How should Christians respond to the world’s hatred?
I. Don’t stop witnessing.
II. Don’t fall away.
III. Don’t ignore the Holy Spirit.
God has chosen to reveal the Gospel through the Spirit-empowered witness of His Church. Atonement has been made. Christ is seated in glory, ruling from Heaven. The Spirit and the Church are to proclaim the Gospel.
We have learned that it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction to the world. That is His work. He does it well. It is His job to prove people wrong. When Pentecost came and the Spirit-inspired Peter got up to preach, notice the convicting work of the Spirit in Acts 2:
“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”” (Acts 2:37, ESV)
That’s the convicting work of the Spirit. He applies the Gospel causing men and women, to whom Christ calls, to cry out, “What shall we do?”