I’m back in Manila after a week in the Middle East. I wish I could blog all the amazing stories I heard from our “underground church planters” but our security protocols forbid details. All I can say is that God continues to do miracles and the gospel continues to transform lives even in “creative access” nations.
Some of our leaders in the region have suffered greatly for their Faith, fulfilling the promise (that no one “claims”) in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all who want to live godly lives “will be persecuted.”
In the Middle East stories of arrest, abuse, prison, death threats, and rejection are told with grace, peace, and even joy that only comes from God. While they may not have advanced theological degrees, these Middle Eastern leaders have a spiritual depth that goes way beyond Bible knowledge and correct pronunciation of ancient Greek words.
Church leaders all over the world have much to learn from them, beginning with humility and spiritual hunger.
While persecution is a normal part of the Christian life in the Middle East, there is a way to avoid it—DON’T PREACH THE GOSPEL.
That’s right, if we just live good lives, help the poor, serve our communities, but never mention the name of Jesus or what he did on the cross, we will not be persecuted.
One of our leaders in the region told us that he formerly used a strategy of constantly “engaging” his culture and community, but he never seemed to get around to actually preaching the gospel. The result was a lot of friends but few disciples. His current strategy is to preach the gospel to everyone he meets within the first two weeks. As he has preached Christ, an amazing thing has started to happen: people are getting saved! And in this region, persecution can’t be far behind.
Engaging culture and community is the starting point of making disciples, but if we don’t establish biblical foundations (the gospel, grace, faith, repentance. . .), we are simply making friends, not disciples.
What about you: Are you making friends or disciples? Are you avoiding persecution by avoiding the gospel?