“The early church didn’t pray for the persecution to stop; they prayed for the boldness to speak in the midst of it. Today, we often view opposition as a wall, but for the Gospel, it has always been a megaphone.”
The “Silent” Witness: When people see Christians suffering with peace and joy, it creates a “holy curiosity” that words alone cannot achieve.
The Power of Forgiveness: Reaching the lost includes reaching the persecutor. Stephen’s prayer for his executioners (Acts 7:60) was a seed that eventually blossomed in the life of the Apostle Paul.
- Strategies for Reaching the Lost Under Pressure
You can break your advice into practical “modes” of outreach: - Relational Depth Trust In hostile environments, large-scale events are risky. Focus on long-term, one-on-one “underground” friendships.
- The Way of Service Practical Love Meet physical needs (food, medical, childcare). It’s hard to hate someone who is genuinely serving your family.
- Digital Wisdom Accessibility Use encrypted platforms or “discreet” digital literature where physical Bibles might be confiscated.
- Radical Boldness Public Witness Like Peter and John in Acts 4, sometimes the strategy is simply to speak the truth regardless of the cost.
Include these “Rules of Engagement” derived from Scripture:
Gentleness and Respect: 1 Peter 3:15 is the “persecution handbook.” It tells us to give a defense for our hope, but to do so with gentleness. Hostility shouldn’t be met with more hostility.
The “Wise as Serpents” Rule: Matthew 10:16. We are called to be innocent, but not naive. Use discernment in who you trust and how you share.
Identify with the Broken: Often, the people most open to the Gospel are those also being marginalized by the same system that persecutes the church
The “How”: How do we pray for the lost in these areas? (Pray for “Sauls” to become “Pauls”).
The “Call to Action”: Support organizations like Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors to learn from those currently living this reality.
Rick and Ellen's Notes 