Reflect
This passage seems obvious on its surface—but for believers living in places where it’s hard to follow Jesus, this command can be incredibly difficult. Our field tells us a story that shows this reality:
“One of our contacts, Brother Jacob,* is a wonderful pastor in his 60s. One time, representatives from several [governmental] departments came to investigate Jacob and asked him to hand over a contact list of all the believers in his church. Jacob simply said, ‘Sorry, I have no legal right to disclose other people’s private details, but I can give you a list of our church leaders. Please contact us with anything you’d like to discuss. We are always happy to take responsibility for church matters. And anyway, when the others are in trouble, will you go to help them? Will you visit them when they are sick? If there is a death in the family, will you take them clothes and help with the funeral?’
“He stresses that both inside and outside the church, Christians must have a good reputation. ‘We must be polite,’ Jacob said. ‘If anyone comes to us, we will serve them the best we can, but we will never compromise our message or deny our brothers and sisters just to protect ourselves. God is always with us, so we are not afraid of anything. Besides, believing in Jesus is not a crime. We go about our work quietly, serving others with all our hearts … but if we are opposed in some way, we will never be afraid. That is when we are bold, strong and courageous!’”