Last month we looked at the second of a three-part series on reviewing the counterintuitive principles in scripture that guide us for how to live in times of increasing persecution  of Christians. We recommended the book Prepare – Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture authored by Dr J. Paul Nyquist.

This worthwhile read includes 5 principles for looking at persecution:

1. The persecution of believers is normal and not strange.
2. Persecution means your blessed not cursed.
3. Believers can expect to be exposed and not protected.
4. God calls us to respond to our persecution with compassion rather than anger.
5. We will be rewarded not forgotten.

This month we look at the final two of these principles.

God calls us to respond to our persecution with compassion rather than anger.

Christ left us a model to follow. He commands us to love our enemies. Paul encourages us to bless our enemies.

Romans 12:14 says “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” 

Peter reinforces the teaching of Jesus and Paul in 1 Peter 3:14-17:

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

In these passages, we see three commands to help us face hostility in a godly manner:

1. Be strong (do not fear their threats)
2. Be ready (always be prepared to make a defense)
3. Be faithful (better to suffer for good than do evil)

Our attitude in responding is critical. We need to check our arrogance and anger at the door. God wants us to be His witnesses – not His prosecuting attorneys. Meekness and humility must undergird every word we speak.

We should all be reminded of the regular persecution found in the book of Acts. Persecution starts in Chapter 4 and goes through the closing words in Chapter 28. The opposition included beatings, arrests, stonings, riots and martyrdom. If we look carefully, we see five major theological themes on persecution in Acts.

1. Persecution is part of God’s plan.
2. Persecution is the rejection of God’s agents.
3. The persecuted stand in continuity with God’s prophets.
4. Persecution is an integral consequence of following Jesus.
5. Persecution is the occasion of divine triumph.

The most powerful apologetic is the faithful lives of God’s people, demonstrating love, hope and faith amid a hostile world.

We will be rewarded not forgotten.

The New Testament overflows with teaching on eternal rewards. At the judgment – or bema – seat, each man’s work will be fully and fairly evaluated by Christ himself to reveal its value.

Scripture mentions a variety of rewards. Some bestow privilege such as authority in the millennial Kingdom (Matthew 25:14-30). Others bring honor, such as the crowns mentioned repeatedly in the New Testament (1 Peter 5:1-4). Because these are given by our glorious redeemer, all rewards are worthy of our pursuit.

We also see that in the Beatitudes portion of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:11-12

The promise of reward from God comes with a condition. He promises to significantly reward us, but the promise carries a requirement of perseverance through persecution. We will be rewarded if we faithfully endure.  Rewards received at the judgement seat far exceed the level of our suffering, for our generous God gives out of His riches.

Sharing the Gospel is not always easy. Doing this online, where there is more of an opportunity for others to hide their identities and remain anonymous, means we are even more likely to see people respond inappropriately, receive criticism and experience spiritual warfare. Jesus told us to be prepared for many to reject the message and we see persecution for Christians growing around the world.

Culture is changing quickly with growing opposition to biblical morality and secular agendas gaining traction much faster than we realize. The rate of this change shows no signs of slowing and is likely to accelerate with younger generations more disconnected to God’s Word becoming the dominant demographic. These changes and the demonizing of biblical beliefs will only continue and intensify.

Scripture prepares us for this and includes some counterintuitive principles for living through these challenging times. These are outlined in a thoughtful and encouraging way in the book Prepare – Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture authored by Dr J. Paul Nyquist.

This worthwhile read includes 5 principles for looking at persecution:

1. The persecution of believers is normal and not strange.
2. Persecution means your blessed not cursed.
3. Believers can expect to be exposed and not protected.
4. God calls us to respond to our persecution with compassion rather than anger.
5. We will be rewarded not forgotten.

We will look at the first of these principles this month and then spend the next couple months looking at the rest and the scripture that guides each.

We see throughout scripture that persecution of believers is normal and not unusual. Faithful saints before and after Christ saw hardship and death stemming from their beliefs. Jesus himself is our greatest example of this.

