People Are Choosing Hell and Calling It Freedom

The world moves like a great tide, pulling people toward whatever seems most urgent, most desirable, most profitable. The voices of the age whisper promises of power, success, and endless accumulation. They tell stories of self-sufficiency and self-made destinies. But beneath it all, there is an emptiness, an aching void that no material possession can fill. The truth stands before them, yet they turn away, choosing instead the fleeting pleasures of the moment. It is not for lack of evidence but for lack of desire to see. 

Jesus sent His disciples out into a world much like this one, a world where many hearts were already hardened, where truth was often met with hostility. He gave them clear instructions: speak the truth, offer the good news, but do not waste your time where it is unwelcome. Shake the dust from your feet and move on. This was not a command of cruelty but of wisdom. Time is short, and the laborers are few. The harvest is plentiful, but not everyone is ready to receive it. 

There is a deep temptation to linger, to argue, to try and break through the walls people have built around their hearts. We imagine that if we just find the right words, the right approach, we can convince anyone. But Jesus reminds us that this is not our burden to bear. We are not responsible for the choices of others. The truth is clear: those who reject the gospel are lost. They may claim to know God, to live with purpose, to follow their own truth, but in reality, they wander in darkness. 

The Sermon on the Mount offers another vivid picture of this reality. Do not give dogs what is holy. Do not cast your pearls before swine. These words are harsh, but they are spoken with love. They are not an insult to those who reject the truth but a warning to those who carry it. There is a cost to offering what is sacred to those who despise it. They will not merely reject it; they will turn and attack. The world does not simply ignore the gospel. It wars against it. 

This is the world we live in today, a world where truth is seen as subjective, where morality is based on personal preference, where God is treated as an option rather than the foundation of all things. People do not reject the gospel because they have found a better way. They reject it because they love the darkness more than the light. And so they chase after wealth, pleasure, influence—things that can never satisfy. They build lives on shifting sand and call it progress. 

Yet, for all the noise, for all the hostility, the work of the kingdom continues. The laborers are few, but the harvest remains. There are still those who hunger for truth, those who will hear and believe. Our task is not to argue with those who have already made up their minds. Our task is to seek the lost, to go where the soil is fertile, to invest in those who will receive. 

The weight of rejection is not ours to carry. Jesus Himself faced rejection. He stood before men who claimed to seek God yet refused to recognize Him when He stood in their midst. If they rejected Him, they will reject us. If they hated Him, they will hate us. This is not a sign of failure but of faithfulness. The gospel divides. It always has. It always will. Some will hear and rejoice. Others will scoff and turn away. Our job is to proclaim the truth and to walk away from those who will not receive it. 

There is a tendency to think that every rejection is a challenge to be overcome. That if we just pray harder, debate better, or show more kindness, we can change someone’s heart. But salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the power of human persuasion. Jesus did not tell His disciples to stay and fight against hardened hearts. He told them to move on, to go where they were welcomed, to shake the dust from their feet. 

This is a lesson in discernment. We are not called to force the gospel on those who despise it. We are called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. There will always be those who mock, who twist the truth, who use the gospel as a weapon against itself. They do not seek understanding. They seek destruction. Engaging with them is like throwing pearls before swine. They will trample the truth and then turn to attack. 

What, then, is our task? It is to be faithful. To speak boldly where there is an ear to hear. To walk away when the door is closed. To trust that God is sovereign over every soul. He calls whom He wills. He opens eyes in His timing. We are messengers, not saviors. We are workers in the field, not the Lord of the harvest. 

The world is desperate for meaning, even as it runs from the very source of meaning. People chase success, believing it will fulfill them, only to find themselves empty. They seek pleasure, only to grow numb. They accumulate wealth, only to realize it cannot buy what they truly long for. And still, they resist the gospel, convinced that surrender is loss rather than gain. 

Christians face the challenge of speaking truth in a world that loves lies. But there is freedom in knowing that we are not responsible for the outcome. We are called to speak, to go where the Spirit leads, to pour into those who are open, and to leave behind those who refuse to listen. The rejection of the gospel is not our burden to bear. The world will make its choice, and we are not accountable for that choice. 

Jesus knew that not all would receive His message. He prepared His disciples for that reality. He sent them out, not with a promise of universal acceptance, but with the knowledge that many would turn away. Yet, He also assured them that the harvest is plentiful. There are still souls who will hear and believe. Our mission is not to fight against those who have rejected the truth but to seek those who are ready to receive it. 

The wisdom of Christ teaches us to let go. To walk away when the door is shut. To shake the dust from our feet and move on. There is always more work to be done. There are always more hearts to reach. The kingdom of God does not depend on our ability to argue someone into faith. It depends on His power to call the lost home. 

So we go, not burdened by rejection but emboldened by truth. Not weighed down by those who refuse to listen but strengthened by the knowledge that God’s word never returns void. We walk away from closed doors, knowing that somewhere ahead, another door stands open. We press forward, not looking back, for the work of the kingdom is too urgent, too vast, to waste time where we are not welcomed. 

The laborers may be few, but the harvest is still plentiful. The world may reject, but the kingdom advances. The truth may be despised, but it remains unshaken. And those who have ears to hear will hear.  

“And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” Mark 6:11