I am a bit saddened that by limiting our missions endeavors to that which is possible may be failing to see the manifest glory of the God of the impossible. In particular, the trend of secrecy in current missions thinking, in areas where "necessary", is one that I wish to bring to bear against the filter of Biblical history and teaching.
The Issue
Many missionaries of the past followed the colonial
expansion of their home countries. One consequence of this was that it gave them
protection and right of passage in the field of their mission work. In the
modern age expatriates are subject solely to the authority of the country
hosting them for the rights of living and working there. We now speak of
"closed" or "restricted-access" countries as those which do not grant missionary
visas, or which severely limit the work missionaries are allowed to do. Most
restricted-access countries today are that way either because of Communism (e.g.
China) or Islam (including most "Muslim countries" from Morocco to
Indonesia).
Some have responded to this
situation by avoiding missionary efforts in closed countries altogether. They
say they will wait until the country "opens up". Increasingly, however, mission
agencies have concluded that such a stance is Biblically unsound as God has
called us to bring the gospel to all nations, not just those which grant
missionary visas.
Thus, in most of the world
that is currently considered "unreached", missionary work faces a tension
between the mandates of God and the laws of national governments. As far as I
have observed, this tension has been dealt with primarily through various means
that we have herein labeled under the broad category of secrecy. In particular,
the problem of no missionary visas has been dealt with through a shift in the
meaning of "tentmaking". Originally this word, taken from Acts 18:3, referred to
a missionary who also did some form of "secular" work. There may have been many
possible motives for tentmaking, but in Paul's case it seems to be the desire to
not be a financial burden on anyone and to set an example to others (2
Thessalonians 3:7-10). Today, amongst missions to "closed" countries, the phrase
"tentmaking" has taken on the connotation of a "platform" by which you can be
granted a visa to enter the country. In other words, it is often considered a
"cover" for the real work you want to do.
If
most missionaries in restricted-access countries were completely open about
their use of this secular "platform" in order to be ministers of the gospel we
would not be talking here about secrecy. In reality such openness rarely exists
today. Visas can be revoked by a government that finds missionaries involved in
activity (e.g. evangelism) that they were not granted permission to do. This
then has given rise to an entire system of practice known as "security". In
order hold on to the "tentmaking" visa that allows missionaries to stay in these
countries, they become very careful about what they do and say. Every situation
is different depending on the "level of security" which is needed, but we can
identify some general trends. Often the missionary will be careful about who he
selects to share the gospel with because those hostile to his cause could turn
him over to the government. Often national believers are gathered into
"underground" churches, which meet and worship in secret. Usually communication
with the missionary from those at home is encoded (either electronically or with
code language) so that authorities do not discover the true intentions of the
missionary. Since the danger of leaking information exists in the missionary's
home country as well, he only speaks and writes of going to a general geographic
location such as "East Asia" or "North Africa". Close, trusted friends may know
of the specific destination but are encouraged to tell no one. Much of this
system of security is done to not only guard the missionary and his visa but
also to protect the local believers who are following Christ in secret.
My experience has been that these practices of secrecy
and security have been essentially universally accepted amongst the missionary
community working in restricted-access areas. Some of them I see as merely
silly, like saying "East Asia" rather than "China". Most of them, though, I see
as violations of Biblical teaching and principle. In the following I present the
principles of our case against all forms of secrecy and security as practiced
today by foreign missionaries and brought to the local church. Following these
principles many Biblical examples to support our claims are presented. Next I
address all of the arguments in favor of secrecy which I have heard. Finally we
conclude with some statements to clarify my position.
The Nature and Character of God
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. - Psalm 19:1-3
I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, `Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right. - Isaiah 45:19
So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other. - Isaiah 45:6
"Come near me and listen to this: "From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret; at the time it happens, I am there." And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit. - Isaiah 48:16
"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said." - John 18:20-21
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. - Romans 1:20
God Himself is the One and Only, the Creator of the
universe, the God of all nations. He is sovereign over all kingdoms of the
earth, over all powers, all governments, and all opposition to Him. The concept
of underground church seeks to worship the Lord of the universe without
detection by the general public. "Low-key witness" seeks to share the message of
an all-powerful God in a "careful" manner so as not to alert the "wrong people".
Both of these concepts seem self-contradictory to me.
Imagine that after getting to know you for an extended period of
time someone brings you into a private room, closes the doors, checks for bugs,
and then quietly says, "Now let me tell you about my God, who is the King of all
kings." If it were me, I would be skeptical to devote my life to this "king"
whose agents sneak around in James Bond style. Of course not all instances of
secrecy are this severe, but the illustration serves to make the point that
actions can speak louder than words. Does not the God of creation put Himself on
public display to reveal His character as Lord of all?
The following list of verses present the stories of leaders and
peoples who had to publicly learn the lesson that the God of Abraham is the God
of all nations. Pharaoh - Exodus 5:2, Balak - Numbers 22:11, Nebuchadnezzar -
Daniel 2:47, 3:28-29, 4:34-35, Belshazzar - 5:22-23, Darius - Daniel 7:26,
Nineveh - Jonah 3:5, Herod - Acts 12:23. God wants to put Himself on display to
the nations. God exists in the public domain. He engages peoples, nations, and
communities as well as individuals. I do not see an undercover ministry
accurately portraying the God whom we represent. When God reveals Himself, He
reveals Himself to the world.
He says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." - Isaiah 49:6
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14-16
But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. - Matthew 10:19-20
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. - Matthew 10:27
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. - Matthew 28:18-20
For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. - Mark 4:22
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." - Mark 16:15
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. - Acts 1:8
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. - Romans 1:16
Just as God is God of all, His message is for all.
Proclaiming a public message that is for all people in a secret manner is
something I fail to understand. In China, the practice of many missionaries is
to determine who might be a "communist spy" to avoid sharing the gospel with
them and uncovering the nature of the true work. I have some friends who belong
to the Communist party of China and they need Jesus just as much as anyone else.
