In Front | The Telegraph: Wide and Broad

Even the mental judgments of Jews or Gentiles could not stop the gospel message. When the Jews brought persecution, it only spread the gospel more. When the Gentiles brought confusion, it only enabled the apostles to speak more about the power of the gospel.  

Worldviews held by people today also create intellectual barriers. People hold beliefs that make the gospel seem irrelevant or worse. Notions of radical individualism can make any idea of a supreme God oppressive. Atheistic materialism can cause people to view the gospel as mythological. 

Other barriers can exist too. Emotional barriers can exist for people who hear about abuses of authority by Church leaders throughout history. Such barriers may exist for people who personally had a negative experience with a church too. There are also cultural barriers in societies where Christian faith is frowned upon. This can even be in societies where the Church was previously healthy and strong.

Nonetheless, the history of the Church has shown that God continues to work for the spreading of His gospel—even in the harshest of environments. In recent decades, the growth of the Church in China is a striking example. After centuries of resistance to Protestant missionaries, China’s Protestants numbered only about 1 million members in 1949. In 2010, Protestants numbered an estimated 58 million. One expert expects that number to climb to 160 million by 2025. 

Reference: Tom Phillips, “China on course to become ‘world’s most Christian nation’ within 15 years,” The Telegraph, April 19, 2014, accessed July 23, 2018.

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