Dealing with Bullies (2 of 2)

Q. What does the Bible say about how you should deal with bullies? The US has been bullying everyone. Just because they have bigger and more guns should not mean they can walk over anyone they like. 

A. No it should not, but sadly in this fallen world, often that is what happens.

“Bully” is a modern word and does not appear in common versions like the NASB, NKJV, ESV, NIV, etc. It appears only in contemporary versions such as Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Common English Bible (CEB), and Holman CSB. It translates the Greek word “plēktēs” (pugnacious in the NASB), and occurs twice in the NT:

• 1 Tim 3:3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy.
• Titus 1:7 As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money.

It means violent, contentious, quarrelsome. Unfortunately, these two verses do not provide guidelines on how to deal with bullies.

What can we do? Generally, the world’s approach to dealing with bullies is a pragmatic one and depends on the relative strength of the victim versus the bully:

• If the victim is much weaker than the bully, then either:
  • comply with what the bully wants i.e. to pay him protection money, or
  • hire mercenaries or seek alliances to fight the bully together.
• If the victim’s strength is comparable to that of the bully, then fight it out i.e. retaliate tit for tat.

But the Christian approach is completely different from that of the world:

• Mt 5:43-44 ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Also see Lk 6:27-28)
• Lk 6:35  ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 
• Rom 12:19-21 ¹⁹ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I recognize the Sermon on the Mount has to do with personal relationships, so some of the principles do not apply to international politics. After all, the LORD did not tell Israel “Do not resist an evil empire; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (modified from Mt 5:39) When He was not fighting their battle for them, He told them how to fight. But as far as it is possible, we are to love our enemies and not to revenge.

How would that work in practice? One hypothetical example could be with the fight against COVID-19. China had been accused by the US and her allies such as Australia, UK, India, etc. that she caused the pandemic in the first place, that she hid it from the rest of the world, that she violated the freedom of her citizens by locking down entire cities, etc. Despite such condemnation and defamation, China sent 29 medical expert teams to 27 countries and helped 150 countries and 4 international organizations with masks, test kits, etc. as of May 31. China is an atheistic country, hostile to Christianity. Had China been Christian, a good move would be to help even enemy nations to fight the virus. For in so doing she will heap burning coals on their heads (Rom 12:20).

I might add that such goodwill gestures might not be appreciated e.g. some recipients might say the personal protective equipment (PPE) sent are of inferior quality, or that China had done it with an ulterior motive to buy allies, etc. Our Lord had already taught us to do good expecting nothing in return (Lk 6:35), perhaps even ridicule. But that is what transformed people should do.

Dealing with Bullies (1 of 2)

Q. The White House had been blaming China for all kinds of problems – hiding the spread of the coronavirus, trade deficits, stealing jobs, stealing technology, national security threats, etc. I think they are just distracting the voters by redirecting the attention from their dismal management of the pandemic, the economy, etc. to an easy target. They are behaving like thugs, just as they have done in waging wars on Libya, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan Syria, etc. They did these to seize control of others’ oil, to prop up the failing US$, to steal from the poor to enrich themselves, etc. We are sick and tired of their tyranny. What should we do?

A. Under normal circumstances, you ask a doctor about your health, or a lawyer about your legal problems, as those are their expertise. Your question is on international politics, something beyond my specialty as a pastor, so all I can offer you is some scriptural guidelines! The rest you will have to get answers from a political scientist.

International relations in the Bible-centered on the nation Israel. When Israel was oppressed, she could cry out to the LORD for deliverance. However, we are not God’s chosen people, so this option is not open to us. Short of asking the Lord to fight our battles for us (1 Sam 17:47), what can we do? Well, we can learn from biblical principles on how to deal with bullies, to which we will turn now.

While not on an international scale, one example is that of how Nehemiah handled the ridicule, accusations, and threats of Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites when they heard that he was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem:

• Neh 4:4-6 ⁴ Hear, O our God, how we are despised! Return their reproach on their own heads and give them up for plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵ Do not forgive their iniquity and let not their sin be blotted out before You, for they have demoralized the builders. ⁶ So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Note Nehemiah’s reaction:

1. He prayed, asking God to return the enemy’s reproach on their heads. Although the Chinese Communist Party will not pray, Chinese Christians can pray on behalf of their country. This step is crucial and foundational.
2. They continued building the wall. They had one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon. In other words, they did not get distracted, and they were prepared if and when the enemy attacks.