The Bible reminds us that the world hates us for being Christian. This is because we are different, we bear Christ’s name, and our beliefs expose their sin. Jesus makes this point clearly in John 15:18-27:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

Find peace that none of this is catching God off guard and we are not alone in suffering. We have the ultimate example and source of strength in Jesus Christ.

As awesome as it is to be part of someone’s decision to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we all know that this is just the beginning of their spiritual journey. We must encourage them to learn how to live with Jesus and invite Him to be a part of everything in their lives. We also must help them understand the importance of worship.

God did not design us to live alone. We are all created for community. We are stronger when we are living in community with others and not trying to do life alone. This is especially true for the new believer. They need other believers to encourage, teach, pray, and worship with them. They also need to appreciate the importance of worshipping God.

This brings us to one of the more difficult challenges of online evangelism. How we help connect a new believer with a good bible teaching church. Offering a list is a dangerous proposition. There are lots of church databases out there that are not managed with clear standards. There are also an increasing number of churches that give in to culture and not are standing on biblical truth.

Some ministries choose to align with one Christian denomination and point people at the closest church with their designation. This has the same challenges of faithful teaching and may alienate those that grew up or have experience with another denomination. 

For these reasons, it is not our goal to pick winners and losers but rather help the new believer find solid biblical teaching and true Christian community to worship God, be taught according to scripture, encouraged, prayed for, and held accountable.

There are a few simple steps we should all take when looking for a church home. We encourage seekers to look at a church’s beliefs posted on its web site and visit multiple times. Here are some of the questions they should be looking to answer:

Does this church hold a proper view of Scripture? When investigating a potential church home, pay particular attention to how it views the Bible. Does it hold to the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures? Where do they stand on such crucial issues of the Christian faith as the virgin birth and deity of Jesus Christ; the depravity of mankind; the work of Christ on the cross; His death, burial, and bodily resurrection; salvation by grace through faith alone; the second coming of Christ; and the ordinances of baptism and Communion?

Is there an emphasis on Bible teaching? Does this church practice what it preaches and provide a place for meaningful growth, worship, community, and accountability based on Scripture? Does this church care about sharing the Gospel and is committed to evangelism?

Is this a church where I am encouraged to serve God’s people and use my gifts for its benefit? Is this a place where the people make up the church or where the church is expected to do everything for the people? Is volunteering and service mandated or expected of all members.

These questions take time, conversation, and connection to ultimately answer. We want new believers to understand they are part of the body of Christ and not just consumers of church. May these questions remind us all to look at how and where we worship.

Young people are getting access to computers and phones at younger ages. They are also getting exposed to mature topics and content earlier in life. As a ministry, we see this as the number of conversations with young people is increasing and the topics becoming more complex.

We want to share Jesus and speak truth into all seekers, but we also have an obligation to adhere to the various rules and regulations that relate to conversations with Minors and privacy laws. For instance, in the U.S. there is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that is a federal law prohibiting certain types of communication with children 13 years or younger. There are similar laws in Europe that apply to children under 16 years of age.

This has led us to remind volunteers that these conversations much be managed more sensitively and should always factor in the following reminders:

First Reminder – The ministry does not seek to collect any personally identifiable information from any seeker. So, in addition to avoiding full names and addresses, the ministry does not ask seekers their age. However, there are occasions when the seeker will volunteer such information, or you will be able to ascertain during the conversation. We coach volunteers to use common sense and their best judgement when speaking with someone that sounds like they are a Minor.

Second reminder – We recognize that conversations with Minors can be complex. As volunteers, we do not want to shy away from them, but we want to be conscious of who you are speaking to and what they are looking to discuss. Some volunteers may feel like walking with this young person over time as a mentor or coach would be helpful but this type of ongoing relationship is never allowed with a Minor.

