An important line in the sand was drawn this past week by some church leaders in California. When their state told them that they could no longer meet or have singing in their churches, they decided that it was time to disregard the government’s orders and honor the Lord by meeting together. Leading the way and laying out the Biblical position for this stand was respected and prominent Bible teacher and Pastor, John MacArthur. You can read his position statement here.

My point is not to debate the questions of the biblical grounds for their decision. While some may take issue with the biblical framework that was used to support their decision, there is no question that the church has a mandate by God to meet together and to have singing as part of our worship time. These churches have had to draw a line in the sand during this difficult season when their state has proven to be unrelenting and uncooperative with those that wish to retain their freedom to publicly worship. I pray that God intervenes and is glorified through this and am thankful that my church has not had to make these difficult decisions yet. However, I’m concerned about the target that is now on their back. Not only them, but many other churches and even individual Christians who wish to honor the Lord in their worship may need to make a similar stand now or in the future.

In Matthew 10:16-18, Jesus was giving instructions while sending out His disciples for ministry. He warned them that not everyone would be keen to hear their message or would respect their freedom to be a testimony for him. As Christians who are striving to live for the Lord, we should EXPECT to be persecuted. We should EXPECT the culture, our government, and even our own unsaved family members to use their powers against us. In other words, by simply being a Christian who is active in sharing and living out your faith, there is a target on your back.

However, notice that Jesus tells the disciples that we are not to incite this type of behavior among those who oppose the gospel. We are not to try to create confrontational situations by waving a red flag in front of an angry bull. There are three main ideas from this passage that we need to keep in balance about how and when we should take a stand.

1. Be a SHEEP, not a WOLF – v.16 – “I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves”. Sometimes we can get too brazen in our actions, too quick to pick a fight, too assured that we have the Lord on our side, and too cavalier with our conduct. These are attitudes of a wolf, not a sheep. Sheep are not trying to pick a fight, they depend on their shepherd without being brazen, and their conduct is meek and not self-asserting.
2. Be WISE, not WEAK – v.17 – “be ye therefore wise as serpents.” Planning for ministry and deciding how to react to oppression needs to be filled with wisdom, guile, and cunning. We aren’t supposed to just crumble under the opposition, wave the white flag of defeat and cave in to our weakness. Rather, we need to use creativity and craftiness to find solutions that enable us to have an effective ministry, testimony, and witness (even if that means flying under the radar).
3. Be a DOVE, not an EAGLE – v.17 – “harmless as doves.” A dove is nearly defenseless, so they are always aware of the dangers around them. When they see trouble coming from afar, they quickly take flight to escape it. In contrast, an eagle is a bird of prey always on the offense and planning his next attack. This doesn’t mean there is never a time to stand and fight, but as harmless doves we shouldn’t be on the offense either.

Even by taking these biblical positions, even Jesus assures us of the fact that we WILL become victims. We WILL be the targets of others. We WILL NOT be able to escape every trial. When those times come, we are to stand up and give a strong testimony for our Lord. When that day comes, we go willingly and boldly to proclaim the truth of God’s Word just as the many martyrs that paved the way in the last 2000 years of church history before us. If you are seeking to live for the Lord, be aware of the target that is on your back, be wise in your conduct, take a defensive posture BUT when the time comes, be prepared to have a bold testimony for your Lord.