Being Christ's Witnesses In A Hostile World

                                                Being Christ's Witnesses In A Hostile World

                                                               Matthew 10:16-32 

On January 4, 2026, Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik from Odisha, India, was assaulted, publicly humiliated, and forced to consume cow dung by members of a radical Hindu militant group. "Forcing a person to eat cow dung is a grave act of violence and humiliation, targeting an individual's dignity and faith," the Catholic bishops asserted. This incident occurred when Naikk was attending a prayer meeting at a private residence with his family and several others.

A mob of around 40 people reportedly gathered outside the house and forcibly entered the premises. Pastor's wife, Vandana, said, "The attackers began beating everyone inside the house. "Seven families were praying with us. My children and I managed to escape through a narrow alley and ran to the nearest police station," she said.

The mob beat Pastor Naik with sticks and smeared red sindoor (vermillion powder)  all over his face. He was then forced to wear a garland made of slippers and paraded through the village. They bound his hands behind a rod and tied him inside a Hanuman temple. He was bleeding badly. People slapped him and forced him to chant 'Jai Shri Ram,' Vandana said.

Parjang village, where this assault took place, is a Hindu-majority village with only seven Christian families."[1] You can only imagine the kind of hostility that was aimed towards Christ and His followers. This was only one incident in a small village in India, but there are thousands of hostile places where Christ's followers are diligently carrying out their Mission of preaching the Good News. Jesus predicted this kind of hostile environment long ago, yet He sent His followers to be His witnesses in a hostile world. Matthew 10:16-32

I. We Are Called To Be Christ's Witnesses

            Up until the 10^th chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus preaching the Gospel through signs and wonders and equipping his disciples with the Kingdom values. Seeing the abundance of the harvest and the shortage of workers, he urged his disciples to pray to the Lord to send workers into his harvest field. At times, God may have you become the answer to your own prayers.

            In  Matthew Ten we see the beginning of an answer to the prayer for workers. Matthew 10:1, "Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." Vs 5, "These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions." This calling was initially meant for the twelve apostles and was later extended to all followers of Christ. Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  NLT.

            The Greek word Martus, translated as "witness," literally means "one who remembers," "one who has information or knowledge," or "one who can bring to light or confirm." That was what the twelve disciples and the early Christians did: they shared with others the miracles they saw Christ perform and the teachings they had heard. They became the eyewitnesses of his violent death through crucifixion and glorious resurrection, and His ascension into heaven.

 

            The calling of the universal Church, and every follower of Christ, is to be His witnesses in this World. That is the calling of Hope Church, that we are to be telling people everywhere about Jesus, beginning from Sharon, MA, and to the four corners of the World. Please study the whole passage in Matthew 10:16-32 as it addresses several themes. For our study, we will focus on the challenges we face as Christ's witnesses and on how we can remain effective witnesses in a world where many people are bent on harming God's People.

II. Being Christ's Witnesses In A Hostile World.

Matthew 10:16-18 "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles."

Can you imagine how the disciples may have reacted to that unfriendly proposition? How many of us would like to be a sheep that was sent among the wolves? You know it is not going to be pretty. You might get killed. That's how it always has been. God sends His people, with His message of love, into an unfriendly and, at times, even hostile environment. Yet He commissions them to proclaim his message, even when people refuse to listen, as He did with Isaiah. Is 6:8-10

Recently, we had Pastor Samuel Sarkar, who ministers in a very hostile environment in India, visiting us. I said to him, preaching the Gospel in Massachusetts is like preaching in Bihar, Northern India. Many people here are secular, highly educated,  wealthy, and successful, and they think they don't need God. Jesus used two figures of speech to show us how we can be effective witnesses in a hostile world: Wolves and Sheep, a Serpent and a Dove.

Wolves were intentional in killing the sheep; likewise, some people who are influenced by Satan will kill God's people. Jesus also warned us about wolves in sheep's clothing (false prophets), who are far more dangerous. Matt 7:15

III. Being Wise as Serpents and Innocent as Doves.

            Matthew 10:16b, "Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." NIV. "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." KJV. Jesus explains how the disciples can keep themselves from being unwisely, unnecessarily, or untimely killed while being his witnesses in a hostile world. We have to be as "wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

Without attaching the Edenic deception of the Serpent, Jesus invoked the real nature of these creatures. The serpent was "subtle" or "crafty" or "shrewd" in Genesis 3:1. The dove, on the other hand, was thought of as innocent and harmless—doves were listed among the "clean animals" and were used for sacrifices (Leviticus 14:22). To this very day, doves are used as symbols of peace, and snakes are thought of as "sneaky.