Weeding out those who might be hostile to the message from Christian witness
seems such an atrocity against the gospel of salvation for sinners. I do not see
an undercover ministry accurately portraying the message it purports to be
proclaiming. There is nothing secretive about the gospel.
To summarize these two sections, I fail to see how secrecy can
sufficiently demonstrate a visible witness of a sovereign God who engages the
public with a public message.
Biblical Doctrine of Persecution and Suffering
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "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 5:10-12
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore
be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men;
they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.
On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to
them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to
say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will
not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will
rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you
because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you
the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son
of Man comes.
A student is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like
his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been
called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will
not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the
dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the
roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not
two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart
from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also
acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I
will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Do
not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to
bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn "`a man against his father, a
daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a
man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' Anyone who loves his
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his
cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it. - Matthew 10:16-39
He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, `They will respect my son.' "But the tenants said to one another, `This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven't you read this scripture: "`The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. - Mark 12:1-12
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 the words I spoke to you: `No servant is 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. - John 15:18-21
All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. - John 16:1-4
They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. - Acts 14:22
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. - 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. - Hebrews 10:32-34
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. - Hebrews 13:3
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. - 1 Peter 1:6-7
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. - 1 Peter 4:13
One of the main points where those who advocate secrecy
go wrong, I believe, is on the doctrine of persecution and suffering. In the
West, we are accustomed to a safe and "comfortable" Christianity, relatively
speaking. Any "persecution" we face pales in comparison to the suffering of
God's servants in the Bible and throughout history. Here we can legislate
against persecution, and almost any form of excessive suffering can be brought
up for legal retribution. As a result, I think we are inclined export a western
view of suffering rather than a Biblical one. Our goal becomes protecting
Christians FROM suffering, rather than preparing them FOR it.
The one theme we can see from the above verses is that suffering
for the Christian should be viewed as normative, it is to be expected. Suffering
is not an aberration, it is not something strange (1 Peter 4:13) that should
surprise us. God does not present persecution as a problem that we can destroy
by legislation. He presents it as a fire that we must endure, but not without
purpose! Persecution, like the other trials we face, is not an accident that God
is too weak to control; God is glorified and His children mature through the
process. Let's be clear, I am not trying to paint a pretty mask on persecution,
it is ugly, but the Bible teaches us to expect it and rejoice (Matthew 5:12,
James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:13).
For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" - Romans 10:13-15
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice
and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let
me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say..."
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message
were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders
and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were
together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they
gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the
temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and
sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the
Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. - Acts
2:14,41-47
They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. - Acts 14:21
As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. - Acts 17:2-4
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. - Acts 19:8-10
When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. - Acts 20:18-20
We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. - Acts 24:5
But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions... - Romans 15:23
Greg Livingstone, former General Director of Frontiers,
has considered all of the possible reasons for the apparent slow progress of
church planting amongst Muslims (see his book "Church Planting in Muslim
Cities"). He has concluded that although we could improve our efforts in many
ways the situation can be adequately understood by the simple principle: little
sowing, little reaping.
This principle could be
used to call for more workers amongst the unreached people groups. However, I
would like to note another application of the principle. No matter how many
missionaries we have on a given field, one or one hundred, a massive response
will come only when a massive number of people have heard the good news. Because
of security concerns, missions in restricted-access countries primarily spread
the gospel through "relational evangelism". Having friends and loving your
friends enough to tell them about the gospel are unquestionably the right things
to do. But we all have only so many friends. And where security concerns are
high only a few within the limited circle of friends will ever be reached with
the gospel. Is it any surprise at all that only a few people at most would come
to Christ in such a situation?
Many would like
to see a "revival" on the scale of Acts. We read reports in Acts of thousands
coming to Christ. This gave them the benefit of an instant community and church,
so that when persecution came they were not each on their own. What allowed
thousands to believe the gospel at those times was the fact that thousands heard
the gospel. The best ways of engaging the public on a large scale may be
different in various places, but the principle remains the same: masses won't
come to Christ if masses don't hear about Christ.
Granted that throughout history we can find examples where the
church has grown while operating underground (modern China is a good example).
However, as long as the church remains underground it fails to saturate a
nation. It affects those who belong to it and a selection of the close friends
of its members, but it leaves the majority untouched. There may be millions of
underground believers in China but the average Chinese citizen I have talked to
has virtually no clue what the message of Christianity is because the church has
not interacted with the public for the most part.
A fully prepared native believer would usually be the ideal
person to engage in such an interaction with the public. As we discuss below,
however (in "The Need for Martyr Models"), people aren't likely to imitate what
they haven't seen. The foreign missionaries may need to set the example by
engaging the public with the message of Jesus. Doing so could raise fierce
hostility, it could get them killed, it could get them driven out of town and
out of the nation... hmm, sounds familiar (see Acts).
Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. - Leviticus 19:11
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. - Matthew 7:12
Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. - John 12:42-43
So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. -Acts 24:16
I want to draw attention to a common fallacy alive
today, which I shall call "technical truthing". This is simply one of our fancy
forms of lying; in technical truthing you give a statement which, when it stands
alone, is actually true, but clearly does not address the spirit of the
question. We can easily think of many examples of this. In current thinking,
missionaries are justified to use a very narrow concept of lying when it suits
their purposes. When specifically and pointedly asked whether we believe in
Jesus and whether we are here to teach His message we should answer in the
affirmative. However a broader question like "what are you doing here?" leaves
us some leeway to tell a "truth" like "I'm hoping to start a computer
business."
I can see no way that a statement
cannot be taken as a lie that is "technically correct" but knowingly does not
provide the desired information. Giving "technically correct" responses may
soothe our consciences, but it has no value towards developing and demonstrating
a character of integrity. I am still undecided as to whether there are
situations where we should lie ("justified deception"). I lean towards
the idea that there is always a better way that doesn't require deception (1 Cor
10:13). However, if "justified deception" does exist let us be clear about our
categories. Let's call deception what it is. Technical truths are not a form of
genuine honesty they are a form of clever deception.
