End Times Evangelism: Being Bold in a Woke World

Discussing current events and how they relate to Biblical prophesy. What are some critical signs are pointing to the imminent Rapture of the Church?

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

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Persecution watchdog warns of growing hostility to Christians in US: ‘Frogs in the kettle’
Christian Post, April 29, 2024

The president of a nonprofit Christian persecution watchdog that monitors hostility to faith and freedom abroad warned that too few Christians in America and the West seem aware of how such trends are manifesting at home.

“Basically, we are frogs in the kettle, and the bubbles keep coming up under us,” Jeff King, president of the Washington, D.C.-based International Christian Concern (ICC), told The Christian Post.

“Too many people are not aware politically, and they’re so used to thinking of how things were that they can’t figure out where these bubbles are coming from, not realizing they’re being cooked.”

ICC, which was founded in 1995 to advocate for the persecuted church around the world, has been speaking out, particularly about Staci Barber’s case in Texas.

Barber is a school teacher who sued the Katy Independent School District near Houston in March after her principal allegedly reprimanded her last September for praying with two other teachers at the school’s flagpole as part of “See You At the Pole,” an annual international event.

The administrator reportedly told her that teachers were not allowed to pray where students could see them and be influenced to join, according to the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ). Teachers were told they “could not pray in any location where students would be present, even if this praying occurred before the school day began,” according to the lawsuit.

Barber had previously been barred from starting a campus chapter of Students for Christ, and the school board instituted a policy mandating that “employees will neither advance nor inhibit religion.”

“Employees may not promote, lead, or participate in religious activities of noncurriculum-related student groups,” the policy stated, which the ACLJ argued is “blatantly unconstitutional,” according to the Christian Broadcasting Network.

King told CP that Barber’s case “highlights the depth of ignorance among school boards and even at the principal level of what rights the Constitution grants people,” but he suggested her situation is symptomatic of a wider hostility toward Christians in the U.S. at all levels.

King warned that the same trends his nonprofit has been tracking and advocating against overseas are increasingly manifesting in the historically free nations of the Western world, including the United States. He pinpointed a corrupt, cumbersome judicial process and proliferating hate speech laws as the main prongs of the attack on Christian beliefs.

King explained that dictators and despots will promise religious liberty out of one side of their mouths while at the same time effectively mandating that religious citizens keep their opinions to themselves and out of the public square.

“If that sounds familiar, there’s a reason,” he said. “The big picture, and what people need to grasp, is that’s what’s going on here in the West, and that’s what a lot of people who dislike Christianity are proposing and trying to push forward.”

In countries where leaders possess antipathy toward Christianity, a politically weaponized judicial system plays a key role in chilling speech and driving Christians to self-censor, King said. He cited the example of India, where Christians are increasingly persecuted and their churches vandalized despite the guarantee of religious freedom in the country’s constitution.

“They have religious freedom in their constitution, but it doesn’t matter,” he said of India. “It’s what happens in practice. And so when pastors are often attacked in the streets or in the churches, guess who gets arrested? It’s the pastor. What happens is you keep your head down. So this is what we’re seeing in the States.”

Even if courts rule against the bad actors, King noted that the onerous judicial process itself is sufficient to convey the regime’s message.

“People learn that you do not stick your head up, and you start being quiet because the process is the punishment,” he said, adding that he has even seen examples of similar situations in Christian ministries in the U.S. where employees have been dragged before HR for not “toeing on the line” on LGBTQ issues and pronoun usage.

He pinpointed that the most egregious hate speech laws are in Canada and Europe, but noted that the same impulse to clamp down on speech — especially regarding sexuality — is also emerging in the U.S. with proposed legislation such as the Equality Act.

“It’s strategic, it’s banana republic, and these are political enemies of Christianity,” he said. “They’ve gained power, and they’re using the very laws, the very power of democracy, to go against their political enemies.”

King also observed that American culture has shifted dramatically within the past 30 years or so, and that the population has been “softened up” to the creeping totalitarian and anti-Christian impulses of their political leaders.

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We are living in challenging times as followers of Jesus Christ. Our culture today often seems hostile to the gospel message and to biblical values. Many label Christianity as intolerant, narrow-minded, and incompatible with the progressive views of our modern society. In the face of mounting opposition, it can be tempting for us as believers to shrink back, to soften our convictions, and to avoid boldly proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.

But now more than ever, our world needs the bold, uncompromising witness of devoted Christ-followers. We must not allow the changing tides of public opinion to intimidate us into silence or inaction. The Lord is calling us to courageously testify to the reality of Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection, and the eternal life found in Him alone. When pressured to conform to the spirit of the age, we must resolve, like the apostles in Acts, to obey God rather than man.

In Acts chapters 4-6, we see powerful examples of the early church boldly testifying about Jesus in the face of threats and opposition. As we examine their example, I pray we would be inspired and equipped to walk in that same boldness, being unashamed witnesses for our Lord in this generation. The gospel is the only hope for a lost and hurting world, and we must not hesitate to proclaim it.

The Command to Testify Boldly

After the dramatic events of Pentecost, the apostles Peter and John were proclaiming the gospel and performing miracles in Jesus’ name. This quickly drew the ire of the Jewish religious leaders, who had Peter and John arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.

Listen to the charges leveled against them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7). In other words, the Sanhedrin wanted to know, what gave these unschooled Galileans the right to preach and perform signs? Who authorized them to proclaim this message about a crucified and risen Messiah?