When Jesus told the Twelve to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, He laid down a general principle about the technique of kingdom work. As we take the Gospel to a hostile world, we must be wise (avoiding the snares set for us), and we must be innocent (serving the Lord blamelessly). Jesus was not suggesting that we stoop to deception, but that we should model some of the serpent's famous shrewdness in a positive way. Wisdom does not equal dishonesty, and innocence does not equal gullibility.[2]

Being witnesses for Christ at times results in us being beaten up and paraded in the streets like that pastor in Orissa. Or at other times, we might be brought before governors and judges for sharing the Gospel with others. When that happens, let's not worry; the Holy Spirit will help us know how to answer. It is not us who will be speaking but the Spirit of God through us.

I suggest the following: To be an effective witness, you need only three stories. First, the Story of the World, which also includes the story of humanity. Their origin, their purpose, and their destiny. Second, the story of God's redemptive plan, including Christ's birth, work, sacrificial death, resurrection, and his soon-coming return. The third is your story: how you came to experience God's love, his forgiveness, and how your life has been changed for the better since then. The first two stories you can learn from reading the Bible, and the third one is your own personal experience. Do you have a personal story? Tell it boldly and without any shame!

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] https://catholicconnect.in/news/odisha-pastor-assaulted-humiliated-and-forced-to-consume-cow-dung-by-mob

 

 

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/wise-serpents-harmless-doves.html

The Cost Of Following Christ

                                       The Cost Of Following Christ

                                                       Luke 9:18-27

Haddon Robbibson recounts a conversation he had with a Muslim guide while leading a tour in Turkey. "Several years ago, I helped lead a tour in Turkey of the churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. On the last night, we were in Izmir and having dinner at one of its nicer hotels. Our guide had been in the United States for at least ten years and spoke English flawlessly. As we were eating, he began asking us serious questions about the Christian faith.

I said to him, "If you're a follower of Islam, and if you died tonight, would you be sure you could stand in the presence of Allah?" "No," he replied. "There are five things that Muslims should do. I've done two out of five." Then we began to talk about the gospel long into the night, and before we left, I said to him, "Look, you're serious about our conversation, I know.

It would not be faithful of me not to ask you if right now you'd like to put your trust and confidence in Jesus Christ." He said to me, "You don't know what you're asking me. Do you know what would happen if I did that? If I announced it to anybody, my wife would leave me. My family would disown me. My boss would fire me. I may want to return to the United States, but the government will not issue me an exit visa. I'd give up everything. You go back home tomorrow. I would not expect you would support me, and I would starve to death in my own culture." Robinson notes, "as far as I know, he did not trust Christ that night."[1]

I personally know there are other Muslims who have made that decision and suffered all of that loss and endured those hardships because they are Christ followers. Those of us who grew up in Christian homes and later made the decision to follow Christ would have no clue about what it costs to follow Christ. In Luke 9:18-27, we learn about The Cost of Following Christ.

During Jesus' ministry, many people followed him. Some saw the miracles of healing the sick, deliverance from demonic oppressions, and even seeing dead people rise to life. Others followed to challenge his ministry. Some others followed for free food. After seeing Jesus feed over 5000 people, the crowds said, surely he was a prophet!

But when he said, "I am the living bread from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the World." John 6:51. The crowds, including many of his disciples, left him; only twelve faithful disciples remained with him. To them, He explained what the Cost of following Him looks like. Luke 9:18-27.

1. Following Christ means not to run away from suffering

            Luke 9:22, "And he said, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." This pronouncement marked a significant turnaround in his ministry. Up until that time, he had been preaching about the Kingdom of God, which was confirmed by miracles.

From this point on, realizing that his time of departure was fast approaching, Jesus shifted his ministry from the public to private instruction of his disciples about his imminent death. This proclamation of the Son of Man must suffer many things was pertinent only to Jesus as a part of God's redemptive plan. But the broader implications of suffering included the immediate twelve disciples and all those who would later decide to follow Him.

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die—said Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who understood the ultimate Cost of Discipleship. If you are following Christ, you are bound to suffer; it is inevitable, because Jesus said so. Not everyone may suffer as Jesus and his twelve disciples did. All twelve disciples were martyred for their faith, as were so many first-century Christians. Since then, staggering numbers of people have died because they followed Christ.

