At that point in time when its first martyr Stephen was murdered and the outset of the horrible period of persecution of the early church at the hands of the zealous Pharisee named Saul, the church was confronted with a troublesome question. Would the new converts to Christianity be silenced by their enemies? Or, would they continue to speak out and thus to advance their cause in the face of the ascendancy of evil? Luke gives us the answer with these few simple words, “Therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). There was no doubt about it. The answer was clear and powerful! Even the prospect of death would not deter them from their mission of advancing the cause of Christ.

As we consider our own situation, it is abundantly clear that the great majority of those who are in positions of power in our present culture are turning against us, from the presidency on down: Christianity is beginning to be considered a pariah in modern life. Having enjoyed many years in America (where Christians originally fled to find religious freedom from European persecution) as the foundational spiritual influence of this great country, we are now being cast aside in our own homeland as an unwanted element principally by the political and cultural leftists and elitists as though we never had any part in the founding of this country.

Our nation’s history is being rewritten to erase us from the story and the spiteful protagonists of this new order of things intend to blot us out from the corporate memory. They hate us just as the Savior warned us that they would, and they have begun to utilize laws and regulations to see to our extermination (Matt. 5:11). How this will all end up we do not know; but we can take solace in the hope that the Lord will come again soon and take us from this evil realm where Satan has always had the upper hand. Our brief respite from the heavy hand of government here was a solace for a time; but history shows that this an historic anomaly, an exception to the general rule.

On the other hand, it must be kept in mind that the tiny and powerless minority that was the early church did not sit around and wait and worry about what more might happen. They scattered from their first haven into new places and when they got there they were not deterred from speaking up for the Lord. The consequence was, of course, that they were so fabulously successful in this endeavor over time and that eventually the Roman government also came to recognize this new threat to their ancestral religions and societal traditions that they also launched a long period of persecution against them. The happy news is that it was no more successful than the one pushed by the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem and Judea. The church is an eternal kingdom which shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44).

Over the years many Christians suffered, and some even died, but their cause was ultimately victorious: the church eventually became such a powerful and influential lot that the Roman government under Constantine was forced to make it at first a tolerated religion, then a legal religion, and finally a governmentally sanctioned and sponsored religion. This last step was the most destructive thing the Romans could have done to prevail against it. And yet, of course, they did it thinking that they were doing it a favor. Political and social acceptance was the last thing in the world that the church needed at this juncture. It was already prosperous and numerous by this time. Now it was made popular. This was its undoing for centuries. As someone wisely said, “Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When the church came to power in the political sphere, it became corrupt.

But that is another story for another time. The point of all we have said is to say this: the church must again work at evangelizing the world with the same vigor and enthusiasm it did in earlier generations. If it does not, it will shrink and die here in the U.S. But if it does so, it will see growing numbers of people led to the Lord and converted to Christ. What the government does is irrelevant. It is important for us to keep this in mind.

But this all starts with you and with me. We must begin to look around ourselves with the same carefulness and caution that a hunted animal does. Such a creature is ever searching out its prey, and at the same time looking for larger and more formidable creatures that might be disposed to prey upon it. Our eyes must be alert constantly for those whose hearts are open and are willing to be taught. They are all around us. We just need to watch for them. And then act in the interests of our Lord when we see opportunity to share the saving grace of God with our fellow travelers. Do not forget that we are going to a city whose builder and maker is God. We want as many as are willing to do so to make the journey with us.

It should also be noted, however, that very many of such folk are people who would probably be the least likely for us to see as potential candidates and recruits for the Lord’s army. They are people who have lived dissolute lives in many cases and who are hurting sorely. They are wounded and in need of spiritual treatment. In many instances they desperately need our help in extricating them from the ugly circumstances that their evil practices have brought them to. We need to see the church as a hospital for sick saints. It is not a country club for elite members only.

There is no reason for us to despair at the wickedness of Washington D.C. or in the state capitols. God will attend to all of that eventually in his wisdom and will bring judgment on all those who deserve it. As for us, let us be about the task of leading the lost to the Savior. Can you think of someone whom you might speak to this week to lead them to the great Shepherd of the Sheep?