Certainly one can point out cases of lying that seem to be
condoned in the Bible. These are addressed below in the section on arguments for
secrecy under "Biblical Lying" and "Jesus was Secretive".
Old Testament Military Strategy
I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. - Exodus 6:7
You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. - Leviticus 26:7-8
At the end of forty days they returned from exploring
the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at
Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole
assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account:
"We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and
honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the
cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The
Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the
hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan."
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said,
"We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they
are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report
about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those
living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim
there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like
grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
That night all the people of the community raised their voices
and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the
whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!
Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our
wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go
back to Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go
back to Egypt."
Then Moses and Aaron fell
facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of
Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land,
tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we
passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us,
he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will
give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of
the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is
gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." But the whole assembly
talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of
Meeting to all the Israelites. The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these
people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in
spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike
them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation
greater and stronger than they." ...
"We have
sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the LORD promised."
But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the LORD's
command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you.
You will be defeated by your enemies, for the Amalekites and Canaanites will
face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with
you and you will fall by the sword."
Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country,
though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp.
Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and
attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah. - Numbers
13:25-14:45
The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. - Deuteronomy 28:7
Joshua 6 - The fall of Jericho
The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her." - Judges 7:2
Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." - 1 Samuel 14:6
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." - 1 Samuel 17:45-47
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of
Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite
and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: "Listen, King
Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says
to you: `Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For
the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They
will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the
gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up
your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O
Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face
them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'"
Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and
Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. Then some Levites from the
Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with
very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they
set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of
Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in
his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people,
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor
of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks
to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise,
the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were
invading Judah, and they were defeated.
The men
of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and
annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped
to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks
the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on
the ground; no one had escaped. So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off
their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and
clothing and also articles of value--more than they could take away. There was
so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. - 2 Chronicles
20:14-25
Throughout the Bible, and especially in the military
conquests of the Old Testament, a wonderful recurring theme occurs: God loves to
do things that only God can do. Those are the things that put God on display.
Those are the things that cause believers and skeptics alike to say, "The Lord
is God, there is no other." How different the tone of the Old Testament would
have been if God had said to the army of Israel, "You are bigger than all the
other nations, you can take them." Instead, God said to Gideon, "You have too
many men", and He reduced Israel's army from 32,000 to 300 men before He let
them fight a foreboding enemy. In all the stories above, no one could receive
any credit for victory except God alone.
The
story of the exploration of Canaan by Joshua, Caleb, and others, and the story
of David and Goliath illustrate the difference between those who looked at
situations through the eyes of God and those who looked through the eyes of man.
Joshua, Caleb, and David did not put their confidence in clever human strategies
that made sense, they just put their faith in a God whose work superseded their
imaginations. Notice that David did NOT say, "Goliath is big, but I am fast and
agile." NO, he said (to paraphrase), "Goliath is big, but not as big as God!"
Their focus was not on making sense out of the situation via human "wisdom" or
"strategy" but on God.
To put it succinctly,
God's OT military strategy was stupid and foolish as measured by
human logic. If our mindset towards missions is limited by human reasoning ("we
have to be secretive because there is no other way") then we are
revealing a worldview shaped by naturalism not supernaturalism. God calls us to
follow Him and He will give guidance that we never would have imagined.
New Testament Missions Strategy
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." - Acts 4:18-20
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. - Acts 4:29-30
"Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the full message of this new life." At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin--the full assembly of the elders of Israel--and sent to the jail for the apostles. - Acts 5:20-21
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. - Acts 5:40-42
And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. - Acts 8:1-4
These stories again illustrate the difference between
reliance on human wisdom and power as opposed to obedience to a God who
sometimes doesn't make sense (c.f. the life of Abraham). Stephen was a powerful
leader in the young church. Humanly speaking, it might have been wise for him to
tone down his testimony. He could have lived a few more decades building up the
church. Instead, he boldly testified and his life was wasted early. Or was it
really wasted? God seems to have had a purpose even in this. For one thing the
martyrdom of Stephen sent the church with it's message out of Jerusalem (Acts
8:2). Also, it sent a testimony to one man standing by named Saul. We may
consider it "ineffective" for a local leader or a missionary to be imprisoned,
killed, or exiled. However, God may desire to use such an event to simply,
unknown to us, reach one little person in a powerful way. We never know what
plans God may have for such situations. The best we can do is to obey His will
rather than try to understand how everything will work out.
Peter and John had the opportunity several times to appease the
desires of the Sanhedrin. They could have quieted down and taken their ministry
underground. They didn't. Their Master had told them to proclaim from the
rooftops (Mt 10:27). They did. They suffered. The powers of the world came
against them. Rather than asking for protection they quoted Psalm 2 to remind
themselves who was in control and proceeded to ask for greater boldness (Acts
4:25-31). What a precious request of those who loved their Lord and His glory
more than life itself.
The Need for Martyr (and Suffering) Models
Remember the words I spoke to you: `No servant is 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. - John 15:20-21
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. - Acts 4:29
dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. - Acts 7:58
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. - Acts 20:22-24
Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. - Philippians 1:12-14
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Philippians 3:10-11
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:9
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. - Colossians 1:24
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. - 1 Thessalonians 1:6-2:2
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. - 1 Peter 2:21
It is hard to do something you have never seen anyone
else do. We see in these examples many "chains of suffering." Christ called his
followers to suffer, but not without first setting the example and suffering for
us all (John 15:20-21, 1 Peter 2:21). Peter saw Jesus suffer, Peter suffered,
and then Peter called the churches to prepare for suffering. Paul saw Stephen
martyred, then Paul faced suffering (Acts 9:16), and then Paul served as an
example of suffering to the churches whom he nurtured and forewarned of their
suffering.
