Arrested For Preaching The Gospel – What Is Happening In Britain

The title of my blog post today is “Arrested for Preaching the Gospel: What is Happening in Britain?” It has been a while since I have made a video for A Countryman’s View. There have been several reasons for that, including moving house and my longer-term plans to relocate to Greece. However, I want to start producing videos more regularly again, even if I am not uploading quite as frequently as I did before.

For this video, I want to look at something that concerns me greatly: Christian preachers being arrested while publicly preaching the Gospel in Britain.

I look at two examples in the video. One involves my friend Steve Maile, who was arrested while street preaching in Watford. The other involves a Christian preacher called Jesse, who was arrested while preaching about Jesus Christ in London’s Chinatown.

Whatever our individual views about policing, free speech or the state of Britain today, I believe Christians have to come back to one fundamental question: what does the Bible actually tell us to do?

Christians Are Commanded To Preach The Gospel

Sometimes people ask whether Christians really need to preach publicly. Should we simply keep our faith private and avoid offending anyone?

The words of Jesus are very clear.

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”
Mark 16:15 NKJV

Jesus did not tell His disciples to hide away or to keep the Gospel within the four walls of a church building. He told them to go.

The Gospel has always been a message that is proclaimed. People need to hear that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again. They need to hear that forgiveness, salvation and eternal life are available through Him.

That is why I respect people such as Steve who are prepared to go onto the streets and openly speak about Jesus Christ.

I have written about this subject previously in Arrested For Preaching Jesus In The UK – A Sign Of The Times?. Sadly, the question of whether Christians are still free to proclaim their faith publicly in Britain has not gone away.

Steve Maile – Continuing To Preach Even While Being Arrested

In the first part of my video, I show a short clip involving Steve Maile.

One thing particularly stood out to me. Even while the police were dealing with him, Steve continued to proclaim Jesus Christ and told those listening to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

I admire that.

Whatever pressures are placed upon us, the Gospel does not change. Jesus remains Lord, people still need salvation and Christians still have a responsibility to speak the truth.

Steve has also spoken publicly about how he believes he was treated during his arrest, including the way he was restrained and comments he says were made concerning the name of Jesus. Those are serious matters, and naturally there are legal and factual questions surrounding any individual arrest.

However, the wider issue I want to address is not simply one particular police incident. It is what appears to be an increasingly difficult climate for Christians who publicly express biblical beliefs.

Another Preacher Arrested In London

I also show footage involving another street preacher, Jesse Samuel Ngoma, preaching in London’s Chinatown.

Again, what struck me was that even as he was being taken away, he continued proclaiming the central message of Christianity: that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again.

That raises an important question.

At what point does a supposedly free society begin to become uncomfortable with the public proclamation of Christianity?

I have covered similar issues before, including in my articles concerning free speech in Britain.

I have also previously written about an incident in Whitechapel where a police officer appeared to recognise something that should be straightforward in a free society: people are allowed to preach publicly, and those who do not wish to listen are free to walk away. You can read that article here: Preach The Word – Common Sense In Whitechapel.

Opposition To The Gospel Is Nothing New

Although what we are seeing may concern us, opposition to the name of Jesus is certainly not new.

The book of Acts records the authorities attempting to stop the apostles from preaching.

“So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”
Acts 4:18 NKJV

Peter and John answered:

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:19–20 NKJV

That is a powerful response.

The authorities were effectively telling them to stop speaking about Jesus, but the apostles knew that their first responsibility was to God.

Acts 5:29 makes the principle even clearer:

“But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’”
Acts 5:29 NKJV

That does not mean Christians should deliberately cause trouble, behave aggressively or look for confrontation. Scripture also teaches respect for authority.

However, when Christians are pressured to remain silent about something God has clearly commanded them to proclaim, the early Church gives us an example of courage.

Are We Living In The Perilous Times The Bible Warned About?

I often return to 2 Timothy 3 because it describes a society that increasingly resembles much of what we see around us.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.”
2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV

Paul continues by describing people as lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, brutal and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

We need to be careful about trying to put an exact timetable on biblical prophecy, but Christians should certainly be spiritually awake.

The Bible tells us that conditions in the world will become increasingly difficult before the return of Christ.

I do believe Jesus is coming again, and rather than making Christians frightened, that should motivate us.

Time is precious. People need to hear the Gospel.

I have written more about the spiritual condition of our society in The World’s Greatest Crisis Isn’t Political – It’s Spiritual. Ultimately, Britain’s problems cannot be solved merely through politics, new laws or a change of government. The deepest problem is spiritual.

The Answer Is Still Jesus Christ

It is very easy with subjects like this to become completely focused on the police, government, Islam, free speech or cultural decline.

Those issues deserve discussion, but they are not the Gospel.

The answer to Britain’s problems is not simply winning political arguments. The answer is Jesus Christ.

The Bible says:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”
Romans 1:16 NKJV

That is why Christians preach.

We are not simply trying to win debates. We preach because people need a Saviour.

Sin separates mankind from God, but Jesus came to reconcile us to Him. He died in our place and rose again so that anyone who genuinely puts their faith in Him can receive forgiveness and eternal life.

Britain Needs The Gospel

There may be many negative signs around us, but I don’t believe Christians should live in despair.

In fact, there are also encouraging signs that people in Britain are becoming spiritually hungry.

I have written previously about signs of renewed interest in Christianity and the Bible. You can read more in my Evangelism section, where I regularly look at public preaching, revival and sharing the Gospel.

The darker the world becomes, the more clearly the light of Christ should shine.

Matthew 5:14 tells believers:

“You are the light of the world.”

We should not respond to darkness by hiding the light.

Do You Know Jesus Christ?

Perhaps you have arrived at this article because you are concerned about what is happening in Britain, but you do not personally know Jesus Christ.

If so, the most important question is not what you think about street preaching or the police.

The most important question is: where do you stand with God?

Jesus came to save sinners. He died for our sins and rose again on the third day.

Salvation is not about becoming religious or trying to make yourself good enough for God. We come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

If you would like a fuller explanation, please read my article How To Accept Jesus Christ Today.

A Simple Prayer

If you genuinely want to turn to Jesus Christ, you can pray from your heart:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I acknowledge You as Lord and Saviour of my life.
I repent of all my sins and I ask You today to take complete control of every aspect of my life.
Amen.

The words themselves are not a magic formula. What matters is genuine faith and repentance from the heart.

If you have made that decision, I would encourage you to find a strong Bible-believing church where Jesus Christ is honoured and where the Word of God is taught faithfully.

Begin reading the Bible for yourself, spend time in prayer and get around Christians who can help you grow in your faith.

Final Thoughts

I don’t believe Christians should become frightened or intimidated into silence.

Neither do I believe we should go looking for arguments or confrontation.

Our responsibility is to faithfully preach Jesus Christ, speak the truth in love and refuse to become ashamed of the Gospel.

The apostles faced opposition. The early Church faced persecution. Christians around the world continue to experience tremendous pressure for their faith today.

Yet the Gospel continues to spread.

Jesus said:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Mark 16:15 NKJV

That command has not changed.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Do you believe Christians are still genuinely free to preach the Gospel publicly in Britain?

Please feel free to leave a comment below, and if this article or the accompanying video has encouraged you, please share it with someone else.

Arrested For Preaching The Gospel – What Is Happening In Britain?