“2021 was a demanding year. I can't anticipate what 2022 will bring, but of one thing I'm certain: God will be with us in whatever comes our way.” These words slipped across my lips this morning as I sat around our kitchen table drinking a steaming cup of coffee with a friend who had come by for an unexpected chat.
The past two years were filled with transitions and uncertainty. It makes it hard to look forward to the new year with a typical goal-setting model. It's more difficult than before to project what the year may bring. The past two years make us cautious about planning too far in advance, especially if your ministry normally involves international travel. Yet, as I reflect and consider, I see that the past two years have been some of the most fruitful years ever.
Despite the pandemic, through online Disciple Making Movement training, I've impacted people in countries where I'd previously had little to no influence. For those who pressed forward amid the virus situation, many would say the same. God's kingdom has been growing and expanding. New movements have been catalyzed. Our Lord was not hindered by what happened in our world. He has used it to advance and grow His kingdom in unusual, new ways.
The theme of this issue is Essential Elements for Catalyzing Movements. As I pondered that theme, together with the beginning of a New Year, a particular practice came to mind. It's one we don't often consider and don't particularly like to talk about.
This practice has to do with training disciples to expect persecution. They must be prepared to expect it, endure it, and grow through it. Those who prepare people for persecution are not surprised by it. Instead, they face it boldly and with biblical understanding.
Preparation for Hardship Starts Early
Preparing people for persecution starts before they become Jesus followers. This has to do with how we present the gospel. Some people share Christ this way: “Become a Christian. You will have joy and peace. All the difficult things in your life will become easy.” On a visit to Africa this past year I trained a group of disciple-makers to share their three-minute testimony. In their first attempts, it often went like this: “Before Jesus my life was hard. After Jesus my life is easy.” This is not the gospel. It is not even true!
We need to be genuine about the cost of following Christ. Our presentation is not a “bait and switch.” We are not to “market the gospel.” Instead, we call people to embrace the truth of Christ's message and to repent, to a complete change of mindset and lifestyle. This is far more attractive than a gimmicky, freebie Christianity. We must lead people to embrace the only path that leads to God, though hard and costly. We share the message that Jesus and His kingdom are like the pearl of great price, worth giving up everything to find. That is the gospel message of Jesus (Matt. 13:45-46). The cause of Christ is worth dying for. His truth is worth selling all we have in order to gain. This must be our message and what our lives also demonstrate.
Share New Testament Stories and Scriptures About Persecution
As we study the movements of Jesus and Paul in the New Testament they are full of instances of persecution. This is an easily observed pattern found in the book of Acts: Persecution – Growth – Persecution – Growth.
The church grew, and it was persecuted. Likely, the more the movements we start grow, the more we will be persecuted. The converse can also be true: The more we are persecuted, the more we grow. Why not create a story set with New Testament stories of persecution? Include Discovery studies on what Jesus said about persecution as well. Jesus promised persecution would come. Study those passages with those you are training as disciples. Here is a sample of verses and stories you could use:
- Acts 4:1-4
- 2 Timothy 3:11-12
- Acts 7:51-56
- John 15:19-20
- Acts 8:1-4
- Matthew 5:10-12
Movements that grow rapidly will encounter seasons of great persecution. It is normal if the movement grows exponentially. Training every disciple to understand that this persecution is expected, from the beginning, is biblical.
Share Current Examples of Persecution
Let me share the story of one of our online DMM course trainees. There are many stories you can find from Voice of the Martyrs as well. As you share these kinds of stories with those you are training, they will not only pray for those who are persecuted but begin to see it as an honor to be considered worthy to suffer for Christ's sake.
A few months ago, we had just begun a next-level Disciple Making Movements online course. When working with my team to create the curriculum, we knew we must include a module on both suffering and persecution. This isn't what we usually lead with when casting vision for DMMs! It's important, though, that anyone truly pursuing a movement understands that suffering and persecution are part of the package.
When we recorded the videos for the module, as a Westerner who has only faced limited or indirect forms of persecution, I knew we needed to include a guest video. I asked my friend from Bangladesh who lost his inheritance, family property and was excommunicated from his village to share something.
Just a week after we started the cohort, one of our students was arrested. This brother works in a Southeast Asian country where Christian activities and proselytizing are prohibited by law. He and his wife were arrested together. As they were taking him to prison, he managed to send a quick Whatsapp message: “Please pray! We are being arrested.”
The group of trainees from Australia, India, Angola, Kenya and Nigeria began to do just that. Scriptures were sent to encourage and prayer was mobilized internationally. After some days, the word came that they had been released. In the midst of this, the team's determination to obey Jesus' commands was strengthened. They continued to boldly share Jesus, realizing more than ever the cost involved. Finding a Person of Peace, they prepared to baptize her. The trainee again asked for prayer. “Please pray for the upcoming baptism. We realize that if we are caught, our punishment will be far greater than it was before.”
Finally, joyous news was posted: The case has been dropped! This is what he wrote as he reflected on the module on persecution: “I needed this lesson. Thank you! The verses below tell me that suffering for Jesus' name is a blessing, an honor and a privilege to rejoice.”
“They left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name. And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 5:41–42).
Pray for Others Who Are Persecuted
Another key practice is to pray for the persecuted church around the world. In the movements we begin, we need to be outward-focused from the very beginning. When some in the body suffer, we join with their suffering. As we pray for them, we do not pray with pity or ask God to remove them from their troubles, but to give them the courage to stand firm. We pray for boldness. In Ephesians 6:20, Paul penned these words while in chains: “Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” He wanted prayer, not for deliverance, but boldness.
Summary: How do we train disciples to expect and prepare for persecution?
- Adjust our evangelism and invitation model.
- Share New Testament stories and Scriptures about persecution.
- Tell current stories of persecution.
- Train disciples to pray for the persecuted Church around the world.
How many of these are you currently doing? Discuss these four points with your team. Persecution is not something we desire; it is something we are promised. When trouble comes, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He said, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Published in Mission Frontiers 44:2 (Mar/Apr 2022). Frontier Ventures. Also posted by Beyond, May 4, 2022. Shared with permission.