In all countries, and particularly
amongst Muslims who follow the law of Jihad, the testimony of a faith worth
dying for may be more powerful than anything we can say. How will non-believers
know that Jesus is worth living, dying, and suffering for if they never see it?
Words are cheap when it comes to this. How will local believers face suffering
if they don't see their leaders carrying their cross? How will local leaders
suffer with joy if they have only seen missionaries build hedges and escape
routes to avoid suffering?
Not only does our
suffering show the value of the precious pearl we have found, but it is also a
powerful visual testimony to the world that has not seen Christ's own literal
suffering on our behalf. Paul's desire to suffer for all of these reasons seems
to come through in Colossians 1:24. As taught by John Piper ("Doing Missions
when Dying is Gain"; Wheaton College; October 27, 1996) Christ has no "lacking
afflictions" that we need to or even can "fill up" except the repeated testimony
of His once-for-all completed suffering. Even if the church could prevent all
martyrdom for the remainder of this age (until Christ's return) I doubt that it
would be God's will. Piper points out that it is God, not Satan, who has
appointed a number of His servants to testify via martyrdom (Revelation 6:11).
Following a current trend in missiological jargon (e.g. "power encounter",
"truth encounter", "moral encounter", etc.) we could call this important type of
witness "suffering encounter". Communion serves as a continual reminder for
believers to our senses of the already completed deed of Christ's sacrifice.
Likewise those following in Christ's footsteps (1 Peter 2:21) bring into the
present a fresh portrayal of His suffering to the world.
What we are discussing here is quite solemn. Being accustomed to
comfortable Christianity it is difficult (impossible?) for me to grasp the
reality of something like torture. However, I believe that the Bible is true.
Although I have not yet suffered greatly for the Name, I cannot deny that "when
Christ calls a man, He calls him to come and die." (Bonhoeffer) Bluntly
speaking, the overt, public witness that we are proposing would almost certainly
result in the "early" death of many believers in countries where secrecy is in
practiced. This is not a light burden to bear. We must remember that it is not
I, nor any missionary, nor anyone other than Jesus Himself who said the harsh
words: "Anyone who does not hate his own life cannot be my disciple."
Fear and Distrust Displace Love and Unity
"Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. - John 6:64
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! - 1 Cor 6:7-8
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all... so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. - Eph 4:1-13
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. - Hebrews 10:32-34
Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. - Hebrews 13:3
When "Joshua Massey" (Planting the Church Underground in Muslim Contexts, International Journal of Frontier Missions, 13(3):139-153) reads the book of Acts, he sees the church going underground following the martyrdom of Stephen. For example, Massey believes that when Paul was unable to "join the disciples" in Acts 9:26, the reason was that he literally could not find them---he was not privy to information about their secret meeting times and places until after he was vetted by Peter and James at Barnabas' prompting.
First of all, this idea and this context-contradicting speculative interpretation is ridiculous, see "There was a NT underground church" below. Worse, though, are the applications that Massey draws from his errant interpretations. Massey asks what would happen if military invaders hostile to Christianity conquered America. He responds:
[S]urviving American Christians would have to meet secretly---especially after witnessing numerous executions of those who publicly professed Christianity. Large churches... would have to disband into smaller groups, constantly changing meeting places in their [effort?] to avoid the notice of unsympathetic neighbors. New memberships to these small house-churches would need to be taken with serious caution, lest a government informer infiltrate the fellowship to destroy it [emphasis added]."
Oh boy, so many problems with that quote, where to begin? First, Massey is wrong everytime he says "have to". If you have witnessed numerous executions of publicly professed Christians, then obviously there are publicly professed Christians who are willing to be executed, and you can be the next one! You don't "have to" turn to secrecy. Second, government informers, indeed kings and entire governments, not to mention all the forces of hell itself, cannot destroy Christ's church (Matthew 16:18)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, count the exclamation points!!!!
Government informers cannot destroy the church!!!!! Yes, the "church" can and often does of her own volition succumb to Satan's growl and roar, but that is another matter. Third (and this is the point I wish to highlight in this section) the implication of Massey's vision of secret "churches" is sadly in line with what we see in practice, a "serious" measure of caution causes sacrificial love and unity to be overrun by mutual fear and distrust.
We see massive amounts of distrust and suspicion amongst those who are considering leaving Islam to follow Christ. Who is really on my side, who is really a believer, who is a spy for the government or religious leaders? You can't have any genuine unity in Christ with that intense level of distrust! It is one thing to acknowledge that men will experience fear and distrust, and to struggle against the sinfulness of such things, it is another matter to go and actually promote sinful fear as strategy!
Though a different context, the spirit of 1 Cor 6 applies, "Why not rather be wrong! Why not rather be defrauded!" Jesus had a betrayer in his intimate band of disciples, and He knew it from the beginning, but also He knew it was within God's plan. Certainly one reason is because, as He told us, our fellowships too will inevitably be betrayed by wolves in sheep's clothing, but we have no hardship to endure that our Intercessor cannot sympathize with.
Where will these secret disciples be when one of their brothers is imprisoned? As many commentators have pointed out, the call of Hebrews 10:32-34 and 13:3 is much more radical than the relatively comfortable "prison ministry" we know of in America today. If you went to visit a brother who was in jail for their faith (and sometimes they only way they could eat was if an outsider brought food, otherwise they would be left to starve) you were basically identifying yourself as Christian as well, or at least opening yourself up to being interrogated as such. When one member of a secret fellowship faces open persecution, as is Biblically inevitable, will the others be prepared to cast off their secrecy in order to stand in solidarity with him? If we are not ready for ALL MEN to know that we are Christ's disciples, then we are not prepared to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34-35).
Now let us look at the arguments that I have heard given to support the current secrecy trends. I will present each argument as fairly as I can and then present a response to it. The following list is presented in order of how frequently I have heard these defenses given, starting with the most common.
