Preach Christ Daily and Rejoice! God may purpose to draw them for His Glory; Rejoice! God may purpose to harden them for His Glory; Rejoice; either way God will use His word to accomplish His purpose, be it to draw, or be it harden; If your joy is based on the response of sinners, your joy is based on the sinner not the Sovereign;
If your joy is based on the response of sinners, your joy is based on the sinner not the Sovereign;
Evangelism is to be rooted in Joy for the Sovereign, not heartache for the rebel;
True, Philip. 3:18 says: ....I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
however, Pauls' tears where not the motivation of his Evangelism; This is indicated 3-4x in the preceding verses:
Philip. 3:8-14 (ESV)
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
[9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [11] that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. [13] Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Rev. 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"
Rev. 19:1-3 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying... out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, [2] for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants."
[3] Once more they cried out, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever."
See Exodus 15 in light of Exodus 14 and Deuteronomy 9.
My point is that Paul wept in Phil 3:18 for the enemies of the Cross of Christ; but 3x before that verse Paul makes it clear that his evangelism was not grounded on a "broken heart for the dogs/lost" but rather grounded on "the joy of the suprassing Glory of Christ, and knowing Christ."
Our evangelism is not grounded on "tears" for the sinner and his response; but our evangelism is grounded on joy for the Sovereign and his reign; I am not suggesting we become smug, arrogant, or hateful, I am pointing the basis of preaching solely on the glory of God and purpose of God; even if that glory be connected to Romans 9...preparing vessels of wrath for destruction;
There is a time to shake the dust of our feet, not sit outside the house and cry and cry and cry and sob; instead he says, "let your peace return unto you." Matt 10:13, and that is my point too;
Finally Paul practiced this, Acts 13:46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. Acts 13:51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were FILLED WITH JOY and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:23-31 has that same rejoicing and boldness in light of being rejected, not "oh boo-hoo the message has been rejected by those who are breaking our heart." They quote Psalm 2, which in it's entirety talks about God laughing and speaking in wrath; not depressed because rebels ignore his message;
Deut. 7:16 And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.
Do we kill? No.
Do we show mercy and compassion? YES.
Do we proclaim Jesus in Joy? Yes.
Is this Joy contingent on if God draws or Hardens? No.