There are several things we learn about opposition in regard to mission.
1. Opposition always accompanies mission.
Where there is war, there are missions. We are on mission because we are in a war: a spiritual war. Our enemy wants to stop us at all costs. Our mission is the only thing Jesus calls us to do on earth that we cannot also do in Heaven. THAT is why Satan so desperately wants to stop us from being on mission!
2. Opposition often comes where and when you least expect it.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law were the committed religious people of Christ’s day. You would think that they would be cheering Jesus on. Instead, they were challenging him!! Today, Christians oppose one another all the time. We do it in the name of tradition, style, denomination, and sometimes even doctrine. Any time legalism sets in and causes the body of Christ to be divided the mission is compromised.
3. Opposition can unintentionally come from ourselves.
It’s easy for us to point the finger at the Pharisees and condemn their hypocritical behaviors. Yet too often our own lives are self-contradictory. This always results in our mission being compromised, slowed, or even stopped. It’s probably a safe bet that every Pharisee started out with good intent. None of them set out to be hypocrites. Self-contradicting opposition just sort of crept in, which is exactly what Satan wants.
Like the Pharisees, none of us set out with the intention to fail in or interfere with God’s mission. It just creeps in. The Pharisees excused their sin in the name of being zealous. We find ways to excuse our sins as well:
“That’s just how I am.”
“I’m not as bad as ___________________ (fill in the blank).”
“I’m not perfect, but at least I’m active at church or in my small group.”
“I’m trying to be a ‘silent’ witness. I witness with my life not my words.”
“I don’t have the gift of evangelism.”
If we don’t address sinful tendencies at the outset, we will find ways to excuse them. The results are devastating: the mission of Christ is hindered and people don’t hear about Jesus. None of us starts out wanting to obstruct the progress of God’s mission…it just creeps in. Let’s not allow it to creep in.