The "empathy/sympathy"
argument: If we have a more public ministry that attracts the attention of
opposition, we will not be the ones who suffer. The worst that will happen
to us (as foreign missionaries) is that we will be kicked out of the country and
forced to return to our own (which is not that bad). Then after we are gone the
local Christians who we worked with will face the brunt of the persecution. We
are not being secretive out of timidity or for self-protection. We are willing
to suffer for Christ. But the fact is our actions in this regard will affect
others more than ourselves.
Response:
Certainly this sympathy for others is understandable. We must, however, check
our feelings and emotions against the message of the Bible. Jesus taught
about the cost of following Him, and that applies to the indigenous believers
just as much as it applies to us. Our love can guide us to address the
persecution our native friends will face in many ways, but one option we DO NOT
have is to water down the message that they too, are called to pick up the
cross. Jesus taught His disciples what would happen to them before it happened.
Peter and Paul warned their flock about the persecution they should expect in
the future. One key to answering this "empathy" concern is that we should not be
afraid to teach the cost of discipleship to people from the beginning of our
witness to them. They should be able to count the cost before they start to
build the tower. If they decide to go ahead, then they know what they are
getting into.
Peter did not want to hear that
his Master would be killed and he tried to prevent it. Jesus responded with what
is arguably the harshest rebuke in the entire Bible, "Get behind me, Satan! You
are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the
things of men." (Mt 16:21-23, Mk 8:31-33) Yes, let's love the indigenous church.
But let it be a love rooted in the mind of God, not the mind of men. "Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." (Ps 116:15)
The "effectiveness
argument": A secretive/underground ministry is not ideal, but it is
better than being shut down by the government (or others) and having NO
ministry. If you want to go in for a short-term blitz, handing out tracts or
something, then you can be open about it. Those who want to have a long-term
ministry MUST be secretive so that they can stay in the country.
Response: Human wisdom versus God's wisdom. What
do you need to defeat a 9-foot giant? The answer depends on who you ask. A
Saul-type answer would be, "You must have good armor and be tall, strong, and
skilled in battle." A David-type answer would be, "Is that giant blaspheming
God? I feel sorry for him. Where's my sling?" I am not fond of the question,
"what is the most effective strategy?" I prefer to think in terms of "how can I
be obedient?"
The "historical argument":
The first and second century church went underground, sometimes literally! That is why we
have the icthus (fish) symbol, it was used to help Christians find the church's
underground meeting places.
Response:
Once again, we are not looking at a Biblical defense (but see also "There was an NT Underground
Church" below). I greatly admire the early
church, but they had as many unbiblical practices as we do today. In line with
(Protestant) Reformation theology (sola scriptura), if the actions of the (early
or present day) church do not mesh with scripture I follow the latter. If we
read Revelation 2-3 we see that as early as the first century God was already
calling the church to return to Him.
The "wisdom argument": It is
not unspiritual to use our wisdom when we need to, to avoid doing foolish
things. Jesus told us to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Being
so open that we might damage the work of the ministry would not be wise.
Response: The "serpents/doves" verse (Matthew
10:16) is the most common and one of the very few verses I have heard quoted in
defense of secrecy. Interestingly, it is found in Matthew 10, a very sobering
message by Jesus where He also warns His disciples about what is to come and
tells them such things as "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;
what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of
those who kill the body... (vs. 10:27)." Therefore I encourage people to
reconsider Jesus' words in verse 16. Meditate on what it means; especially
consider how Jesus acted it out Himself. Any "wisdom" that we come up with must
be tested against the Bible "for the foolishness of God is wiser than man's
wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength (1 Cor
1:25)".
Josef Tson, in his book Suffering, Martyrdom, and
Rewards in Heaven, also challenges the wisdom argument by using Matthew
10:27: "The disciples would be hated by the world because of the fact that they
faithfully follow Christ and His teaching. Now, in such situations the common
`wisdom' would be to keep quiet. There are many `wise' and well-intentioned
friends who argue that one can be a Christian `in his heart,' or that one can be
a Christian in secret. But Jesus did not leave that possibility open to His
disciples when He gave them this command [Mt 10:27]... In the midst of
persecution only two options are open to a Christian: either to confess Christ
or to deny Him."
The "pragmatic argument":
What is the problem, as long as people are hearing the gospel and getting saved?
The underground church in China is huge, doesn't that show it is good?
Missionaries operating in high-security contexts in Muslim countries have done
wonderful things. Underground churches in restricted countries have inspiring
faith and love God more than I could ever imagine.
Response: Praise God! He works through faulty vessels and
faulty systems all the time. I am so thankful, because if God waited to move
until we had everything perfect it would never happen. The question should not
be "is it working?", but "What is best? What is Biblical?"
I agree that many secret believers have an incredibly inspiring
devotion to God that would put me to shame. That, however, is not evidence that
secrecy is a Biblically ordained practice.
"Jesus was secretive":
When people or demons knew who Jesus was, He told them to keep quiet. Several
times when Jesus was asked questions He kept silent. He met in private with His
disciples.
Response: If we look at the
overall ministry of Jesus, we see that there was nothing secretive about it. He
taught in public frequently: on a hill, in front of thousands, in the temple,
etc. His teachings and miracles were known to the public at large, if not the
religious leaders would not have been afraid of Him (John 11:47-48, 12:19). Mark
6:14 says, "King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known."
(Also Mt 14:1-2, Lk 9:7-9) The examples of Jesus' secrecy must be seen and
interpreted in this larger context. Let's take a closer look at the various
forms of "secrecy" in Jesus' life.
Biblical lying: The
Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1:19), Esther (Esther 2:10), Samuel (1 Samuel 16:1-3),
and David (1 Sam 21:2) (possibly others as well) are examples of lying and
deception in the Bible where the action was commendable before God.