According to the Open Doors, "By the time you go to bed tonight, an average of more than 13 Christians will have been killed for their decision to follow Jesus. On average, one Christian every two hours; roughly 5000 people each year. 50 countries around the World where it's most dangerous to follow Jesus. And nearly 300,000 Christians were forced to leave their homes, go into hiding, or flee their country of origin."[2] 

What level of suffering are we encountering in the West because we follow Christ? We may be ridiculed at work or in class because we follow Christ, or people call us all kinds of derogatory names. But is that the worst kind of suffering compared to our brothers and sisters in many parts of the World who lost their lives because they followed Christ? Consider these scriptures that might help you when you encounter suffering of any kind for following Christ.

Philippians 1:29, "For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." NLT Suffering for Christ would allow us to share His glory. "And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." Rom 8:17 NLT.

The Apostle Peter, who himself was crucified upside down for following Christ, has a lot to say about suffering for being a Christian in his letter to God's elect and exiles: I Pet 4:12-19

"Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the World… For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God's Good News?... So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you." NLT.

 

Think of this for a moment: If Jesus were to come today to the USA, where do you think He would begin His Judgment from? It is the house of God, the Church, the Christians who claim to be Christians but neither follow Christ nor count the Cost of following Him.

 

II. The Cost of Denying Ourselves and Picking Up Our Cross Daily.

Luke 9:23-24, Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." We live in a highly self-absorbed and self-indulgent culture where one only cares about their pleasure and how they get it, regardless.

Christ's call to his followers to deny themselves and pick up their cross daily and follow him is counter-cultural. Self-denial was a consistent theme in Christ's teachings to his disciples. The kind of self-denial Jesus expects from us is not that we abstain from all forms of pleasure and give up every desire, as certain religions advocate, but rather a willingness to give up everything, including our lives, when it comes to obeying His commandments.

How about picking up our own cross and following him daily? In Matthew 10:38, we read, "Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Here is the first mention of the word "cross" to his disciples. How did they understand it? It must have evoked a picture of violent and degrading death that often comes by the Roman Crucifixion.

By challenging us to pick up our crosses daily and follow him, Jesus demands total commitment from us, even unto physical death. Then he goes on to say, " Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." If you read through the Book of Acts and the Church history we will read, you will see how many Christians who counted the Cost when it comes to Following Christ. Because of their sacrificial lives and suffering, mingled lives, we received the gospel and got saved. Now it is our time to count the Cost of following Christ. On this second Sunday of Lent, let us resolve like the Apostle Paul and say, Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 

 

 

 

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[1] Haddon Robinson, from the sermon "Love Keeps Going," PreachingToday.com

https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/preaching/sermon-illustrations/muslim-man-considers-cost-of-following-christ/

 

[2] https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/stories/13-christians-killed-day-average/#:~:text=13%20Christians%20a%20day%20killed,flee%20their%20country%20of%20origin. 

The Power Of The Cross

                                                      THE POWER OF THE CROSS

I think I am a good and confident driver in general, but I get overwhelmed when driving in downtown Boston. It is like driving through a maze. Even more so when I walk through the financial district of Boston, looking at the tall, high-rise buildings where life-altering financial decisions are made. Walking through Tremont Temple Street, I feel like a dwarf surrounded by giants. The Power of commerce and finance intimidates me and makes me wonder who I am.

What is our small Hope Church? What Christian gospel am I trying to preach? How could I reach those highly intellectual and successful people? That's what was happening in the Corinthian church. They were intimidated by all the talk of so-called intelligent people who said the Cross is foolishness. Paul writes to the Corinthian believers not to believe their sayings, because they have never been true and are not true today. God has a different message for us!

God is going to expose how foolish the Wisdom of worldly men and women actually is. And he is going to display the Power of the message of the Cross to those being saved and, through them, to the World. We will explore The Power Of The Cross. I Corinthians 1:18-25

I. Man's Fall & God's Restoration.

            In the middle of the Garden of Eden, God planted two Trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He wanted to test the first couple; he commanded the man, saying, "You are free to eat from any tree except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Believing the Devil's lies, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's commandment, ate from the forbidden tree, and became aware of good and evil.

Instead of disciplining them for their disobedience, God has put into motion a restoration plan. Genesis 3:15, "And I will make enemies of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel." (NASB). God's restoration plan will be fulfilled only in Jesus, who was the Seed of the woman.

