"Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.' So I said, 'Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.' Then He said to me, 'Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.' " Acts 22:17-21
Though we should not expect visions and extra-biblical messages from the Lord, the message Paul received from the Lord contains pertinent information for all believers at all times. The Lord warned Paul to expect people to reject his testimony about Christ. Beginning with Cain and Abel, non-believers have routinely rejected believers. God told Samuel that those who reject God’s people are in essence rejecting God (1 Samuel 8:7). Jesus specifically told the disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
We must not allow this reality to make us either prideful or dejected when rejected for Christ’s sake or for the sake of our faith in Him. Rather, Jesus said:
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The greater news is that not ALL will reject believers for Christ’s sake! Some will be convicted by the Holy Spirit, repent, and believe!
Believe it or not, I was once a Fuller Brush door to door salesman. A small minority of the doors on which I knocked bought something. Most did not, and some were downright rude. Some who try their hand at this kind of sales can’t take the rejection so they swiftly quit. I survived because I realized every “No,” meant I was closer to one of the few who said, “Yes.”
This kind of mentality is helpful when we are not embraced enthusiastically while sharing Christ with the lost. But even more importantly, we must be encouraged that it is not up to us to convert (much less be liked) by anyone. We are charged to simply speak about Christ. Saving some of those we speak to is entirely up to the Lord—and He will save His people!