Response: True, God was definitely at work in
all of those situations. Three observations need to be made though. First
of all, in no case was it the lie or deception itself that was commendable. It
is not the fact that the Hebrew midwives lied to Pharaoh, but that they let the
boys live which was God-fearing. Similarly the highlight of Esther's story is
not her holding back of information (as commanded by Mordecai), but her action
of trusting God and coming out with the information (Ester 4:16).
Second, as noted above regarding the "pragmatic
argument", God will continue to work through us, sins, weaknesses, and all, but
that is NO excuse for settling for anything less than seeking ultimate obedience
and purity for His ultimate glory. When Moses complained about his inability to
speak God (though angry) sent him Aaron. God gave the Israelites the king they
demanded although they should have known they already had a King. Will God work
through our lies and deceptions? As He wills. Even if He does, the question
remains "what is ideal?" God deserves nothing less.
God said to Samuel, "Fill your horn with oil and be on your way;
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem." God gave him instructions and
directions. Samuel's best response would have been to fill his horn with oil and
be on his way. Yes, Samuel was worried and God was gracious to Him, but it is an
enormous stretch to say that this story serves as an example for how God wants
us to go about tentmaking work today.
Third, I
have not found a case of approved biblical lying or silence where the
proclamation of a critical message was concerned. The Hebrew midwives were
delivering babies, they didn't have a gospel to preach to every man. Samuel was
supposed to anoint David with oil, he didn't have a message to share with the
world. David was fleeing for his life at the time of 1 Sam 21. Esther did have a
message to share, and she is commendable for coming out of her secrecy at that
time. On the other hand, when there was a biblical case of followers of Christ,
who DID have a critical faith to confess to the world, who kept it hidden
because of dangerous circumstances they were chastised (John 12:42-43). Secrecy
is inherently contradictory to one bearing information vital to the
public.
The "historical argument, part
2": Society was different back then. Maybe public preaching was the most
effective method to use during NT times, but that doesn't mean we can apply it
to today.
Response: This reaction
sometimes comes up when people are presented with the public nature of ministry
in the NT (see all 4 gospels and Acts, in particular Matthew 26:55, John
18:20-21, Acts 5:28-29, 5:42, 20:20, 26:26). If only NT examples served as the
basis for an anti-secrecy stance, then this argument would have a valid point.
Examples are useful for teaching (2 Tim 3:16) but that doesn't mean we must
slavishly imitate them. However, the anti-secrecy stance in this paper is
founded primarily on principle: secrecy does not adequately reflect the nature
of God and His gospel. The public ministry found in the NT reflects the
character of the Creator God and thus serves as an example to us today.
"There was a NT underground
church": It has been suggested that Luke 22:7-13 is an example of
underground activity, that the disciples had "other" names (Acts 1:23, 4:36,
13:1, 15:22; Col 4:11) for the sake of security, that Acts 9:13-16 was Paul's
call to be an underground pastor, and that the Jerusalem church was underground
in Acts 9:26-27.
Response: This is the easiest concern to
respond to because it is so far removed from reality. The claims of an
underground church in the NT are based on speculative interpretations of certain
verses which utterly fall apart in the context. Any church connected with Jesus or
His apostles would have had severe security problems. Jesus was widely known by
common folk and religious leaders alike because of His public ministry, Peter
and John were known by the Sanhedrin (Acts 4-5) as well as thousands of others
(Acts 2-3), Paul was well known by the high priest (Acts 9:2,
22:5).
Following the martyrdom of Stephen the church did not go underground (as
Joshua Massey has suggested, reference above), but quite the contrary. Yes, they did flee,
but precisely in the pattern that the Master had
taught them (Matt 10:23 & context) they continued boldly, widely, publicly spreading the word
in all the places they scattered to (Acts 8:1-4ff). Only the apostles stayed in Jerusalem and
if they had even tried to "go underground", which they didn't, they would have had an awfully
hard time of it given their years on the public stage. Indeed if protecting their own flesh and the
flesh of their sheep had been a top priority for them, which it wasn't---but for the sake of argument
let's say "if it had been", then it would seem that they were pretty crappy at it given that Herod had no trouble
laying violent hands on both church leaders and members when he so desired (Acts 12:1-3).
The Acts 9:13-16 passage doesn't support the idea that
Paul was an underground pastor (as Richard Wurmbrand has suggested), it actually contradicts that idea. God told
Ananias that Paul would carry His name "before the Gentiles and their kings and
before the people of Israel."
Although we can speculate about
some verses, I can only find two that clearly and explicitly have to do with
secret believers in the NT. Both name fear as the motivation. John 12:42-43
says, "Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But
because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would
be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise
from God." (See also Jn 19:38)
Saving face: Governments
of closed countries are not stupid. They know what missionaries are doing. The
missionaries are providing valuable services to the country through their work
so governments put up with them. However, if we were open in clear defiance to
government regulations it would shame them and they would kick us out. Thus we
practice secrecy to save face.
Response:
I see nothing wrong with saving face in places where that is a high cultural
value. However, as with all cultural accommodations, pleasing man remains
subordinate to pleasing God. It is probably alright to refrain from declaring
something that everyone already knows to be true, but this situation would only
confront the missionary after he was sure that everyone he had contact with and
wanted to have contact with was clear about his message. Thus the role of saving
face as related to secrecy in missions today is probably not very
significant.
The "critical mass"
problem: Providing a twist on Tertullian's adage, a missions leader has said
something to the effect that "when the church exists in sufficient numbers, the
blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, but in the context of small
fellowships we have often seen the blood of the martyrs be the death of the
church." In regards to this problem some might advocate a temporary secrecy
while the church is in its infancy, with an increasing public witness as it
grows.
Response: I am not concerned about
individuals who are interested in Christianity remaining secretive about their
investigations. Being willing to lay down our life for God is a process as we
grow to know Him. However, the goal of such willingness and the ideal of open
witness should be kept in sight through this process. As stated in the above
response to the "empathy argument", we should be teaching people FROM THE
BEGINNING what it will mean to follow Christ, lest they be surprised later down
the road. Also I refer the reader to the section about the need for
suffering/martyr models - we can hardly expect a native congregation to grow
into a public witness if they have only seen secrecy.