We see in Jesus' day that many Jewish people, though they read Genesis 3:15, did not understand that Jesus was the Messiah who came to restore people to God. Even today, many Jewish people don't believe Jesus to be the Messiah, and Muslims only see Him as one of the prophets. The Cross and the Message of the Cross remain stumbling blocks for them. Who will open their blind eyes and help them understand what Christ has done for them on the Cross?

II. The Message of the Cross

I Corinthians 1:18, "For the message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The message of the Cross here refers to God's revelation of the gospel in its fullness. The gospel is God's redemptive plan and provision for sinners, which was centered in the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ.

The Apostle Paul was resolved only to know and preach Jesus, and Him crucified. (2:2) But not everybody, everywhere eagerly accepted the message of the Cross. For those who were perishing, it sounded rather foolish; hence, they rejected it vehemently. But for those who were being saved, it was God's Power unto salvation; hence, they believed and gladly accepted it.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that God destroyed those who merely worshipped God with their lips but not their hearts. Because they relied on human Wisdom, Isaiah 29:14, "therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people,.. and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden." ESV

The main reason for the Israelites' folly was their reliance on human rather than divine Wisdom. It was the same reason for the Greeks' downfall in Paul's time. The ultimate fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy will occur when Christ establishes his kingdom.

Rev 17:14, "Together they (rulers) will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him."

III. God's Challenge To Those Relying On Earthly Wisdom.

I Corinthians 1:20, "Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the Wisdom of the World?" Paul was reminding the Corinthian believers that God challenged people who relied on their wise men, teachers of the law, and philosophers who were great at arguing.  

While saying, " Where is the wise person, Paul paraphrases Isaiah 19:12, where the Egyptian wisemen were helpless to deal with a crisis because they were ignorant of God's plans against Egypt. God sent a spirit of confusion to frustrate the wisemen of Egypt.

In Biblical history, we read that God used this modus operandi whenever people relied on human Wisdom and went against God's plans. For example, at the construction of the Tower of Babel, he confused the languages of the people to disrupt their plans to build a tower. (Gen 11:7). While interpreting the dreams of King Pharaoh, the wise men of Egypt couldn't deliver the correct interpretation, but God used Joseph to provide it, saving humankind. ( Gen 41:16), etc.

Human Wisdom is always unreliable and inadequate for knowing God and for the salvation of humanity. The leaders and experts around the World think they can fix the God-sized complex problems of the World, such as poverty, disease, hunger, and global crises of war, climate change, crime, and violence, with their human Wisdom and ingenuity. But can they really? While they may succeed in a limited manner, they cannot completely eradicate these systemic problems. Then who can save humanity and set all the wrongs right?

"If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour." —Roy Lessin. While some wisemen, rich people, and the philosophers reject the message of the Cross for their folly, those who believe are saved. The apostle Paul did not rely on human Wisdom while preaching the message of the Cross, lest its Power would be emptied. Instead, he relied on divine Wisdom. Let's see what that Power Of The Cross is.

IV. The Power Of The Cross

 

Visual symbols are powerful as they reflect our deeply held religious, cultural beliefs, and human experiences. Latin Cross. The Cross is the most well-known Christian symbol and represents Christ's sacrifice. The T-shaped Cross has become the ultimate symbol of Christianity. The tradition of Christians wearing a cross to identify their faith began in the 2nd century CE when Christianity was still outlawed in Rome."[1]

Just to be clear, the object of the Cross in and of itself is not powerful, but it is a powerful reminder of what Christ has done on the Cross to save humanity. He offered himself on the Cross as an ultimate sacrifice once and for all for the forgiveness of the sins of humanity. The Cross of Christ is a powerful symbol of Christianity for several reasons.

First, Christ has the Power to save all humanity. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ESV

Colossians 1:20, "And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his Cross."

Second, Christ showed us what love is on the Cross and gave us the Power to love others. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." ESV  John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." ESV

Third, Christ gives us the Power to forgive others as he forgave his enemies. Luke 23:34. "And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." ESV. Eph 4:32"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." ESV.

Fourth: Christ gives us the Power to endure hardships. Hebrews 12:2-3 "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." ESV.

Here are a few takeaways. Let us not rely on our human Wisdom, as it is often inadequate. We will rely upon the Wisdom that comes from above when it comes to loving and obeying  Christ. Our crucified and risen Savior is our model. Let's resolve to follow Him closely and to live a life that exemplifies. So that the World will know we are Christ's disciples.

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[1] https://www.wikihow.com/Christian-Symbols-and-Meanings