by Corey Jackson
First published on Luke Alliance’s Substack account
In September, part 1 of this article covered Jesus’s call to missions and some of the vulnerabilities that come with it. This month, part 2 explores the opportunities available to those who join Christ on the vulnerable edge of mission.
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The Opportunity of Persecution
Matthew 10 does not merely describe suffering. It reveals opportunities to experience God as we follow him to the vulnerable edge of mission.
An Opportunity to Trust God’s Care
Jesus says twice not to be anxious or afraid because God cares for us. Jesus points to the sparrows, reminding his audience that God cares for everything he has made. Psalm 56:8 likewise tells us that God captures every one of our tears in a bottle.
God’s care does not always mean the removal of suffering. Sometimes he delivers us from trials, but not all the time. But as we suffer for his name’s sake, we have the opportunity to learn how much the Lord cares for us.
One of the privileges of serving persecuted Christians is witnessing this care at work. Luke Alliance has the opportunity to regularly connect with families of persecuted prisoners. Many of these spouses and children experience anxiety and depression as they wait for the release of their loved ones. Yet, at the end of our conversations with our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is common for them to say something like, “Thank you for caring for us, for being available to speak with us. You remind us that God has not forgotten us and that we are never alone.”
Caring for persecuted Christians is an opportunity to remind our brothers and sisters of God’s continued care.
An Opportunity to Trust God’s Words
Jesus promises that when his followers are brought before authorities or placed in difficult conversations, he will give them the right words to say. This does not mean that preparation, evangelism training, or practical wisdom are unnecessary. It means that, in the moment of pressure, the burden of being a witness does not rest on us – it rests on God.
We see this in Acts 3, when Peter and John are confronted by the Sanhedrin and ordered not to speak in Jesus’ name. God gives his people courage and clarity to speak faithfully as witnesses for him.
When Christians stand before courts, authorities, or hostile neighbors, they have the opportunity to experience the Lord speaking through them in ways they otherwise would never know.
An Opportunity to Keep Moving Forward in Faith
Jesus also tells his disciples to keep moving forward in faith. If they are persecuted in one town, they are commanded to flee to the next. Leaving according to Jesus is not necessarily failure. “Flee to the next village”, Jesus says, knowing that you have not failed and that you are never truly homeless.
Paul himself was lowered in a basket from a city wall to escape danger. Jesus would often leave one town for the next to avoid dealing with hostile leaders. Today, many persecuted Christians live as refugees or asylum seekers. Others remain in their countries intentionally, or because they have no opportunity to leave.
Matthew 10:23 tells us that God has his plan. Christ will return in His timing and will bring us to our eternal home in heaven.
The persecuted need our prayers as we look forward to the day when the Lord will return to save all his people, even those who are refugees and who are seeking asylum.
An Opportunity to Trust God’s Revelation
Jesus tells his followers not to fear because all that is hidden will ultimately be revealed. What evil attempts to silence now will ultimately be shouted from the rooftops.
At Luke Alliance, we are working to fund and resource an initiative called the ‘Not Forgotten’ project which would go to helping us research, compile, and share more data describing the persecution of believers in China. Even as we attempt to gather this data, the CCP is actively working to make sure the persecuted will never have their stories told.
The good news of Jesus according to Matthew 10 is that God promises us that the testimony of these believers will one day be brought into full daylight for the world to see. No earthly power can keep the Lord from knowing and revealing the truth about his persecuted children.
An Opportunity to Confess Christ Faithfully
Jesus says, keep proclaiming my words from the housetops (v 27). Why? Do not fear those who can destroy your physical body. Fear the one who can kill the soul and body in hell.
Here, the Lord calls his children to continue to follow him under pressure, knowing that only God has authority over souls. Our bodies may be hurt or destroyed, but the Lord will preserve our spirits. As the Apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 4:16: even though “our bodies are wasting away, our spirit is being renewed day by day.”
The north star for the persecuted brother and sister in prison is beyond this world. Christians are called to keep confessing Christ, trusting that God will bring them out of prison and into freedom one day - either in this life or in the life to come.
The Reward for Standing with the Persecuted
First, Jesus says we have the opportunity to receive. “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
Are we receiving the persecuted people God is sending our way? Are we opening our arms, our homes, and our hearts to those who carry his word and serve his church? As we consider persecuted Christians, we are called to welcome and care for God’s messengers so they can continue to serve in the hardest places on earth.
Second, Jesus says we have the opportunity to give. He concludes the chapter with a beautiful promise: “Whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is my disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Who are the children Jesus is referring to as he closes his sermon in Matthew 10? I suppose it could be an allusion to all the vulnerable children of the world. But a contextual reading of Jesus’ words is best interpreted to mean “all of God’s persecuted messengers or disciples.” Jesus is concluding this chapter in the same way he began, by calling out attention to God’s children who are on the vulnerable edge of mission.
Jesus looks out into the horizon of history and sees these children of his scattered all over the world by persecution and he says – receive these dear ones into your homes and into your lives! Give them what they need in their time of greatest vulnerability! Even a cup of cold water will do.
Was Jesus looking ahead to his own experience of being thirsty on the cross as he poured out his blood to redeem us? Was he looking ahead to all who would be imprisoned, beaten, tortured, kept without food and water – to all who would be persecuted for his name’s sake? Yes, I believe that as Jesus looks at his disciples in Matthew 10, he sees before him a vision of how his Gospel would extend into the world in the very harshest of conditions.
Conclusion
If you are a follower of Jesus, please remember this is your family in Christ. These are your friends who are suffering for the Gospel.
What would it look like to offer your family member in Christ a cup of cold water today?
It might begin with a letter-writing campaign—a tangible act of care for our church family.
It might mean praying for persecuted Christians and staying informed through regular updates.
It might include contributing financially to help us provide advocacy, counseling, and trauma healing to the vulnerable.
Regardless of what it looks like for you, remember that we are one body. Some are persecuted for Christ’s name, the rest of us are called to offer tangible support to those brothers and sisters. Join us at Luke Alliance as we seek to serve the church on the vulnerable edge of mission.