God keeps secrets: God
keeps secrets and so should we.
Response:
The response to this depends on what the person means when they say, "God keeps
secrets." In any case, though, the fundamental point in response is that God
does not deceptively keep secrets.
Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the
things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all
the words of this law." Yes, God keeps secrets. His revelation is progressive.
There are many things He we would like to know that He hasn't told us. But when
we think about it, this verse actually speaks against deceptive secrecy. The
fact that God has told us He has secrets shows that He is not deceiving
us. He is withholding information from us and both He and we know it. Likewise
in Matthew 24:36. God will not tell us the precise time of the Second Coming,
but He has told us that He won't tell us! There is no deception here.
Say I go to Pakistan to teach the Bible as an
undercover missionary and I run a business as my "platform." A Pakistani asks me
why I came to his country. If I say, "To run a business and some other things
I'd rather not talk about," that is secrecy without deception. If I simply
answer, "To run a business," that is secrecy which involves intentional
deception.
God does keep secrets. Can we also? I
think we can. But I do not think that God is deceptive about the fact that He
keeps secrets.
Our Own Cowardice: We ourselves
are shy, even secretive, about our faith, especially when being open about it might
bring some form of "suffering" which is much more mild than what secret believers face
in hostile countries. Moreover, if most of us were in their position, or if such
persecution came upon us, wouldn't we probably go underground with our faith too?
Response: Indeed the indictment is probably true. The
application though, is not, "We are a bunch of cowards so we should accept it if other
people in much harder circumstances unrepentantly want to hide their faith," but rather the
right application is that we need to repent! When heavy persecution does come upon America what you will in fact
find in the ensuing flood of unrepentant apostasy is that most professing "Christians",
including those in evangelical churches, are in fact not born again. The lesson for
us from the persecuted church is: "Repent! Count the cost! Be prepared to literally forsake
all possessions, relationships, and your life itself, or don't call yourself a Christian!"
"But as for the cowardly... their portion will be in the lake that
burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Rev 21:8).
I can think of four general ways a person could react to hostile situations (e.g. difficult questioning, persecution, and threats). As we will see, most of these models are Biblical and different ones are valid under different situations.
Fleeing
Jesus
said, "When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another." (Matthew 10:23)
We see examples of both Him (John 7:1, 8:59) and His disciples (Acts 8:1, 9:25,
14:6) moving away from persecution. I have argued that secrecy fails to reflect
the nature of God. Fleeing out of fear also seems to do the same. Yet fleeing is
Biblical in both teaching and example. How can this be?
Let us look again at Matthew 10:23. This is in the context of
Jesus' great "cost of discipleship" sermon. He says in verse 26, "So do not be
afraid of them," in verse 31, "So don't be afraid," and in verse 39, "Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it." Thus the context will not allow us to interpret the fleeing in verse 23 as
being motivated by the fear-based desire to protect one's life. Instead, the
true motivation for fleeing comes in the very next sentence, "I tell you the
truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of
Man comes." (vs. 23) In other words, verse 23 is quite similar to verse 12-14 of
the same sermon. Jesus instructed His disciples to move on from situations where
people's hearts were hardened and where they were unwilling to listen.
This perspective on fleeing challenges the secrecy
paradigm in two ways. First of all, it is impossible to know that a community is
unwilling to listen to the gospel until the entire community has heard the
gospel. When Jesus or Paul fled persecution it was because they had engaged an
entire group of people who acted together to drive them out of a location. We
cannot decide in advance to avoid a group of people who we think will be
resistant to the gospel (Rom 10:13-15). Jesus called us to proclaim Him to the
whole world (Mt 24:14). Only then can we be met with hostility and know it is
time to move on.
Second, Jesus' remark in
Matthew 10:23 encouraged the disciples not merely to flee from persecution, but
to continue the ministry where they went (like in Acts 8:4ff). Jesus engaged the
public and made people angry. Then, when He left the angry mob, He went and did
the same thing elsewhere (e.g. John 8:59 - 9:41). Paul and Barnabas preached in
the synagogue in Iconium (Acts 14). Eventually there was a plot to stone them.
They went on the Lystra and became involved in a public incident that gave them
an opportunity to preach to the city. Soon Paul was stoned and left for dead.
Then one of the Bible's most amazing passages says, "But after the disciples had
gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and
Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the good news in that city and won a
large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.
`We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,' they said."
(Acts 14:20-22) "Many hardships" did not slow this team down from their ongoing
public ministry.
It must also be noted, however,
that at times Jesus and His disciples did not flee from persecution when
they had the chance (Jn 12:23-28, 18:4; Mk 14:42; Acts 5:18-21, 5:42, 18:9-18).
We must conclude then that fleeing is valid at times and that the choice must be
made under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Silence
In the
sections above called "Jesus was secretive" and "God keeps secrets" I have
distinguished between deceptive and non-deceptive silence. Jesus did not fully
disclose all information that was relevant to His questioners. Likewise we do
not need to give full disclosure unless the Spirit leads us to. However, Jesus
was not deceptive. When He outsmarted His questioners they knew He was avoiding
their question. When He was silent before Pilate, Pilate knew that Jesus was
being silent regarding his question. Silence can be a valid reaction to
hostility.
Genuine Honesty
Genuine honesty is clearly a valid option as well. In the face of death and
persecution Jesus said "Yes" (Luke 22:70, 23:3), Peter and John said "We must
please God not man" (Acts 5:19 paraphrase), Stephen testified to God (Acts
7:51-56), and Paul proclaimed his controversial gospel (Acts 22:21). "An honest
answer is like a kiss on the lips." (Pr 24:26) God is light; in Him there is no
darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Light and darkness are multi-dimensional metaphors
in the Bible. One of several characteristics of light is that it leaves nothing
hidden, but reveals everything as it truly is (John 3:21).
