A Christian woman recently shared with me that two young people came to her church to share the gospel with others. The coworkers in the befriender ministry communicated with them, only to discover that they were members of a heretical organization. They had no choice but to leave because the trick had been exposed.
Some churches have established befriending groups on anti-heresy to cope with the increasing rampant heresies. Such a ministry recruits believers with a solid foundation in the truth and witnesses to join. For example, some urban churches in southern China have begun to initiate this ministry.
Many churches will warn Christians to guard against the infiltration of heresy, but many believers have no understanding of what heresy is. For example, when COVID-19 initially broke out, South Korea became a social hotspot because the heretic "Shincheonji Church of Jesus" breached pandemic prevention rules and gathered congregations, escalating the outbreak. However, some church staff in China have no idea what "Shincheonji" is.
A Christian man once testified that every time he received a gospel flyer on the street, he would check with the staff in his church, only to detect heretical propaganda multiple times. If the church’s befrienders have a deep root in truth, allowing congregations to check with them as needed and thus discover heresies immediately, believers will be able to avoid heresies.
The lack of a corresponding system, which causes the inability to quickly spot bugs, is a critical reason why heresies can be rampant and infiltrate people's minds easily in churches. With befrienders, who can engage with newcomers, suspicious individuals can be identified and stopped from penetration.
Over a decade ago, some women distributed "gospel flyers" outside a church when a Christian woman sensed a rat and immediately brought the leaflets to a church coworker for identification. He recognized that this was propaganda from a heretical organization and quickly warned everyone not to approach or collect the flyer. These women fled in disappointment as their real motivation was revealed.
Without a doubt, while selecting co-workers for the befriender ministry, they must have a solid basis in the truth and be familiar with various heretical doctrines and routines. This involves training by church leaders as well as the healthy devotional lives of the candidates.
Heretics often use "sugar-coated bullets" to attack Christians, so the spiritual lives of the befrienders are also critical. If one cannot resist temptation, he or she will be captured. Once the befrienders' barrier is breached, heretics have easy access to the church.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