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responds: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” (Acts 4:8-10)

Notice that Peter does not merely defend himself and John. He goes on the offensive, boldly proclaiming the truth about Jesus to these hostile authorities. He essentially puts the Sanhedrin on trial, charging them with crucifying the Messiah. Yet Peter also extends the hope of salvation, declaring: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

This is the model of bold witness that we are called to emulate. When we have opportunities to testify about Jesus, whether to a friend, coworker, family member, or even a hostile audience, we must clearly present the essential truths of the gospel. We should lovingly but directly speak of humanity’s sin and need for redemption, of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, and of the necessity of repentance and faith in Jesus for salvation.

We cannot leave people with the impression that Jesus is just one path among many or that the gospel is simply good advice for living. No, like Peter, we must make clear that Jesus is the only way, truth and life, the only name given by which we must be saved. This is the foundation of our bold witness.

Counting the Cost

After the apostles’ bold proclamation before the Sanhedrin, we read that the authorities “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 4:18) Preaching the gospel had now become illegal in Jerusalem. The disciples found themselves faced with a choice – obey the authorities and cease testifying about Jesus, or continue boldly preaching and face the consequences.

How did they respond? “Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.‘” (Acts 4:19-20). The apostles were compelled by the Spirit and their love for Jesus to continue testifying to the truth, whatever the personal cost.

As they prayed afterwards, the believers did not ask God to remove the opposition or threats, but rather for greater boldness to keep speaking God’s word. “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” (Acts 4:29). And we see God answer that prayer powerfully, as the place where they were meeting was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly (Acts 4:31).

If we resolve to be bold witnesses for Jesus today, we too must count the cost. We may face disapproval, hostility, damaged relationships, or even outright persecution for our stand for Christ and His Word. But like the early church, we must determine to obey God rather than man.

We must pray for God to fill us afresh with His Spirit to grant us the boldness we need. For it is only by the Spirit’s power that we can overcome our fears and faithfully testify to the truth. And as we step out in obedience, I believe we will see God work supernaturally through our witness, just as He did in the book of Acts.

Testifying Through Deed and Word

In Acts chapter 6, as the church was growing rapidly, a dispute arose because the Greek-speaking Jewish widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The Twelve apostles, not wanting to neglect preaching the word of God, appointed seven leaders full of the Spirit and wisdom to oversee this charitable ministry.

One of these seven was a man named Stephen, who was “full of God’s grace and power” and “performed great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8). Stephen boldly testified about Jesus not only through his preaching, but also through his actions of compassion and care for the needy. Even his opponents could not stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by whom he spoke (Acts 6:10).

Stephen models for us that our bold witness is not only verbal, but also tangible, practical, and sacrificial. We testify to the reality of Jesus through our deeds of love, through serving the hurting and marginalized, through giving generously to the work of God. As Jesus taught, our good works should shine before others, that they may see them and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

In our “woke” culture that often criticizes the church, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the heart of Christ through meeting practical needs and being agents of godly justice and compassion. Of course, we must never substitute good works for the verbal proclamation of the gospel. But our deeds of love can adorn and lend credibility to our gospel witness.

As we see with Stephen, boldly testifying to Jesus in our secular culture will likely provoke opposition and slander from those hostile to the truth. And yet, if our conduct is above reproach and we respond to opposition with Christlike grace and truth, I believe we will see many won over by the undeniable reality of a life transformed by Jesus.

Relying on the Holy Spirit

Throughout these chapters in Acts, we see the centrality of the Holy Spirit in enabling the church’s bold witness. It was the Spirit who filled Peter as he testified before the Sanhedrin (4:8). It was the Spirit who shook the place where the believers were praying and empowered them to speak the word with boldness (4:31). Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (6:5) who spoke with wisdom and the Spirit (6:10).

If we are to be bold witnesses for Jesus in our day, we must be radically dependent on the Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of mustering up our own courage or cleverly crafting our words. Rather, it is the Spirit who enables us to testify with clarity, conviction, and power.

When Jesus commissioned His disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, He did not tell them to rely on their training, their eloquence, or their strategic plans. No, He told them to wait for the promise of the Father, the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon them (Acts 1:8). Only then would they be His witnesses.

So as we face the challenges and opposition of boldly testifying in a “woke” culture, we must daily seek the fresh infilling and anointing of the Holy Spirit. We must pray like the early church for God to grant us utterance to speak His word with boldness. For it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit, that mountains are moved and the gospel advances in hostile territory.

As the Spirit fills and empowers us, we will find words to speak even in the most intimidating of circumstances. And those words, anointed by the Spirit, will pierce hearts and draw people to Jesus in ways that our most carefully crafted arguments never could. Boldness is not brashness or insensitivity, but rather the humble courage that comes from knowing the Spirit of God is with us and speaking through us.

Boldly Go

My dear friends, we are not called to retreat or compromise in this hour, but to boldly testify to the reality of Jesus in a wayward generation. Like the early church in Acts, we must obey God rather than man, speaking the truth in love and demonstrating the power of the gospel through Christlike living.

It will not be easy. We may face rejection, hostility, and suffering for our witness. But we must remember that it is an incomparable privilege and a sacred duty to be ambassadors for Christ, imploring others to be reconciled to God.

In a world growing darker, the light of the gospel shines all the more brightly. And as we boldly proclaim Jesus, I believe we will see the Spirit move in supernatural ways, opening blind eyes, softening hard hearts, and setting captives free. For there is power – wonder-working, Satan-defeating, life-transforming power – in the name of Jesus.

So let us not shrink back in fear, but rather step forward in faith, filled with the Holy Spirit, to testify boldly to our Savior. Let our unashamed witness provoke the question, “By what power or name do these people speak and live?” And let our answer always be, “By the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom belongs all glory, now and forevermore.“

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If you are not sure that you are saved, you can accept Christ into your life right now, by praying:

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life.  I ask you into my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior.”

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Current events are aligning with Biblical prophecy