• Neh 6:2-6, 8-9 ² then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me. ³ So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” ⁴ They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way. ⁵ Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. ⁶ In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel; therefore, you are rebuilding the wall. And you are to be their king, according to these reports. … ⁸ Then I sent a message to him saying, “Such things as you are saying have not been done, but you are inventing them in your own mind.” ⁹ For all of them were trying to frighten us,thinking, “They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

Again, notice Nehemiah’s response:

1. He ignored their invitations which were designed to harm him to stop the work. He stuck to the objective so that the work will be done.
2. He refuted their accusation that he was planning to rebel, stating that they were making it up. This is also what the US is doing, inventing charges but without presenting any evidence to back up her claims.
3. He prayed to God to strengthen his hands. Without this, they will fail.

• Neh 6:10-11, 13-14 ¹⁰ When I entered the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined at home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you, and they are coming to kill you at night.” ¹¹ But I said, “Should a man like me flee? And could one such as I go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” … ¹³ He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. ¹⁴ Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me.

What Nehemiah did:

1. He refused to be entrapped into doing something wrong. He saw through the plot of hired third parties and was not frightened.
2. Again, he petitioned God to deal with his enemies according to what they have done, instead of taking matters into his own hands.

In summary, I think China did several things right in response to the US provocations:

1. China continued her “One Belt One Road” and “Made in China 2025” strategies despite setbacks, as those are her objectives that ought not to be deterred by threats and opposition. Some have argued that by sanctioning Huawei the US had pushed China further along the path of technological independence from the US.
2. China maintained diplomatic decorum and did not resort to lies and fabrications to harm her opponent. Many used to look up to the US, but are waking up when they see how “big brother” treats those who he can no longer push around.

What China did not and cannot do, however, is “pray”. Sad to say, the Enemy had blinded her eyes to see the glory of Christ, and she is persecuting the Church and Christians. This is where we as Christ’s disciples need to step in and pray that China will be evangelized to know the One True God. Can you do your part?

Preparing to Face Persecution

Q. It is scary when to follow Jesus means Christians would suffer. How do we, here and now, apply this general truth?

A. First, fear not:

• Lk 12:4 I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.

Sadly, Christians often follow the world more than the word of God and are afraid of things that they do not need to be scared of.

I think the problem lies with inadequate discipling in many Western churches. Take a popular discipleship process as an example:

What are the contents of the classes 101 to 401? Typically, they include the gospel, assurance of salvation, membership class, baptism class, how to study the Bible, how to pray, fellowship, serving in the church and parachurch organizations, how to share the gospel, joining local or foreign short-term missions, etc. If a church member regularly attends worship, Sunday school, prayer meeting, cell group, serve in some ministry, invites friends to church, donates offerings, the church leaders would be more than happy.

Now look at what the NT teaches Christians to pursue:

• Rom 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
• 1 Co 14:1 Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
• 1 Tim 6:11 … and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
• 2 Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
• Heb 12:14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
• 1 Pet 3:11 He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.

And the process as to how these goals might be attained:

• Rom 5:3-4 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope.
• 2 Pet 1:5-7  Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

I have been a Christian for nearly half a century, and have found instructions on godliness, perseverance, peace, tribulations, etc. to be few and far in between. No wonder Christians are ill-prepared:

• 1 Pet 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.

Even our methods are deficient. Our traditional Sunday School consists of classroom lectures and discussions, with little hands-on experience. But a key component of the Lord’s teaching strategy is “on the job training”. He sent the Twelve (Mt 10:5 ff) and the seventy (Lk 10:1 ff) out after instructing them, and let them experience ministry first-hand, not just giving them head knowledge.

So, if you are serious about preparing to face persecution, take a long hard look at both the curriculum and pedagogy of your Christian education function and train your people accordingly. The persecuted church has learned this long, long ago. It is time the Western church does the same, as the “easy days” are fast coming to an end.  

