How then shall they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:14
In many parts of the world, there are no Gospel preachers. In North Korea, for example, owning a Bible is a capital offense and trying to witness for Christ can get your whole family killed. Death is also meted out to anyone who tries to speak to anyone about the Gospel in most Moslem lands. Many other countries are also under severe restrictions on Gospel activity, although these restrictions seem to have little impact on the growing numbers of people being saved and living as underground and effective Christians. The faithful testimony of persecuted and repressed Christians is a surprisingly effective means of preaching the Gospel. It appears to be even more effective than the approach that is taken in the so-called free world where the numbers of true believers are rapidly declining.
Gospel preaching in persecuted lands is certainly not being done by preachers as we understand the term in North America. In many cases, the preaching is done in tiny groups or as one individual speaking to another individual. This is much different from the Gospel series and Gospel tents and Seed Sowers campaigns we know about. We deeply appreciate our preaching brethren and their deep commitment to reaching lost souls. We support them (probably not as much as we should) and encourage them, and attend their meetings. We rejoice when a few precious souls are saved, and continue praying for God’s encouragement for our faithful preachers. But is that all we can, and should, do for the furtherance of the Gospel? Apparently not, based on the results we are seeing. Maybe we are relying too much on the work of the preachers and not enough on our own efforts to reach lost souls.
Why is the testimony of a Christian in a land of persecution more effective than the testimony of a Christian in a privileged land? Consider the commitment of a persecuted Christian. Every time he tries to witness for His Lord, he is risking his life or his liberty. Every time he quotes a verse of Scripture, those who hear him might be informants who will tell the authorities. Every time he engages in a conversation with a person for whom he feels a burden for their soul, he is in great danger. And yet, he witnesses, he quotes Scripture, and he speaks to his neighbour about the Saviour. That takes a deep commitment to his Lord and a deep love for lost souls. He is the preacher who is reaching for Christ those sinners who would otherwise never hear. Each of us is also a preacher, encountering people who would otherwise never hear the Gospel. But do we have the deep commitment to our Lord and the deep love for lost souls that would allow us to risk all for the Gospel?
Somebody you encounter today will never hear the Gospel unless you speak up. Do you dare? – Jim MacIntosh