Two Satanists, Two Responses

“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” (Proverbs 9:8)
Over the course of a couple years, I shared the gospel with two self-proclaimed Satanists. Tommy was a middle-aged, retired Army sergeant, and Bobby was a young, sarcastic scoffer. Tommy was always respectful and listened attentively, even though he had very different spiritual philosophies than I did. Bobby, the cynic, mocked Jesus and haughtily derided the light as inferior to darkness. He persecuted me and attempted to sully my reputation with others. Tommy eventually committed his life to Jesus after he had witnessed the faithfulness of many believers, and he is now a minister of the gospel. As far as I know, Bobby is still serving Satan and mocking the God I serve. As much as I desired to see to see this young man come to know the Lord, it seemed the more I reasoned with him concerning the Scriptures and the deity of Christ, the more antagonistic he become. Tommy was a wise man, who received a rebuke and sought to know the truth. He is now one of my staunchest encouragers and loves me dearly as a brother in Christ. Bobby rejected reproof, and in the process, rejected Jesus. If he continues to serve Satan, he will spend an eternity in hell. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matthew 7:6) Still, my heart’s desire for Bobby is that he will one day receive Jesus as his Lord.