Persecution?

Q. Is the teaching of 2 Tim 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” a general truth applicable to all of Christ’s followers?

A. If by “Christ’s followers” you mean those “who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus”, then my answer is YES, as “all” means “ALL, every” and “will” implies “certainty”. This is taught not just by Paul, but throughout the NT by the Lord and Peter e.g.

Ref.	All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus	Will be persecuted
Mt 5:10-12	V 10 for the sake of righteousness V 11 because of Me V 12 the prophets who were before you	V 10 persecuted V 11 people insult you & persecute you, & falsely say all kinds of evil against you V 12 in the same way they persecuted
Mt 10:22-25	V 22 because of My name V 24 a disciple V 25 the disciple that he become like his teacher	V 22 You will be hated by all V 23 whenever they persecute you V 25 malign the members of (the master’s) household
Mt 23:34	Prophets & wise men & scribes	Some of them you will kill & crucify, some of them you will scourge, persecute from city to city
Mk 10:29-30	V 29 left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake	V 30 with persecutions
Jn 15:19-21	V 19 not of the world V 20 a slave is not greater than his master V 21 for My name’s sake	V 19 the world hates you V 20 If they persecute Me, they will also persecute you V 21 all these things they will do to you
Jn 17:14	They are not of the world	The world has hated them
Acts 14:22	Disciples to continue in the faith	Through many tribulations
1 Pet 2:20	You do what is right	And suffer for it
1 Pet 3:14	For the sake of righteousness	Suffer … do not fear their intimidation
1 Pet 4:12-14, 16	V 13 you share the sufferings of Christ V 14 for the name of Christ V 16 as a Christian	V 12 fiery ordeal among you   V 14 you are reviled V 16 suffers
1 Pet 5:9-10	V 9 firm in your faith V 10 God … who called you to His eternal glory in Christ	V 9 same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren V 10 suffered for a little while

The above do not apply just to disciples in Jesus’ times or during the history of the early Church, but to disciples throughout the ages. Otherwise you might as well argue that the NT apply just to them but not to us modern day Christians.

Civil Disobedience? When?

Q. I have Christian friends, including some pastors, who support the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Why are you against it? Don’t you know what the communists have done? Don’t you want freedom for the people?

A. I am not against democracy and I want freedom for the people. I know what the Chinese Communist Party have done, both the good and the bad. What I am against is the so called “pro-democracy movement” in Hong Kong, which is anything but democratic. When their supporters silence their opponents with violence, and disrupt law and order by destroying public and private property, they are just rioters and thugs, not the “peaceful demonstrators” they loudly claim to be. When they want only what they demand, and totally disregard the safety and needs of the people, they are just being selfish and are not “for the people”. Their actions betray their lies.

There is a case for civil disobedience, but the necessary conditions are not met by what the rioters did. My beliefs are based on the following:

• Rom 13:1-2, 5 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. ² Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. … ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
• Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
• 1 Pet 2:13-14 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

The basic rule is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, as they are established by God to maintain law and order in society. We submit not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God] (Rom 13:5, Amplified).

Does that mean we submit to the government no matter what, even when we disagree? No, not quite.

• Acts 4:18-20 And when they (the Sanhedrin) had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; ²⁰ for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 
• Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” 

When the governing authorities command us to do what is contrary to the word of God, we must obey God rather than men. You see all earthly authorities are derived from God. When lower earthly authorities contradict God’s highest authority, we have a right to refuse to comply. However, the refusal must be nonviolent to be called “civil”.

There are biblical precedents to such guidelines e.g.

• Ex 1:15-17  Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, … ¹⁶ and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.
• Dan 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
• Dan 6:7, 10 All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den. … Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house …; and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. 

Other examples include:

• Rehab saving the two spies in Joshua 2,
• the people rescuing Jonathan from Saul in 1 Samuel 14,
• Obadiah saving the prophets in in 1 Kings 18,
• Jehosheba saving Joash from Athaliah in 2 Kings 11, etc.

All these cases involved the governing authorities ordering people to do something wrong, and the people rightly refused to obey men rather than God.