Although fleeing and silence have a place in our lives as we are
led by the Holy Spirit, genuine honesty is foundational and the other two are
secondary. We noted that gospel ambassadors in the NT fled only after
they had clearly proclaimed the truth and received a hardened response. Jesus'
silence came only after and in the context of a life and ministry
of publicly proclaiming His message. Silence and fleeing serve as holding
patterns, but only genuine honesty brings a forward advance.
Deception
I see
only a few Biblical verses which can make the case that deception is the best
choice in some situations. The above sections on "Biblical Lying" and "Jesus was
secretive" dealt with those. When I weigh together the Biblical teaching against
deception (Ex 20:16, Lev 19:11, Num 23:19, 2 Cor 4:1-4) and the fact that
deception is the noteworthy characteristic of the enemy (John 8:44, 2 John 1:7)
against the few examples of "justified deception" and the lack of Biblical
teaching (to my knowledge) to support it I feel quite comfortable to turn away
from deception entirely as a "necessary evil". Even if deception can be
justified in some circumstances, I would not feel confident to discern them. I
would rather turn the other direction and pray to God for an alternative
glorifying to Him that did not require deception, and I am certain that He would
provide it (1 Cor 10:13).
There is plenty of room for misunderstanding on this
subject. "Secrecy" in missions is not a discrete system (either yes or no),
rather it comes in various shades. I have discussed Biblical principles rather
than specific situations because the situations vary so much. To avoid confusion
I wish to clarify several points which often come up in discussion on this
topic.
I am NOT saying that we should seek
persecution. Jesus told His disciples to flee from it (Matthew 10:23). When they
fled they were to go on preaching the gospel in new places. We see the "fleeing
from persecution" model in both Jesus and Paul (John 7:1, Acts 9:25). But we do
not see the secrecy model. When Jesus and/or His disciples fled, they continued
the public ministry in a new place, they did not go underground. We should not
seek persecution, but we should expect it, be prepared for it, and rejoice in
it, rather than trying to build up barriers to make sure it doesn't happen (1
Peter 4:12-14).
I am NOT saying that we should
expose those (either foreign missionaries or natives) who are currently
operating undercover. I am NOT saying that their work has not been valuable. I
am thankful that God has used the underground church to reach millions of
people.
I am NOT saying that we, as
missionaries, should make decisions for local believers on this or any other
subject. Every individual will have to decide what he believes is God's will.
However, what we believe will affect what we do and how we teach. Will we warn
the people we teach about the persecutions they are to face? Or will we simply
try to shelter them?
I am NOT saying that secret
believers and missionaries are less spiritual, or that they are weaker. I am
saying that there are always things we could be doing better.
I am NOT saying it is wrong to remain silent in the face of
hostile accusations when the accusers clearly know what you are doing and are
only trying to antagonize you. This is what Jesus faced.
I am NOT promoting a form of triumphalism where believers would
walk around proudly or presumptuously because they trust God to take care of
them. It is Biblical to honor and humbly submit to authorities as far as this
does not lead to compromise regarding submission to God.
I am NOT saying that we should proceed with ANY work without
waiting on the Spirit and seeking His guidance. However, even during times of
waiting and preparation we have opportunities for demonstrating straightforward
honesty: "I am hoping to teach the Bible here when I become more proficient in
your language."
What we are talking about is not a light matter. It is
very somber. Very clearly the Bible teaches that "unless anyone picks up His
cross and follows Me, he certainly cannot be my disciple." However, when we stop
and consider that statement it weighs very heavy. I would be extremely wary of
anyone who finds the idea of "public" ministry in persecuted countries appealing
because of the "high stakes of adventure."
The
acting out of a non-secretive ministry in a restricted access country would
almost certainly encounter numerous difficulties. The proponents of secrecy are
right about one thing - doing so would likely cause harm to the local believers
as well as the missionaries who are currently operating in secret. Authorities
that were overlooking some of these quiet ministries would likely crack down if
a more open ministry appeared.
Merely talking
about a proper theology of persecution is a different matter from glorifying God
while your fingers are being chopped off. Writing about the need for martyr
models is easier than going to the gallows.
Non-secretive ministry in "closed" countries would be a major paradigm shift in
the unreached world. It would be a shift that would almost certainly involve
more blood. When Hudson Taylor wanted to send missionaries to inland China he
knew that many of them would likely be sent to their death. Heavily burdened by
these prospects, Taylor was walking along the beach one day when God said to
him, "You are not sending young people in the interior of China. I am." Only
then was Taylor liberated to do as God was leading him to do. Similarly I would
not promote non-secrecy in missions unless I was utterly convinced that it was
God's will for God's glory, that He may be exalted through it.
This paper has taken a strong stand against secrecy in
missions (with applications to life in general as well). If the current models
that depend heavily on security in restricted-access countries are indeed
flawed, then I am in danger of a reverse-pendulum swing reaction. All too often
when we see a glaring mistake we overcorrect by making an opposite mistake. This
paper has made several statements to balance its firmly anti-secrecy stand. I
noted that fleeing and silence can be valid reactions in the face of hostility
as we are led by the Holy Spirit. I made a list of statements that do NOT
reflect my stance, to distance myself from what I consider to be
incorrect forms of anti-secrecy. I confessed that I am not sure whether
"justified deception" does exist in some situations, although I certainly feel
that it is less than ideal. I am fully confident that the missions community
does need to consider the case against secrecy and change some of its ways, and
that it is God who has placed these convictions on my heart (beginning with a
study of Acts in Sept '98). However, to recover a fully balanced view will
require prayer, study, and dialogue amongst ourselves.
My own desire is to be able to stand before any jury and in clear
conscience know that I will be convicted of being a disciple of Christ. I want
to be able follow in the footsteps of the Master and be able to declare along
these lines: "I have spoken openly to the world, I always taught in synagogues
or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.
Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."
Last updated May 1, 2009