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
前段时间听一位女信徒说：“有两个年轻人来到她们教会，跟人分享福音。于是陪谈组的同工就与他们交流。发现他们是某异端组织的成员。由于把戏很快就被拆穿了，他们只好无奈地离开了教会。”
有的教会根据当代异端横行的特点，设立了反异端的陪谈组。招募真理根基好，有见证的信徒加入。比如南方某些城市教会，就开始从事这项事工。
很多教会都会告诉信徒要防范异端的侵袭，可是很多信徒连什么是异端都没搞清楚。比如新冠疫情刚爆发时，韩国因为异端新天地违背防疫政策，聚集信徒引爆疫情，成为社会热点。然而，国内有些教会的同工居然连新天地是什么都不清楚。
有位男信徒就曾见证，他只要在街边收到福音单张，都会找教会同工分辨，多次发现异端的宣传品。教会的陪谈组同工如果真理根基好，让信徒及时找到需要的同工，从而第一时间认出异端，就能远离异端。
有些异端能够在教会里横行无忌，随意拉人下水，一个重要原因就是教会缺乏相应的应急机制，无法迅速识别出异端分子。而有了陪谈组，她们就能与刚来教会的新人交流，从中发现可疑人员，阻止他们渗入。
十几年前，有些大妈在某教会外，分发“福音单张”。有位女基督徒觉得不对劲，就马上把这些东西交给一位同工分辨。他看出这是异端组织的宣传品，立刻告知大家不要去靠近、领取。这些大妈看到目的被拆穿，马上灰溜溜地走了。
当然教会在选择陪谈组同工时，必须是真理根基好，且熟知各种异端教义以及套路的。这就需要教会负责人对他们进行培训，同工也要有良好的灵修生活。
而他们的属灵生命也是很重要，因为异端邪教往往善于利用“糖衣炮弹”攻击基督徒。如果经不起诱惑，就会被他们所俘虏。一旦陪谈组的防火墙被攻破，异端就能轻易地进入教会。
教会陪谈组可以成为防范异端的防火墙
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
BeFriender Ministry Builds Barriers Against Heresies