Now back to your question. I know there are underlying grievances against the Hong Kong government that had been festering for a long time. These require a separate analysis that is beyond the scope of this article. But the spark that led to the protests was the proposed extradition law. Was that against what God commanded? No, it was not. In fact, many jurisdictions have similar laws enacted to ensure law and order. So, the immediate cause was not a valid case for civil disobedience. Despite pastors and Christian leaders participating and endorsing the protests, I believe they lapsed in their judgment and entangled themselves in political plays between the US and China.

Furthermore, the slogan of the “pro-democracy” protests in Hong Kong are “peaceful, reasonable, and non-violent”. Reality proved that they are hostile, unreasonable, and violent. Do not be misled by what people say. Even the media, which was supposed to remain neutral and non-partisan in reporting the facts, became biased. Directed by local and foreign forces, they distorted the truth by omitting the crimes of the rioters, and smearing the police and the government. That is why I do not buy any of their propaganda, but focused on what the “yellow ribbon” did instead. Action speaks louder than words. Learn to discern.

Books of the Hebrew Bible

Q. Someone told me originally Judges and Ruth were one book in the Hebrew Bible. Is that true?

A. No. The Hebrew Bible is called the Tanakh, and consists of 24 books divided into 3 groups, as follows:

Torah (5 books of Moses or the Law)	Nevi’im (8 books of Prophets)	Ketuvim (11 books of Writings)
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy	4 Former Prophets: Joshua Judges Samuel Kings	3 Poetic books: Psalms Proverbs Job
	4 Latter Prophets: Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Minor Prophets: 12 counted as 1 book	5 Rolls (Megillot): Song of songs Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther
		3 Historical books: Daniel Ezra & Nehemiah Chronicles

You will note that the Tanakh’s 4 Former Prophets are part of the Protestant Old Testament’s Historical books. The Protestant OT further divides the following books into two: 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Minor Prophets into 12, thus increasing the number of books by 15 from 24 to 39.

In the Jewish Bible, Ruth is between Song of Songs and Lamentations, but in the Christian Bible it is between Judges and 1 Samuel, perhaps leading some to speculate that Judges and Ruth were one book. But proximity does not mean they are related. Ruth was placed after Judges because it happened during the time of the Judges. They were not one book.

Carnal Christians?

Q. People use Romans 10:9 as a reason for not wanting to be bothered with apologetics Bible or studying the Bible! Are they Christians as mentioned in 1 Co 12:6 “There are different ways the Spirit works, but the same God is working in all these ways and in all people.” or are these the lukewarm Laodiceans that will be spit out (into the abyss)?

Should I be concerned? or should I be satisfied that they can go to heaven because of 1 Co 3:15 If the building burns up, the builder will lose everything. The builder will be saved, but only like one escaping through the flames. I pray that I do not end up in this category. Who are the builders escaping through the flames? The carnal Christians or the lukewarm Christians? 

A. Let us look at the verses you quoted or alluded to in turn:

• Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Some argue that it says only “confess” and “believe”, nothing about “repent”. But what is a true confession?

• Ezra 10:11 Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do His will; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”
• Ezra 10:19 They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense.

The Israelites not only confessed with their mouths, they followed it up with action to do God’s will. So, repentance is part and parcel of confession, without which the verbal confession is a sham.

• 1 Co 12:4-6 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. ⁶ There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.

The context is that of spiritual gifts. The same Holy Spirit gives varieties of gifts and ministries to different people. V 6 has nothing to do with repentance. There is no such thing as some need to repent while others are exempt.

• Rev 3:15-16 ‘I know your (church in Laodicea) deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

Rev 3:16 does not say “into the abyss”. The abyss is where Satan and the beast dwell (Rev 9:11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:3). Do not add to the text (Rev 22:18). The Lord will spit or vomit them out of His mouth because they are lukewarm. Cold is refreshing and hot is healing, but lukewarm is nauseating. Some feel they are nominal Christians or unbelievers because they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. They need white garments (righteousness) to cover their nakedness, and eyes (spiritual eyes or minds) that they may see:

• 2 Co 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Both are what unbelievers need. In addition, the Lord will reject them with disgust.

