Series: Kingdom People, Kingdom Prep
Teachers worldwide are equipping their congregations to live - and love - under anti-Christian pressure and hostility. I'm gathering some of their voices here.
I've been thinking a lot lately about this phrase from C.H. Spurgeon: 'I shake, but my Rock moves not.' What a powerful reminder of God's steadfastness in a world that seems anything but stable.
It seems as though the Spirit is stirring hearts worldwide, especially in how we approach the idea of Christian endurance in hostile environments. There's an increasing focus on more than just a single message or sermon. Entire discipleship series are emerging, challenging believers to reconsider what 'normal' Christian living looks like. And it's not just coming from one corner; it's as if believers across the globe are hearing a call to prepare, to understand what it means to live faithfully in societies that may not welcome us or our message.
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that for thirty-years I’ve gathered thoughts, teachings, and testimonies under the heading of Christian Endurance Studies. This is the primary work, research and teaching of the Edmiston Center, which I’ve been honored to direct for the last five years.
This study series via my Substack will highlight teaching I’m hearing in 2024 of how the persecuted church continues to endure and radiate God’s glory amid severe opposition. I’m glad you’re following along, especially if you - like me - seek a deeper understanding of how Christians can thrive spiritually in hostile cultural climates.
Every American Christian needs to understand this better. Political, social, and cultural pressures can subtly shape our priorities, making it easy to conflate our faith with allegiances to earthly powers. Through this Substack series, we’ll hear from local and global pastors. I aim to include powerful and well-known voices like Pastor Wang Yi in China. He speaks from a deep well of experience and is serving a nine-year prison sentence for his unwavering commitment to Christ over any state or cultural agenda. His teachings, including his perspective on questions like, 'Should Christians Be Patriots?'. Pastor Wang Yi wrote this essay before his incarceration to prepare his congregation to face cultural hostility of their own. Works like these help us biblically discern where our loyalties should lie.
It’s a challenge Paul himself expressed when he said, 'I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified' (1 Corinthians 2:2). Our allegiance is first to Christ and His Kingdom, not to any earthly system. This isn’t about avoiding cultural engagement but approaching it with the correct perspective. We can show up as engaged citizens without shifting our deepest identity away from God’s kingdom to earthly constructs.
The people we’ll look at in this series understand this well. Their teachings consistently focus on:
A Kingdom-centered perspective that prioritizes God's will over any earthly agenda.
Balancing eternal truths with our current, earthly experiences.
How to live under everything from subtle cultural pressure to overt persecution.
Rooting ideas in a biblically sound, orthodox faith.
Holding our primary identity as God’s people, with Christ at the center.
Training disciples to remain faithful in the face of cultural challenges.
Emphasizing love, forgiveness, and reconciliation – even toward those who hate and oppose Christ.
This kind of teaching reminds me of what the Bible calls the 'remnant'—those faithful to God in the midst of a challenging culture. These communities remain deeply rooted in the Kingdom, flourishing under God’s care even when surrounded by pressures.
In 1 Peter 4:12-13, Peter tells us, 'Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed.' And in Hebrews 10:36, we're reminded that we 'need endurance, so that after we have done the will of God, we may receive what is promised.'
'I shake, but my Rock moves not.' - C.H. Spurgeon
So, in this series, we’ll learn from those who live this out every day. From China to other locations, to right here in the States, these voices are faithful reminders that our loyalty is to a kingdom not of this world. As Philippians 3:20 says, 'Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.'
Our first teaching series comes from my local congregation, New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My pastor, Kevin Smith, has been preaching Kingdom for the last twelve years, and in 2024 he began drilling down specifically into equipping our congregation for life as cultural exiles. I’m excited to share how God is building a resilient faith community here, and how it aligns with this worldwide wave of discipleship focused on enduring faith.
Let’s keep our eyes on Christ, friends, and those who preach Him as pre-eminent. That’s how we endure and stay on the unique mission God has given us, knowing that His promises are sure. As Habakkuk 2:14 says, in doing so '… the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.'
Stay ‘stacked here, stay encouraged, and let’s keep that Rock central.
Our Rock never moves. - kae