Editor’s Be aware: Our February 2025 mini-series on the BCC Grace and Reality weblog addresses biblical counseling within the persecuted church. On this first article, Jim Newheiser shares his expertise coaching and counseling in closed international locations within the Center East and East Asia. In different contributions to the collection, Esther St. John discusses counseling in Spanish-speaking international locations dealing with non secular persecution, and Tim St. John recounts his expertise counseling a persecuted pastor in Myanmar.
I’ve had the privilege of counseling and coaching counselors in two nations the place the church is persecuted in addition to a number of different international locations the place biblical Christianity is beneath oppression. I marvel on the faithfulness and boldness of believers who fearlessly serve Christ despite the fact that their livelihood or their freedom could possibly be taken from them in consequence.
My spouse and I spent six years in one of the vital closed Islamic international locations on the planet. For 5 of those, I served as a tentmaking pastor in an underground English-speaking church of some hundred individuals whose members had been expatriate Christians from everywhere in the world. One nice great thing about this church was that we had members from over thirty nations, from each continent besides Antarctica. We regarded just like the church common—individuals from each tribe and tongue and nation (Rev. 5:9).
Town during which we lived and labored was lower than two hours from the holiest place in Islam. Our gatherings in properties had been unlawful.[1] Infrequently, we’d hear of the non secular authorities arresting and deporting leaders of church buildings in different cities. Places and occasions of our conferences had been unfold by phrase of mouth. Individuals would arrive at staggered occasions to keep away from drawing consideration to our gatherings. We’d typically have over fifty individuals in a house. One factor that probably drew the authorities’ consideration to our conferences was that it was extraordinarily uncommon on this tradition to have individuals of various nationalities and courses mixing in social conditions. We had Asian laborers sitting subsequent to American company vice presidents (James 2:1-4). The American Consulate generally gave us a gathering place for as much as 100 of our members, however we give up assembly there when the consular authorities determined that solely People may attend.
There additionally was an Arabic-speaking fellowship, which consisted of believers from majority Islamic international locations similar to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Often, I’d educate and preach for them with translation. They wanted to be much more cautious than we had been however had a tremendous testimony of daring faithfulness.
The necessity for soul care was nice. Some points had been straight associated to being in an Islamic nation. Caroline and I recommended Western ladies who had been professing Christians however married to Muslim males. Some had been oppressed not solely by domineering husbands but in addition by male sons who handled them with disdain. How do such wives apply 1 Peter 3:1-2 (submitting to disobedient unbelieving husbands) and 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 (enduring in a wedding to an unbeliever whereas questioning what degree of mistreatment would possibly represent abandonment)? What if their husband takes one other spouse? How can she escape an abusive marriage, provided that she will’t journey with out her husband’s permission?
We confronted distinctive counseling challenges in our multinational and multidenominational congregation. Unbelieving husbands forbade their Christian wives from attending church as a result of these males had been fearful that their participation may end in them dropping their jobs and being deported. (These husbands additionally might have been involved that the unlawful alcohol they’d hidden in the home could possibly be found if she had been to be investigated by the non secular police.)
A lot of our counseling was just like instances we see in our ministry immediately—marriage battle, despair, abuse, anger, and so forth. I used to be very younger, and there weren’t as many counseling assets out there within the Nineteen Eighties, however I realized lots and was amazed on the energy of God’s Phrase to rework lives regardless of my inexperience. We additionally had counseling alternatives distinctive to our state of affairs due to our extraordinarily numerous church. Lots of our members had been separated from their households for years whereas working overseas. This typically contributed to main issues, together with infidelity by the partner working overseas and the partner who was left behind. We additionally had members from poor African or Asian international locations who wished to return residence however had been anticipated by their family members to stay working overseas for a lot of lonely years to assist their prolonged households. How may they steadiness cultural household obligations with their need to be residence?
Our favourite soul care work was evangelism, which regularly started as counseling. We met with dozens of troubled individuals who had been professing Christians from numerous backgrounds (Roman Catholic, Coptic, and so forth.) who weren’t but true believers. Dwelling in a strict Muslim nation during which some had been pressured to transform to Islam prompted many to analyze their very own beliefs. We noticed extra conversions in our ultimate years than I’ve seen within the practically forty years since. This led to different counseling challenges. A brand new believer from Singapore needed to be geared up to face her mother and father, who would accuse her of shaming the household when she refused to supply sacrifices to their ancestors. Many newly transformed Filipinos needed to be ready to provide a solution to their devoted Roman Catholic relations, together with spouses. When a Muslim man got here to religion, figuring out that he could possibly be put to dying for turning into a Christian, we mentioned with him whether or not he ought to flee the nation.
After serving 5 years as a tentmaking pastor, our flip got here to be deported by the native officers. Earlier than being allowed to depart, I used to be interrogated by a authorities official in a navy uniform. He had the names of everybody who had visited our residence over many months. He wished to know all about our underground church, particularly who can be main the church once I left. Ought to I truthfully reply his questions? Would I be justified in following the examples of the midwives in Egypt (Exod. 1:15-21) and Rahab (Josh. 2:1-7) by mendacity to somebody who was searching for to hurt God’s individuals? As I stood earlier than this hostile authority determine, I skilled what Jesus spoke about in Luke 12:11-12, “And once they carry you earlier than the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, don’t be troubled about how it is best to defend your self or what it is best to say, for the Holy Spirit will educate you in that very hour what you should say.” I consider that the Lord helped me bear witness to my religion in Christ, together with defending our proper to assemble peaceably (particularly in mild of the truth that my interrogator’s authorities was constructing mosques throughout my nation). I refused to reply questions that might hurt the church and its remaining leaders. Probably the most troublesome inquiries to evade involved the previous Muslim who got here to religion. Fortunately, regardless of some threats, I used to be allowed to depart the assembly, after which a couple of days later, we safely departed the nation.
Within the windfall of God, one of the vital vital issues I did in my final yr on this closed nation was to coach different leaders to minister the Phrase of God each publicly and privately. We emphasised the sufficiency of God’s Phrase, and I sought to instruct these left behind to use it virtually.
Since leaving that nation, I’ve had the privilege of equipping church leaders from many international locations, together with closed international locations in Asia. I’m grateful for the know-how that didn’t exist once I was within the Center East within the Nineteen Eighties. Biblical counseling organizations have invested in creating coaching materials, which is being utilized by 1000’s. When visiting a closed nation in Asia, I used to be shocked that my college students knew my face as a result of somebody had translated a few of my movies into their language and posted them on-line. I additionally was blessed to see the religion and boldness of my brothers and sisters in Christ who had been serving Him with out worry.
Questions for Reflection
- How totally different do you have to anticipate counseling to be in a persecuted church?
- When is it proper for Christians to disobey governing authorities?
- Would I’ve been justified to lie once I was being interrogated?
[1] We believed that our gatherings had been obligatory (Heb. 10:25) and that we had been free to disobey when governing authorities pressed us to disobey God (Acts 5:29).