Others feel they are believers because the Lord was warning them. They were those whom He loves, reproves, and disciplines (v 19). And Scripture says,

• Heb 12:6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.

Had they been unbelievers, the Lord would have told them:

• Mt 7:23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

My opinion is that both nominal and compromising Christians are in the Laodicean church, hence the mixed description.

• 1 Co 3:15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

This judgment is referred to again in:

• 2 Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Some will be barely saved, but not their work, consisting of wood, hay, straw which will all be burned up. Nothing remains for the worker to receive any reward. These are Christians who have invested their lives in things that are worthless when measured in terms of eternity. They could be fruitful but have wasted their lives.

Lastly, carnal Christians:

• 1 Co 3:1-4 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Carnal Christians are immature believers, infants in Christ. They cannot understand deeper spiritual truths, and there is jealousy and strife among them.

Who are the builders escaping the flames in 1 Co 3:15? The preceding context in 1 Co 3 indicates that they are carnal Christians. As explained, the lukewarm church consists of Christians in name only, as well as carnal Christians. The former will not be saved; the latter will be saved but suffer loss of their life work.

Should you be concerned? You should be. Going to heaven is of course good, but like a loving Father, God wants us to achieve so much more than meeting the bare minimum requirement. All Christians should aim to be spiritual men and women:

• Mt 5:8 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

That is what pleases God.

Witnessing and Repentance

Q. When should I talk to the person I am witnessing to about repentance?

• As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent. (Rev.3:19)

Here is the conundrum. The gospel to gentiles is one of salvation by grace alone. People do not have any incentive to believe and accept Christ as Savior if they do not believe that they are sinners in need of a savior. Some people refuse to believe or accept Christ because they do not want to forsake their sinful lifestyles. What should I say to a stranger?
Ray Comfort of Living Waters says that if Christians do not repent, they are like the seeds fallen on shallow ground, grow up but wither in a hurry. Matthews 5:4 comes to mind. Might I say mourning means mourning for one’s sins? 

A. When John the Baptist and Jesus preached to crowds, they started by saying:

• Mt 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
• Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

But look at Jesus’ examples of speaking to individuals:

• Jn 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him (Nicodemus), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• Jn 4:7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
• Mk 10:17 And Jesus said to him (rich young ruler), “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

His opening line is different in each case, but it piqued each one’s interest to pursue further.

What should you say to a stranger? I suggest you listen first. Find out where they are at. Speak on what interests them to arouse attention or curiosity, then transition the subject to the gospel. You need to talk about sin and repentance and faith, but not necessarily when you first open your mouth. Be natural, and be friendly, as people will shut you down if they sense you are out to corner them. Your interest in them earns you the right to share what is in your heart. Sure, there are plenty of people who refuse to accept Christ because they do not want to give up their sinful lifestyle, but conversion is the Holy Spirit’s work, not ours. Our job is to witness faithfully. The result is up to God.

I agree with what Ray Comfort said. The seeds that fell on rocky places are nominal Christians:

• Mt 13:20-21 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹ yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Their refusal to repent shows that their “faith” is superficial, hence they withered away.

Read

• Mt 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

in the Amplified Bible:

• Mt 5:4 Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].

Your interpretation is valid.

Witnessing

Q. The synoptic gospels were written for us but to the Jews before Jesus’ crucifixion. John’s gospel and Acts 10 onward were written to all people.
What should I say to a non-believer?

• Matthew 4:17 “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
• Acts 16: 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
• Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is LORD,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
  
  

A. There is no one answer fits all, as non-believers come with different backgrounds, beliefs, concerns, experiences, values, etc. All the verses you mentioned above are useful, depending on the circumstances, as they talked about repentance, God’s love, and believe.

Christians have used different tools in their witnessing, such as Evangelism Explosion, Gospel Bridge, Steps to Peace with God, Four Spiritual Laws, etc. There are variations in Bible verses and illustrations, but essentially the gospel presentation boils down to just four things:

1. SIN – Man is a sinner and cannot save himself,
2. GOD is just and must punish sin, but He is also loving and wishes to save us,
3. CHRIST – God’s solution is to send His Son Jesus to pay the penalty on our behalf. He proved that He is indeed God the Son and can save us by His resurrection three days after His death.
4. FAITH – To receive God’s gift of eternal life we have to repent and put our trust completely in Jesus alone. We show that our faith is genuine by following what He teaches and doing what He commands.