Third reminder – As with all conversations, you should be evaluating the details the seeker shares. We do not ask volunteers to determine each seekers age. We encourage them to simply evaluate the information presented. If words like school, my teacher, kids, my parents, and other phrases that are not commonly used by adults are used then that would be a red flag. In these obvious cases, we always proceed cautiously determining what the guest is looking to discuss. We also want to determine whether they have someone they trust so we can encourage that connection. We always use discretion and avoid getting pulled into personal details that are not relevant to the conversation.

Once we suspect or realize that we are talking with someone under 18 years of age, we attempt to determine the type of conversation they are seeking and follow these guidelines for each type of conversation.

1. Spiritual Nature – Conversation purely spiritual in nature. These could be focused on questions about the Bible or concerning forgiveness, faith, how to be saved, or changing their relationship with God. These should be handled like any other legitimate conversation. Feel free to pray with them but also set boundaries and do not get pulled into an ongoing or repeated conversation.

2. General Life Discussion and Connection – Many young people come to the ministry just looking to talk or connect. They may bring up issues like friendships, school, loneliness, purpose, parents, identity, and feelings (anxiety, worry, depression). These should be handled directly with biblical direction. We want you to be intentional in leading this conversation to a positive close. Feel free to pray with them but also set boundaries and do not get pulled into an ongoing or repeated conversation.

3. Serious Life Issues – If the conversation relates to a serious life issue such as teen pregnancy, gender confusion, homosexuality, premarital sex, abuse, bullying, etc. then we want you to be intentional in leading this conversation to a positive close. This includes sharing biblical truth while at the same time encouraging the Minor to get help and speak to their parents, Youth Pastor, School Counselor or other trusted adult. Feel free to pray with them but also set boundaries and do not get pulled into an ongoing or repeated conversation.

4. Inappropriate Nature – As with any aged person, when the conversation is of an inappropriate nature, then we encourage you to graciously bow out and close the conversation quickly. Always show grace but be guarded with your words and encourage the minor to talk with their parents, Youth Pastor, School Counselor or other trusted adult.

We recognize it is hard to fit every possible conversation into one of four categories, but the reminders and guidelines above provide a safe framework for having conversations with Minors.

Most people come online to share a story or problem. They may not have anyone they can seek advice from or confide in.  We always want to listen well and understand the heart of each guest. The goal of every conversation is to ultimately share Jesus Christ. This means we need to look for seamless ways to transition personal conversations into kingdom conversations.

We need to connect with people that may be far from Jesus and help them understand that He cares for them and speaks clearly into their struggles. True hope does not come from feelings but knowing and trusting in Christ.

We understand this can sound challenging when people come with a wide range of conversation topics. However, smooth transitions can connect any topic to what God’s Word says about how to live healthy and joyful lives. Here are a few examples:

• People concerned about heaven or hell is a great opening to share how we can be saved and spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.

• Those concerned with sin or forgiveness is a chance to talk about how we are all broken sinners and need forgiveness along with how Jesus offers it to each of us.

• Guests dealing with broken relationships is an opportunity to talk about how Jesus wants a personal relationship with each of us and what He says about loving others.

• Anxiety and shame are openings to talk about the peace of God that comes to those who are saved and learn to trust God in all things.

• Those struggling with finding purpose or identity is a chance to talk about how God has a plan for each of us and it starts with having a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

• People stuck in porn or sexual sin offers us the opportunity to talk about God’s perfect design for marriage and sex and how Jesus offers forgiveness for all sin.
  
  
• Same sex and gender confusion are sensitive topics and a great occasion to share how we were created for relationship with God and that our true identity is in Christ.
  
  
• Some guests simply are in hard seasons of life so we can encourage them that God is there, has never left them, and His promises are not any less true in those times of struggle.

Conversations can be difficult but there is always a way to share God’s love. Our goal should be to turn their attention to how Christ is the answer and His Word has something to say about their circumstances. Do not let the magnitude or emotion of what a guest is wrestling with keep you from sharing truth and transitioning the conversation into a Gospel-centered discussion.