Dissatisfied with Christian Tracts Part 1

Since the start of my walk as a Christian, I have been using gospel tracts to share my faith and the gospel. They are a fantastic way to get into a conversation about Jesus quickly, and give something to think about when the conversation is ended. I don’t leave home without them. Some have even taken a swim in the washing machine over the years. I trust them to not only present the gospel in a clear manner, especially for those who have to run and I can’t spend time with; but also go places and talk to people that I cannot. They reach inside the homes of people I will never meet.

But, for the past year, I have been growing ever dissatisfied with the Christian tracts that I have been using for several reasons.

They’re outdated

Now, before my evangelist friends stone me for blasphemy, let me explain myself.

The good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel — is timeless. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. After His resurrection He was seen by Cephas, the twelve apostles, Mary, and over five hundred brethren at once. Jesus ascended to heaven to be with the Father and sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of believers who put their trust and faith alone in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and restoration to God. We are sinners saved by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The message of the gospel does not change one bit, and neither does the rest of the Bible.

But we live in different times today than we did thirty, fifty, or a hundred years ago. There are many people out there who have never heard of Jesus or talk about God unless used as a curse word in a movie or said when they stub their toe. They have no clue who or what the Holy Spirit is — right here in America. They are not foreigners of distant lands that just got here and starting a new life in the United States. No. They were born here, but never grew up in a Christian home or have believing friends or family.

We live in a Greek / Gentile culture

Because of that, today we are living in a Greek Gentile culture like in Acts 17:16-34 and people don’t have a foundation of God and creation. Paul started to proclaim Jesus and the resurrection to these Greeks in the streets of Athens (vs 16-17). They didn’t understand it, and to them Paul was babbling about foolishness (vs 18). They were strange things to them, but for some reason they wanted to know because to them, they knew everything, and this was something really different (vs 19-21).

Paul used his eyes, ears, and the senses that God gave him, which were their idols, they worshipped to describe the One True Living God that they did not know (vs 22-23). Then, Paul starts right at the beginning, and presented God as creator of the world and everything in it, the Lord of heaven and earth; the maker and sustainer of mankind — including them (vs 24-28). And since we are the offspring of God, He is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth. God was not formed by men’s hands, but we were formed by His (vs26-28). And because He created us for a purpose, it is us repent of our idolatry and turn to God because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by Christ, given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead (vs 29-31).

They preach the good news when we probably shouldn’t

All the gospel tracts that I have ever given out preach the good news of Christ and how a person can be saved from sin. But, do we always want people to hear the gospel?

Huh? I thought we were to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

There are several places in the Bible where we are not to share the good news of salvation to someone. The Bible makes it clear:

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5

Jesus Himself said we are not to give what is holy to the dogs, or cast our pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and tear you to pieces (Matthew 7:6). Dogs and swine are those that are hostile to the Kingdom of God and the message that announces it. Even in the Parable of the Sower, the Sower casted seed (the gospel) on all types of ground, including the rocky hard ground of the skeptic (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). But that takes discernment in order to get to that point. I mean, how can you know what is in someone’s heart before giving them a gospel tract? You can’t.

One example of this is in Acts 19:9. The apostles were preaching and the local Jews hearts were hardened and spoke evil of the Way (Christianity) before the multitude. With that, the apostles left preaching them and walked away. David Guzik states:

“Jesus did not say [to not cast your pearls before swine] to discourage us from sharing the gospel. Previously in [the sermon on the mount] Jesus told us to let our lights shine before the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus said this to call us to discernment, and to encourage us to look for prepared hearts that are ready to receive. When we find such open hearts, we can trust that God has already been working on them.”

David Guzik

An idea I’ve been thinking about

But what if you can share the bad news without giving the good news to those who are not ready for it or don’t want it? What if you can hide the good news until the person is in the right mindset to receive it? Maybe there is a way.

I’ve been thinking about printing tracts with the bad news, then have them direct the person to the good news through a website where they would find the gospel and help to get them started on their walk with God? This way it keeps a sinner thinking and wondering what the good news was; make them stew a bit.

Are you dissatisfied with Christian tracts?

This is not only a statement, but also a question. Are you dissatisfied with the Christian tracts that are made today? Do you feel as though they are outdated? Maybe you think they are not needed? Leave a message in the comments. I am curious to know what you think.

Cited Works

Guzik, David. “Study Guide for Matthew 7.” Blue Letter Bible. 6/2022. Web. 7 Jun, 2023. https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/matthew/matthew-7.cfm.