When you read about the persecutions suffered by Christians in some countries, it makes you realise how blessed we are in Western nations and we need to use our freedom to spread the gospel.
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also." John 15:18-20
I often wonder if the reason many of us are so comfortable, and not persecuted, is because we’ve become so quiet about what we believe. Jesus said that if we follow Him, we will face persecution. He was hated because He exposed the world’s evil deeds in the hope that people would turn and honour God. If we do the same, then the world will likely hate us too.
But sadly, many of us choose silence. The early church wasn’t persecuted because they believed quietly, they were persecuted because they opened their mouths and spoke publicly.
Interestingly, the original meaning of the word
martyr is
witness; someone who speaks of what they’ve seen, know, or believe. The apostles were called martyrs long before they were killed because they spoke boldly about Jesus. Over time, as more and more believers were killed for being witnesses, the word
martyr came to mean someone who dies for their faith. But the root idea remains: they were persecuted because they
spoke, not because they stayed silent.
Maybe it’s time for us to speak more openly. If we did, the world might grow less comfortable with us.
In much of the Western world today, the church experiences little real persecution. That should make us pause. Could it be because we’ve become too much like the world, or too quiet to be noticed? Jesus said, “
If you were of the world, the world would love its own.” If the world is always at peace with the church, perhaps it’s because we’ve stopped showing we are truly not of it.
Note:
For years, I kept quiet about my faith. People knew I was a Christian, but I rarely shared the Gospel. Eventually, I began to speak more openly, and while some appreciated it, many did not. I’ve experienced real pushback and even persecution for sharing the message of Christ. But it wasn’t until I began to speak that the persecution started. That experience only confirmed to me the truth of Jesus' words.
How we do it depends on our gifts and what works in the culture we live in and, most importantly, how the Holy Spirit leads us imo.
We need to be careful that what you've mentioned—our giftings, cultural sensitivity, and leading of the Holy Spirit—don’t become
excuses for not sharing the Gospel. Too often, these become justifications for silence rather than guidance for obedience.
Take
spiritual gifts, for example. It’s a common misconception that only those with the “gift of evangelism” are called to speak publicly or share the Gospel. But this isn’t biblical. All believers are commanded to evangelise. Yes, some are better speakers than others, but a person who has the gift of evangelism is to help equip
everyone in the church to proclaim the message. The gift is not an excuse to be silent, but a resource to train others. As Scripture says:
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” — Ephesians 4:11–12
Then there’s the idea that
“what works in our culture” should determine how we evangelise. Some say, “Society is different today—people are offended by public preaching. Instead, we should quietly befriend people and invite them to church.” While relationships are valuable, this mindset often reduces evangelism to social niceties, leaving the Gospel unspoken. If no one is proclaiming, then many will never hear. Friendship without truth is not love, and cultural sensitivity must never become Gospel silence.
Finally, some say,
“The Holy Spirit hasn’t led me to speak.” But Jesus has already told us to go and preach the Gospel to all creation. The command has already been given. What the Spirit does is empower us to obey. He gives us fire, clarity, and boldness as we go. Scripture is clear:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” — Acts 1:8
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them... each one heard their own language being spoken.” — Acts 2:1–12
“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” — Acts 4:31
As Brother Yun once said:
“The church today lacks this. The Holy Spirit descended as a tongue and it is the Spirit that transforms our tongues. The disciples received a message and those that couldn’t talk became preachers. They received power, clarity and boldness and they started preaching the Gospel.”
And as Mark Spence rightly points out:
“Often individuals will say, ‘I am willing to go, should God call me to go, in the meantime, I am going to stay.’ What we need to do is go, but be willing to stay if God calls us to stay. God has already called us to go.”
We don’t need another command from the Holy Spirit, we need obedience. The Gospel must be proclaimed. If we don’t speak, who will?