Public Humilition Leading to the Spread of the Gospel
Recently someone emailed me a rude comment concerning something I did with a podcast on my other site. Admittedly, I was hurt and annoyed that this person would do so. However, the next day this same person sent me a complimentary email and I found out that they had sent the other rude email anonymously because I was able to track their IP address. (Lest you think you can't be found out online) Well, I decided to let the person know that they had been busted and revealed to them that I knew it was them who insulted me anonymously and asked why they did it. They explained they were bothered by the quality of my podcast and felt bad about it so that's why they sent me the other nice email. Maybe that's true, and maybe it's not. I don't know their heart. What I do know though is that God will reveal things to us when we are seeking Him. God will also allow us sometimes to be made even more public with our views than we expect or want, and it's all for His glory. In the end, this guy was exposed, but he also ended up being a real help to me. The following Extreme Devotion is an example of how something initially appearing bad, is made into something great.
The first time Brother K’Be’s children saw him on Vietnamese television, they were excited. Their excitement disappeared when they heard the announcer say that their father was a criminal. They claimed he was guilty of many “crimes” against the Vietnamese government.
Brother K’Be’s “crimes” were preaching the gospel at unregistered house-church meetings. The government put his face on TV to shame him and to warn others to watch out for him. They also played police interviews with him on TV and radio, but this only helped to spread the gospel message further. It gave him a platform to reach many others for Christ. Those who saw him on TV asked about his faith, and he was able to tell them about Christ.
He explained, “They put my face on TV so people can identify me. My neighbors say, ‘Why leave your family?’ I tell them that God will take care of that. I must go. The harvest is ready, and there are few workers.”
Seeing that the public shame was not deterring K’Be’s ministry, police have threatened to arrest him the next time he is caught preaching. “My wife rejoices that our names are in the Book of Life and that my face is a witness on television. The police are helping to spread the gospel. They can close the church, but not our witness.” .
Believers may be nailed to a stake, chained in a prison cell, or locked in stockades. Believers may even die. Yet the gospel lives on. K’Be reminds us that the gospel is not about a church building, a meeting, or any one believer. A church building can be closed. A meeting may be disbanded. A believer can be imprisoned or killed. Is your understanding of Christianity tied to a certain pastor or church building or activity? Would your faith still thrive (as it does in restricted nations) if all of these outward forms were taken away? God’s Word would yet remain, despite these restrictions. Would you still find a way, like K’Be did, to live out your faith?