Some want to start on a positive note by saying that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives, or heaven is a free gift from God and cannot be earned or deserved. What we need to share with a non-believer are these five points. You can elaborate on these to clarify the gospel to the inquirer, but it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict hearts so that people may trust in Christ and be saved.

Do not worry about having a perfect formula for all cases. Our Lord used a different approach each time when He spoke to Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and the rich young ruler. Always pray and the Holy Spirit will guide you.

Spiritual Warfare (3 of 3)

(Continued from last post)

(2) The Works of the Devil. Space does not permit a detailed study of all biblical cases of Satanic and demonic interference, so I will highlight observations only from the three most well-known cases of the temptation of Adam and Eve, testing of Job, and the temptation of Jesus.

Adam & Eve	Scheme	Character
Gen 3:1 Has God said …	Doubt God’s word	Liar, deceiver, crafty, incite to disobey, tempt
Gen 3:4 You surely will not die …	Deny God’s word	Liar, deceiver, crafty, incite to disobey, tempt
Gen 3:5 For God knows …	Accuse God of ulterior motive	Accuser

Job	Scheme	Character
Job 1:9-11, 13-19	Accused God of favoring Job, Job of being loyal for wealth Stole/burned oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels Killed servants, sons & daughters	Accuser, Adversary   Destroyer Killer
Job 2:4-5, 7-8	Accused God too lenient, Job have not reached tolerance limit Attacked Job’s health	Accuser   Destroyer

Jesus	Scheme	Character
Mt 4:3 Turn stones to bread	Tempt to satisfy own needs	Incites disobedience Tempter
Mt 4:6 Throw Yourself from the temple	Tempt to put God to the test	Incites disobedience Tempter
Mt 4:9 Fall down & worship me	Tempt to take the easy way	Incites disobedience Tempter

This is a limited sample of the devil’s dealings with individuals as opposed to groups, but again the predominant schemes are subtle approaches of lying to deceive, tempting, inciting disobedience, and accusing. Hard approaches of destroying and killing are used as needed, but less often.

(3) The Whole Armor of God. Most commentators list 6 defensive and offensive equipment from Eph 6:13-17 of what a Roman soldier wore:

• Eph 6:13-18 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints

A minority include prayer from v 18, although that was not identified as military gear in the text. I included it because of:

• Mark 9:28-29 When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out? (casting out demon)” ²⁹ And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Armor	Purpose	Against Schemes
V14 Belt of truth	Truth	Lies, deception
V14 Breastplate of righteousness	His righteousness	Self-righteousness
V15 Shoes of gospel of peace	Gospel	Works
V16 Shield of faith	Faith	Unbelief
V17 Helmet of salvation	Assurance of salvation	Accusations (flaming arrows)
V17 Sword of the Spirit	Word of God (It is written)	Lies, deception
V18 Prayer and petition	Dependence on God, alertness, perseverance	Own strength, selfishness

Repeatedly you see that the prevalent schemes are lies, deception, relying on your own merits and not on God, accusations etc.

Back to the original question: How do you tell whether a bad incident is due to a natural event, or someone’s sin, or the devil working against you? My suggestion is to examine the data applying logic and biblical filters to eliminate the unlikely candidates. Whatever remains, however unlikely initially, becomes the most likely “culprit”. This method presupposes Occam’s razor – all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one. In other words, if the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense. No need to complicate matters by assuming demonic attack in everything.

Let me illustrate with an example. Say a church member is diagnosed with cancer. Start by reviewing his/her family history, lifestyle etc. to see if it could be due to heredity, diet etc. In other words, seek first for a natural cause as that is the most common. If there are no known natural explanations, the patient can review his relationship with God and others to determine if sin might be involved. If sin is involved, confess, repent, and pray for healing. If there are no known sins, the individual can review Satan’s schemes to see if they fit the conditions he/she is facing. If there is evidence indicating demonic attack, then enlist deliverance ministry. Hope this long-winded explanation helps.