fear of God and in respect to His Holy Word, in contrast to those around us who neither know nor care about God or His Word. The world does not understand why the truth and Godly living are important to us. Our efforts to explain to them the need for God’s salvation are meaningless unless we show them the difference that our salvation makes. It is our life, not our words, that will get through to those who do not understand.
The Gospel is a total mystery to those all around us. We must show them what the Gospel has done for us if we are to make them understand. – Jim MacIntosh